In response to Mike Ruskovich's "Hard work goes only so far" in the Nov. 26 edition of The Press, I offer the following rebuttal: Mike, it is apparent to me as I read and re-read your article that we agree on absolutely nothing. In your beginning words you suggest that the creator of the cliche, "Hard work never hurt anybody" never did enough hard work. You suggest that the 1 percent who reaches the top is there because of "guile and greed."

I beg to differ with you. I believe that 99 percent of this 1 percent who reaches the top is there due to hard work. Not only do they do hard work to get there, they must work like the dickens to stay there. I would suggest to you that many of them were poor when starting out - only in America could a dream such as this be realized. It appears that you are rather down on corporations and bankers. In my experience with bankers - having been a borrower for many years - I have found them to be honest, fair, and hardworking and I am very grateful that they have been there for me. Oh yes, it does help if you pay them back. On time.

I do not regard those who have sat at their computers or climbed the corporate ladder as being "wilier" (full of craftiness). I firmly believe that most of them work very hard to contribute greatly to our nation and economy. Often they are the ones who create the jobs and keep the economy flowing like grease on a wheel. Examples would be Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. You speak favorably of the young people who are involved in the Occupy Wall Street movement. I look at most of them as thugs and hoodlums. I think they should go find a job, putting their efforts and time in doing so rather than camping out in parks and protesting Wall Street. Then they could pay their fair share of taxes.

You imply that the 1 percent should feel guilty because of their success. Guilty for what? Because they seized the opportunity before them, took risks, and worked hard - period. I praise God for every opportunity he has given me, and for those more successful, I applaud them. My friend in Montana told me that the harder he worked the luckier he was. He became very lucky. Lastly I still believe in the American dream: you can be dirt poor and become rich if you work hard and treat others fairly, giving the public good value for their money and backing it up with service. Another cliche that might apply here is, "There are two types of people who never get ahead: workers who don't think and thinkers who don't work." So to all of you young people - and older also - I say to you, "hard work never hurt anybody."

You mentioned that as a member of the 99 percent group you have acquired arthritis, aches, and pains and that you are in your sixth decade of life. Well excuse me, but there are millions of us with arthritis, aches, and pains who are in the twilight of life. Could I suggest that getting older might be the cause of this and not he fault of that darn 1 percent group after all?

Marvin Miller is a Coeur d'Alene resident