Originally Posted by
Machismo
You don't get to tell me how I'm allowed to debate.
I'm including myself into this, to show how easily it can be done. It wasn't very long ago, that I was as middle-income as they came. Shit, before that, I was broke as hell. I worked through college, making what I could waiting tables. I was in the military, and that doesn't pay too terrible well. After that, I worked in restaurants. I sure as shit wasn't rich. After that, I got a tech job, and the entry pay wasn't exactly flashy, I think it was about $44k a year. But, I started saving a little in the military, and saved a little more whenever I could. After several years, I made considerably more, and also started my own small company on the side. Shit, the latter was more of a hobby, than anything else (until about 2-3 years ago). But, all the while, I lived below my means, and invested.
None of that story is exceptional. I'm a normal guy, who worked just a bit harder, and made sure to always be looking for better offers (and continued learning new skills). Now, imagine if I had developed something truly groundbreaking, and my company was worth hundreds of millions, or even billions. The fundamentals don't actually change. Regardless of how much my house is worth, I can still borrow against the equity. Regardless of how many stocks I own, I can still use them as collateral in a loan.
All along the way, I made sure to put some aside, even when in the military when I was an E-2. Could I have put more away? Hell yeah, I drank way too much, and pissed money away.
Gambling doesn't make as much sense as the stock market, because the historical record of the stock market shows a long-term increase, whereas the math on gambling shows long-term losses. The risks are far lower with the stock market, especially in the long term. This is about as disingenuous as you can get.
Obama and the Democrats mandated company-based healthcare. Bush was out of office. We literally call it Obamacare. If you'd rather get paid more, and pay for your own retirement and healthcare, then be my guest. I'm all fucking for it. Let's get rid of the ACA. let's stop forcing employers to pay for healthcare, and let's push to have you simply take more money home.