Is income inequality a legitimate issue, or a misleading measure?

[blackangst1]

Originally posted by: SammyJr

Originally posted by: Patranus
You go to school, get an education, work hard, and make money.

You smoke weed, screw around in school, break the law and go to prison, and you don't make money.

I really don't get this idea why people think they are entitled to the results of the hard work of others.

Or more commonly:

Go to school, get and education, work hard, get laid off because your job can be done more cheaply overseas.

Get a job at a factory, work hard, get laid off after 20 years because your job can be done more cheaply overseas.

Screw around at school, drink lots of beer, get a cushy job because your family is well connected.

Hard work and education isn't a guarantee of success. It helps a lot, but connections and luck are just as important.

Theres the option of taking employment overseas....

 

[SammyJr]

Originally posted by: blackangst1

Originally posted by: SammyJr

Originally posted by: Patranus
You go to school, get an education, work hard, and make money.

You smoke weed, screw around in school, break the law and go to prison, and you don't make money.

I really don't get this idea why people think they are entitled to the results of the hard work of others.

Or more commonly:

Go to school, get and education, work hard, get laid off because your job can be done more cheaply overseas.

Get a job at a factory, work hard, get laid off after 20 years because your job can be done more cheaply overseas.

Screw around at school, drink lots of beer, get a cushy job because your family is well connected.

Hard work and education isn't a guarantee of success. It helps a lot, but connections and luck are just as important.

Theres the option of taking employment overseas....

Aside from the military, how is getting overseas employment in any way easy or affordable to someone who is unemployed?

 

[blackangst1]

Originally posted by: SammyJr

Originally posted by: blackangst1

Originally posted by: SammyJr

Originally posted by: Patranus
You go to school, get an education, work hard, and make money.

You smoke weed, screw around in school, break the law and go to prison, and you don't make money.

I really don't get this idea why people think they are entitled to the results of the hard work of others.

Or more commonly:

Go to school, get and education, work hard, get laid off because your job can be done more cheaply overseas.

Get a job at a factory, work hard, get laid off after 20 years because your job can be done more cheaply overseas.

Screw around at school, drink lots of beer, get a cushy job because your family is well connected.

Hard work and education isn't a guarantee of success. It helps a lot, but connections and luck are just as important.

Theres the option of taking employment overseas....

Aside from the military, how is getting overseas employment in any way easy or affordable to someone who is unemployed?

First of all the majority of the country isnt. If someone who IS employed feels uncomfortable, go where the work is.

Second, how much do you know about working overseas? Ever looked into it? Ever done it? I have, and its not as difficult as you might think. Of course, you have to do more than just submit a resume, so that weeds out the lazy fucks.

 

[Andrew1990]

Originally posted by: ironwing

Originally posted by: Patranus
I really don't get this idea why people think they are entitled to the results of the hard work of others.

Damn straight! So let's cut the pay of executives and tax the jesus gibblets out of stockholders who profit off the hard work of company employees.

So then instead of the stock holders who profit off of the hard work of others, you want the government to profit of the hard work of others?

Capitalism is crazy, Socialism is Crazy, So I just dont know, lol.




I wish there was a way to measure a person's work and determine how much they should get. A Manual Laborer making more than a lawyer sitting on his ass all day for example, but then some other issues come in the way.

 

[miketheidiot]

i have no problem with income inequality, what i have a problem with is when the system is stacked in favor of inequality.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

The author of this piece did good work in proving the makeup of the truly wealthy has changed from inheritence trust funders to highly paid earners. But he misses the point that this is only possible because income desparity has grown exponentially + the effect of inflation over time, and only highlights how insanely out of whack the top earners current compensation is.

And if the inheritence tax was removed as the republicans legislated the wealth inequity will only get worse than it is now. The old adage "the rich get richer and poor get poorer" has never been more true and increasing income inequity only quickens the pace.

 

[blackangst1]

Originally posted by: GuitarDaddy
The author of this piece did good work in proving the makeup of the truly wealthy has changed from inheritence trust funders to highly paid earners. But he misses the point that this is only possible because income desparity has grown exponentially + the effect of inflation over time, and only highlights how insanely out of whack the top earners current compensation is.

And if the inheritence tax was removed as the republicans legislated the wealth inequity will only get worse than it is now. The old adage "the rich get richer and poor get poorer" has never been more true and increasing income inequity only quickens the pace.

Although thats true, its also important to keep perspective that America's poor have it better than the poor of just about every other, if not all, countries in the world. It doesnt mean we should accept it, but the condition of our poor certainly isnt critical (in general). In ANY society, no matter the political set up, there will always be poor. In other words, our goal shouldnt be to eliminate poverty, because that goal is impossible. But rather to lessen it.

If you care, this is a good outline of the condition of America's poor.

 

[Martin]

It's pretty silly to talk about income inequality without quantifying what you mean. No one but the craziest of libertarians wishes to see a society dominated by powerful, aristocratic class, and there are a negligible number of communists around.

So what do you mean? Is Denmark too equal? Is the US too unequal? Is Canada just-right? What about shifting of inequality over time? Was the US of 1965 a socialist nightmare?

Here's something to help people out: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wi...d4/Gini_since_WWII.gif