So, tell me. Why is wealth inequality a bad thing?

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Re: So, tell me. Why is wealth inequality a bad thing?

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VoiceOfReason wrote:
Hokie CPA wrote:
VoiceOfReason wrote:
Hokie5150 wrote:Provided that wealth is created/obtained legally, where is the harm if one is super wealthy and another is not?
Wealth inequality in and of itself is not a bad thing. If everyone had enough wealth to live on... who cares? The issue comes when you have millions of people living below the poverty line. If trickle down economics really worked... and a rising tide raised all boats... you would never hear of income inequality.
When you consider that even the poorest of the poor in the USA would be considered among the wealthiest people in the land if the visited a third world nation, I would argue that the rising tide DOES raise all boats. Everyone in this country does, indeed, have their needs met and they still manage to get trivial wants, like that new X-Box One and cable television. Most Americans have a microwave oven. They have hot water, indoor plumbing, a FLOOR. These things are all considered the luxuries of wealth in many (most?) countries.
ALL Americans have these things? Have you ever walked the streets of an American urban city? Or volunteered at a soup kitchen?

I get the point that the homeless in America may not look like the slums of Mumbai... however, neither you or me would wish either life on anyone we know.
homeless today are much like you in that they're mentally ill. :mrgreen: Outside of the mentally ill or the Grizzly Adams types avoiding the law, homelessness pretty much doesn't exist. There are so many charities and orgs from Christian conservatives that going without is a choice. And in the event one doesn't want help from the caring people in America, there is always the cold and wasteful federal government and it's massive safety net. Getting help is so easy in America that even you could do it, barely :mrgreen:
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Re: Someone asked: Why is wealth inequality a bad thing? IF.

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hokie80 wrote:Yet another deflect.
Bingo. Funny that neither Houtex nor IP atttempted an actual answer.
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Re: Someone asked: Why is wealth inequality a bad thing? IF.

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Hokie CPA wrote:So... why did this need a whole new thread? The other one is still active, you know.
Because Houtex didn't want to address that actual question.
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Re: Someone asked: Why is wealth inequality a bad thing? IF.

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Hokie CPA wrote:So... why did this need a whole new thread? The other one is still active, you know.
I'm not sure Houtex knows how to respond to a thread (seriously)....has he ever done it?
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Re: Someone asked: Why is wealth inequality a bad thing? IF.

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Hokie CPA wrote:So... why did this need a whole new thread? The other one is still active, you know.
houtex is what doctors call a moron.
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Re: Someone asked: Why is wealth inequality a bad thing? IF.

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USN_Hokie wrote:
Hokie CPA wrote:So... why did this need a whole new thread? The other one is still active, you know.
I'm not sure Houtex knows how to respond to a thread (seriously)....has he ever done it?
I think he did it once with the aid of a 10 year old. But that boy left our boy alone and so the knowledge has been lost.
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Re: So, tell me. Why is wealth inequality a bad thing?

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I'm wondering if all of those that are on this bandwagon are simply giving up all of their own wealth and freely distributing it to others?
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Re: So, tell me. Why is wealth inequality a bad thing?

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hokie80 wrote:I'm wondering if all of those that are on this bandwagon are simply giving up all of their own wealth and freely distributing it to others?
I find it interesting that no one have given solid examples of the harm wealth inequality causes or offered concrete proposals for how they would achieve wealth equality.
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Re: So, tell me. Why is wealth inequality a bad thing?

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133743Hokie wrote:
VoiceOfReason wrote:
133743Hokie wrote:
VoiceOfReason wrote:
Hokie5150 wrote:Provided that wealth is created/obtained legally, where is the harm if one is super wealthy and another is not?
Wealth inequality in and of itself is not a bad thing. If everyone had enough wealth to live on... who cares? The issue comes when you have millions of people living below the poverty line. If trickle down economics really worked... and a rising tide raised all boats... you would never hear of income inequality.
Trickle down has/does work. Those in poverty today are better off than a generation ago, and they are a better off than the generation before. No one, I repeat no one, goes hungry in the US if they are willing to accept the help/aid that is out there. No one, I repeat no one, doesn't have shelter if they are willing to accept the assistance that is out there. No one, i repeat no one, doesn't have access to medical care if they want it.
OK... and which party wants to take away this safety net again?

