>> But the increasing divide in between the rich and the poor and the nouveau riche will only hurt in long term. History has taught us that. I hope my American friends will learn this for the larger good.<p>Every time I hear this, I wonder if people just don't know that we lift more people out of poverty every year, or its just such a common misconception that is now engrained in our culture.<p><a href="http://www.aei-ideas.org/2013/10/land-of-opportunity-almost-93-of-all-new-millionaires-worldwide-in-the-last-year-were-americans/" rel="nofollow">http://www.aei-ideas.org/2013/10/land-of-opportunity-almost-...</a><p>"Land of opportunity: Of the 1.8M net increase in global millionaires last year, more than 9 out of 10 were Americans"<p><a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/09/17/2633881/poverty-data-shows-importance-safety-net-programs-millions/" rel="nofollow">http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/09/17/2633881/poverty-...</a><p>"The official poverty rate was essentially unchanged at 15.1 percent in 2012, and alternative measures show that safety net programs like food stamps, unemployment insurance, Social Security, and tax credits for the working poor keep tens of millions of Americans out of poverty each year, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday."<p>Maybe we have different ideas of what poor is?<p><a href="http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/07/what-is-poverty" rel="nofollow">http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/07/what-is-pov...</a><p>"“The poorest Americans today live a better life than all but the richest persons a hundred years ago.”[3] In 2005, the typical household defined as poor by the government had a car and air conditioning. For entertainment, the household had two color televisions, cable or satellite TV, a DVD player, and a VCR. If there were children, especially boys, in the home, the family had a game system, such as an Xbox or a PlayStation.[4] In the kitchen, the household had a refrigerator, an oven and stove, and a microwave. Other household conveniences included a clothes washer, clothes dryer, ceiling fans, a cordless phone, and a coffee maker."