Wealth and Opportunity in America
 

So this sort of struck me as worth talking about --

The article was mainly about increasing inequalities of wealth, but I think this speaks to something different, which is inequalities of opportunity. I mean, what does it say that a nation that bills itself as a 'land of opportunity' that the biggest determining factor in whether one succeeds is how successful their parents happened to be? What does it say that the European countries, for all their traditional explicitly denoted class systems, afford their citizens more of an opportunity to rise and fall on their own merits than our own nation of liberty and justice for all?

That's about as far as I've gotten, so, I guess we'll open the floor.

I'd just like to point out that they specially mention the Nordic Countries (that would be Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Island) and the same does not neceserrally aply to several other European countries. And by the way, I'd like to point out that, if I remember correctly, over a period of time (was it ten years?) the income of 3% of finns has risen by almost 100% and of all the rest of the workers it has had only a growth of 0-3%. This should say something about Finland and other Nordic Countries as well as respect economical, if not so much social, equality.

But I suppose this is more about social inequalities. To me, the whole thing seems rather conservative and stupid, to put it crudely. But at the same time it does not neceserrally surprise me as much as one might think.

Now this I find interesting. Partly because the inheritance tax (which in Finland is payed for all inherited fortune, no matter the size) has been a hot topic here too. Most people here would want to see it gone and it seems to be the same thing in the sates. But the difference seems to be, that in the states it affects far less people than it does here. (Now I have no sources here really, besides myself as a finn and the daily newspaper, but I've got no statistics.) It would seem to me, that the reason for high support of abolition of the inheritance tax has it's roots in the mind set of the american dream and economical equality.

Well won't you look at that. Does that really surprise anyone? Let me say once again that blaming foreigners and/or legal or illegal aliens is not unheard of here too. But once again there is a difference. That difference is in the fact that our rich compatriots also get part of the blame which is propably partly because of our history.

Sorry for comparing all of this to Finland all the time, but to tell you the truth I don't have much more information. I don't live in the states so I can't really talk too much on the whys of the US people.

I suppose I don't got more to say right now.

...?

There's a disparage of wealth and opportunity?

I'm amazed at that. I could have sworn there were quite a lot of businesses being started either at home or in an office. Isn't it somewhere around 75%+ of the US People have a home based business?

No one's stopped from taking a risk in this country. The only thing I can say is "you want to be rich, work for yourself. Want to be poor, work for someone else the rest of your life"

Are the poor always poor because of their own fault? And are the rich always rich because of their own hard work?

Why does one even need to be rich?

The most successful people create new value and services. Reselling China's shit is never going to get you anywhere. And not having an education just isn't an option anymore.

why would one want to be poor?

I think what he's saying is that perhaps instead of constantly seeking to increase our earnings more and more, that we should try to live more frugally and be happier with less. Of course, if you can't feed your family and make rent, that's a far different scenario.

It's a problem symptomatic of existing in a nation with a high standard of living. Sure, it's easy to say education is nessecary for success, but that leaves out points like how expensive education has become which supports the rich becoming richer and the poor staying poor or that most people who acheive a college/university diploma are more motivated to succeed than those who don't.

Blame it on "poor" people being apathetic. Accuse "rich" people of being jaded against their fellow man. To me, this only examplifies the overall problem that even the greatest nations throughout time are still found wanting. The worth of life cannot be counted in worldly success or in the number of comforts we collect. But people put their faith in that false doctine, and spend their short lives hoping to amass a fortune they will lose after death anyway. In fact, that's what we're encouraged to do.

You know what? Fuck the world. This place sucks.

So there's nothing in between?

Then I'd rather be poor.

Make it cheaper. It's very much possible.

You'll lose everything else after death too. That doesen't mean you shouldn't have it.

But the way I see it, is that we earn money for our free time (in addition to living). But when one starts working for the plain fact of earning more money and thus losing more free time, where's the point anymore?

Yeah you can't work your butt off day and night just for the purpose of getting more money. But it's a potentially unfufilling life if the money has no purpose other than making you look good.

Sure we're encouraged to make money, but it's so we can live a comfortable life.

However, if we feel more comfortable with more money, then why not waste your life on a worldly desire that will have no place in the afterlife (if there is one [or unless you follow Ancient Egyptian beliefs]).