I think the author of that article got Patricians wrong. For the longest time I have advocated that we don't expect enough out of the citizenry, rich and poor. In the glory days of Rome, when the Senate was full of Patricians, it was these men who donned the armor and fought wars. They were the ones with the most to lose, the land owners, and they fought well.
In the Revolutionary War the land owners answered the call of battle, Washington should be consider a patrician.
In the Civil War many wealthy men fought, and many wealthy men wanted to fight too, Industrialist, but they were told their expertise in business and wealth generation was far too valuable so they hired replacements, like Theodore Roosevelt's father.
Now in today society the wealth of the land is antiquated. Look down upon during the Industrial Revolution by the new money Industrials as the Old Fashion Aristocracy who did nothing but squander away their wealth. Actually the Aristocracy would look down and sneer at the new wealth but in the end the nouveau riche would get the last laugh. The Patrician Aristocracy had grown fat and complacent. They all had, the poor fought the wars now. Sure here and there we some go out and fight, but a big criticism leveled at the Bush administration was that they were all warhawks that dodged the draft in Vietnam.
The few rich who do fight sometimes get mocked by the common soldier though. What is this rich guy doing here? What is he, some kind of hero? That is the major disconnect now, patriots, fighters, grunts have been exported as labor for the poor. There is class division which should not be there. There seems to be a disconnect that you can not make money, and care about your nation at the same time, at least care enough to fight. I believe Pat Tillman might have been shot for this.
9/11 happened, I was part of the generation that they called "The Smart Dumb Mother*#$%ers". A generation of college educated idealist who went to war for Patriotism, but it was a fleeting sentiment. The fact that we have so many Wall Street scandals only reinforces this thought. Seems to me almost no one wants to fight for this country anymore as a generality, but everyone wants to be rich, famous, a reality tv star, have a million friends on facebook, do good things for the world as long as it doesn't involve too much hard work or any elements of risk or danger.
The Spartans were vicious slave owning SOBs that were cruel, but at the same time there was something noble about their discipline and love of country. We are missing some of the old Patrician character in our nation, and I think it would be the strongest nation in the world of we gained it back.
Leaders need to learn to lead again, from the front, not just in the board room and academia.
