Here in Washington, we like to think we�re important. But what�s great about America is that whether you�re a senator or a bus driver doesn�t make you a better person. You just have different jobs.

America is not a nation of kings and commoners, masters and servants. We�re a nation where every person has equal value, every dream deserves an equal chance, and every soul should be as equal in the law of the land as it is in the eyes of God.

(From a speech by John Edwards mentioned on Lawrence Lessig's Blog.)

Those are definitely some of the beliefs upon which America was founded. I'm just not sure we act like we believe them very much nowadays