You Can't have Winners Without Losers

Income Inequality

I read and editorial the other day that claimed income inequality as the most serious problem facing America today. The author went on to condemn the vast difference between the very poor and the very rich. I agree with his facts. There are a very few rich people and a considerable number who are so poor they subsist on handouts. I understand the situation, but fail to see it as a problem. The author made no attempt to convince his readers of a problem. He simply described the situation and assumed everyone would view the variance in economic status as the product of an evil system.

I do not consider the disparity of wealth as a problem. I know it is not a popular position, but I actually consider income inequality a good thing. Getting rich is the American dream. As a teenager, Bill Gates had access to a large computer. He played computer games, befriended Paul Alan, developed DOS, and made a fortune. Good for them. Gates and Alan were in the right place at the right time. Some would call that luck, but they also had the right skills and the right vision. There are millions of us at the right place at the right time and never realize we are there, because we lack the requisite skills, vision and energy.

Jeff Bezos started Amazon in his garage. Mail order commerce was a concept whose time had come. Mr. Bezos had the foresight and dedication to make it happen. Good for him. Mark Zuckerberg grew Facebook into a social networking giant and made a fortune in the process. Good for him. Steve Jobs was smart enough to steer Apple through the turbulent waves of technology that combined computers with telephones, and cameras. Good for him.

I had the same opportunity as Steve Jobs, but I wasn’t smart enough, I wasn’t ambitious enough, I didn’t work hard enough, I didn’t have the vision, nor was I willing to take the risks he took. For every successful entrepreneur, there are millions of wannabes who didn’t quite make it. My first job off the farm was in Bob Lemon’s local market. Bob made a decent living, sold his store and enjoyed a comfortable retirement. He never employed over 10 people at any one time. Bob’s store was within 50 miles of another small store owned by Sam Wall. Mr. Wall was much more ambitious than Bob. He took greater risks, worked harder, and grew his store into the biggest retail outlet in the world. Good for him. Oh! by the way, Walmart provides jobs for over 1.3 million American workers.

There are some who would take away the American dream. The columnist I referred to earlier would distribute Microsoft’s profits to the poor. He reminds me of the liberal educators who advocated removing failure as an option. This train of thought led schools to graduate students who couldn’t read and athletic completion with no score keepers. That way, no one loses. But the kids kept score. Having no losers also meant not having winners. There was a proposal by the Seattle City Council to have Amazon fund the city budget out of their profits. They didn’t seem to realize that Amazon and Microsoft must operate at a profit. If they don’t, all those jobs go away. Amazon and Microsoft are winners.

Our President wants to raise taxes on the “very rich.” In other words, he wants to penalize success. I can understand politicians wanting to “sock it to the rich.” They can buy votes by giving away successful people’s money. Those who are jealous of the success of others will applaud the President’s plan, but it will hurt the country in the long run.

Frank Watson is a retired Air Force Colonel and long-time resident of Eastern Washington. He has been a free-lance columnist for over 20 years.