America: Unequal

It was never imagined "when the U.S. was founded" that the rich would be so rich and the poor so poor. It was never imagined "when the U.S. was founded" that opportunities to get ahead would depend so profoundly on one's family circumstances and other starting conditions. How could this have happened in the "land of opportunity?" What are the effects of such profound inequality? And what, if anything, should be done about it?