I agree that savings and restraint in spending are not the main issue. But on the other hand, if you: 1) Graduate high school, 2) Wait until age 21 to get mar

I agree that savings and restraint in spending are not the main issue. But on the other hand, if you: 1) Graduate high school, 2) Wait until age 21 to get married, and wait until marriage to have children; and 3) Have a full time job (any full time job), then you have a 2% chance of living in poverty, and a 75% chance to be middle class. So in order to argue that bad choices don't matter, you need to make the case that one of these three steps is impossible for most people who are poor. I think your best bet is #3. [1] http://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2013/03/13-join-middle-class-haskins http://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2013/03/13-join-m...