"...there is also the element that people who've been wealthy *and* powerful usually had a reason for being that way, namely they can actually do stuff." - Grab

I disagree. Most people who have wealth and power know how to exploit others. They aren't generally hard workers. They are born with advantages and manipulate their social world in order to maintain their status.

I also know that there have been credible studies done in England that shows the closer your speech is to standard English, the higher your income. So I think its pointless to separate social class from economic class.