"It's likely that when we are all working for a living and prospering then we all prosper a little more." Do you seriously think this is an achievable goal ?

"It's likely that when we are all working for a living and prospering then we all prosper a little more." Do you seriously think this is an achievable goal ? There will be always people that can't or won't work hard for a living. It might be due to their upbringing, education, DNA, personal choices, health conditions, personality. It doesn't mean that these people should be left to their own devices, for the "selfish" reasons mentioned by the OP, if not for more "noble" ones. Resource redistribution does not aim to "solve" income inequality, but to lessen its side effects. It might be not the only way, it is definitely not perfect and you might say it is not fair, but at least it is a realistic way to tackle a difficult problem.