Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Why Isn't the Reaction to this, A Call for Violent Revolution or "Tax the Rich"?

powerclown · 12-29-2006, 10:33 PM

There is no earthly substitute for brains and determination.
No government intervention can reallocate them, either.
One’s life begins when it begins.
From then on it’s all about a person’s upbringing and environs and how he/she responds to them.
The best we can do as a society is strive to give every person a chance to succeed. I think the USA does that pretty well.
But again, there is no earthly substitute for brains and determination.
It is also not the government’s responsibility to provide everything for everyone (immigrants included) and ensure what many define as “fairness”.

I laugh when I hear/read how the upper classes need to do more for the lower ones.
Sorry, it simply doesn’t work that way.
Life isn’t a Panglossian Utopia.
Go read our world history. Past is indeed prologue.
There is no substitute for brains and determination. None.

Income inequality is a characteristic, not a problem.
And it isn’t a characteristic of something bad.
The key is to have a society structured so that everyone can make the most of what they’ve been given.
We should recognize that life is a meritocracy, and we haven’t all been given the same abilities - intelligence, innovativeness, energy, and leadership skills are as unevenly divided as physical attributes like height and hair color (and have a lot more to do with earning potential).

I think someone’s reaction to income inequality says a lot about where they fall on the political spectrum.

True Story: A friend of mine works for a software company in the human resources department. He says his company has a hard time finding competent Americans who want to make nearly $90K/year in a semi-rural area developing software. They don’t require a college degree, but they do expect candidates to be able to code. He remarked that there has never before been a profession so accessible to almost anyone with smarts and determination. With a used computer for $100 and a $15/month DSL connection, one can learn enough to catapult oneself into the upper middle class in a few years. Sure, the first job one might take might only pay $10/hour, but it’s not too hard to move up quickly when you’re competent.

--

The gini coefficient (Income Inequality, worldwide) is measured on a scale of 0 (complete equality) to 1 (complete inequality—one individual receiving all income), ie. lower numbers mean more equality:

12-29-2006, 10:33 PM	#28 (permalink)
powerclown Junkie Location: Detroit, MI	There is no earthly substitute for brains and determination. No government intervention can reallocate them, either. One’s life begins when it begins. From then on it’s all about a person’s upbringing and environs and how he/she responds to them. The best we can do as a society is strive to give every person a chance to succeed. I think the USA does that pretty well. But again, there is no earthly substitute for brains and determination. It is also not the government’s responsibility to provide everything for everyone (immigrants included) and ensure what many define as “fairness”. I laugh when I hear/read how the upper classes need to do more for the lower ones. Sorry, it simply doesn’t work that way. Life isn’t a Panglossian Utopia. Go read our world history. Past is indeed prologue. There is no substitute for brains and determination. None. Income inequality is a characteristic, not a problem. And it isn’t a characteristic of something bad. The key is to have a society structured so that everyone can make the most of what they’ve been given. We should recognize that life is a meritocracy, and we haven’t all been given the same abilities - intelligence, innovativeness, energy, and leadership skills are as unevenly divided as physical attributes like height and hair color (and have a lot more to do with earning potential). I think someone’s reaction to income inequality says a lot about where they fall on the political spectrum. True Story: A friend of mine works for a software company in the human resources department. He says his company has a hard time finding competent Americans who want to make nearly $90K/year in a semi-rural area developing software. They don’t require a college degree, but they do expect candidates to be able to code. He remarked that there has never before been a profession so accessible to almost anyone with smarts and determination. With a used computer for $100 and a $15/month DSL connection, one can learn enough to catapult oneself into the upper middle class in a few years. Sure, the first job one might take might only pay $10/hour, but it’s not too hard to move up quickly when you’re competent. -- The gini coefficient (Income Inequality, worldwide) is measured on a scale of 0 (complete equality) to 1 (complete inequality—one individual receiving all income), ie. lower numbers mean more equality: Last edited by powerclown; 12-29-2006 at 11:37 PM..