Is that safety net that does all the things you mention there because of trickle down economics? Or is it there because of policies enacted by Democrats?
I assume as a liberal (excuse me, progressive), you are referring the the Republican party. The Repubs/conservatives DO NOT want to take away the safety net in any way, shape or form. They ARE against expanding it to those that really don't need it. Do you really think that 47% of our population needs some form of government assistance? truthfully?
Health care is now part of the safety net... the Rs most certainly want to take that away. And clearly you also want to take away the safety net for a significant percentage of the population based on you last question.

Before I can answer your question, I would need to know what forms of government assistance are in that 47%. I get a mortgage interest tax break... is that government assistance? Is 47% receiving government assistance at every point in time? Or... is that 47% have ever received government assistance at some point in their lives? (Example: one of the GOP leaning posters on here admitted to receiving unemployment while between jobs. He now has a new job and is off unemployment. Does he count as the 47%)

The number 47% sounds high of course... but it really depends how it's calculated. Agree? Or are you not that inquisitive?
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Re: So, tell me. Why is wealth inequality a bad thing?

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133743Hokie wrote:
VoiceOfReason wrote:
Marine Hokie wrote:If one person gets more wealthy, that does not necessarily mean that another person becomes less wealthy. The alternative to the first person becoming wealthy isn't necessarily that other people will be more wealthy, it can be that the wealth won't exist.

Also, who says the poverty line is the line between having enough wealth to live on or not?


VoiceOfReason wrote:
Hokie5150 wrote:Provided that wealth is created/obtained legally, where is the harm if one is super wealthy and another is not?
Wealth inequality in and of itself is not a bad thing. If everyone had enough wealth to live on... who cares? The issue comes when you have millions of people living below the poverty line. If trickle down economics really worked... and a rising tide raised all boats... you would never hear of income inequality.
I have no problem with people becoming more and more wealthy. Never said I did. What I do have a problem with is people living without basic needs being met. Do you deny these people exist in America?
Such a fractional percent of the population that no program, no matter how extensive, can reach or help them. Nothing can be 100% successful.
They are statistically insignificant in your opinion? And because nothing can be 100% successful we should not try and reach them?
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Re: Someone asked: Why is wealth inequality a bad thing? IF.

Post by VoiceOfReason »

USN_Hokie wrote:
ip_law-hokie wrote:
Hokie5150 wrote:
houtexhokie wrote:..the poster is compelled to ask such a question, he/she could neither comprehend nor accept the truthful answer. Any attempt to convey a rational reply would hit deaf ears and blind eyes.
Actually, I was hoping that someone could provide a reasonable, cogent argument for why is it a bad thing. Seeing as this is how you chose to respond, I'll assume that, at least in your case, you are unable to do so...
Houtex nailed it, actually. If you have to ask, you are beyond help.


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See VoR, these are the folks who think we need "wealth equality."

IP - you sure you didn't vote for De Blasio?
How do you get that impression? Please show me a quote. (And, honestly, houtex is troll... flames do not count as actual opinions)
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Re: So, tell me. Why is wealth inequality a bad thing?

