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It's really quite amazing to see the attacks lately against successful people. I can't help but feel we're being prepped to accept a new tax structure (or possi

It's really quite amazing to see the attacks lately against successful people. I can't help but feel we're being prepped to accept a new tax structure (or possibly new economical model), and the first step is to whip up everyone against the future fodder (wealthy individuals). The poor spendthrift vagabond says to a rich man: "I have discovered there is enough money in the world for all of us, if it was equally divided; this must be done, and we shall all be happy together." "But," was the response, "if everybody was like you, it would be spent in two months, and what would you do then?" "Oh! divide again; keep dividing, of course!"

titanomachy 8y ago
Ayn Rand is back from the dead, and she's posting on HN! In all seriousness though, the excesses of certain rich people are pretty gross. I once saw a guy spend $20k (of inherited money) on a fancy showerhead. Kids who go into foster care are 3x more likely to go to prison and unlikely to reach higher education. "Equal opportunity" indeed.
- dev_dull 8y ago
  Who cares what someone wastes their money on? If you believe a “fool and their money are soon parted” then the only explanation for life-long wealthy people is that they don’t waste it. There are many problems in our country. Are you doing something personally to make it better, or just attacking others and asking someone else to fix it for you?
  - titanomachy 8y ago
    Wealthy people can afford to waste much more (in absolute terms) without losing their wealth. The extreme is European royalty before revolution, and eventually it was shown that people did not have an unlimited tolerance for inequality. "There are many problems in our country..." I probably don't live in your country, but I try to work towards solving problems. There are also people in my society whose job it is to solve social problems, and I help fund the work of those people just by being economically productive and therefore paying taxes.

titanomachy 8y ago

Ayn Rand is back from the dead, and she's posting on HN! In all seriousness though, the excesses of certain rich people are pretty gross. I once saw a guy spend $20k (of inherited money) on a fancy showerhead. Kids who go into foster care are 3x more likely to go to prison and unlikely to reach higher education. "Equal opportunity" indeed.

dev_dull 8y ago
Who cares what someone wastes their money on? If you believe a “fool and their money are soon parted” then the only explanation for life-long wealthy people is that they don’t waste it. There are many problems in our country. Are you doing something personally to make it better, or just attacking others and asking someone else to fix it for you?
- titanomachy 8y ago
  Wealthy people can afford to waste much more (in absolute terms) without losing their wealth. The extreme is European royalty before revolution, and eventually it was shown that people did not have an unlimited tolerance for inequality. "There are many problems in our country..." I probably don't live in your country, but I try to work towards solving problems. There are also people in my society whose job it is to solve social problems, and I help fund the work of those people just by being economically productive and therefore paying taxes.