We did not learn, or have forgotten, or do not care that government was designed by the wealthy, for the use of the wealthy, even though historic documents and public pronouncements claim to include all. It is the makeup of mankind that some want more than others, especially those craving wealth and power. There is only one functional conclusion: equality is a myth. The wealthy get better medical services, better legal services, better security, better nourishment and more opportunities to acquire goods and services that they can enjoy in a protected environment.

 A few accumulate a sufficiency of wealth and use some of their gain benevolently, but this is almost meaningless in the face of the vast neediness afflicting so many of our people. The wealthy, sheltered from most threats to the middle class and the poor, are oblivious to the fact that their security is dependent on the well being and capabilities of the working citizens of America. The children of the rich do not go to West Point or Annapolis, where they would learn to defend their country. Children of the wealthy do not volunteer for the military that protects their families from foreign invaders coveting their property. They do not join law enforcement and safeguard their homes from intruders. Like almost all privileged castes before them, they place themselves above the rest of the people, the needs of the nation, except as it affects them directly.

 The wealthy take the protection of government for granted, and delude themselves into thinking that private security will protect them from organized attackers. The children of privilege do not serve the nation, but devour its benefits without contributing a fair share. Only the young, naïve and ignorant believe in a government of, by and for the people. When so many of the people are suffering, it is obvious that our morality is dysfunctional. Homeless children, guilty of no crime but being the offspring of disadvantaged parents, are abandoned by society. We reveal our lack of values, as well as the lack of caring by those with the means to redress this criminal abuse. Veterans, who served the nation, offering their blood and bodies, are callously discarded, while bloated parents buy Rolexes for their children of indulgence.

 Despite their inequities and abuses, the wealthy should not be punished for prospering. They must be educated to understand that if they hope to continue to live securely in this country, (where else would Americans be welcome?) they must recognize their fundamental dependency on the well-being and good functioning of the people. It is imperative they learn to contribute a fair share to the well-being of the nation.

 Common sense assures us it was necessary to bail out the auto companies, insurance companies, banks, to preserve the staggering economy and retain jobs. Yet at the same time it was unconscionable not to bail out the millions who lost jobs, whose homes were foreclosed, who were cruelly abandoned in their time of need. We cannot be a great society when millions of our people go hungry. We must better prepare the mechanism of government to serve all the people and remind the privileged of noblesse obligé.