From liberal responses to my criticisms of President Obama, I am, it seems, “old,” “fat,” “ugly” and “racist.”

I plead guilty to all but racist; I would object just as much if a blonde Swede was wrecking my country.

In his recent State of the Union address, Obama repetitively used the word “fair.” Fair, to him, means taking money from those who earned it and giving it to those who didn’t. He’s already blown $5 trillion rewarding failure.

The Constitution wasn’t written to promote his idea of fairness, but a meritocracy. At the top would be the smartest and hardest-working, like Henry Ford and Steve Jobs, who would be enriched and empowered by producing the most value for all.

Next were those who did most of the work – the middle class –who were allowed to keep most that they earned. Risk takers could succeed or fail; lazy bums failed.

The folly of treating poor work “fairly” has since been shown by the tragedy of our public schools where excellent teachers are rewarded no more than poor ones with tenure.

Finally, compassionate family charity and Christian offerings, instead of bored bureaucrats and government fraud, cared for the poor and disabled. The law and the Second Amendment provided protection against crooks and dangerous people. But anyone, top to bottom, could rise as high as brains, courage, inspiration, and work would take them.

Unfortunately a constitutional mistake allowed the fairness of slavery. Slaves’ prospects were all equal – just as Obama seems to seek for most of us now.

But slavery was repealed by the Civil War and our constitutional meritocracy then grew into the richest, most powerful and generous country in the world.

However, always looming in the gray distance was de Tocqueville’s curse: “Democracy can’t work … people will vote themselves a piece of the treasury.”

Under Obama, de Tocqueville’s curse is coming true; America is broke.

Randy Ridgel lives in Kelseyville, Calif.