Thomas Jefferson kept slaves and arranged to have them freed only after he died and had no more use for them. He might not be the ideal reference on racism. I don't dismiss him out of hand; after all, without Jefferson, one side of our nickles would be blank.

One of the important reasons for the disparity between the economic systems of different countries is the lack of a single worldwide currency. This is most apparent when you view economic indicators like GDP with and without adjustment for PPP.