The other night I caught a bit of Larry King Live, with Donald Trump  and Robert T. Kiyosaki, pitching their book Why We Want You to be Rich.

King asked for the definition of rich in this country. Curious?

If
you make one million dollars a year, without working — you can
consider yourself rich. Any less? No cigar. Make that much, but have to
work for it? You don’t qualify.

So my feeling that I’m rich is
just that: a feeling. I am apparently trying to create my own reality,
out of almost nothing. At least by these standards. 

Many
people in my situation, suddenly and completely unable to work, would
be homeless, and hungry. But I own my house — at least so far, though
it’s been a close thing more than once. Some people would call this an
apartment, but I own it — so it’s a house. My house.

It’s a house full of beautiful stuff. Well, OK, full of stuff that I think is beautiful, or useful, or amusing.

I
have the collector gene. Even as a child, I collected things. When I
had a job that involved a lot of travel, within a day or two the hotel
bureau would have an accumulation of local objects: a shell, a feather,
a stone; perhaps a piece of jewelry or other small artifact. A lifetime
of collections came together in this house when I moved here thirteen
years ago.

So I live here in this wonderful place, remodeled
to suit me. Each day I am surrounded by things that I like — some of
them made by people I love. I share my house with dogs, and cats, and
parakeets, and even, now and then, with friends. I am not hungry. I
have this sweet little laptop (thanks to you.) I have been woven into the World Wide Web. I have a tiny, but beautiful, garden oasis.

Today, this country’s population officially reached 300 million.

From Wikipedia:

The official poverty rate in the U.S. has increased for four consecutive years, from a 26-year low of 11.3% in 2000 to 12.7% in 2004.
This means that 37.0 million people were below the official poverty
thresholds in 2004. This is 5.4 million more than in 2000. The poverty
rate for children under 18 years old increased from 16.2% to 17.8% over
that period.

I live above these numbers. Only slightly, but above.

Am I not rich?

From Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary 

rich

1 : having abundant possessions and especially material wealth
2 a : having high value or quality b : well supplied or endowed   <a city rich in traditions>
3 : magnificently impressive  : SUMPTUOUS
4 a : vivid and deep in color   <a rich red> b : full and mellow in tone and quality   <a rich voice> c : having a strong fragrance   <rich perfumes>
5 : highly productive or remunerative   <a rich mine>
6 a : having abundant plant nutrients   <rich soil> b : highly seasoned, fatty, oily, or sweet   <rich foods> c : high in the combustible component   <a rich fuel mixture> d : high in some component   <cholesterol-rich foods>
7 a : ENTERTAINING; also : LAUGHABLE b : MEANINGFUL, SIGNIFICANT   <rich allusions> c : LUSH   <rich meadows>
8 : pure or nearly pure   <rich lime>

I would say that, by many of these definitions, I am rich, indeed.

You?