That’s why the most important “decision” anyone can make, Putnam quips, is “choosing their parents.” If you “choose” affluent, well-educated, married parents, then in today’s America, you’re going to be fine. But if you “choose” poor, less-educated parents, no matter how talented you may be, “you’re not going to be fine,” Putnam worries.22 This isn’t how America is supposed to work.
