How do you figure? What do you mean by more capitalist? I thought the number of people without access to clean water, education, and healthcare was rising. One third of the world's population is living in poverty, why is this number so high?[/quote]
By more capitalist, I mean more free market, more private sector and lower business and personal taxation. My country is pretty wealthy in world terms, all the better off countries have lower taxes and are more capitalist - Switzerland, Ireland and Singapore for instance. When I look at nations like North Korea, Venezuela and France I am not envious. There is a strong correlation between poverty and socialism. There is a strong correlation between capitalism and wealth.
The number of people with access to clean water education and healthcare has also been rising, and has never in human history been higher. The issue is largely one of population growth, bad governance and corruption. Africa is poor largely due to terrible governance. The billionaires you find there are somewhat less worthy than Gates and Bezos!
Might be the case for some, but for others it is through good ideas, hard work, talent and vision. I am not here to blanket defend all billionaires as wonderful human beings, the UK has some rather odious ones (Philip Green and Mike Ashley spring to mind), and some better ones (Alan Sugar, James Dyson). Thing is even the worst among them pay an awful lot of tax and employ a lot of people which is not to be despised. The better amongst them have built great companies, innovated and improved the world. As for 99% tax that is slavery, nobody should keep less of their earnings than they give in tax it is effectively forced labour. In the UK the top 5% pays for more than half of the tax take, they are more than contributing their share already.
I am not anti having a state to legislate safety and environmental regulations, far from it. Billionaires existing does not prevent this, the two are not mutually exclusive. Interestingly in this country lead in paint disappeared many years before it was legislated away, it was still legal fairly recently but consumer pressure rid us of it before government did. Not that I think that government shouldn't have done so earlier.Spartan26 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 17, 2021 8:00 amWhile I'd be the first to admit that the work politicians do may be hard quantify, there could have been a number of lost opportunities had there not be the reduction of lead-based paint in children's toys and environment. The number of known carcinogenic elements in food has been greatly reduced and asbestos and other hazardous materials have been stricken leading to a rising life expectancy and better expected quality of life for senior citizens. Voting rights laws, anti discrimination laws. laws against sexual harassment, ensure a more just society which goes well beyond the donation of a generous family.
I am in no way trying to paint all billionaires as a wonderful, I simply don't believe they are all evil or that taxing them into oblivion would improve anything. Or that having wealth is necessarily bad, or necessarily ill gotten.