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awesome guy wrote:
VoiceOfReason wrote:
Hokie CPA wrote:
VoiceOfReason wrote:
Hokie5150 wrote:Provided that wealth is created/obtained legally, where is the harm if one is super wealthy and another is not?
Wealth inequality in and of itself is not a bad thing. If everyone had enough wealth to live on... who cares? The issue comes when you have millions of people living below the poverty line. If trickle down economics really worked... and a rising tide raised all boats... you would never hear of income inequality.
When you consider that even the poorest of the poor in the USA would be considered among the wealthiest people in the land if the visited a third world nation, I would argue that the rising tide DOES raise all boats. Everyone in this country does, indeed, have their needs met and they still manage to get trivial wants, like that new X-Box One and cable television. Most Americans have a microwave oven. They have hot water, indoor plumbing, a FLOOR. These things are all considered the luxuries of wealth in many (most?) countries.
ALL Americans have these things? Have you ever walked the streets of an American urban city? Or volunteered at a soup kitchen?

I get the point that the homeless in America may not look like the slums of Mumbai... however, neither you or me would wish either life on anyone we know.
homeless today are much like you in that they're mentally ill. :mrgreen: Outside of the mentally ill or the Grizzly Adams types avoiding the law, homelessness pretty much doesn't exist. There are so many charities and orgs from Christian conservatives that going without is a choice. And in the event one doesn't want help from the caring people in America, there is always the cold and wasteful federal government and it's massive safety net. Getting help is so easy in America that even you could do it, barely :mrgreen:
Then why did the DC government announce they were rounding up the homeless two nights ago in preparation for the storm? Must have been a quick exercise since homeless don't exist.

Yes, there is a good deal of public assistance and private charities attending to the poor. And by the way, the private charities are run by MANY liberal leaning groups as well as Christian conservatives. I will assume it was an oversight on your part, rather than some holier-than-thou attitude towards liberals :mrgreen:
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Re: Someone asked: Why is wealth inequality a bad thing? IF.

Post by HokieJoe »

ip_law-hokie wrote:
Hokie5150 wrote:
houtexhokie wrote:..the poster is compelled to ask such a question, he/she could neither comprehend nor accept the truthful answer. Any attempt to convey a rational reply would hit deaf ears and blind eyes.
Actually, I was hoping that someone could provide a reasonable, cogent argument for why is it a bad thing. Seeing as this is how you chose to respond, I'll assume that, at least in your case, you are unable to do so...
Houtex nailed it, actually. If you have to ask, you are beyond help.


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Re: So, tell me. Why is wealth inequality a bad thing?

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Hokie5150 wrote:
hokie80 wrote:I'm wondering if all of those that are on this bandwagon are simply giving up all of their own wealth and freely distributing it to others?
I find it interesting that no one have given solid examples of the harm wealth inequality causes or offered concrete proposals for how they would achieve wealth equality.
Is that the question you keep trolling for answer to? Here is my answer...

1) Solid examples of harm wealth inequality causes? None. There is nothing inherently wrong with wealth inequality. Please refer to page 1 of this thread for a more detailed discussion.

2) Concrete proposals for wealth equality? None. Nobody on the left (or anywhere else) proposes wealth equality. Nobody on the left (or anywhere else) thinks a brain surgeon should be paid the same as a McDonald's drive thru clerk.

Feel better now?
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Re: So, tell me. Why is wealth inequality a bad thing?

Post by Hokie5150 »

VoiceOfReason wrote:
Hokie5150 wrote:
hokie80 wrote:I'm wondering if all of those that are on this bandwagon are simply giving up all of their own wealth and freely distributing it to others?
I find it interesting that no one have given solid examples of the harm wealth inequality causes or offered concrete proposals for how they would achieve wealth equality.
Is that the question you keep trolling for answer to? Here is my answer...

1) Solid examples of harm wealth inequality causes? None. There is nothing inherently wrong with wealth inequality. Please refer to page 1 of this thread for a more detailed discussion.

2) Concrete proposals for wealth equality? None. Nobody on the left (or anywhere else) proposes wealth equality. Nobody on the left (or anywhere else) thinks a brain surgeon should be paid the same as a McDonald's drive thru clerk.

