That's very interesting, and I think you're right. That kind of fearless simplicity the author talks about is a direct result of having your bases covered. It's one of the reasons people with independent incomes are overrepresented in the history of literature. Many otherwise inexplicable social issues -- a long-running war against contraception and abortion that's largely conducted by people who aren't personally opposed to those things; repeated attempts to break Social Security; tightening access financial aid that's sufficient to cover a first-rate education; our inability (alone among first-world countries) to pull together a national health care program -- make more sense if you look at them as mechanisms that leave most people feeling like their bases aren't covered.

That sense that you can't fail confers a tremendous advantage on people who have it. If you want an illustration, just look at the Oval Office.

I don't suppose you'd be willing to identify the article and its author?