1. Upsetting, but true. One major virtue of many ancient societies is that they had social checks and balances that put those with talent and intelligence in po

1. Upsetting, but true. One major virtue of many ancient societies is that they had social checks and balances that put those with talent and intelligence in positions of higher status and more power than those who happened to incidentally have the money. Ours fails in that regard. 2. The founders are not mediocrities. The people who come in later and use social manipulation to control resources they didn't create are the mediocrities. 3. Interesting and reasonable point.