Income Equality is not about Money

The following is an opinion piece by VTLP member Travis Spencer:

The latest political catch phrase is Income Inequality; it is commonly used by our friends on the left to attack the rich. These folks believe the wealthy are lucky and won life’s lottery. That type of thinking discredits hard work and creativity. Even our President in the State of the Union address said “Success shouldn’t be based on accident of birth.” Is that all it takes? Our political leaders are creating a mentality where people hate the rich, yet I have never gotten a job from a poor person. Instead of promoting success and trying to lift everyone up, government wants to bring down the top to promote “fairness”. The reality is life isn’t fair, and government only makes the situation worse. The political propaganda machine needs a permanent underclass, a group of people who are dependent on government handouts and they return the favor by re-electing those that continue to play Santa with tax payer dollars. The best way out of poverty is a job not a handout.

The thing that many folks ignore in this discussion is the fact that money itself is not wealth. There are TV shows about people who win the lottery and years later are broke. A recent study showed that over 70% of professional football players are bankrupt within 2 years of retiring. The true wealth is in work ethic and ideas. Those who work hard and are innovative create their own wealth while improving the lives of others. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Henry Ford and Thomas Edison are all individuals who invented items that improved lives and efficiencies for people and businesses around the world. You could take away all of Bill Gates money tomorrow, and I would bet within a year he is a millionaire again. The reason is not because he is lucky or won the lottery; it is because he has motivation to produce and succeed. The harsh reality is all the government in the world can’t create those things in people–only the individual can.