I agree. I think a more direct statement of the state of American society is "American society increasingly gives more money to people who know how to make mor

I agree. I think a more direct statement of the state of American society is "American society increasingly gives more money to people who know how to make more money by providing goods and services that people are being convinced to pay money for." Or even more simply, those who are adept at acquiring money, will acquire more of it. People fortunately or unfortunately value you based on what you can do for them. Whether we agree with the goods and services individual people chose to pay for and whether the setup is myopic is another thing. That said, it does seem to be the fairest way thus far until we can figure out a way to base our economy on human kindness. It's better than alternatives of ways of rewarding humans. Basing it on beauty, strength, most weapons, most cruel, etc. seems worse off for society. I also curiously wonder if some of the extreme income inequality is actually partially due to the fact that most rational people will stop adding more stress to their lives because they realize making more money after a certain point requires more sacrifices then they personally are willing to make (i.e. 24/7 emails, constant travel, etc.)