I can quite see why they don't want a "middle class" - a middle class is educated, often politically-aware and has enough of a financial buffer that they can afford to say "no" to the rich.

You saw those entries on the millionaire family I had to work for? They had no respect whatsoever for my rights and no compunction about putting pressure on me to be available during my (then-free) weekends whenever they required me. (And it gets worse - I found out yesterday that the exact reason why my successor resigned was that the mother asked her to expand her hours and do more subjects, just as she had done with me: when the tutor objected because she had clients in those slots and wasn't happy about teaching certain subjects, the mother got aggressive with her!) See the pattern of squeezing the worker? Treat 'em mean, keep 'em desperate. That's how these people operate.

Fortunately, both she and I had the freedom to walk away. This is why the middle class needs to survive, to keep the rich in check. ("Checks and balances" would have saved the current financial market as well, of course, but hoping for that is pointless: financiers will always prefer the possibilities of the "bubble" to steady and predictable movement. Bah.)

And the photo - oh good! In an article I came across a passing reference to the 70s photographer David Hamilton, "king of the soft focus", and when I Googled him THAT image came up! I think he's overdone the soft focus just a tad in that, but it's still beautiful.