Martin Luther King, Jr., had more than a dream -- he envisioned what America could be, if only it lived up to its promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for each and every citizen. That's what we have conveniently forgotten.

What Rev. King preached and what many Occupiers seem to believe is that paramount in a republic is job creation, not wealth creation. The duty of government is not to ensure that the rich get richer but to establish equal opportunity.

The shared miseries of the Great Depression and the shared sacrifices of the Great War led many Americans to embrace the idea that basic economic rights are essential to freedom. This should now be revisited.

If there is a positive side to the economic crisis, it is this: We can no longer avoid confronting the limits imposed by the market on our freedoms and democracy.