I think it's a question of relative expectations. If we expected people to pay for their own retirement, college, health care, then these people would not be co

I think it's a question of relative expectations. If we expected people to pay for their own retirement, college, health care, then these people would not be considered "rich." They'd be considered responsible. The sorry truth is that when people who aren't saving for retirement or college see those who are, they scream "rich"! Then these "not rich" people ride through life saying "I can get by with less," and when it comes time to retire or send the kids to school or pay the hospital, they lean on the government to bail them out. I guess I'd rather recalibrate expectations. There are truly rich people out there, but those who are breaking even when paying for retirement, health care, and college are not rich. They're responsible, and they should not be asked to carry the masses who are irresponsible. Bottom line, it takes a ton of money to pay for healthcare, save for retirement, and save for college. A TON. Most people are not doing this. Instead, they're betting the "government," that endless source of wealth, will float them. As Thatcher said, the problem is, eventually you run out of other people's money.