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Originally Posted by 9th Engineer
I'm not saying every American has a good chance of becoming a millionare, but it's perfectly possible to live comfortably. We are moving away from an industry focused on unskilled labor and trying to become one of businesses, skilled workers, and academics.
I take a rather strong view on this but it is coupled with an even stronger view of our parallel resposibility to provide an education that can take every student as far as they are willing to go. I cannot emphasize this enough, the single most important part of everyone's life before the age of 20-25 is becoming educated, and it is my generations fight to make it possible for every student to have the opportunity. ...
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I used to believe the same sort of thing. But you know what? Wealthy people still have an advantage. Wealthy families live in more affluent areas, because they can afford to pay more for their homes, and attend better schools, since those districts can afford to pay their teachers higher salaries, and can provide better and more computers, text books, etc. Or the kids go to private school. So they get a better grade- and high- school education. Then their parents can afford to send them to an expensive, high profile college, where they rub elbows with other kids of wealthy families. And they don't even have to be especially intelligent to get into those colleges (see George W. Bush). They come out of college with a competitive edge, having a top-notch alma mater and friends whose fathers are doctors, lawyers, and indian chiefs. They have connections, get the better, higher paying jobs, and the cycle continues.
The US is NOT a meritocracy!