A great article on wealth and income inequality that not only explains it well but gets to exactly what pisses me off so much can be found here. I don’t have a problem with income inequality in that some people do and deserve to make more than others. Some jobs, for whatever reason, make pay better. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs earned their money. They made our world a better (okay some might disagree and I would some days) place to live. They’ve given us the ability to do things we would hardly have dreamed of 50 years ago.
I’m never one to care that Angelina Jolie or Tiger Woods make millions, because, for the most part, they are paid for what they earn – or the amount of money they bring to their movies or sport. Doctors, lawyers, top-level CEO’s all DO something. The financial sector, however, does nothing, but some sort of sleight of hand. They move this about and that about and “create” wealth. But how can we “create” wealth without creating something or doing something? It has the smell of money being printed without reason. And this is the sector that has seen obscene wealth increases in the last 20-30 years. It’s depressing. What I want is for you to create something. DO something! Something with meaning – far beyond Wall Street. Something beyond risky trades with other people’s money. I don’t mean regular investments and trust guys. I can’t imagine how they explain to their children why they are so wealthy.
Luke Soiseth 