Reply #26: No problem with the crux of your post, but some details....

[UdoKier]

To make a long story as short as possible...He told me that everybody can own his or her own company and become wealthy.

No. It's possible for ANYBODY to become wealthy, but the very nature of our economy dictates that EVERYBODY cannot. The number of people who are wealthy will always be a distinct minority.

He did. I told him that everyone doesn't have the intelligence or capacity to do that.

Or even if they have the intelligence and ability, factors like being born poor, of color, or raising kids they had too young are almost always insurmountable setbacks.

Some people have to work for others.

Of course, if everyone had their own business and made a fortune at it, who would work for peanuts at Micky D's?

That the minimum wage hasn't changed in over seven years and that their are more people living in poverty in the U.S. than any time in our lifetime. He just looked at me and said that they could start their own business. That he knew someone that came to this country with zero funds and by working hard owned his own business within three years and is a very successful person.

That "someone" did it doesn't mean EVERYONE can do it. Did he bring along kids to raise? Did he work 3 jobs? Was he fortunate enough to be raised by parents who instilled tthe importance of learning in him? (Apparently, according to repugs, children whose PARENTS doom them to a life of ignorance and poverty by neglecting education are "bad" and "lazy".) Did he come from his country armed with a degree in a sought-after skill? There are too many variables to count.

I told him that he was the exception, not the rule... that 3 out of 4 companies fail in the first year.

I'm pretty sure that it's closer to 90%, unless you include something like The Gap starting a "new company" like Old Navy. In those cases, the chances of success are obviously MUCH higher.

That as a woodworker I have had worked for 4 manufacturers since 97 and three have shut their doors on me. That I am currently working for a wage that is less than when I graduated from high school in 1976.

Yeah, Rush used to tell people that they weren't ENTITLED to health care, food or shelter. Now the line is that we're not even ENTITLED to work!

He told me to start my own business.

That's their answer to everything. Never mind that you're knee-deep in debt and can barely afford the minimum payments. "Just do it." they say smugly.

I told him I didn't want to start my own business.. I just wanted to work for a fair wage and be able to provide for my Family.... send my children to college and be able to retire not wealthy but comfortable. He just kept saying how hard he had worked and everything worked out for him.

Reminds me of my mom & her husband. They both were brought up with everything. The best private boarding schools, the best colleges, even a trust fund for my mom.

But when I went to college, I was on my own, had to get student loans, and my mom would tell me to be independent, etc. For some reason, they are completely oblivious to all the advantages they had starting out. If I had a master's from Baylor like she does, I'd doubtless be making more money now...

Needless to say... we didn't talk to each other for the rest of the night...and I really am not to keen on talking to him ever again. Quite the impression he made with me.

That's sad that your sister is marrying such a smug, spoiled person. Of course his business networks may be enough to pull him through, but often such people are the ones who become impossible to live with when things go really south (IE another recession/depression) If his understanding of the feelings of others is as nonexistent as his understanding of their financial predicaments, their marriage may be a short one.