[itchyouch]

The truth probably lies somewhere in between you and the OP.

Most of the things you've mentioned are at the top-half of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. For many, they are one pay check away from homelessness.

Public education, while mandated, is not equal, as property taxes pay for education across most of the U.S, which equates to, rich folks/better neighborhoods having access to better funded schools.

There was a hackernews comment some time ago that pointed out that the fundamental problem seems to be that over the years, the distribution of risk has moved from institutions to the individual. The individual bears the brunt of the risk, with cascading burdens tied to small emergencies.

The oft cited scenario of low-income folks losing their job due to car troubles, thus being on the brink of homelessness, due to non-payment of rent is becoming more of a reality for the middle class.