We live in a society that hasn't rid itself of the Calvinist mindset (riches come to the elect), and yet which much of the wealth has accrued from "accidental" resources (if you own the mineral rights on a special plot of land, you win). Its a lottery culture, which the masses think they, too, can win.

It won't resolve into anything like an ethical meritocracy so long as cultural myths founded in the Calvinist/lottery culture reverberate. Give it another century or two.

Some "free market" Republicans seem to think that free markets are a force of nature, God-given even, and literally interpret Adam Smith's invisible hand to mean the hand of God. So it's even weirder. I think these people resonate with many conservatives of any religious bent:

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/07/21/c_street

That makes it more than something stemming logically from Calvinism. It's a very bizarre marriage of a certain brand of pseudo-economics with religion, and it probably comes from God's Defeat of Marxism, or some such narrative.

Can anyone who's lived in both places tell me if European convenience stored are as jammed as the ones in America with blue collared workers sorting through their weekly 0 in lottery/scratch tickets?

I think the UK has slot machines instead, so other customers don't have to stand there waiting in line behind someone while they pay the Stupid Tax.

I prefer to think of it as a Voluntary Education Tax.