# Is the US in serious trouble, trouble so bad that our survival as a nation is very much in question? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 20, 2010, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-in-serious-trouble-trouble-so-bad-that-our-survival-as-a-nation-is-very-much-in-question/529786 "2010-02-20T18:49:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-in-serious-trouble-trouble-so-bad-that-our-survival-as-a-nation-is-very-much-in-question/529786/121 "2010-02-25T18:19:09Z")
> [@Random\_Design](#): > > Did your question have a point? The comment I made about America defaulting on debt without consequence had nothing to do with Hummer’s demise, not sure why you conflated the two. Um, because when someone writes a series of sentences one right after another, it is often assumed that they are following a single conherent thought or theme. Especially if one of them is a citation. > [@Really Not All That Bright](#): > > You see the disconnect there? We’re not a meritocracy. Don’t pretend we are. So what are you saying? Because some people are born to wealthy parents, you don’t even have to try? Of this list of American’s wealthiest people, how many were born with their billions? Rank Name Net Worth ($mil) Source 1 William Gates III 50,000 Microsoft 2 Warren Buffett 40,000 Berkshire Hathaway 3 Lawrence Ellison 27,000 Oracle 4 Christy Walton & family 21,500 Wal-Mart 5 Jim C. Walton 19,600 Wal-Mart 6 Alice Walton 19,300 Wal-Mart 7 S. Robson Walton 19,000 Wal-Mart 8 Michael Bloomberg 17,500 Bloomberg 9 Charles Koch 16,000 manufacturing, energy 9 David Koch 16,000 manufacturing, energy 11 Sergey Brin 15,300 Google 11 Larry Page 15,300 Google 13 Michael Dell 14,500 Dell 14 Steven Ballmer 13,300 Microsoft 15 George Soros 13,000 hedge funds ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-in-serious-trouble-trouble-so-bad-that-our-survival-as-a-nation-is-very-much-in-question/529786/122 "2010-02-25T18:35:42Z")
Gates’ parents were millionaires. Buffett’s father was a four-term Congressman, and presumably not exactly broke. Ellison did grow up poor. The Waltons _all_ inherited their wealth. Michael Bloomberg grew up middle-class, from what I’ve read, so we’ll count him. Charles and David Koch inherited Koch Industries and their wealth from Dad. Brin’s father was an academic, and presumably not well-off; count him. Same for Larry Page - count him. Michael Dell’s parents were pretty wealthy. Steve Ballmer went to a private prep school which currently charges $26,000 a year for tuition, so I’m guessing his parents were rich. Soros’ family wealth was apparently mostly confiscated by the Nazis; count him. So there are about five people on that list who were not born into wealth, and two of them founded Google. I’m not sure I see what you were trying to get at by posting that list. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-in-serious-trouble-trouble-so-bad-that-our-survival-as-a-nation-is-very-much-in-question/529786/123 "2010-02-25T18:37:31Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Um, because when someone writes a series of sentences one right after another, it is often assumed that they are following a single conherent thought or theme. Especially if one of them is a citation. > > So what are you saying? Because some people are born to wealthy parents, you don’t even have to try? > > Of this list of American’s wealthiest people, how many were born with their billions? > Rank Name Net Worth ($mil) Source > 1 William Gates III 50,000 Microsoft > 2 Warren Buffett 40,000 Berkshire Hathaway > 3 Lawrence Ellison 27,000 Oracle > 4 Christy Walton & family 21,500 Wal-Mart > 5 Jim C. Walton 19,600 Wal-Mart > 6 Alice Walton 19,300 Wal-Mart > 7 S. Robson Walton 19,000 Wal-Mart > 8 Michael Bloomberg 17,500 Bloomberg > 9 Charles Koch 16,000 manufacturing, energy > 9 David Koch 16,000 manufacturing, energy > 11 Sergey Brin 15,300 Google > 11 Larry Page 15,300 Google > 13 Michael Dell 14,500 Dell > 14 Steven Ballmer 13,300 Microsoft > 15 George Soros 13,000 hedge funds [http://www.faireconomy.org/press\_room/2006/ten\_super\_wealthy\_anti\_estate\_tax\_families\_listed\_on\_forbes\_400](http://www.faireconomy.org/press_room/2006/ten_super_wealthy_anti_estate_tax_families_listed_on_forbes_400) From a lefty rag: Forbes. Out of the top 24 wealthiest families, 20 are inherited wealth. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-in-serious-trouble-trouble-so-bad-that-our-survival-as-a-nation-is-very-much-in-question/529786/124 "2010-02-25T18:42:57Z")
There’s a difference between being rich enough to afford an expensive private school, and worth billions of dollars. As for the Waltons all inheriting their wealth, they all inherited it from Sam Walton, who was a self-made billionaire. As for the contention that most wealthy families inherit their wealth, well, isn’t that because you’re measuring wealthy families rather than individuals? Family wealth is by definition inherited wealth. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-in-serious-trouble-trouble-so-bad-that-our-survival-as-a-nation-is-very-much-in-question/529786/125 "2010-02-25T18:44:05Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Brin’s father was an academic, and presumably not well-off; count him. Mr. Neville’s family knows Sergey Brin’s dad Michael. He’s a math professor at the University of Maryland. As far as we know, he’s not particularly wealthy (well, except in the sense that everybody in the US is wealthy by world standards). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-us-in-serious-trouble-trouble-so-bad-that-our-survival-as-a-nation-is-very-much-in-question/529786.md?page=6)