Saturday, December 28, 2013

Wealth Distribution Isn't Like You Think It Is

Everyone in America should watch this video every morning. Or maybe they shouldn't. Hard to tell. But do watch it at least once.


Yeah, makes me mad, too. I do wonder, though, how many of us think, "Yeah, that's about the way it should be." And then I wonder, if things got worse, how many of those same people would say, "Now that's better."

Now, if your instinct is to respond, "No, I don't think many people think that's the way it should be," or that, "No, I don't think, if the rich got even richer, that many people would say 'That's fine with me,'" then I wonder how many of us would say, "We should fix this," or "I know how to fix this."

Then I wonder how many of us will say, "I know how we could fix this, but I doubt we ever will, at least not now."

If that's the case, how are we all going to be in five years? Ten? Twenty? How many of us can say, with any certainty, that we'll be richer? Then recall the wealth distribution curve as shown in the video, and then ask yourself the question again. What are the chances that many of us will be more prosperous? And if we actually are more prosperous, at whose expense will that be? What will the source of that prosperity be?

These are hard questions, and I don't want to seem glib. Nor do I want us all to slit our wrists. But if we can't answer these questions to our satisfaction, then what are we going to do about it?

Which might be the toughest question of all. Happy New Year!

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