People should work for what they have

[TheBDB]

A very common theme I hear from people, and something I also believe in, is that people should work to earn what they have. I believe everyone should be guaranteed food, shelter, and minimal health care, but if they want a standard of living any higher than that it should come due to their working and contributing to society. I think most people agree with this, but it seems quite a lot of people rant about how all the freeloaders are ruining this country. I'm not debating if that is true or not, just pointing out people bring it up all the time. So, my question is, what about inheriting wealth from your parents? Or investing money in the stock market. It seems like if you believe people should earn their place in society they should not be able to get wealth in these ways. For example, I am 29, lets say my parents die and left me enough money so I didn't have to work ever again. Is that fair? Would I be freeloading off of society, specifically my parents hard work?

I'm not looking at this from an economic point of view. I agree investing money in the stock market is good for the economy and you should benefit from the risk. I also don't think all your possessions should be confiscated when you die. I am just looking at it from a moral point of view. If we place such high value on hard work, being a self-made man, contributing to society, how do you justify these methods of accumulating wealth?

Thanks for reading.

 

[PieIsAwesome]

You could argue that the person who earned enough money to ensure that their children never have to work already contributed both his/her own and his/her children's share to society.

 

[NetGuySC]

Earn wealth thru any legal means a person can, either thru workin with their back or working with their brain.
I just do not want anyone to only be given their wealth by not contributing anything to society and only waiting on someone else to go work and pay their taxes.
If a person gets help from the government then so be it, but at least make them earn that assistance by being required to pass a random drug tests.

 

[Moonbeam]

A very common theme I hear from people, and something I also believe in, is that people should work to earn what they have.

Thanks for reading.

That may just mean that people you listen to are idiots. The notion of me working for what I have is ridiculous. I already have it. I work for things I don't have, or used to because, at the moment, I have everything.

 

[Tristicus]

That may just mean that people you listen to are idiots. The notion of me working for what I have is ridiculous. I already have it. I work for things I don't have, or used to because, at the moment, I have everything.

Except a brain. Might want to work on that.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

I believe everyone should be guaranteed food, shelter, and minimal health care,

disagree.
you're not guaranteed anything in life. you HAVE TO work for everything, including basic necessities.

 

[Elias824]

disagree.
you're not guaranteed anything in life. you HAVE TO work for everything, including basic necessities.

Animals have to hunt and forage to survive in nature. In the end humans are just another animal.

 

[Slew Foot]

People should work for what they want(food, shelter, Dubs, etc..). And the guy who inherits a fortune isnt freeloading off society, he's freeloading off his parents. If his parents are OK with giving their freeloading kid their fortune, fine with me.

 

[cubby1223]

I believe everyone should be guaranteed food, shelter, and minimal health care, but if they want a standard of living any higher than that it should come due to their working and contributing to society.

I believe people are like electrons, they will take the path of least resistance through life. If food, shelter, & health care came from a magic wand, then sure I'd agree with you - but those things mentioned come from the hard work of others. Is the role of government to make it easy to be poor?


If your parents were able to pass on to you a lot of wealth, they accumulated it by providing a good or service to others - and if you with your inheritance don't work another day in your life, then good for you, you are still *purchasing* from your own wealth what you need to live, helping those who create what you consume, not being handed what you need from the government.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Animals have to hunt and forage to survive in nature. In the end humans are just another animal.

And there's the rub. Until we as a society can insure everyone has access to at least a basic standard of living, we really are just a bunch of animals. I like to think we have more potential than that given what else we have been able to achieve, but I see a lot of compelling evidence to the contrary too.

 

[DivideBYZero]

^Communism.

 

[blackangst1]

People should work for what they want(food, shelter, Dubs, etc..). And the guy who inherits a fortune isnt freeloading off society, he's freeloading off his parents. If his parents are OK with giving their freeloading kid their fortune, fine with me.

:thumbsup:

/agree

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

^Communism.

You think it's communism to think a person should not be left to starve to death if for no other reason than simply by virtue of being a human? You're probably one of the many, many folks keeping us in the "just animals" category.

 

[DivideBYZero]

You think it's communism to think a person should not be left to starve to death if for no other reason than simply by virtue of being a human? You're probably one of the many, many folks keeping us in the "just animals" category.

Hardly. The OP is dictating not only how people earn their money, but how they spend it. I.e.,;

if they want a standard of living any higher than that it should come due to their working and contributing to society.

and

It seems like if you believe people should earn their place in society they should not be able to get wealth in these ways.

but if Billy Bob Jr wants to spend his inheritance fapping while snorting coke and banging whores day in, day out, who should stop him? Liberty means he can do what he likes. Enforced labor for the common good = communism.

Can't believe I had to spoon feed you that one.

 

[DaveSimmons]

I could see practicing socialism where everyone is guaranteed bland but nourishing food, tiny but adequate shelter and drab clothes. Plus a mandatory but reversible contraceptive implant so they can't breed until they stop being parasites.

