Quote:
Originally Posted by Lune
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I don't think reasonable people make the argument that inequality is inherently a bad thing. There is supposed to be inequality; talented and/or hardworking people are supposed to be rewarded far more than indigents. However, at a certain point, it starts becoming harmful.
Remember that in capitalism, having capital frees you from having to sell your labor for sustenance, and your money works for you. The more money you have, the greater the share of new and existing wealth you capture. Couple that with what Raev said, Bernanke pouring gasoline into the whole thing, and the government providing a corporate safety net to offset some of the risk inherent in investment, and you have a situation where people with capital are performing tremendously well. And before you know it we're in the Gilded Age again.
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Right.
So, more or less, it's the criminal acts of some people that contribute to inequality that are the real problem? I agree with that. And I assume Jarn and most people (not many Marxists around anymore, after all) agree too.
So how is any socialist-ish policy going to fix this? Preferably without infringing upon the rights of people who haven't done anything wrong in accumulating wealth, such as, you know, stealing some of their wealth away from them and giving it to someone else instead of letting them decide what they want to do with their own property.