Nu2salt, there are plenty of first generation very wealthy people in this country. The tech industry is full of them including the newly minted Google execs. Or your poster boy George Soros, an immigrant financial guru funding most of the liberal 527s.
But that is not the issue. The issue is that financial independance and success is a personal responsibility. I graduated college in 1966 and in 1967 I left for the Army with $75 dollars in my pocket after my dad made me pay off all my debts. I got a Red Cross loan at Fort Sill so I could buy a couple of required officer uniforms. From that point on I always had a financial plan so that I never had to ask for anything from anybody ever again. I saved part of my salary every month. In Vietnam I saved everything and when I came home I bought a used car not a new one so I could keep my bank account up. When I joined IBM I joined the stock option plan though I didn't have any discretionary money, no one does when you are a twenty-something, but I forced myself to save something every month. I paid myself first, paid my creditors, then lived on the rest somehow. When the IRA was initiated I opened one for my wife and one for me. I started with the minimum amount but stayed with it and they have paid off. The same with a 401K. I got to the point of taking 20% of my gross earnings and saving it in investment accounts. I never calculated Social Security into my financial retirement plan. When my daughters received W2 income in high school I opened IRAs for them. Then I converted them to Roth IRAs and paid the conversion tax. They are five figure accounts now and they are only twenty-somethings. One went to Wellesley and one went to NC State and they both have good jobs and save money.
You are responsible for your own destiny.
If you think you can't save you never will, you will never become self-sufficient financially and you will never retire to be able to enjoy the fruits of your labors. I retired at 56. I have time to devote to the things I like to do and work at my volunteer projects such as the Great Hollow Wilderness School where under-priveleged kids get an opportunity to discover self esteem and personal value. I am not any different than anyone else on this thread. I had no silver spoon but accepted that my fate was my own responsibility and I took action over a long period of time to insure my success financially, professionally, emotionally, socially, as a father/husband and as a citizen of our country.
People can not go through life blaming others for their problems. They have to take personal responsibilty and plan for their future. The opportunity is there. It is not easy and people may need help along the way but the opportunity is still there for the willing.