Some things never change, do they?

The following was part of what someone said in reference to Americans;

These people have made many rules that the rich may break, but the poor may not. They take tithes from the poor and weak to support the rich that rule.

Sounds like it could have been said just today, or a week ago perhaps? However this was said over 130 years ago by Tatanka Yotanka, known to most Americans as Sitting Bull. So have things really changed all that much from that time or before, or are we doomed to always have this struggle between the rich and the poor?