They will always dodge it.
First, let me set it up.
It makes no difference to me that some people earn massive fortunes. This affects my life in no way at all, and to spend even a minute thinking about it is a complete waste of time and energy that would be better spent being productive, or even drinking paint thinner.
But for other people, the wealth of some people is the cause of the poverty of others. Or, frankly, envy makes them resent other people's wealth.
So they demand redistribution from the 1%. The lifestyle gap between these ultra-rich and the average person, they believe, is obscenely great, a moral outrage.
So I've asked this question:
"The difference in lifestyle between you and someone in Zimbabwe seems as great to Zimbabweans as the difference between the 1% and you seems to you.
"By what consistent moral principle are the American 1% to be expropriated, but you are not?
"If you earn even $32,400, then you belong to the global 1%.
"Why should only the 1% within an arbitrary set of borders be targeted for demonization and redistribution, but not 1% of the whole world?
"In other words, when can we expect you to write your check?"
The best they've been able to do is this: Bernie wasn't running for president of the world.
Talk about a dodge!
We're not talking about actual public policy here. We're talking theory and philosophy. The office involved is irrelevant. On what consistent moral grounds is one group to be expropriated and not the other?
Could their principle really be: whatever group I don't happen to belong to is the one that should make the sacrifices?
Their view of "the rich" is cartoonish and ridiculous.
If they would spend half the time they spend defaming the rich actually learning about how people become wealthy, we'd be getting somewhere.
And as it happens:
An outstanding documentary miniseries called Money Revealed, featuring great and successful libertarians like Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, former Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne, and Rich Dad, Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki, is just about to be released, fully updated for 2020.
Each of these people explains how they succeeded — and then, once they succeeded, how they invested the money they made.
Last year my readers raved about this series. Every one of you reading this will love it.
You can watch the entire series for free but only if you register in advance. Otherwise you'll have to pay. So take the old man's advice here and sign up -- it starts tomorrow:
Tom Woods
P.S. Here is the one thing not to do: click on the link and not sign up. No, no, no. You're breaking the old man's heart if you do that. It costs you nothing, and you can watch the whole series for free. Go all the way: