Have had this conversation with both friends and family, to wit, that some of us cashed a weird promissary note from society by being born when, where, and to whom we were. I grew up nominally poor, but rich in family love, friendly connections, fresh air and adjacent hills to roam, a functioning school system, and the ability to support my endeavours at a young age, leading to a career start with less than $1000 debt and a degree of stability that would be the envy of those entering the field today. The list goes on, and though I worked hard throughout my career and did my best to embrace change when it seemed reasonable, a lot of my good fortune was due to dumb luck, and there is considerably less of that on offer than there was when I was a young punk. As I spin down my life trajectory, it looms large to think that I (we all) need to create conditions that will promote both individual and collective well-being, in particular, today, as we stare down a tsunami of economic nastiness at home and abroad. Doctorow's piece nails it and echoes through the past, and, hopefully, into the future.