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Originally Posted by Rikers
Let's get one thing straight, mister:
a) Baker 1 that makes 10 breads/day gets 10 USD. Baker 2 that makes 50 breads/day gets 50 USD. Baker 2 provides higher utility to the society.
Induction -> people with more money provide more utility to the society/group.*
Where do you get the silly idea that they sell their loaves for the same amount of money?
Potentially, Baker 2 is a sap. We indirectly get into this sort of thing all the time in "what should I go to school for?" threads.
I'm absolutely positive that I work much less hard and offer at most a 10th the societal benefit as nearly all people who make less money than I do.
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So when talking about individual and group rights in inheritance terms taking money from someone is simply saying: "Hey, Jack. Thanks, ummm, for all the utility you've provided but we (as a society) are not repaying because ummm, you know. We have rights. And, and.... we must be equal. And <insert false logic here>."
A couple of issues. We already tax people's income and (in various places) their wealth. Some sort of argument about them gaining supersized benefits of belonging to a society.
We also already tax their estates.
Haven't seen any negative effects or rich people complaining too much.
Also, we don't pay based on societal utility. I don't think we should either. Too much chance of getting it wrong.
[/quote]I acknowledge that it is societal utility that matters and that people with more money provide more utility to that society based on free market S/D mechanic. I also acknowledge that market is highly rigged/unfair so the free market mechanic is suppressed in different sectors. [/quote]
The free market is suppressed in nearly all sectors. I'm nearly certain that there is little to do that is realistic to change that.
I'm also nearly certain that providing societal utility is not the best way to get rich.
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*excluding illegal activities
You think that illegal activities provide different levels of societal benefit than legal ones? Lawyers provide more benefit than drug dealers?