[nopardons]

There are good and bad in ALL social strata. You should EXPECT much from everyone; unfortunately, that is not what you'll find, no matter what social class.

People are just people, whether they have a lot, a little, or a medium amount of money. Never forgot that. :-)

[CobaltBlue]

As a lawyer, I see people from all walks of life - from people who live on the street to Beltway Bandits who made millions as defense contractors. People with money tend to be smarter, are definitely better organized, and lead less chaotic lives, plus they have better teeth. -g-

I do know some multi-millionaires but you could never tell by the way they live. Comfortable but not flashy in the least. Old money, from Texas, cattle ranching and some oil. And I know a guy who rides to hounds and plays polo and rarely has more than a couple of nickles to rub together.

Here in Northern Virginia, a lot of people have made fortunes, especially in high tech, and they buy houses that show off what they've got, ten thousand square feet stuffed full of things from Sharper Image. There is a glitzy, rococo, gilded style that is particularly popular with people who came here from other countries when their king or shah or whoever was deposed. And then there are the political types, who mostly stay in DC or the closer in suburbs of Maryland, and go for real antiques, paintings of fox hunts and someone else's ancestors. For people like that, I think Martha Stewart is sort of downscale.

I am fascinated by the American dream of rags to riches, the self-made man, the ability to lift yourself up by your bootstraps, reinvent yourself. I think we all are. That's why Martha Stewart is such a fable for the times. If she didn't exist, we'd have to invent her.