If they want more than that, give them opportunities to contribute something to society so they can earn it.

Inherited wealth is fine. The parents contributed more than they needed to, and chose to gift the excess to their children.

 

[Lemon law]

I for one, agree with our OP and I have a plan to make it happen. Step one is to institute a 100% inheritance tax, eliminate any way to shelter any of the estate by any means, and prevent parents to transfer anything but basic food, clothing, and shelter to their relatives.

But of course I oppose having the government use these monies to support government.

So at the end of every year, the government pools all the monies it gets from that 100% painless death tax, divides it by the number of American citizens, and cuts each of them a check for their fair share.

That way every American starts out on equal footing. If you want more, work for it.

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

Hardly. The OP is dictating not only how people earn their money, but how they spend it. I.e.,;



and



but if Billy Bob Jr wants to spend his inheritance fapping while snorting coke and banging whores day in, day out, who should stop him? Liberty means he can do what he likes. Enforced labor for the common good = communism.

Can't believe I had to spoon feed you that one.

If you were addressing the OP then no prob, it looked like you were pointing to my post, by umm, pointing directly to my post.

 

[spidey07]

I for one, agree with our OP and I have a plan to make it happen. Step one is to institute a 100% inheritance tax, eliminate any way to shelter any of the estate by any means, and prevent parents to transfer anything but basic food, clothing, and shelter to their relatives.

But of course I oppose having the government use these monies to support government.

So at the end of every year, the government pools all the monies it gets from that 100% painless death tax, divides it by the number of American citizens, and cuts each of them a check for their fair share.

That way every American starts out on equal footing. If you want more, work for it.

Dear lord you can't be serious. Communism fails, it doesn't work.

 

[blackangst1]

I for one, agree with our OP and I have a plan to make it happen. Step one is to institute a 100% inheritance tax, eliminate any way to shelter any of the estate by any means, and prevent parents to transfer anything but basic food, clothing, and shelter to their relatives.

But of course I oppose having the government use these monies to support government.

So at the end of every year, the government pools all the monies it gets from that 100% painless death tax, divides it by the number of American citizens, and cuts each of them a check for their fair share.

That way every American starts out on equal footing. If you want more, work for it.

Good plan, comrade.

Main Entry: com·mu·nism
Pronunciation: \ˈkäm-yə-ˌni-zəm, -yü-\
Function: noun
Etymology: French communisme, from commun common
Date: 1840
1 a : a theory advocating elimination of private property b : a system in which goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed

 

[CLite]

I for one, agree with our OP and I have a plan to make it happen. Step one is to institute a 100% inheritance tax, eliminate any way to shelter any of the estate by any means, and prevent parents to transfer anything but basic food, clothing, and shelter to their relatives.

But of course I oppose having the government use these monies to support government.

So at the end of every year, the government pools all the monies it gets from that 100% painless death tax, divides it by the number of American citizens, and cuts each of them a check for their fair share.

That way every American starts out on equal footing. If you want more, work for it.

So your father owns a profitable family business and you are working for him trying to rise through the ranks and learn the business.

Father has a heart attack, government taxes you 100% the supposed value of father's company. Company goes bankrupt, family business ruined and family goes into massive debt. Profiteering shark company picks up foreclosed estate and earns $$$. Random citizen #1 gets a 0.1 cent check from the tax revenue of this decimated business.

What an incredibly bright idea.

 

[DivideBYZero]

If you were addressing the OP then no prob, it looked like you were pointing to my post, by umm, pointing directly to my post.

Was not pointing at your post, it was intended @ the OP.

 

[cubby1223]

I for one, agree with our OP and I have a plan to make it happen. Step one is to institute a 100% inheritance tax, eliminate any way to shelter any of the estate by any means, and prevent parents to transfer anything but basic food, clothing, and shelter to their relatives.

This is the dumbest plan I have read here in P&N in a long time...

I am guessing you do not have any children of your own, correct?

 

[Linflas]

This is the dumbest plan I have read here in P&N in a long time...

Unlike most on the left at least he is being honest about his confiscatory views.

 

[spidey07]

This is the dumbest plan I have read here in P&N in a long time...

I am guessing you do not have any children of your own, correct?

You'll find that most of the leftist/communist posters in P&N are like all the rest. They are fueled by jealousy which is a very powerful, however evil, emotion. It clouds the mind, making one believe "their fair share" is anything and everything above what the liberal has.

You'll even see this jealousy in the OP. It's veiled by some attempt to throw a bone at capitalism but in the end it's jealousy of somebody having more.

 

[soulcougher73]

So your father owns a profitable family business and you are working for him trying to rise through the ranks and learn the business.

Father has a heart attack, government taxes you 100% the supposed value of father's company. Company goes bankrupt, family business ruined and family goes into massive debt. Profiteering shark company picks up foreclosed estate and earns $$$. Random citizen #1 gets a 0.1 cent check from the tax revenue of this decimated business.

What an incredibly bright idea.

LOL This made me laugh in a good way because i agree with you.