Reason for income inequality. It's because there are people who work harder than you.

[Quetzal]

Wealth, for the most part, is acquired by providing a service or product that others are willing to pay for (inherited or ill-gotten wealth notwithstanding). If you want to be wealthy provide something that's worth what you're asking. Unskilled laborers are not worth as much as someone who has the skill or drive to run the factory. Main caveat, however, is that there are no guarantees to getting rich.

I would like to add, being the child of someone who does those things, too.

 

[Nietzsche]

He does work.
He's an ophthalmologist & a senator.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rand_Paul
His net worth....
http://celebnetwealth.com/rand-paul-net-worth-as-a-politician/
....is enuf to live a modest existence on the interest income.
Even so, is it a valid criticism that he works, but doesn't have to?

I was going more for "came from wealth, became more wealthy because his father was plenty rich enough to send him to any school he wanted".

 

[Revoltingest]

I was going more for "came from wealth, became more wealthy because his father was plenty rich enough to send him to any school he wanted".

Should this criticism (being able to attend any good school) be applied to all candidates?
Is it significant what one does in life with one's education?

 

[LuisDantas]

Sure, why not?

 

[LuisDantas]

Firewood can be a basis for success & wealth.
But not just by hauling big loads of it on one's back.
That's hard work.

Henry Ford had a whole lotta wood scrap from making cars.
Instead of throwing it away, he created what became Kingsford Charcoal.
That's smart work.

That is true, but not the whole story.

Lots of people could and in all likelihood came with the idea that it would be a nice opportunity to make a side profit from the spare wood.

Not too many had the money to start such a business, the freedom of time to pursue it, or the opportunity of education that would make pursuing it possible.

 

[Revoltingest]

That is true, but not the whole story.

If I told the complete story of both parties, my point would be lost in a sea of text.
It's necessary to recognize the difference between merely doing a task,
& leveraging one's intellect to be far more productive than a single task.

Lots of people could and in all likelihood came with the idea that it would be a nice opportunity to make a side profit from the spare wood.
Not too many had the money to start such a business, the freedom of time to pursue it, or the opportunity of education that would make pursuing it possible.

Having money is great, but one can start a business without much money.
I know one guy who started with nothing, & built a business worth several hundred million.
(He actually grew up in an orphanage.....no rich parents to help.)
He did work hard, but more importantly, he worked smart.

 

[Koldo]

If I told the complete story of both parties, my point would be lost in a sea of text.
It's necessary to recognize the difference between merely doing a task,
& leveraging one's intellect to be far more productive than a single task.

Having money is great, but one can start a business without much money.
I know one guy who started with nothing, & built a business worth several hundred million.
(He actually grew up in an orphanage.....no rich parents to help.)
He did work hard, but more importantly, he worked smart.

This is what I call being at the right place, and at the right time, with the proper set of skills ( mental and/or physical ).

 

[Shadow Wolf]

If I'm not mistaken Rand Paul hasn't had to work a day in his goddamn life. Like Trump. Though in Paul's defense he's not Donald Trump either, which is automatically a plus.

He's an eye doctor: an eye doctor who feels qualified to assess someone's level of anxiety and severity of back pain.

Should this criticism (being able to attend any good school) be applied to all candidates?
Is it significant what one does in life with one's education?

It would be far more impressive for a candidate who didn't go to an Ivy League school, who didn't have it paid for by their parents (or grandparents), and was more of a regular citizen rather than being so far out of touch with the average citizen because they've always had too much money to know what it's like to have to struggle and live paycheck-to-paycheck.

 

[Nietzsche]

Should this criticism (being able to attend any good school) be applied to all candidates?
Is it significant what one does in life with one's education?

Being able to attend a good school? It should matter if the reason they were able to attend was due to family wealth, and the person is arguing that hard work is the way to success. It should be clear to anyone that hard work might actually be the smallest factor relating to success.

 

[The Emperor of Mankind]

If I'm not mistaken Rand Paul hasn't had to work a day in his goddamn life. Like Trump. Though in Paul's defense he's not Donald Trump either, which is automatically a plus.

Given that he's still Rand Paul at the end of the day, that's not really saying much.

 

[Wirey]

It's usually supply and demand. I make more money than most people with my background because I'm smart, and good at what I do. If 500,000 people can do your job, it won't pay well. If 1 can, it does. Teachers make squat because anyone who can breathe without drooling can be a teacher. NBA players make a fortune because that's a limited skill pool.

 

[LuisDantas]

If I told the complete story of both parties, my point would be lost in a sea of text.
It's necessary to recognize the difference between merely doing a task,
& leveraging one's intellect to be far more productive than a single task.

