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It's disingenuous to frame the problems people have with the 1% as being due to them not positively contributing to society. Rather, the entire capitalist syst

It's disingenuous to frame the problems people have with the 1% as being due to them not positively contributing to society. Rather, the entire capitalist system, tax loopholes, and corrupt politicians have lead to increased disparity between the rich and poor. I'm fine with the claim that some people who create value and are net-positive, such as many of the rich people, absolutely should have significant wealth. However, they should not have the level of wealth they have now, wealth that is enough to feed every homeless in their cities for centuries, wealth that could house and clothe the needy for decades.... We should not have loopholes like the estate tax reductions which mean even after they die, their family line can greedily clutch onto the money for generations to come, creating a severe class divide. Just because we are angry with the system does not mean we all think rich people are innately evil. Also, we have all the evidence we need to condemn the current distribution of wealth: the current distribution of wealth is self-evidently disgustingly bad.

specialist 8y ago
That the rich get richer is just math, not a value statement. Preferential attachment in the absence of proactive redistribution leads to accelerating inequity. As you know, too much inequity undermines democracy. If we want a Liberal, democratic society, we need progressive policies. Some mechanisms to offset windfall profits, level the playing field. Debt jubilees, entitlements, UBI, Keynesianism, something. While I'm (very) sympathetic to "late stage capitalism" rhetoric, I think it's besides the point. Inequity predates capitalism and won't be remedied by eliminating capitalism.
- TheDong 8y ago
  > That the rich get richer is just math, not a value statement. The actual statement is "The gap between the rich and poor is widening". Of course the rich will be rich. That's a tautology. They don't have to be rich at the expense of the rest of society, which is where we're at now.

specialist 8y ago

That the rich get richer is just math, not a value statement. Preferential attachment in the absence of proactive redistribution leads to accelerating inequity. As you know, too much inequity undermines democracy. If we want a Liberal, democratic society, we need progressive policies. Some mechanisms to offset windfall profits, level the playing field. Debt jubilees, entitlements, UBI, Keynesianism, something. While I'm (very) sympathetic to "late stage capitalism" rhetoric, I think it's besides the point. Inequity predates capitalism and won't be remedied by eliminating capitalism.

TheDong 8y ago
> That the rich get richer is just math, not a value statement. The actual statement is "The gap between the rich and poor is widening". Of course the rich will be rich. That's a tautology. They don't have to be rich at the expense of the rest of society, which is where we're at now.