America has fallen short of being a just society because of increasing inequalities between those in the top 20% of the wealth in America and those in the bottom 80%. The distribution of wealth in America between 1998 and 2004 is depicted below in Figure 1.

(Figure 1)

Those in the bottom 80% of the wealth in America are now less able to financially support their children than in the past, and because wealth and effective child-rearing practices go hand in hand, these parents also struggle to raise their children to be as successful as possible. This inequality that is leading slowly but inexorably toward a caste system of the “haves” and “have-nots,” which severely inhibits the abilities of children in poorer families to become successful because of birth position and inability of parents to raise their children effectively (due to circumstance and lack of information or ability), even if the child’s natural abilities are at par or exceed those of more well-off children.