Personally I’m doing fine. You’d be surprised how much money a concert artist makes.
I want tons more. I want to make a pile to set up a few things like a scholarship fund for deserving young pianists when I die.
Can’t do that now, not as volatile as the market is.
That 8% is a lie, its close to 18%.
I know, that's why I said the vast majority are employed. Whichever stat you use, that's true. Besides, I'd like to be able to win elections even when the economy is doing good. So don't poo-poo the value of having a coalition party on different issues. That's how the Democrats do it. Learn to compromise and for God's sake, see the folly in bashing people who are supposed to be your allies and whose votes you need. Unless you want the Democrats to be elected after we fix the economy and we have a good economy again.
This is off-topic, but I'm glad to see a conservative classical pianist at the concert performance level. To perform well with classical training requires tremendous personal self-discipline and anyone who can do that has a gift I definitely don't have — but which I can definitely admire.