You misunderstand the concept of equality. It concerns equality under the law - not equality of condition.
For an insightful piece on what equality of condition means, try reading Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron".
http://penguinppc.org/~hollis/personal/bergeron.shtml
As to the comment that historical comparisons do not make sense, I dispute that contention. The fact that The Rich invested in technological and medical advancements is why even The Poor in the U.S. do not die in epidemics of malaria and are able to store food safely in refrigerators.