The United States is the richest nation in the world, but that wealth is not even close to being equally divided, to which it would be one thing if all that inequality was on the true basis of hard work, dedication, effort, and drive, but in many, many cases, it comes down to the critical aid of crony capitalism, governmental favor, protectionism, monopolies, collusion, wrongful tax avoidance, powerful lobbyists, and the like. America has never had a level playing field, and certainly in today's America, the field is so tilted, that the game is fixed, the result is a foregone conclusion, and thereby there is a large segment of the population, which has been effectively denied the promissory note that our Declaration of Independence declared so eloquently for them.
This grossly lopsided wealth divide in America would be alright, if as part of the American fabric, there actually was a social contract between its citizens, the government, and the rich and powerful that ruleover it all, so that in this country, we would, as an example to the world at large, in form and function and in representation to what a great republic should be, make the commitment and then follow through on it to actually take care of all the citizens of this great nation, so that none would suffer the deprivations of the lack of good, healthy food, the lack of good, healthy shelter, the lack of access to good, healthy medical care, the lack of opportunity, the lack of justice, and the lack of gainful employment.
The foregoing does not indicate that America doesn't take care of its own, as in a lot of respects, it does through private charities, through governmental programs, through handouts and hand ups of all types; it actually does expend a great deal of money as well as resources, along with human love and compassion to those that are the least amongst us. The problem though is that this social contract is deeply flawed, so that poverty and deprivation is ingrained within the American fabric, that thereby families, way too many families, are struggling day to day, and that our children, our most impoverished children, effectively never have a chance to be successful, because they do not have equal access to good health care, to good schools, to good neighborhoods, to the good life, and so forth.
There is that old adage that it's better to teach a man how to fish, than to provide that man fish, which certainly has its place, the problem is though that the most disadvantaged amongst us, the most vulnerable amongst us, aren't in a position to fish, and probably won't ever be. At a minimum, those that are unable to help themselves deserve to be treated with respect, consideration, and dignity, because in a society that believes that all are created equally by their Creator, than one must see the light of divinity in each of His creations.
A society that treats its poorest and most vulnerable with disdain, represents a hubris that is not appropriate, especially for a country that declaims that is has been blessed by God. It's easy to take potshots at the ignorant and indigent, telling them that they should try harder, drink less, study more, or whatever, but it is pure hypocrisy to take those shots but never once live, not even for a moment, in their shoes, walk their paths, see their life as it really is. America should be the nation, that takes care of its own, that lives by the principle that none will be left behind, not one, not now, not ever.