It's Been Trending This Way for a While Now

I prefer to mimic the self-made millionaires which are by far the largest percentage of rich people out there....and they got there through hard work and better than average decision making..

but that doesn't take away from the reality of a criminal class.
who have high-jacked many a public institutions to further their dominance.
those "feel-good" stories exist,but the likelihood that the average joe will attain that level is lottery levels of success.

but it is those stories that are trotted out to make the working class believe in this fairy tale that if they work hard enough,sacrifice enough,devote enough,that they too can become "successful".

but the numbers don't lie.
it is unlikely that you will become a millionaire.

but what I find most sinister about this weird "wealth worship" here in the states,is that if you DON'T somehow become the next steve jobs.

it is your fault.
THAT is what I find most disturbing.

I am not dismissing that "hard work" narrative.
I may view the "you can do it" story a fairy tale,but hard work can produce much.
and who am I to take away someone elses dreams?

but the system is rigged against you.
if you can learn to navigate within that system,you can do quite nicely for yourself.
the factors involved to have the opportunity to do that though,are multi-faceted and complicated.
it can have just as much to do with your race and family as it does location and education.

but we all need dreams to aspire to.
a purpose that drives us.
and if being a millionaire if your dream?
well then you go be the best boo you can be and you go get that brass ring.
i'll be here cheering you on!
no envy at all brother.

"the average joe will attain that level is lottery levels of success."

Average people make average money...because they're average. The go-getters, of which I know a few, are the plumber who bought a truck and built his business into 5 crews, the carpenter who decided to get a general contractor's license and become a builder etc...These jobs turn people into millionaires over time, but they aren't 9-5 jobs, which is why many don't do them. Small businesses hire more people than large corporations. And yes, I know a plumber that only has a high school education, but is, in fact a millionaire. His employees aren't, but that's because they're average Joes as you call them.

"but it is those stories that are trotted out to make the working class believe in this fairy tale that if they work hard enough,sacrifice enough,devote enough,that they too can become "successful".

but the numbers don't lie.
it is unlikely that you will become a millionaire."

I'll be a millionaire in five years...maybe. I'm middle class and have worked my ass off my entire life, walking through the doors that open for advancement whenever they presented themselves. I'll likely never make more than 100k a year, but I don't need to. I live within my means, making sacrifices now, for the sake of a good retirement later. My career doesn't require a college degree, but I have a couple anyway...that I paid for by going back to school later in life. Hard work, clean living, and sacrifice. That's all. It's cliche I know. The millionaires that I know are all people who came from humble means. It is, by no means, unachievable, or out of reach for anyone who aspires to be more and actually has the motivation to take chances. And they resent being called crooks, just because they put in 80 hours a week and took a chance on themselves.

I am talking about the people and institutions that have the amount of wealth (a.k.a not you,nor me) that have the resources to no longer strive and thrive in a system that you and the majority of americans toil in on a daily basis.

they simply purchase the legislators to enact laws that serve their interests.

the people that you are referring to are my family.
my brother worked a mill 60 hrs a week and then put himself through school to earn his master electrician certification.
and he worked that savvy to earn himself investments that actually pay him more than he ever earned as an electrician.

my little sister did something similar while working as an assistant for a business director,and parlayed that into her replacing her boss and is now in charge of not one...not two..but THREE states.
she will be a millionaire before she is 50.

now both are amazing people,and they sacrificed pretty much all their spare time to devote to work,and that is their choice and it serves their goals.

which is why I actually addressed this and made no judgement.
just like my family has done this,you can as well and I can totally respect that.

we are arguing two very dissimilar points.
I can support your positions,and simultaneously point to the ever-increasing influence of corporate/ultra-wealthy on our legislative body.

I am arguing against the oligarch class.
you are arguing working class.
they are not the same argument.

Those oligarchs are not the 1% but a much smaller percentage. Otherwise, I feel we're on the same page, different lines occasionally, but the same page in general.

I couldn’t agree more with your comments. I know folks with advanced degrees that are going nowhere in life and folks with less formal education that are more motivated and are making it happen (myself included). The Bernie/Liz/Beto’s that are offering everything for free are devaluing hard work and incentivizing and creating a class of mediocrity that will be almost impossible to turn back if we as a country ever go there. There was a time when those that didn’t work as hard or sacrifice as much were content to live the way they wanted but were not envious of, or trying to take from those that do put forth more effort. I long for the days of live and let live.

What I find disturbing is that somehow becoming a millionaire makes one a success and supposedly is the model of what all good Americans should aspire to.

Let's not forget the fact there cannot be the masses of poor relatively to the very few rich. But also is it really money we even should be striving for even if it goes against what is good for the Earth, and all humanity, and generally lacks meaning?

No, we're not just asking for Jobs, even good paying ones. We're asking for something with soul and general goodness, something that this predatory capitalistic system is lacking.

Yes, that's what I would say. Works for me!

For those AOC loving Bernie supporters out there, instead of complaining about others doing well and expecting the govt to take from them and give to you, get up off your butt, go out and work that butt off for 50, 60, 70 hours a week or more (or get this... work smarter, not harder!) and then see where you are financially. You may just find that after some long hours of smart, hard work, you're now in an economically "privileged" position, and won't be so quick and willing to let the govt give your money to those who won't work as hard as you do. You may just find that you want to control who you give your money to, because you want to help those who will help themselves, or those who are helpless, NOT those that the govt says should get your money.

People can move up from the bottom half and thus count as a loss. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqUgHuHmbzo

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/06/14/eye-popping-analysis-shows-top-1-gained-21-trillion-wealth-1989-while-bottom-half?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=twitter&fbclid=IwAR1qZAd17_fuUS7XovbpY8V0LCt4HjrPLvzNskS5cv3Iqmdhuy-oMpZAgz8

I am holding out for the next billionaire tax cuts, i bet it will trickle down THIS time!

Not that you asked for my $0.02, and I know you're trying to be cute and sarcastic with that comment, but instead of waiting for anything, why not start to WORK to become a billionaire, or even a paltry millionaire. You may find that after you do, your trust in the govt giving away your money is not as strong as it once was. You may find that you prefer to chose which people or groups to give your money to, such as those who can't help themselves, instead of those who won't help themselves.