African Americans have allowed themselves to be defined by the media as national economic dependents. Nothing is farther from the truth. We have a spending resource larger than most countries in the world. We had earned income (GDP) of $1 trillion in 2012. By comparison, that is larger than the GDP of Argentina, 483.5 billion; South Africa, 491.4 billion; and Poland, 463 billion. The problem is not how much we have. The problem is how we use it. We tend to spend our wealth on disposable items. We aren't poor. We are just "bling-bling broke," and until we understand and appreciate the value of our financial resources, we will always lag behind in the quest for real wealth in America.