You seem to be setting up a false dichotomy where the only options are the status quo, or your extreme hypothetical. There are other options. Some countries us

You seem to be setting up a false dichotomy where the only options are the status quo, or your extreme hypothetical. There are other options. Some countries use taxation policy to try to set a floor through which nobody is allowed to fall, and as a side effect also limit the ceiling of how high up someone can be on the wealth continuum. Why isn't the "environmentalist" in you familiar with this idea?