>> It seems to me the further you get up the greasy poll the greasier it gets. Quite the opposite: the pole is greasy at the bottom, but becomes easier to clim

>> It seems to me the further you get up the greasy poll the greasier it gets. Quite the opposite: the pole is greasy at the bottom, but becomes easier to climb the more you manage to climb. The reason it's greasy at the bottom is because there are fundamental systemic factors at play that make it very difficult for poor people from making their way up. For example, here in the USA you cannot open a bank account if you don't have a permanent address, and you're likely to work multiple jobs with constant changes in schedule, and lack of easy transportation options to travel from one to the other. Once you reach middle class though, the relative stability it provides can allow you to make decisions to climb the ladder further, if you choose to do so.