Peter Duniho wrote:
"Aviv Hod" wrote in message
...

[...] The market system is the only system where all the participants,
under normal circumstances, benefit from their engagement in commerce more
than before their engagement. The exchange itself CREATES value, and we
go beyond that zero sum. Does the market create the opportunity for some
individuals to become extremely wealthy? Sure - but it's NOT because of
skin off of anyone else's back.


Your description sounds great. I wish that's how things really worked. The
truth is that the wealthy use their wealth to protect their wealth, even to
increase it, while at the same time to prevent the poor from getting
wealthy.

How do the wealthy prevent the poor from getting wealthy?!? Is there a
diabolical scheme that keeps the rich busy plotting how to keep everyone
else poor? That is so ridiculous! The biggest factor in determining
how well a person does in this country is still down to individual
choices, not anyone putting anyone else down.


Does every wealthy person behave this way? No. But plenty do, and enough
do that it's a serious problem. Only in a first grade schoolchild's fantasy
is it true that everyone has equal opportunity, and any random poor person
can become wealthy through simple hard work and perseverence.

I'm not saying that everyone grows up in the exact same environment and
has exactly the same opportunities. But apparently unlike you, I DO
believe that hard work, perseverance, making correct (sometimes
difficult) choices, and maybe a little bit of luck is what it takes for
ANYONE to make it in the United States.

I am not an ideological purist or a rabid Libertarian, so I also happen
to think that some of the social programs and things like the
progressive tax system and free public education (from which I
benefited) is important for giving everyone a relatively fair shake and
an honest attempt at an equal opportunity. We have those things, and
that is why I believe that those that have the drive, talent, and
ambition in this country can make it. No rich person will get in their
way. More likely than not, the rich people will be the ones that enable
the poor person's success, by paying for their talents with a nice
salary or buying the poor entrepreneur's products and services. Talk to
anyone that has started a business. As a general rule, they start out
pretty poor!

-Aviv