Brewster Rockit by Tim Rickard for May 13, 2023

The genetic lottery is a game of chance. Some people are luckier than others.

Success = AbilityXMotivation

The vast majority of billionaires were born rich. It’s always easier to take risks when you’re rich.

Love the expression of Pam in panel 2

Wait. It’s 2023. What is this strip doing here?

I thought all billionaires were evil…except Bill Gates.

It’s been pretty well substantiated that the most important factor in being successful is what family one was born into.

“It’s ka.” ~ Roland Deschain

For once, Cliff has a good point. All his ambition is has to do with getting lots of free food.

And his risks paid off. Otherwise, his other talents would be for nothing.

Most of the rich inherit their wealth. https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/personal-finance/articles/study-shows-only-27-of-wealthy-americans-are-self-made/#:~:text=According%20to%20data%3A,wealth%20or%20an%20affluent%20upbringing.

“….and a working brain!”

(Tim Man whistling and humming in the background.)

I noticed they don’t name the billionaire. I’m guessing that’s because a billionaire that was born poor and worked hard is even less believable than aliens. All of them had help and none of them deserve how much money they have.

I wanna be a billionaire sooo $&@“8& baaad…

You just can’t win, Pam.

I know they can’t be talking about Drumpf

He’s not so lucky. His trust fund Kids call him a “Capitalist Pig”. His Trophy wife divorced him, ran away with the pool boy and now she wants more Alimony. He had Ambition, worked hard, but this is what it got him.

If $$$ is how you measure success you have already failed.

This hasn’t been true for some time. Social mobility (the ability to move between income or wealth quintiles — that is, either get rich or become poor) has declined substantially in the US. I’m a political scientist who studies this stuff. Getting rich these days is like winning the lottery, even if you work hard and have ambition. There’s a long list of factors that keep poor people poor and that help rich people stay rich. The game is rigged, folks.

Often they just came up with a better scam.

Funny to read this right after “Barney and Clyde.”

Insert Elon Musk joke here

And not having it crushed by people saying things like “That’s a nice idea, BUT…”