ABSTRACT
No political system is perfect. Most regimes are fragile in the extreme, lasting no more than a few years or decades. Others may be longer-lived but fail the tests of equality, justice, and democracy. Some simply fail to provide citizens with basic protection against violence and disorder, or with the minimum of food and shelter necessary for human survival. By these very elemental measures, the American system has been highly successful. The basic constitutional structure has remained unchanged for more than 200 years. Few regimes are as stable, and none has been more successful at generating wealth. Violence has always been a feature of American society, but only very rarely has it translated into politically motivated civil disorder. Inequalities of wealth and income are considerable-and certainly greater than in comparable developed countries. This problem should not be underestimated, but wealth and income inequalities have never threatened the stability of the system.
