The US hasn't fallen into feudalism, but it is increasingly much harder for people with interest and capabilities to get to college because of the cost - unless their own parents "gifted them" with a good edu & economic background. I went to a moderately good southern university but was able to get a phd in cs, and then was able to work for many of the leading tech companies in the world (like facebook, google, microsoft or amazon). I followed in the footsteps of my parents, both of whom had college degrees. If instead I was the first person in my family to make it to college, and my parents had been uneducated or suffered from being drug addicted, or I had gone to a terrible public school, it would have been tremendously harder for me to succeed. And I can help my own kids to succeed.
Your parent's educational and economic background is a huge factor in your personal success. We should strive to make it so that intelligent people with interest can succeed (educationally and personally), and strive to make it so that people see this is an opportunity not preserved for the rich. We should not (as someone suggested) make it society work such that wealth is randomly moved between people, as then there would be no benefit to learning and trying to better the world; somehow this has to be balanced with a good and decent life for everyone, people shouldn't just die if they don't happen to have health care (or their parents are poor).
My parents were poor immigrants. We didn't die when we got sick, we went to the public hospital and/or went to a cheap doctor who specialized in the immigrant community and had pricing to reflect that. We were taught a certain work ethic by seeing the people around us try to improve themselves and their situation.
We didn't go to good schools, but they were good enough and student loans go us into decent state colleges (and later private school via the same loan system). So yeah, your hypothetical hopeless sob story kinda pisses on the many people who rose above economic hardships. Many immigrants rise ahead in the US due to all the opportunity here. Ironically, the minorities we coddle with welfare, political correctness, and never-ending social programs that do next to nothing but drain tax dollars tend to be the ones who don't thrive and degenerate into multi-generation poverty. Maybe the white liberal mid/upper class political thought should focus on jobs and incentives and not-hand wringing about how hopeless everything is.
>wealth is randomly moved between people,
Everyone I know has a job/wealth via some level of meritocracy. I don't know anyone who randomly ran into money. If money was this easy to get then we wouldn't be having this conversation.
The anti-US bias on sites like Reddit and HN is just ignorant. I don't think people appreciate what they have and the praise of places like Russia or China as being better or more free or more economically viable is hilariously ignorant. Or the masive ignorance of how bad Europe's finances and employment situation is in many of its countries, especially places like Italy, Spain, France, and of course Greece. Life is a lot more complex than "omg the US is the worst country ever." Seriously, if you guys want a conversation about oligarchies and inequality then Russia or Brazil are probably the best examples around. The US is very far from those levels of inequality. Pointing this out, sadly, gets you mega downvotes here. I'm curious why this forum needs to have this hysterical and furious anti-US bias all the time? Why are you being socially rewarded by this narrative? Have you ever questioned this narrative the types of people who are constantly selling it to you? Or their motivations?
You're never addressing anything, only diverting by baiting about Russia and China and how all criticism of the U.S. is unfounded because "What about country X?" and some rants about the Protestant work ethic. That's not an argument, it's tu quoque.
I'm skeptical as to your characterization of Italy, Spain and France. It sounds like you're just observing some macroeconomic forecasts without taking into account societal microfoundations like mobility, legislation and culture. These can make immense differences in ensuring a greater subjective feeling of freedom or a greater real resilience against cyclical factors.
Your parent's educational and economic background is a huge factor in your personal success. We should strive to make it so that intelligent people with interest can succeed (educationally and personally), and strive to make it so that people see this is an opportunity not preserved for the rich. We should not (as someone suggested) make it society work such that wealth is randomly moved between people, as then there would be no benefit to learning and trying to better the world; somehow this has to be balanced with a good and decent life for everyone, people shouldn't just die if they don't happen to have health care (or their parents are poor).