[extropy-chat] Why I am No Longer a Libertarian Either...

[Mike Lorrey]

--- Robbie Lindauer <robgobblin at aol.com> wrote:

> Awesome, thanks for correcting me.
> 
> 1)  What are the sources of your statistics?
> 2)  How was "blue collar" and "self-made" defined for the sake of the
> study?
> 3)  What factors -do- contribute to millionaire-ship on your account,
> statistically speaking?
> 
> I'm looking for an argument of this form:
> 
> Of all American millionaires, 60% of them are blue collar (e.g. had 
> parents with little or no money and who weren't able to help them so 
> far as even a college education).
> Of the people whose parents were blue collar, x% became millionaires.
> And by comparison for the inheritors...

You don't understand: blue collar millionaires made their millions in
blue collar work: plumbing, farming, electrical contracting,
landscaping, etc. My own brother is one of these, he dropped out of
college, made about half his current wealth mowing lawns, landscaping,
and managing properties, then, after buying out a dozen or so
competitors in his area, sold out to a larger competitor in another
part of the state, and migrated into real estate sales.

I know a number of these types: little or no college education, some
without a high school diploma, who enjoy working their butts of 12-14
hours a day in backbreaking work when young, then successfully learn by
trial and error to manage groups of employees in the same trade, and
come to dominate their local market.

You likely know several millionaires but are not aware of it, because
you look at them driving a pickup truck, wearing a service worker
uniform, and not minding getting their hands dirty as degrading and
lower class. Such tend not to talk about their wealth to their friends
and don't buy into having status symbols.

Mike Lorrey
Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
                                      -William Pitt (1759-1806) 
Blog: http://intlib.blogspot.com

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