That’s largely on point- It’s that I genuinely do believe in the American dream, in upward mobility, that a black man born to an immigrant and raised by single mother can be smart and hardworking and grow up to be president, or that a single mom on welfare can start writing down the stories in her head and end up with a bestselling series of books, record breaking film adaptations, and a million merchandising opportunities.
The question is how to level the playing field in such a way that the incentive to succeed is still there, while still ensuring that the success of one person helps, rather than hinders, the chances of any other given person to also succeed. It’s how to ensure that success comes less from luck than from good ideas, hard work, and perseverance. It’s how to be certain that nobody falls through the cracks, and no matter what, nobody goes hungry or homeless.
And that is a question with both philosophical and practical complications too numerous to list. What we can agree on is that what we’re doing now isn’t working.
