Someone is stealing your life (1990)

No, but I'm waiting for it.

"The problem is that "coming out on top" now means you control a hugely disproportionate sum of wealth"

...that you've earned. I don't see a problem.

"and thereby exert a disproportionate influence on society, invariably to the expense of others."

Then let's not allow people with money to set the rules. Capitalism isn't the problem. It's corrupt politicians that take kickbacks. I would also like to mention that money is power. In any time in history, the more money you have, the more power you possess. It will always be the case. If not money, then whatever currency we are using. It's not like you can't go out and earn your own.

"And therein lies one of the problems - the rewards do not go to those who make the wealth, and that's exactly the point the author of the article was making."

You can't make a blanket statement like this, because it's not true in most cases. When the guy in the article was working as a "Jack-in-the-Box counterperson", what was he willing to risk all of his time and money to run the business? It sounds to me like he wants the same amount of profits as an owner, but none of the risks.

As I've stated earlier, I don't think people would really like it if companies were allowed to hire people at no pay, work them day and night for the hope that they will make a profit (which is what it takes as an owner). Just ask anyone here that is trying to start a company. You might make it big, but you will probably fail many more times before you succeed.

Most people want a comfort blanket. They don't want to have to worry about profit margins. They want to know that they will get paid every month.

"If an engineer invents a radical new process for fabricating microchips, who is paid the huge sum of money resulting from it - the CEO or the engineer? Which one actually created wealth and value?"

If the engineer is under contract and using the resources, money, and lab of his employer to create this radical new process, he is getting paid a salary he agreed upon (which wasn't by force). If he is using all of his own equipment, under no contract, it can make him very rich. I don't really see a problem with anything you are describing, except your sense of entitlement.

"This is merely condescension. Age doesn't grant you any magical insights, and you don't have to reach a certain age to know there are no new ideas. I figured that out a long time ago. That said, you want to talk about defeatists attitudes? "There are no new ideas" is a cake taker in that department."

Do you actually think I believe there isn't anything new? I was merely pointing out that there are thousands of years of history and experience in the economic, finance, and politics department, which can show you what works and what doesn't (and if your idea is radically new or just a rehash of something old).

Age can grant you insight, if you learn from history and your experiences.

Ponzi schemes are a good example of this. They will always fail in the end, yet people continue to fall for them.

"I don't have all the answers, and I don't claim to - but we have absolutely zero chance of addressing social issues if we as a society won't even acknowledge them. And just because I don't have a better alternative right now, doesn't mean that no one else does either - or that I won't in the future."

There are more important social issues to address than some guy that is whining about his life.

It pains me to say this, but this sentiment strikes me as seriously naive. Plenty of people work like animals, are driven like crazy, and have "vision." And for quite a few of them, their employer could give two craps.

Keep waiting then, because it's not going to happen. I would never suggest anything of the sort. It's not nearly creative enough of a solution, for one thing.

"...that you've earned. I don't see a problem."

Just because you don't see a problem, doesn't mean that there isn't one.

So, say, a CEO who is hired to run a company and assumes no financial risk on their own for doing so has "earned" the right to 40x more salary than the people who actually make the products? Somehow that doesn't seem right. Do they work forty times harder? Forty times more? Neither is physically possible. Do they assume forty times as much risk? Having seen more than a few golden parachute deals, I think it's obvious that they don't.

"what was he willing to risk all of his time and money to run the business?"

Most business people are saavy enough to start their businesses with other people's money. See: Venture Capitalism.

"It sounds to me like he wants the same amount of profits as an owner, but none of the risks."

This is a gross misrepresentation of the author's position.

"If the engineer is under contract and using the resources, money, and lab of his employer to create this radical new process, he is getting paid a salary he agreed upon (which wasn't by force)."

He must agree to a salary somewhere if he wants to eat and have a place to live. This is not choice. It's not overt force either, but it does have something of coercion about it.

"If he is using all of his own equipment, under no contract, it can make him very rich."

Most people could not afford such equipment even if they are inclined to use it. They therefore have no choice but to work for someone else.

"I don't really see a problem with anything you are describing, except your sense of entitlement."

This is an ad hominem. I have not stated anywhere that I or anyone else are entitled to anything, nor would I ever.

"Do you actually think I believe there isn't anything new? I was merely pointing out that there are thousands of years of history and experience in the economic, finance, and politics department, which can show you what works and what doesn't (and if your idea is radically new or just a rehash of something old)."

This much is blatantly obvious. And?

"There are more important social issues to address than some guy that is whining about his life."

More ad hominem. Also the issues being addressed by the author are bigger than his own life. He states as much if you actually read it carefully.