I agree. This entire issue is rooted in different axioms about what should be "equal". I hear suggestions and implications that many believe equality of outcome

I agree. This entire issue is rooted in different axioms about what should be "equal". I hear suggestions and implications that many believe equality of outcome is the goal for which we should be striving - the basic assumption here being that all people are inherently equal, and if equal outcomes are not achieved, then it must be a systemic issue causing the inequality of outcome. The problem is the axiom of "all people of all types ever are the same", as you pointed out. It's false. Our inherent advantages and disadvantages are as varied multi-dimensional as human individuality itself. A proper axiom from which to base a philosophy upon would be that every individual is inherently different, with advantages and disadvantages determined by nature. Given this truism, it can only be asked of a human society that all these different people be provided an equal playing field. This playing field does not guarantee equal outcome and does not provide preference - It does not aid the inherently disadvantaged, nor does it cripple the inherently advantaged. The trick, of course, is in implementing a "level playing field" given some of the generational feedback loops which exist. That the wealthy tend to stay wealthy and the poor tend to stay poor, generation after generation, shows that there is some "unlevel" part of the American playing field. What we should expect in an ideal "level playing field" would be that children born in any socioeconomic situation would have an equal likelihood of ending up in any other socioeconomic situation as their outcome. Perhaps slightly bias this towards moving "up" the economic ladder to keep pace with the ideal of incentive and capitalism, but the point remains. Many of the liberal bias coming out of the soft sciences would be sharply curtailed if we started a discussion about the fundamental axioms. A fair society is one that acknowledges the inherent differences in humanity and still provides equal rights for all. With this said, I really don't think the US has done a bad job at creating something close.