Feel better now?
Well then, if wealth inequality has no inherent harm and no one is proposing wealth equality, why is the issue du jour? Why is the media and the left pounding the issue so?
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Re: So, tell me. Why is wealth inequality a bad thing?

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Simple 5150 - It's the same tired meme the dems play to cater to their own low information voters who have bought into the falacy of "the rich have kept me down" and I "deserve" mine. Then the elite side of he left has always been compassionate with others money.

Beyond that, it's just rhetoric that folks like Houtex and ip spout like trained parrots and yet can't provide any critical thought to defend their position.
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Re: So, tell me. Why is wealth inequality a bad thing?

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Hokie5150 wrote:
VoiceOfReason wrote:
Hokie5150 wrote:
hokie80 wrote:I'm wondering if all of those that are on this bandwagon are simply giving up all of their own wealth and freely distributing it to others?
I find it interesting that no one have given solid examples of the harm wealth inequality causes or offered concrete proposals for how they would achieve wealth equality.
Is that the question you keep trolling for answer to? Here is my answer...

1) Solid examples of harm wealth inequality causes? None. There is nothing inherently wrong with wealth inequality. Please refer to page 1 of this thread for a more detailed discussion.

2) Concrete proposals for wealth equality? None. Nobody on the left (or anywhere else) proposes wealth equality. Nobody on the left (or anywhere else) thinks a brain surgeon should be paid the same as a McDonald's drive thru clerk.

Feel better now?
Well then, if wealth inequality has no inherent harm and no one is proposing wealth equality, why is the issue du jour? Why is the media and the left pounding the issue so?
Because it's a wedge issue for the Dems... and highlighting wealth inequality inflames the dummies in their base. See... the hard-left can be just as brainless and stupid as the hard-right! :mrgreen:

Maybe the GOP memes on this subject are so stupid because they don't look into the issue, they just rag on the title. The true political issue here is what we have been discussing on this thread. In a country of such great wealth, should we (the Rs question) or how can we (the Ds more thoughtful and caring question :mrgreen: ) assist those people who for whatever reason (and the Rs get REALLY hung on what is a good reason and what is not) are not able to meet their basic needs, either temporarily or long term.
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Re: So, tell me. Why is wealth inequality a bad thing?

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VoiceOfReason wrote:The true political issue here is what we have been discussing on this thread. In a country of such great wealth, should we (the Rs question) or how can we (the Ds more thoughtful and caring question :mrgreen: ) assist those people who for whatever reason (and the Rs get REALLY hung on what is a good reason and what is not) are not able to meet their basic needs, either temporarily or long term.
To which, I'll let James Madison answer for me:

"I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents."
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Re: So, tell me. Why is wealth inequality a bad thing?

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Hokie5150 wrote:
VoiceOfReason wrote:The true political issue here is what we have been discussing on this thread. In a country of such great wealth, should we (the Rs question) or how can we (the Ds more thoughtful and caring question :mrgreen: ) assist those people who for whatever reason (and the Rs get REALLY hung on what is a good reason and what is not) are not able to meet their basic needs, either temporarily or long term.
To which, I'll let James Madison answer for me:

"I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents."
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Re: So, tell me. Why is wealth inequality a bad thing?

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Hokie5150 wrote:
VoiceOfReason wrote:The true political issue here is what we have been discussing on this thread. In a country of such great wealth, should we (the Rs question) or how can we (the Ds more thoughtful and caring question :mrgreen: ) assist those people who for whatever reason (and the Rs get REALLY hung on what is a good reason and what is not) are not able to meet their basic needs, either temporarily or long term.
To which, I'll let James Madison answer for me:

"I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents."
LOL! Aww... I bet you think you did something there, hahaha!

1) James Madison is a pussy. His university is for pussies and the mention of his name after 2010 is verboten in the mind of this Hokie. JMU can suck my ass. (Ahem... moving on...)

