Poverty does not give one the time to pursue happiness. You know, "the pursuit of happiness." Seems to me there are some people here who do not understand what that really is.

The truth is that we have far more time to devote to that pursuit than ever before. And whether or not you like it, "the pursuit of happiness" was intended by our Founding Fathers to include possessions. "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" was borrowed from John Locke's phrase "life, liberty, and estate." The pursuit of happines is an inalienable right to pursue any business or vocation one chooses. Most of the people born in this world don't have a choice about what they are going to be when they grow up. They are born into poverty on rice farms or whatever, and they will die on that rice farm.

In America, opportunity is greater than ever. You can toil on a rice farm or you can be a computer programmer. Whatever floats your boat.

Sure, some people waste that opportunity bellyaching about 7-11 being out of Cherry Coke at three in the morning. The horror! But look at the genius of America that allows one to buy Cherry Coke at three in the morning! It's a true blessing.

There are many ways to express ingratitude. The more obvious one I just gave about the Cherry Coke. And the more insidious one which implies we are somehow worse off than our forefathers.

Both are equally ridiculous.

Ask 85 year old grandma if she would rather have spent her whole life hunting for coal in the dirt. Because if she had been born in any number of countries, she still would be.