If you don't play the lottery, you can't win. That's obvious. But the vast majority of people in America will not succeed even if they are convinced that success is possible.

The vast majority of people in America has already succeeded: being "poor" there is better than being "average" in most countries on Earth.

You're changing the topic. This conversation is not about the quality of life among lower-income people-- It is about the opportunity to become a very successful entrepreneur.

And 'better than most countries' isn't a very high bar for the richest country on earth. The Economist ranked the US 30th in food availability, and 28th in food affordability among 112 countries. Not exactly a slam dunk.

And yet we're the fattest country in the world, and throw away 40% of the food we buy.