It's nice to dream...

I’ve never bought into the notion that America was founded on the basis of equality – that all men (mankind) are created equal. That was an empty platitude right from the start. We began with an economy based on slavery. Yes, inequality. And when the slaves were emancipated during the Civil War, they weren't set free. They lived under Jim Crow conditions, subjugated to second class citizens, or less. And we didn’t give blacks their civil rights in a legal way until the 1960s. And even now many are still denied civil rights in subtle and devious ways. And hey, women went without the right to vote until around World War I, less than 100 years ago. And even today, women remain something of a subjugated class. It’s the way the system works. Some degree of racial and gender inequality. And just think of the widening gap between the rich and the poor. Who wields the real power? Obviously, it’s the rich. We have more a plutocracy than a democracy. Money speaks. At least it does in our nation’s capitol. The well-heeled money interests have the upper hand. The political clout. Yes, that’s the way it is. I don’t like it. I want an America where there’s much more equality. When one doesn’t have to be rich or a white elite to wield the real power. Oh, yes, it’s just a dream. But it’s nice to dream of equality in America. –Jim Broede