Sometimes I think that a little perspective is in order. Take this article by A. Q. Smith in Current Affairs:
Here is a simple statement of principle that doesn’t get repeated enough: if you possess billions of dollars, in a world where many people struggle because they do not have much money, you are an immoral person. The same is true if you possess hundreds of millions of dollars, or even millions of dollars. Being extremely wealthy is impossible to justify in a world containing deprivation.
Even though there is a lot of public discussion about inequality, there seems to be far less talk about just how patently shameful it is to be rich. After all, there are plenty of people on this earth who die—or who watch their loved ones die—because they cannot afford to pay for medical care. There are elderly people who become homeless because they cannot afford rent. There are children living on streets and in cars, there are mothers who can’t afford diapers for their babies. All of this is beyond dispute. And all of it could be ameliorated if people who had lots of money simply gave those other people their money. It’s therefore deeply shameful to be rich. It’s not a morally defensible thing to be.
I think that Mr. or Ms. Smith is missing something basic. The world median household income is under $10,000. The U. S. median family income is nearly five times the world median and more than three standard deviations above normal, rich by any reasonable standard. In other words an ordinary U. S. family is rich.
A proper statement of the principal is this:
If you possess billions of dollars, in a world where many people struggle because they do not have much money, you are an immoral person if you don’t spend a lot of your fortune promoting improvement in their condition. You have to be a smart spender: we have learned to our regret that sending surplus food to Africa results in putting African farmers out of business. However, financing the building of schools and the hiring of teachers hurts no one. Nor would financing the purchase of drugs from African producers or the purchase of food from African farmers.
The most morally responsible thing to do would be to finance the purchase of African contraceptives to put in all of Africa’s (and the world’s) drinking water or coca cola.
Just another liberal who doesn’t care about your property rights, and has decided he or she knows better what to do with your money than you……..disguised in a morality play. Boring.