Unfortunately, you're out of date. The great days of whites taking so much from granted are now defunct as the white middle class is now slipping down to join blacks and poor whites. As I've said so often in previous e-mails, the U.S.A. is quickly losing its hallowed economic dominance. Nobody knows what the future will bring. On your second question regarding who succeeds and who fails, I believe our pal Charles Darwin has much to say about this when he uses the term "survival of the fittest". Of course this does not preclude the fact that all people deserve a fair chance but the fact remains that there are important inherent differences among people. When governments try to homogenize people, as the communists do, the results are usually a disaster. Also, history shows that the vast majority of government programs designed to up-lift people are expensive flops. I could go on about this at great length but it would only bore each of us. The only thing that really works is a healthy family unit with both parents working diligently to provide the kids with direction, encouragement and intelligent discipline. For example, you are obviously a bright, well-motivated person. Tell me, please, is it not true that your parents did what I'm talking about? But again, we get back to individual differences because if it worked for you, why not for your troubled sister? As you can see, this is a very complicated subject. Stay well my friend. FRED