According to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affluence_in_the_United_States I'm in the top 10%. According to the WSJ http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/10/19/what-percent-are-you/ I am in the top 15%.
Not bad for a redneck that is a victim of the Alabama public education system and the son of a tire factory worker, eh? With that being said, I'm hardly wealthy. In fact, I scoff at the suggestion and dismiss it outright. If my income is top 10-15%, then the Huntsville metro area is overflowing with 1%ers.
I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I did it the "easy way." I graduated high school, joined the military, and took out $30,000+ in student loans. Hard work and determination are still the greatest wealth generators in the world. I will never be truely wealthy due to me selected career field, which has fixed payscales.
Life is full of choices and those choices carry consequences, both good and bad. The best choice I ever made was joining the Marines, which gave me a huge dose self-discipline and superior work ethic that I lacked so much of in high school. I didn't graduate college until I was 28 and married wtih three children.
I've lived the struggle as a young married father making $10 an hour. I chose to improve my economic situation. The thought never once crossed my mind that those damn 1%ers were not sharing the wealth. I took charge of my own life. You can't redistribute wealth...it doesn't work. People have to save themselves.
