Share the wealth farce

Here is a report in the news today. In 2014, the 80 richest people had a collective wealth of $1.9 trillion; a rise of $600 billion — or 50%, in four years — according to the report, Wealth: Having It All and Wanting More. Is this upsetting because they have so much or we have so little? Let’s move into a fantasy world where these people recognize the unfairness of this and agree to share with the rest of us. Since there are 7 billion people on the planet, if they agree to give all of their money to us, we will each get $270. I point this out to confirm my argument that the world today is like is has been, that being, there are too few rich and too many poor. The free market system that has blossomed in Asia in the past 30 years along with trade with the developed western world has done more to help the poor than any sharing could ever accomplish. The best way to help the poor around the world is the same formula for helping the poor in America and that is providing a decent job where individuals can help themselves and not have to rely on the largess of others. There are many reports showing the progress made around the world by the forces of globalization and here is one. Contrary to what you might have heard, virtually all of the most important forces that determine what make people’s lives good — the things that determine how long they live, and whether they live happily and freely — are trending in an extremely happy direction