Some say that the divide between the rich and the rest is increasing each year.

 

More to the point, the structural division between the upper classes and the other classes is becoming less fluid and less flexible.

 

Social mobility--which was once the American keynote--is steadily declining.

 

In national polls a majority of Americans now feel that their children will have a lower standard of living than they did, and that the rising generation in China will have more opportunity than our American youth.

 

The American Dream is over, in this view, and things seem likely to get worse before they get better--if they ever get better.

I wrote about this reality a few years ago in my book The Coming Aristocracy, and it remains one of the most significant challenges of our time.

 

It is currently a major catalyst of current trends and of our evolving future.

 

Unless things change, an aristocracy is coming to America.

 

Indeed, it is already almost entrenched.

In a typical debate, the opposing view would argue that such a divide is not occurring, or that it is a good thing for America, or even that it is a minor trend that will be offset by some larger reality.

 

But this is no typical debate.

 

In an interesting twist, all sides of the current amazing debate accept this truth--the divide between the rich and the rest is real, and it is a major challenge in our century.

The debate is about how to fix this problem.

 

One side of the debate wants government to solve the problems, the other side wants government to get out of the way so the people can resolve things.

 

It's More Government against More Free Enterprise.

The More Government side argues for higher taxes, more government programs, increased government spending, more government jobs programs, increased government training options, improved government education, and more regulations.

 

It is summed up in the title of Thomas Frank's recent article in Harpers: "More Government, Please!"

In contrast, the More Free Enterprise side promotes fewer government regulations, reduced or at least no raises in taxation, lower corporate tax rates to boost America's competitiveness in the world economy in the, decreased government spending, less government borrowing and printing of money, and smaller government.

 

This side wants the era of big government to truly, finally, be over, or, at the very least, for us to realize that our government must stop attacking the free enterprise incentives which are the basis of all historical prosperity and freedom.