Reply #7: I have to wonder - are there really that many have-nots?

[hfojvt]

45% haves and 34% have nots? It seems to me that people have not their sense of perspective, and hope. I have long been in the bottom quintile, except for a couple of years at the bottom end of the 4th quintile. Yet I would think of myself as a 'have'. But many people seem to have more - they have SO's, kids, cars, cable TV, and cell phones. Probably they have electric dryers and hot water too.

What can I say? Except for a girlfriend and a non-psychotic boss, I pretty much have everything I want. People who have more though apparently don't think they have enough, or they don't feel secure in keeping it. Or their perspective is that only people on the Forbes 400 can be considered 'haves' and everyone else is a 'have not' by comparison. How many of those self-described have nots don't appreciate what they have?