NOT long ago I asked a good friend of mine — one of the smartest men I know, and one of the most devoted dads — if he thought that his children would live in a more prosperous America or at least enjoy the same bounty of opportunities that we had.

His response was instant and unequivocal. No.

“How do you make peace with that?” I said.

He shrugged, laughed bitterly and answered, “I’m hoping to leave them a lot of money.”