Friends, Welcome back to the second of our Friday discussions about the common good and American capitalism. Today I want to address the disappearance of what was once called the “American dream.” Its disappearance provides an important clue about why Trumpism continues to attract so many.

Today, confidence in the economic system has sharply declined. Its apparent arbitrariness and unfairness have undermined the public’s faith in it. Cynicism abounds. Equal opportunity is no longer high on the nation’s agenda.

To the contrary, our economic and political system now seems rigged.

That’s because it is.