Isn't he the New Thought author and philosopher, the same guy Rhonda Byrne plagiarized?
Anyone who has studied the history of social services, poverty and mental illness knows that the poor and otherwise afflicted have been viewed as slightly better than lepers, not only in the US but for centuries in Europe. They cost money to care for, which is why poverty levels are often set very low, so that they don't qualify.
I would like to see how Wattles inspires a schizophrenic whose parents are poor and mentally ill themselves. Wattles, if he is the same guy, opines that a person's situation is created by their thoughts. Makes me think of one homeless guy I know in Hackensack who has a PhD and used to be a professor at NYU until full-blown schizophrenia manifested in his late 30s. Every now and then he could quote any number of authors - Shakespeare, Robert Frost, etc. - but couldn't remember his own name. Did he run out of inspiration and decide to be homeless? No family, no ability to make his own decisions, which is required of mentally ill people as judges are fearful of committing them, he is now homeless.
Taxpayers should go visit Orchard Street during dinner hour and see if they can inspire those who are talking to themselves, paranoid and picking fights, and delusional (and these are the ones CAP hasn't banned!). How about the elderly women who look like anyone's grandma, who are scared to death 24/7, yet so far have found no housing and few consistent services?
The media loves to spotlight the few who appear to have some resources within. It is a great way to sway popular opinion about the homeless and where tax dollars go. Taxpayers should go undercover and experience the abuses, waste and corruption in any of the tax-paid social service programs, police departments and hospitals if they really want to get inspired.