Quote:
Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru
That pretty much is what I'm saying. My part in creating wealth was helping create wealth for others. I myself am not (nor have I ever been) wealthy by any stretch of the imagination.
|
If you controlled more wealth, you would be able to help more people exponentially.
For example one situation I am most proud of involves a young woman we (my wife and I) hired shortly after she got out of HS. She lived in a mobile home with her mother who was receiving disability payments, barely enough for their expenses. The young lady had no business experience, but was willing to work and learn and we were willing to hire her. The young lady had no plans on attending college, but we convinced her to do it. while she worked for us we offered flexibility in her schedule as to not conflict with school. She became very productive for us, she was able to financially help her household and she graduated. While she worked with us she got the entrepreneurial bug and started using her artistic abilities in design of websites, fashion and jewelry. When she left us, she left and started making her living from her own business. My wife and I recently received an invitation to her wedding this summer, she is getting married to her female partner in California. She is in her twenties and the bread-winner and has an excellent future. So, while I was making money, I was helping her and others. As a conservative, I did not care about her sexuality or any other "social" issue, she was willing to work, learn, be productive and we wanted to see her fly. One day she will probably be making more money than I have ever dreamed about, she has that kind of drive. And along the way, she is going to help thousands along the way. But, if I am not making money, if I am not in a position to take a chance on an inexperienced recent HS grad, if I don't have the ability to flex her schedule, if I don't mentor her, perhaps none of this happens. At the risk of sounding arrogant, if the government gets out of my way, I can do more with my money to make the world better than the government can. I bet you could too.
Quote:
|
I'm not saying that there is something inherently wrong with rich people taking initiatives in businesses that create wealth. What I'm going on about is your oversight regarding how that business is able to generate it in the first place, including but not limited to the environment required as a precondition.
|
I can give example after example of how government is ineffective or inefficient regarding helping the poor and regulating the "rich", but it just won't matter. But I keep on trying??? No doubt, I am obsessive compulsive.
Quote:
|
The wealthy could not exist if it weren't for the lower classes. Have you ever seen a society that consisted purely of wealthy citizens that wasn't some oil-rich anomaly?
|
Yes.
Take the "society" of golf professionals. Along come Tiger Woods and (no disputes) because of his talent, everyone involved in professional golf gets richer. Woods make a ton of money, but the guy ranked at the bottom makes more money than ever before. Woods creates wealth that benefit everyone. Every pro golfer in the "society" does well. However, there is a big gap between Woods and the guy at the bottom, if your argument is the gap is too wide - that is one argument but not the argument against "trickle-down". And to your argument, if I got it right, I say that if you risk forcing Woods out, you risk harming everyone. If Woods is motivated by money and you reduce his prizes to redistribute to others, what if he plays less? What happens? Everyone starts making less.
Quote:
|
Again, you are missing the essential reality of economics. Labour, whether it is performed by the poor or the middle class, is one of the foundational elements of wealth creation.
|
I don't overlook it. I suggest that we allow people the right to earn their proper free market wage. Under our current system of employment law, and employee can easily be locked into a specific employer for many reasons. this is not good for the employee. Employers or "rich" people know how to play the game and they have experts who navigate the complexities of employment law to control labor - government either knowingly or in ignorance plays into that. What will it take for you to see it, I don't know - but it is obvious to me.