Kind of a sideline (I don’t disagree that we have it good and still want more), but the numbers are relative in both space and time. There are big differences between $34K in a 3rd world country, $34K in Mudpuddle Mississippi, and $34K in San Francisco or Boston. $34K for a young single person just starting out on their own is different from $34K for the head of a family looking ahead at retirement and increased medical bills due to aging. It’s reasonable to want more if your lifestyle is relatively precarious and difficult.
Kind of rambling, but cost of living differences, inflation, lack of a social safety net, smaller household sizes, etc., all make us not just want but actually need more, even though we are pretty well off, and even if we weren’t greedy.
