Lessons from the Past: Gettysburg to Occupy

149 years ago today, the high water mark of the Confederacy was set and the tide of the American Civil War turned as Union soldiers repulsed Pickett's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg.  Ostensibly the war was fought over slavery, however the economic systems of the North and South were at the root of the causes of the war.
149 years later we are facing a new division in our country, a division of economic prosperity.  The Occupy movement has brought this to light with the 99% slogan.   We, as citizens, allow ourselves to be governed by an elite group who exploit our lives and inhibit our personal advancement, generally to their economic  advantage. 
Let us not forget that in death we are all equal.   In life, our success or failure, our happiness and legacy is not the money we make, the profits we generate, but in the lives we touch.  If business leaders put people before profits, took a long-term view of their success and took the opportunity to reaffirm the lives of all people, our American Experiment will continue and American society will continue to flourish.