04-03-2013, 05:30 PM
cbelt3 wrote:
The definition of 'merit' is quite fungible.
It is vague and yet it stands as THE principle justification for some people getting distributed much more wealth/income.
cbelt3 wrote:
I'd be interested in an analysis of the accumulation of wealth based on inheritance versus earning. Many of the top billionaires got that title by their own efforts. Some of course (Waltons) inherited from their parent, but again, through trusts and whatnot, or the US government would own half of Wal Mart by now.
In an earlier posting, I asked this question: Can you inherit merit? A problem I see is that what you asking for can only be approached from directions that rely on basic assumptions about the relation of income and wealth to merit. If you assume that the income of the person who first accumulates the vast amounts of it is merited, that can lead you to different conclusions than a person who assumes that much of the vast income was not merited.