Having money is great, but one can start a business without much money.
I know one guy who started with nothing, & built a business worth several hundred million.
(He actually grew up in an orphanage.....no rich parents to help.)
He did work hard, but more importantly, he worked smart.

I think you are underselling how exceptional (and more than likely lucky) this example is.

 

[Nakosis]

Working smart is more important than working hard.

Exactly what I was going to say. The most important thing I believe is education. Unfortunately in the US we made a business out of it. It also takes in massive amounts of tax money and produces poor results. To get a real education you have to be willing to go into debt. So the rich get richer and send their kids to the best schools, while the poor are stuck with public education.

 

[Akivah]

Sorry Rand Paul. I don't think hard work. alone is the holy grail for combating income deficiency.

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/55c77af0e4b0923c12bd2c2a

Probably this was taken out of context and hyped considering how the media works these days, but it does raise a good debate subject here.

Do you think income inequality has everything to do with how hard you work?

I think it has to do more with opportunity and availability than just hard work alone.

Being rich comes from multiple factors and not all of them have to be present: hard work, skilled work, successful work, high demand work, inventive work, goals and drive, passion, and luck. People can become rich from multiple paths.

One thing I thought was funny from this weblink was when Mr. Paul said that it is false that rich money get more back in a tax cut and then presents an example proving that it is true that rich people get more back in a tax cut.

It's a fallacious notion to say, 'Oh, rich people get more money back in a tax cut,'" Paul responded. "If you cut taxes 10 percent, 10 percent of a million is more than 10 percent of a thousand dollars. So, obviously, people who pay more in taxes will get more back."

I agree that mathematically those that pay more taxes will get more benefit on a tax cut than those that pay less. Why initially claim that it is false?

 

[Nakosis]

If I told the complete story of both parties, my point would be lost in a sea of text.
It's necessary to recognize the difference between merely doing a task,
& leveraging one's intellect to be far more productive than a single task.

Having money is great, but one can start a business without much money.
I know one guy who started with nothing, & built a business worth several hundred million.
(He actually grew up in an orphanage.....no rich parents to help.)
He did work hard, but more importantly, he worked smart.

My nephew got his education through video games. He failed at school and spent all his time playing some online game. He'd acquire virtual items and sell them for virtual money. We all thought he was wasting his time. Then he started buying matching car paint from the manufacture and selling it on Ebay at a profit. Now he's 23 and owns his own business pulling in $40 to $50k each month. He just figured out what people wanted and found an easy way to deliver it to them. He is still lazy. Now He hires other folks to do the work.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Do you think income inequality has everything to do with how hard you work?

I think it has to do more with opportunity and availability than just hard work alone.

It has to do with work ethic, education, experience, personality, ambition, nepotism, perseverance, opportunity, connections, skills, looks, demeanor, luck, and a whole load of other things. However, a lot of people would be well-served to start with just getting and keeping a job. Ultimately, if your goal is to succeed and not just survive, hard work becomes less important than having something of value to offer or provide, and knowing how to leverage it. Unfortunately, most people just don't have much to offer that equates to a currency value.

 

[Monk Of Reason]

Sorry Rand Paul. I don't think hard work. alone is the holy grail for combating income deficiency.

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/55c77af0e4b0923c12bd2c2a

Probably this was taken out of context and hyped considering how the media works these days, but it does raise a good debate subject here.

Do you think income inequality has everything to do with how hard you work?

I think it has to do more with opportunity and availability than just hard work alone.

I'm only in my mid 20's but I've bounced around and done a lot of different work. The hardest I ever worked as as a CNA. I would take care of anywehre between 16 and 24 patients a night. I got vital signs on all of them 2-3 times a night. Bathed total patients that couldn't do anything for themselves at least 2 a night but usually more. Some nurses were great and hard working and could give you a hand and other nurses would give them a pill and a call light if they needed to go to the bathroom. I had a whole mess of different jobs and they were 12 hour overnight shifts to boot. I made a pathetic wage. I made 10 bucks an hour to start and no you didn't usually get a lunch break or any other kind of break during the 12 hour shift. I started demanding my breaks and suddenly I was written up for poor usage of time. It was because I took my lunch breaks at night and a few nurses didn't like that I wasn't at beck and call for a 30 minute period.

Every other job I have had since has made significantly more money than this job. This job was the hardest working job i've ever had.

