I’ve honestly never understood the wealth disparity argument. Nowadays, with the Occupy Wall Street movement bringing attention to the issue, it seems to be the rallying cry de jour. I heard a commentator on the news the other day saying that the Occupy movement has brought attention to this wealth disparity “problem” like nothing ever has.
What exactly is the problem with the wealth disparity in America? If you mean that the rich and corporations get welfare and tax credits and unfair breaks, you’re absolutely right. They do, and it’s unjust. We should all join together and change the tax code and the political system in Washington that allows our elected leaders to hand out goodies for reelection. We should also refrain from being hypocrites by saying that we ourselves deserve special breaks. We’re all equal. No one deserves preferential treatment, whether you’re an oil company or a family farm. Particularly when your preferential treatment comes at the expense of other Americans.
But if you mean that the wealthy have so much more money than the average person, so what? Why is it any of your business how much another private citizen earns? Unless he’s stealing from you, you ought to be congratulating him on his success instead. Furthermore, the wealthy have their money for a reason. They’re rich because they’ve succeeded at doing things that the average American doesn’t do. So what if these people control most of the wealth in this country – I’m glad they do! Should we instead confiscate all the wealth of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates and other CEOs and businessmen and hand it out to bums on the streets? What would they do with it? Buy smokes and a bottle of Night Train? What do you think would happen to the economy if the majority of the wealth was looted and controlled by the legions of average Americans, instead of the above-average brilliant innovators, leaders, inventors, and entrepreneurs?
There’s a reason why the poorest Americans today are better off than the millionaires of the nineteenth century and even the kings and queens of the previous centuries. There’s a reason why practically every American household has a TV, a microwave, a car; why we have computers and cell phones and dishwashers and every other modern convenience that we take for granted – and it’s not because of politicians looking out for us, nor unions, nor labor laws or minimum wage laws. It’s not because the government forced greedy rich people to share with everyone else. It’s because rich people were left alone to do what they do. Average Americans don’t add benefits to the economy as a whole; billionaire businessmen do, and we all take advantage of this. To be hones (and I mean this with all due respect), even wastrels like Kim Kardashian add more value to the economy as a whole than the average American.
We ought to be proud of the wealthy in this country, and show more appreciation for all that they’ve done for every single one of us. At the very least, let’s not demonize them. And if we want to put a stop to the political favors and tax breaks and crony capitalism, we ought to look to Washington, DC. I think the Occupy Wall Street movement would start a widespread and much-needed revolution if they were focusing on where the real problem lies: Washington, DC.
