It was in 1971 that America should have pre-empted all those decades of decline and collapse to come — the ones we’ve lived through — by writing a truly modern social contract. Giving everyone things like healthcare, education, finance, retirement, childcare, all the basics of a decent life. Because in truth, being a society of equals meant much more than just formal desegregation. It meant the majority consenting to the idea that everyone should basic levels of dignity, equality, worth — in hard, concrete terms.