Your description of this meritocracy is very interesting. And I would agree with your description, depending on what some of these folks do with their educations, i.e, where they end up working. I also think this way of thinking is a sort of psychological defense for the usual American insecurity about whether "I've made it." All of us are left to fend for ourselves, the puritans wouldn't have had it any other way, but it has left this society fragmented along cultural, economic, racial lines, i.e., whatever group you decide to allign yourself with in order to pull yourself up. I guess I thought with an Obama presidency there would be change away from this. You know, all for one and one for all, kind of thing.

One might think that since Barack did some community organizing he would have come down a peg or two. But apparently not. And remember he thought he was among his people at the fundraiser and San Fran. I heard Michelle Obama make certain remarks at a fundraiser in Chicago that I considered, well, risky. And I think she has been called to task on the more obvious remarks, i.e, "for the first time in my adult life I am really proud to be an American." But I believe she made them because she thought she was among her people.

Does this discussion help this county? What is the solution(s) for the continuing depression in the rust belt? I canvassed for Obama in Dayton, and I was depressed. I tried to convince people who were Clinton supporters that she would not be able to bring Congress together to pass some of the reforms she is looking for and that it would take Obama to effectively make those changes. And in response I got some very direct questions asking for concrete facts on what exactly was Obama's plan on health care or the environment. Are those one issue voters who would vote against their own economic interests? I don't think so. I think they were hard working people asking for concrete response to questions they have to deal with everyday.

I believe I've rambled too much. Thanks for the opportunity to discuss this issue.