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From: jim@ism780b.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.philosophy
Subject: Re: Re: libertarianism
Message-ID: <60@ism780b.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 18-Oct-84 00:36:47 EDT
Article-I.D.: ism780b.60
Posted: Thu Oct 18 00:36:47 1984
Date-Received: Mon, 15-Oct-84 01:49:54 EDT
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Nf-ID: #R:genrad:-39900:ism780b:27500048:000:923
Nf-From: ism780b!jim    Oct  9 19:08:00 1984

I subscribe to a newletter that provides me with various "devices for
executives to acquire personal wealth".  There is no evidence of a
correlation between amount of effort expended and resulting wealth.
Too many people with wealth, or attributes derived from their culture,
upbringing, or other situations which provide them with means to acquire
wealth, fail to observe this.
People say "I worked hard for what I have".  The implications are
a) everyone with wealth works hard for what they have.
b) everyone without wealth does not work hard.
These are trivially empirically false.  It is my firm opinion
that if wealth were distributed according to some principle of amount
of effort expended (I am not saying I know of an implementation),
then not only would the poor have more, but *so would you*.
People are just too stupid and self-centered to realize how badly
they are being ripped off.

-- Jim Balter (ima!jim)