Modern economies are capital intensive. So you need a big pool of capital to make them work. You can't get that from normal people, because they prefer to spe

Modern economies are capital intensive. So you need a big pool of capital to make them work. You can't get that from normal people, because they prefer to spend 110% of their incomes and live on EZ credit (so they are a capital sink, not a source). You can't get it from governments because people keep voting for unfunded tax cuts and services (so another capital sink instead of source). So the economy is desperate for what billionaires offer: capital. So they get rewarded accordingly. And if you tax them or abolish them, the economy will suffer enormously. People whine about "the 1%" (really the 0.00001%) but they are a natural consequence of the way we choose (individually and collectively) to live. Don't like this inequality? Spend less than your income, pay off you debts, consume less, produce more, invest, vote for higher taxes and less spending - eliminate the NEED for the super rich.