Fishy, Im not going to dispute your experience. I dont know if Bill Gate income is part of the median income equation or if its chopped off. Its probably better to chop off the 1% in figuring median income.

There are other things however that affect income and wealth. Our gambling casinos are a bad idea. Drugs steal from everyones future. The lottery is also nothing but a poor tax. The cigarette tax is theft, like booze, but I dont know if the money is used to counter the problems they create. I doubt its enough. Taxing pot and decriminalizing it, wont make you safe on the road. It also wont pay for the car wrecks. Las Vegas has one of the highest vehicle insurance rates in the west.

While federal taxes have gone down, state taxes have gone up. I dont know how expensive it is to live in mississippi. Ca, Ore and Wa are all pretty high, so we have a higher minimum wage than most states.
minimum wage, is the starting point for union contracts and its the kids that pay for this, cause they wont get ahead, when everyone also gets a raise, behind them.