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One of the challenges of any society is developing a common understanding of others. Conservatives - literally, those who conserve (as in hoard, greed, etc), whether it is in politics (Reagan and Bush I and McCain and all of their famous examples of not understanding that not everyone has 8 or 10 or 12 homes, that many people struggle to pay for the basics) or business (any industry CEO that has money to burn - be it on lavish lifestyles, private jet transportation, etc) - seem to be pathologically unable to "get it". Their arrogance is just stunning - a huge disconnect originating from ego and greed. As we continue to lose the middle class, pushing most people down, and few up - one of Obama and his administration's major challenges is to try to reverse the current caste system operating in America, and getting worse.
Having been laid off from my corporate Pharma job recently, the two worlds are in stark contrasts for me now - pondering how we are going to make it on one hand, and being so familiar with the level of people in industry that have far, far, far more than they need, continue to want more, but express surprise that there are those that have far less than they do.
This is a problem for all of mankind's history. What to do about it? Can a Democratic administration chip away at this? Time will tell, but I do think that Obama is the one leader who can start us in such a direction.
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