A letter from John K. Hoffman in a recent issue defends further capital gains tax cuts stating, ”When somebody makes a dollar honorably and freely, it properly belongs to him or her.” Distribution of the rewards of production, etc., is a problem in any society. Capitalism as a basic economic system is our choice over socialism, but it doesn`t mean that capitalism is flawless or that it must be laissez faire capitalism and cannot be improved upon.
Is a Bruce Springsteen worth $50 million a year while a talented serious musician may make two-thousandths of that? Does Donald Trump deserve billions while gifted teachers must take second jobs to provide for their families?
These are extreme examples, but I believe it is obvious that there are many inequities in incomes.
A person does not necessarily deserve or earn what he gets. As the saying goes, ”Life isn`t always fair.” But I believe one of our most important missions in this world is to work towards making it as fair as possible.
