This was spurred by a conversation I was having last night over a few drinks.

If you're a politically conservative individual, what's your tolerance level for income inequality? Specifically, what percent of wealth would the top 1% need to control before you'd start thinking something needed correction? For the sake of this argument, let's assume the wealth and income of the bottom quintile (at least) has stayed relatively stagnant for decades.

Assuming that you're able to come to a figure or a range where you'd start to become uncomfortable, what would your solution be?

do*

Perhaps you should look at how that "top 1%" gained their wealth in the first place.

Their businesses are probably large, incorporated, and lobby governments to impose regulations on competition, artificially expanding their existing monopoly.

This justifies theft to liberals, though, no?

My country taxes 52% on any income above 66k a year. I feel like that should be around the max of whatever should be the tax for higher incomes. Higher RE taxes, no social benefits and a reasonable tax for equity gained from investments as a whole should do (this also has to mean something for equity lost in investments so it could be a nasty slippery slope). I'm hardly a conservative but I don't think any measure that would actually change something would be legit. What kind of measure would you propose for example wrt 'something should be done/corrected' part ?

If we were still in the JJ era you'd be banned from participating.

"Stealing is WRONG...unless the person is filthy rich!"

"Anyone that disagrees with me should be banned from this discussion!"

Perhaps kerowo will be generous and fix that typo in the title for you. (I'm surprised that he didn't insta-delete this entire thread already, though; you may be pushing your luck with such a request!)

OP is actually kind of an important question because if you know the answer it helps you understand where some people are coming from and what they are capable of. The answer is that, for many conservatives (though not all), there is no discomfort at any level.

The research is revealing that conservatives have different brains. There are many among them who have limitless greed. Though most people are blind to even the possibility, in my view it is the only explanation for much observed behavior. The fact that limitless greed is inconceivable to many normal people has given them a lot of cover. It's easy to assume that other people are like you. In most respects that is a sound assumption. Many times it isn't. There are pathological people out there, and they like our system.

Oh man, that's a definite, "cite please".

#deuces

Why do you seem to think that this statement must be fallacious?

Infringing on others' property rights IS wrong, regardless of the amount they possess.

I asked a more pertinent question in my initial post:
...but Dud was having none of it!

Nevermind inefficient bureaucracies, which squander whatever is taken in the first place.

The top one percent gaining results in what adverse economic outcome? I worry about the hollowing out of the middle class and the lack of opportunities to be productive for much of the work force.
Deuces is right I see no number that would require a special wealth confiscation. The market is crashing so we are headed in the right direction(lol).

Proph, have you ever thought about developing a sense of morality deeper than that of a seven year old? Maybe read Les Miserables?

7 year olds think they are entitled to other people's stuff.

The vast majority of 7 year olds know stealing is wrong.

Yet, many on these forums STILL supposedly don't.

And we're back to you having a sense of morality equivalent to a 7 year old.

Actually, I was hoping someone would explain why theft suddenly becomes legitimate, when government does it.

“There are some ideas so absurd that only an intellectual could believe them.”

― George Orwell

Tell us more about stuff.

lol "taxation is theft", still?!?

Because it's wrong to equate taxation with theft?

Taxation being extortion is more accurate, but when was such NOT the case?

You guys still believe governments are the arbiter of rights?

I guess you're also unaware that you're all criminals, too.

Proph, you're a Sovereign Citizen who got recruited in prison and you're now living in a basement. Nobody gives a **** what you think about anything.

Wrong on all counts. (Par for the Dud!)

Insults are infinitely easier to devise than rebuttals.

Theft never becomes legitimate but legitimate government can mean that taxation is not theft.

Legitimate governments protect citizens' rights. They cease to accomplish this goal when they infringe on those very same rights via taxation.