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Comment by enraged_camel | Hacker News Reader

I think you're putting the elite class on quite a pedestal. Most of them aren't like you: they didn't get to where they are via hard work. Rather, they stole, cheated, played politics and took credit for other people's accomplishments. Yet others were born into wealthy families and had everything - education, jobs, connections, promotions - handed to them on a silver platter. In fact there's quite a few who haven't worked an ounce in their whole lives (unless you think playing golf with daddy's friends counts as work).

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Sure, some of that does happen. Absolutely true.

There are also MILLIONS of people fucking off at work every day who do not deserve to have a job. GM had (has?) a clause in their union contract that did not allow them to fire people if their job was automated away. They had a building where 10,000 people would show up every day, year after year, get paid full salary and benefits only to read the paper and drink coffee all day.

I've worked with so many people, both as just another employee and as an entrepreneur, who fuck off all day or work sub-optimally that I sometimes wonder how some companies run.

I know a guy, a sales guy, who "worked from home" for a large multinational while earning six figures. He spent most of his time doing home improvement projects. He replaced his roof (himself), he built and installed new kitchen cabinets, he remodeled the entire house and painted it all.

My point, in case it isn't clear, is that if we are going to start to pass judgement based on who deserves what they have or they are getting let's make sure we are honest about passing said judgement at all levels. There are millions of people who do not deserve the jobs they have and millions more than are being carried by the work of others.

What do we do about them? Where is the evil?

I don't have a problem with the whole inheritance thing. If someone is born to a wealthy family and they get to float through life because of it, fine with me.

Let's bring it down to a lower level. If you have kids and you are fortunate enough to be able to buy them a car and pay for their college education, that's OK. Is is OK for some guy to think less of your kid or think ill of you for this? No, of course not. You might not be wealthy but you love your kids and want to help them get launched into the world. Different scales? Sure, but it is exactly the same thing.

The right attitude in life isn't to envy those who have more than you do but to try to better yourself and strive to help others as you do better in life. The first sentiment is destructive at a personal and national level. The second is constructive at a personal, national and global level. Only one of these outlooks in life result in improving life for everyone.

Sure, there are lots of assholes with money. There are lots of assholes without money. What else is new? The vast majority of people are good, money or not.

> There are also MILLIONS of people fucking off at work every day who do not deserve to have a job. GM had (has?) a clause in their union contract that did not allow them to fire people if their job was automated away. They had a building where 10,000 people would show up every day, year after year, get paid full salary and benefits only to read the paper and drink coffee all day.

Can I get a source for the GM thing? That sounds fascinating. I wonder how the incentives got perverted in that manner.

> My point, in case it isn't clear, is that if we are going to start to pass judgement based on who deserves what they have or they are getting let's make sure we are honest about passing said judgement at all levels. There are millions of people who do not deserve the jobs they have and millions more than are being carried by the work of others.

But I also wanted to point out that it's perfectly fine to pass judgment on these people as well. Do not create a false dichotomy. Addressing the systematic wealth-hoarding of the top 0.01% is far more impactful than addressing wasteful middle managers and workers purely because of the size of wealth involved.

I believe said poster is thinking of Toyota, where it is a lot less then 10,000 people. As a top Japanese corporation, this is expected of them - as an employee, you give your life to the company, in exchange for the company taking care of you, through thick or through thin.

The greatest crime a capitalist can imagine is an employee getting paid the amount they are promised, in excess of that they deserve. The greatest virtue a capitalist can imagine is an employer making profits in excess of their contribution.

Here's an article:

http://mu-warrior.blogspot.com/2006/03/general-motors-paying...

Also, just search for "gm paying people for not working"

> I know a guy, a sales guy, who "worked from home" for a large multinational while earning six figures. He spent most of his time doing home improvement projects. He replaced his roof (himself), he built and installed new kitchen cabinets, he remodeled the entire house and painted it all.

You seem surprisingly judgmental about this given how upset you were about others not recognizing the effort you put into the business in your garage.

"I don't have a problem with the whole inheritance thing."

Lowering or eliminating estate taxes results in extreme concentrations of wealth in only a few generations. The inheritance tax ("death tax") in the USA should be revived; it was a mistake to reduce it.

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