Bernie Sanders wants Americans to own half of major AI companies, but global knowledge complicates national claims and raises deeper questions about ownership, public wealth, borders, and power in technology.

A Federal Reserve wealth chart shows the bottom half of America almost disappearing, not because the economy failed to grow, but because ownership concentrated as growth expanded over recent decades.

The note argues the American project is fracturing; Trump widened cracks but successors will exploit them.  Institutions decay and only patient, long‑term work, not quick fixes, can repair the tear.