It's a new debate. Politicians over the past century argued endlessly over the creation of wealth. As late as 1992 Bill Clinton ran against George Bush on getting the economy going again. But this time both Al Gore and George W. Bush took the strong economy for granted, even to the extent of telling us what they would do with a projected ten-year surplus. The new debate is over the use of wealth.
Prosperity is now the defining characteristic of American society.
Over the past two decades America has created the first mass affluent class in world history. Call it the Overclass. Now the number of millionaire households has climbed to 5 million. One might expect that mass affluence would be a cause for national celebration. Instead it has provoked widespread restlessness and discontent.