That’s not really a fair assessment. I view money and our current system of trade as a necessary evil at the moment, but it is hardly the root of all suffering. You can blame good old human nature for that. We have not evolved out of greed and resource hoarding being a successful strategy, and so we must deal with it as best we can.
I’ll not speak for everyone on this board since our opinions and rationales differ so much; but for myself I do not begrudge the wealthy their money. However, I DO take issue with the concept that any of these people made their fortunes on their own with no input from the outside world as if they were on a little desert island constructing coconut radios. To become successful it requires lots of personal hard work and sacrifice, but it also requires an immense amount of luck, timing, and goodwill from the extended community: manufacturing, vendors, logistics, marketing, even less tangible things like friends, neighbors, and family, ALL of whom did that person favors, a good turn, took a chance on them and invested, etc. In short, They made their fortune on the backs of the community AND their own hard work, and thus paying a fair share is their ethical duty.
They should pay more because above a certain income level in the US their lifestyles cannot really get any better unless they become part of the very, very few ultra wealthy. Likewise, losing that income does not materially affect their lifestyle either. The average family exists on around 50k a year with two working parents. Consider that same income will provide nearly everything for three to four people in a modest manner in most parts of the country. A single person making 100K could provide for eight, 200k-16, 300k-24. Do the math and you can see how fast the luxury grows. I do not begrudge them their fortunes, but a higher tax rate on them will not affect them in any real sense of the word.
I don’t want to take their money and give it away, I don’t support welfare in general, but I DO want well funded schools, good roads, investment in the sciences, and programs to help make the truly poor a thing of the past. No one should starve in America. No one should go homeless for lack of money. No one should die because they cannot afford basic medical care. That doesn’t mean I want to give out monetary handouts, awesome free meals, or nice private housing.
That isn’t crazy liberal thinking, it’s nothing more than basic human decency.