Aside from a very few individuals that are lucky at games of chance, no one gets rich purely by themselves.
Every captain of industry, every Hollywood star, every icon of the sports world, every gifted scientist, and every great author, have earned their fortunes with the assistance of others.
I have no problem with folks acquiring wealth through hard work. But when the top 1% of the population is getting 98%+ of the income while all the equally-hard-working individuals in the supporting pyramid below them are suffering to make ends meet, the system is horribly broken.
There are several ways this might be corrected.
How about a federal law that requires every employee of a publicly-held company be given one share of stock for every year of service. This would encourage company loyalty and productivity. If the company did well, the majority of employees would also see their fortunes improve.
I understand and agree that running a country is a costly business that requires taxes. However, the idea that dozens of companies earning billions of dollars a year, pay zero taxes, while individuals earning less than a hundred thousand a year pay twenty five to thirty five percent, is wrong.
The most fair system would be a flat tax, but the parasites in power would never allow that to happen and is fodder for another discussion.
Instead, how about removing tax caps? If you earn thirty thousand a year, you pay twenty percent. If you earn ten million a year, you still pay twenty percent. No excuses and no loopholes.
How about zero subsidies to any business with a gross income of more than a billion dollars a year! That would save the government billions. If your company grosses a billion a year and you are unable to show a profit, then you need to rethink your business plan, fire the board of directors, or go out of business.
And finally, if a company is to big to be allowed to fail, then it is, by definition, too big, and needs to be broken up into smaller, more competitive firms.
That’s my rant for the day. I would be more than happy to engage in a polite discussion on any of these items. If you feel the need to resort to insults, you will be ignored or blocked.
Anthony Stevens' Weblog 