Why Income Inequality Matters

Some people believe that property is theft. Creating something of lasting value, while laudable, would not excuse that theft.

But even rejecting that principle, just because you may have created something of lasting value doesn't necessarily translate in to riches.

In fact, history is full of examples of people who created quite valuable things and yet died in abject poverty. They've often been cheated of their creation, and someone else took the credit (and the money).

Some even argue that that's how the capitalist system works overall. The people at the top are the ones who profit most from the rest. While it is the rest who are the ones doing the really valuable work (and make a pittance in comparison).

But even if we set that aside and assume that you've both made something of lasting value and have not had it stolen or cheated from you, or sold it to someone for a pittance of its actual worth, there's still the problem of converting it to wealth.

Some people are just plain horrible at doing this, and when they are good at it, what will getting rich from that product actually entail? Will getting the product to succeed in the marketplace always (or even mostly) involve doing nothing immoral or illegal?

Considering how many shady, anticompetitive, or just plain illegal business practices that are revealed in our newspapers every day, I have my doubts.

What possibly makes you think you have a better idea of what goods and services I need than you do?"

You've never heard anyone complain about buying crap that they didn't need? You never seen someone's house chock full of crap that they never use (sometimes never even taken out of the box)? You don't know anyone with a shopping (or eating) addiction?

Or perhaps you're not aware that corporations spend billions on trying to figure out people's psychology so that products could be marketed more effectively (by, say, doing something so important to utility of the product as changing the color of the box its sold in or the font on the front of the box, or the music played in stores as people shop, not to mention slimy marketing techniques such as getting paid stooges to pretend to be consumers while singing praises of the product and company).

Of course, maybe the consumer really does need to be, say, poisoned by cigarettes, or have a burning need to enlarge their male member, and the valiant marketers are just providing a valuable service by making the consumer aware of this great, hitherto unknown need.

"As for 'lied, bribed, cheated, stolen, or killed' - those are all already illegal and prosecuted."

I'm not sure what your point is there. So these means are (sometimes) illegal. And (sometimes) prosecuted. Many people still continue to use them (just open any newspaper on any day of the year).

"Would you disagree with my hypothesis that in, say the last 30 years, less than 10% of millionaires are minted through those means?"

Unless they were caught (or you were personally involved), how would you know? That's not to say that some haven't been caught. But, like roaches, you can bet that the ones that you see are just a tiny minority compared to the ones you don't see.

Perhaps you are not aware of a little insignificant place called Washington.

I really wonder just how many really rich and powerful people there are in the US (or even the world) who did not have to horse trade with that little town.

And what was it that they traded, I wonder? Yes, I'm sure it was all on the up and up, and nothing illegal or immoral was done.

Everyone gets rich through their own hard work, blood, sweat, and tears. And no one else gets hurt in the process.

And don't even get me started on the violence inherent in the system that makes so much "wealth building" possible.