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Ask this question of any supply side money-worshippers you find out there (who worship money at least on a Monday to Saturday basis).
The person who truly works their way to some kind of wealth, (provided that we assume they didn't do so through a host of illegal, unethical and deceptive means that are quite common) deserves some recognition. But as a rarity, not as the common result of our present economic system.
The sad thing is, wealth is so rarely earned these days. I'd love to see the numbers on wealth that is, in contrast, (1) inherited (2) based on interest income that constitutes the fulltime work of others (3) won in a lottery, game show or contest (4) a windfall golden parachute or executive compensation (5) stock from a startup. Of these (there are others) (5) is the most controversial because the person is working, usually very hard, in a startup, but the wealth is not coming from their work on any but the most indirect basis, it comes from their work combined with many other persons and factors....
Finally, there is the matter of professional sports, the one area where it seems the average guy of any race can strike it rich. It too is not productive labor, but they do work hard to stay fit, etc. How do we account for this? Doesn't it prove equality of opportunity, and the success of minorities when the rules are equal for all?
Yes, it does show what equality of opportunity CAN provide. But the cultural importance of professional sports, and why very rich people would spend SO MUCH MONEY TO MAKE THEM such a spectacle and attraction is, in my opinion, this:
IF YOU DON'T WIN THE SUPERBOWL, SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH YOU. The most common story in sports is second-guessing a runner-up position, and regretting the errors or bad luck along the way. Professional sports, and sports generally, are WINNER TAKE ALL.
Winner-take-all sports are EXCELLENT Preparation for our winner-take-all economic system.
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