Maybe I misstated it, what I was saying is the lower incomes do not include the bennies and entitlements. With them their actual “income” would be higher and in some cases probably exceed those whose incomes alone are in a higher strata.
The point is, we are approaching a narrow playing field where what you do, how hard your work, how well you do your job, how prepared you are for you career has little financial meaning.
The UN -Affordable Care Act hit all those above poverty level with a big pay cut.