Is This the Best of Times; Is This the Worst of Times?

It is the best of times. It is a time of plentitude in the United States. It is a time when malls are overcrowded, lines form at fashionable restaurants, teenagers buy the latest in clothing. It is a time when loving parents give their children everything they didn't have. It is a time when those who aren't employed are provided for by the state. It is a time in a land where opportunity beckons at every corner.
It is the worst of times. It is a time of famine and suffering in many countries, such as East Timor, Somalia, and Ethiopia. It is a time when people have nowhere to turn fo…