Board Thread:Fun and Games/@comment-66.87.85.222-20170412181021/@comment-26119768-20170418144901

This highlights a central problem with capitalism. Very well, perhaps you have spent a lifetime establishing a fair and honest business that did provide jobs and was generally beneficial to your local community. Then you reaped the deserved benefits of your enterprise. Eventually your children inherit said wealth and the company. These now live from what you have created and lead a parasitical life thereafter, just by being major shareholders in your self-perpetuating company. This is the problem. Not the fact that people, by their own labour, can be successful, but that their kin can live off that success without too being beneficial to their communities, or in fact being harmful. (Now, some of you will claim "This doesn't happen" or "This doesn't have to happen", but it can happen and that is damaging enough)

Furthermore, many businesses that are created are not in any way beneficial to society. What aid is the variety of "higher fashion" designer firms? Who will benefit from trade in the stock markets the most? What of cigarette and tobacco producers? They are "honest" businesses. There is an endless list of such enterprises, successful, but harmful or useless to progress and general welfare.

I also wish to present to you the following story, I believe first invented by an economist: "Two economists were stranded on a desert island. Over the years, the two made millions upon millions of dollars selling their hats to each other."- I shall leave interpretation to the reader.

I do wish to point out that I am not some disadvantaged easterner, ranting against the rich. I was raised in a well-to-do family in central Europe, a very liberal one by that. Point 1: yes, people can live off of their parents money and generally be a lazy good-for-nothing, but that is their right to do so. One of many reasons to become rich is to ensure your children's prosperity, and while that may be carried to the point of absurdity, why should the government take away money which a person has fairly earned? Taxes are one thing, but what you propose is merely redistribution of wealth.

Point 2: why do businesses have to promote progress and general welfare? If  someone can make money doing something, why shouldn't theyx provided it's legal? The vast majority of businesses aren't really needed, but they thrive nonetheless, because there is a market for their commodities. There would be a lot more unemployed people if only businesses which promote progress and general welfare were allowed.

Point 3: I doubt sand dollars are accepted at currency exchanges.