In the presidential campaign, the current dialogue is laden with the issue of financial inequality. In 1856, in his exhaustive analysis of the roots of the French Revolution, Alexis de Tocqueville cited the same issue as a major contributing factor. To quote: “Of all the various ways of making men conscious of their differences and of stressing class distinctions, unequal taxation is the most pernicious, since it creates a permanent estrangement between those who benefit and those who suffer by it. . . . Thus [when such taxes are levied] each member of the privileged class takes notice of the practical interest he has in differentiating himself from the masses and in stiffening the barriers between himself and them.’’

Still true 160 years later.

Revolution, anyone?

Richard N. Miller

South Orleans