The Gilded Age was time and climate remarkably similar to today, in which “robber barons,” the giants of industry, hoarded the wealth of this nation and exploited working people for greater profit while the people’s standard of living declined. People suffering from the effects of depression, inflation, poverty, hunger and homelessness were ignored.

Do people see the parallel — except we have no president to rescue us?

In President Franklin Roosevelt’s “New Deal” for America in 1933, he understood that workers are the real wealth of this country. And the government’s role, to build a healthy middle class in which people could thrive and enjoy life.

FDR changed everything for the working class. He was a supporter of unions, and unions thrived, people were paid fair wages, retirement was assured. Social Security, Medicare, unemployment insurance and education are all a part of his legacy.

What happened? Where did we lose our way? Decade after decade, powerful groups chipped away at the foundation of America’s welfare, allocating greater control to millionaires, billionaires and corporate thieves.

Now we have Donald Trump and today’s robber barons surrounding him. Beware; nothing will be cheaper because that’s not their goal. Profit for them means pain for everyone else.

A further insult: tax breaks for millionaires who will continue to enrich themselves on the backs of the people. They’ll get 80% of taxpayer money while others will get crumbs to assure their cooperation, and the country will be deeper in debt.

Americans must wake up before it’s too late.

Patricia Fogg, Greene