How a culture distributes wealth

[donttread]

I see quite a bit on the board about economic equity and equality, so I thought I'd throw out my two cents and see if anyone agrees. One side argues that poor people have not tiled enough to accrue wealth or good income while others argue that its lack of opportunity.
Of course , as is the case with any socio-economic issue its actually a little more complicated than that.
Both arguments are part right and part wrong. If we were to reset the economy tomorrow and divide it all up and disqualify all of our education ( this example is hypothetical of course) and start over then hard work, brains, ability and dumb luck would determine who got where economically and how fast they got there.
But then, as generations went by those with money would have influence and they would use that influence to change the economic system to benefit themselves and their children. After a few generations of that you have the tilted table we have today.
Instead of Thomas Edison you get Paris Hilton. You wind up with a situation where people who make millions in investments pay a lower tax rate than many of us do on earned income, which is IMO, a complete travesty. Thoughts?

[zelmo1234]

Well I would agree that the tax code is a disaster!

But I would like to suggest that in most, not all but most cases, if you could lump all of the money into one pile and distribute it evenly to all? I would suggest that in five years the rich would in large part be rich again and the poor will have spent the money,

I know I had to re learn everything that I thought that I knew! And one I did, making money was easy! a lot of work, but still easy!

[donttread]

The tax code is about controlling how we spend our money

[Chris]

Your argument/description sounds about right. Wealth will distribute according to what people value. It reminds me of Robert Nozick's Wilt Chamberlain Argument.