I passed a homeless couple on my way to the dentist.

[Demo_Chris]

16. And in the meantime we are passing permanent tax cuts for the rich

Because, you know, the folks making $30,000 a month are barely getting by.

There is a huge divide in this country and within our own party. The divide goes beyond wealth, though that gap continues to grow at a staggering pace. Beyond this, there is a gap in UNDERSTANDING. Those doing well are often completely incapable of understanding what's happening to those on the bottom.

My mom, for example, falls into this category. She is without exageration, staggeringly wealthy. By this I mean that between her and her husband they are worth many millions of dollars. She now owns, I believe, three homes, all worth millions of dollars each. She just finished buying a new one -- which she will of course need to completely gut and redesign to her specifications. It's a hobby.

She spends her senior years travelling the world -- probably spending an average or five or six months a year overseas. If you can name the place, and it's unusual enough to be interesting to the monied crowd, she has probably been there or plans to go. Whether it's Russia for two months, Switzerland for three months, or travelling Africa to see the endangered mountain gorillas, she's there. She is on the road so much I no longer even attempt to keep track of her location.

I, on the other hand, am poor. VERY poor. I might well lose my home if something doesn't change. We talk about being poor sometimes. On her last trip to visit I tried again to explain to her the realities of my life. We were talking about healthcare, and I was explaining to her that because I am poor, I don't get to go to the doctors or dentists. That's not something I get to do. She not only did not understand this, she refused to believe it. She refused to believe that there were literally tens of millions of people in this country who cannot go to the doctor when they are sick. That's simply not true she explained, there are programs for this sort of thing. It's really not worth the time trying to explain.

The truth is, she doesn't want to know.

When she dies they plan to give everything to a foundation. Her own grandkids cannot afford college, but they plan to give their millions to a scholarship foundation so that -- and this is a quote -- their names will live on when they are gone. That's what matters to them. Not helping people. They can do that NOW. No, they want to do something when they die that will insure that they are remembered as something they are not: generous caring people.

She's not alone. I would argue that she is TYPICAL of her class.