It's understandable, sure, but it's also a problem. I understand why the Saudi Royal family wants to keep all the oil money to themselves. I'm saying it's not healthy for Saudi Arabia as a whole.

Certainly, an even distribution doesn't fare to well either

Of course. I'm arguing that the other extreme is also bad -- that strong Capitalism eventually leans towards Feudalism. The trick is to find a balance: to reward achievers but provide sufficient safety nets.

Um, what? There are as many homeless and poor to "trip over" in Europe

Have you been to Europe? Really? I lived in SF and Berkeley, and I live in Europe now. It's quite simply, empirically, not comparable.

And those "crazy" folk aren't on the street because they are locked away in institutions that the US - for better or worse - long ago decided weren't good for them.

No, the US didn't decide that; it's a state issue. In Idaho it's quite good, for example. In California, Reagan, when he was governor, shut down a lot of the asylums and clinics to save money. Now, in California, you have lot of McMansions and lots of people who need serious medical help rummaging in the garbage.