2) Mad-James has expressed that opinion, but he is missing the point. Congress is granted the authority to pass laws - whatever laws they want - so long as such laws are not in violation of the Constitution. (Example: "Congress shall pass no laws to...")

Mad-James was a founding father and a politician. And he made a political statement 200 years ago which apparently is being misinterpreted today. The safety net passed by Congress is perfectly Constitutional. While he expresses his opinion very forcefully and quite succinctly... it really is nothing more than his opinion. His words... are not in the Constitution itself... if they were, then you might have a very valid point.
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Re: So, tell me. Why is wealth inequality a bad thing?

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VoiceOfReason wrote:Mad-James was a founding father and a politician. And he made a political statement 200 years ago which apparently is being misinterpreted today. The safety net passed by Congress is perfectly Constitutional. While he expresses his opinion very forcefully and quite succinctly... it really is nothing more than his opinion. His words... are not in the Constitution itself... if they were, then you might have a very valid point.
Congress passing a law does not make said law Constitutional. The concept of the federal government not having the authority to act as an agent of charity was well established until the 1900s...which leads to the question of who misinterpreted the matter?
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Re: So, tell me. Why is wealth inequality a bad thing?

Post by Hokie CPA »

Hokie5150 wrote:
VoiceOfReason wrote:Mad-James was a founding father and a politician. And he made a political statement 200 years ago which apparently is being misinterpreted today. The safety net passed by Congress is perfectly Constitutional. While he expresses his opinion very forcefully and quite succinctly... it really is nothing more than his opinion. His words... are not in the Constitution itself... if they were, then you might have a very valid point.
Congress passing a law does not make said law Constitutional. The concept of the federal government not having the authority to act as an agent of charity was well established until the 1900s...which leads to the question of who misinterpreted the matter?
Considering Madison is the one who wrote it, I think his interpretation counts for a helluva lot more than anyone who came along 200, or even 100, years later.

Oh, and then there's this little gem...
US Constitution - Amendment X wrote:The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
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Re: So, tell me. Why is wealth inequality a bad thing?

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Hokie5150 wrote:
VoiceOfReason wrote:Mad-James was a founding father and a politician. And he made a political statement 200 years ago which apparently is being misinterpreted today. The safety net passed by Congress is perfectly Constitutional. While he expresses his opinion very forcefully and quite succinctly... it really is nothing more than his opinion. His words... are not in the Constitution itself... if they were, then you might have a very valid point.
Congress passing a law does not make said law Constitutional. The concept of the federal government not having the authority to act as an agent of charity was well established until the 1900s...which leads to the question of who misinterpreted the matter?
Question: If there was even a chance that the safety net laws were unConstitutional... don't you think the Rs would have challenged them in courts by now? That is the proper check and balance last time I checked. Until the courts declare such laws unConstitutional... I am afraid you will have to accept the fact that they are indeed Constitutional.
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Re: So, tell me. Why is wealth inequality a bad thing?

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VoiceOfReason wrote:Then why did the DC government announce they were rounding up the homeless two nights ago in preparation for the storm? Must have been a quick exercise since homeless don't exist.

Yes, there is a good deal of public assistance and private charities attending to the poor. And by the way, the private charities are run by MANY liberal leaning groups as well as Christian conservatives. I will assume it was an oversight on your part, rather than some holier-than-thou attitude towards liberals :mrgreen:
Again with the reading comprehension issues. Reread what I wrote for comprehension.

Liberal charities are far out numbered by conservative and religious ones. No oversight, just the way it is. It's even worse when you take away the charities devoted to killing babies.
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Re: So, tell me. Why is wealth inequality a bad thing?

Post by Marine Hokie »

That so many people have this view is part of the problem. That pesky 10th amendment sure gets in the way.

VoiceOfReason wrote: Congress is granted the authority to pass laws - whatever laws they want - so long as such laws are not in violation of the Constitution. (Example: "Congress shall pass no laws to...")
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