Redistrubution of wealth

Great Debates
1

In reference to the living wage thread. I did not want to hijack the thread.

The top one percent of Americans control 40% of the wealth. Is it a good thing to have so much capital in the hands of so few? Doesn’t this keep money out of the hands of deserving people?

In history they will not fill their heads with battles, nor in geography with fortresses, for it becomes them just as little to reek of
gunpowder as it does the males to reek of musk.

                     - Immanuel Kant
2

No. Stealing it would be a good thing.

:rolleyes:

3

Oohh, this one could get ugly :slight_smile:

I’m not in the top 1% bracket that you’re referring to, but I’m close enough to it that most folks who talk about redistributing the wealth are in fact talking about taking away my money and giving it to someone else. It’s going to take quite a bit of convincing to get me to believe that anyone else is “more deserving” of my money than I am - after all, I’m the one who earned it.

How exactly does one get to the point where he/she “deserves” someone else’s money?

4

I just re-read your OP and my reply to it, and I think I over-reacted.

(pant, pant) I feel much better now.

5

What I don’t get is why the fetish of tyrants is always with wealth?

Why not redistribute intelligence? Force educated people to tutor ignorant people. Make 'em share the knowledge. Why just wealth? Make atheletes work with clumbsy people. Why not divvy up the land so everybody has the same size plot? Let’s put those auto factories to good use, and give everybody a car. And for God’s sake, make people who own lots of tools share 'em with the rest of us.

The hubris.

6

GUILLOTINE!

watch what you say
or they’ll be calling
you a radical,
a liberal,fanatical
a criminal…

7

Because wealth is a precursor to most of the things you mentioned. Besides, I think that land ownership is included with cash when we talk about “wealth.”
I agree with WillGolfForFood (I’m sure you’re all shocked), to some extent. In essence, I think that entitlement programs are good in theory. It would be nice if those who could afford it could be trusted to help the needy on their own, but they can’t. However, a broad “redistribution of wealth” runs contradictory to just about every economic principle of this nation (alright, I’ll say it: it’s Communism).
Our entitlement programs also need a major overhaul–this is the first step towards fixing the tax problems as well. We spend something in the ballpark of $360 billion on welfare (just welfare, not all entitlement programs)in this nation. If the government were to write a check for $15,000 to every person (not family, person) below the poverty line in this nation, it would cost something like $100 billion (I’m quoting these figures from memory).
In addition to fixing the way the funds are distributed, there needs to be more emphasis on job-training and workfare type programs. Give a man a fish…

“History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it.” -Winston Churchill

8

[Fainting…]

“In disorders of the bowels and vomitings, occurring spontaneously, if the matters purged be such as ought to be purged, they do good, and are well borne; but if not, the contrary.” — Hippocrates

9

Sounds good to me, Big L. At least as fair as the way we divvie stuff up now, according to qualities gained through accident of birth.
Peace,
mangeorge

I only know two things;
I know what I need to know
And
I know what I want to know
Mangeorge, 2000