There is a degree of "hard work" that will determine how you make money. It usually means work you do in your free time. Working hard as you can at a dead in job for menial pay will NEVER and I say again NEVER get you anywhere that you want to be. What gets you places is being charismatic and getting to know people on a personal level. Getting to know your boss. Voluteering for things you wouldn't want to volunteer for. Know when you are at the end of your ladder and you can't go higher in your position.

Spinning wheels is the worst thing in the world. I did it for five years. From the time I was 18 to 23 I worked my *** off for nothing and will never get any kind of recondition for it. I will never reap any benefits from having spent that amount of time doing that job. And that hurts. I'm glad I got out. I worked with insurance for a while. I went back to school. I did accounting. I hated accounting. Now I'm going back to school. Now I do several things. I network and get to know people. This is "hard work" of a kind. Being able to kiss *** to people and be pleasant is important. Get investments. Work hard to impress people and work hard where it matters. yeah it sucks working 45 hours a week and going to school full time. You don't have a social life, money or a romantic life. That ****ing sucks. However it only lasts a few years and if you can do it you can make yourself into something better.

One thing that I do like that Donald Trump said once a long long time ago, "Invest in yourself". Be your own asset. It looks really hopeless sometimes and that is the ****ing truth in this country. I'm in one of those situations now where my head is above water but I don't like the way my life is. I'm actively looking for ways to claw out of debt and make a living for myself that is comfortable enough for me to enjoy life. I'm patterning with a friend who does his own Photography business. He used to do a terrible job he hated and about a year ago said "**** it" and went with his passion. Right now I work with him for free as an intern on a couple of his jobs so I can understand the way it works. It sacrifices a weekend but I get to hang out with my buddy and learn a lot about cameras and photography.

I could do that on my own some day. Be a weekend photographer with a day job. I've been lucky in being kind of a big guy in life. I had to work as a bouncer for a little while. That wasn't so bad but I hated the hours and the fact that I basically had to get into a fight every night. Pay was also terrible.

Learn a second language. Being bilingual is so helpful. It lands you jobs you didn't think you would get. Typing isn't really a skill anymore but its something necessary. If you are fast and efficient at typing then get that way. It only takes a few weeks of practice in your free time to learn how to do it properly. there is no shortage of mini games.


Its hard. IT shouldn't be as hard as it is to go to school but it doesn't look like that will change any time soon. That is what it means to work hard but that doesn't determine success. There is a lot of luck and it has a lot to do with who you know and the opportunities you are given. You can always better yourself but there is never a grantee that any amount of work will make you a millionaire.

Now that I have quoted Trump lets quote the other end of the spectrum. George Carlin
"The first step to being a multi-millionaire is to get a million dollars". This of course showcases the most obvious problem with our current dyanmic. The more you have the easier it is to get more. The less you have the harder. It is harder to go from poverty to 50k a year than it is to go from 50k a year to 100k a year. and it is harder to get 50k to 100k than it is to get from 100k to 500k. Ect ect ect. If I had one million dollars at my disposal in liquid cash I could set myself up with another million in less than a year. With one dollar I could get on the bus.

 

[Revoltingest]

This is what I call being at the right place, and at the right time, with the proper set of skills ( mental and/or physical ).

Don't forget drive & entrepreneurial spirit.
Without those, great skills relegate one to just doing a job....even if it's a great job.
But even for those of us who never made the big bucks, working smarter is still
a great goal. I've tried working stupider several times, but it turned out poorly.

 

[Revoltingest]

He's an eye doctor: an eye doctor who feels qualified to assess someone's level of anxiety and severity of back pain.

It would be far more impressive for a candidate who didn't go to an Ivy League school, who didn't have it paid for by their parents (or grandparents), and was more of a regular citizen rather than being so far out of touch with the average citizen because they've always had too much money to know what it's like to have to struggle and live paycheck-to-paycheck.

#1)
You shouldn't call doctors by their area of focus.
We'd have no proctologists.

#2)
I smell a double standard.
This criticism of Paul would also apply to Obama, Bill, Hillary, & a whole host of Democrats.
Their Ivy League backgrounds are touted as major assets.
I suspect it's only a problem for Paul because he's in the Evil Empire Party.

I don't care what school someone goes to, how much money their parents had,
or if they have no great suffering which confers rising-above-victimhood status.
I care primarily about what agendas they'd implement in office, & how effective
they' be at effecting them. This is simpler & germane.

 

[Koldo]

Don't forget drive & entrepreneurial spirit.
Without those, great skills relegate one to just doing a job....even if it's a great job.
But even for those of us who never made the big bucks, working smarter is still
a great goal. I've tried working stupider several times, but it turned out poorly.

Sure, but the latter is a skill in itself. To an extent even an innate ability.