When I refer to “the people,” I am referring to all the people who live in the USA. Of course, this includes the richest of the rich as much as it includes the poorest of the poor.

However, I sometimes use the term “the people” as a counterpoint to “the rich,” particularly when discussing the function of government. This is because “the rich” excludes most of the population, whereas “the people” includes “the rich” as well as everybody else. What is good for “the people” is good for “the rich” because (whether they choose to acknowledge it or not) “the rich” depend on the existence of a healthy, non-militant, educated populace; the opposite is not true.