Spreading the wealth
Preface: I do not personally think that "spreading the wealth" the way that it is currently being slanted is the "best" policy in this country. A well-regulated free marked does encourage competition and generate a solid work-ethic and better-than-average products/services. At least that's my political stance.
That being said, I think it wise to consider the idea's of John D. Rockefeller. That's right, the oil man his-own-self (Yes he had his faults, but we'll bypass those for the moment). I don't have a direct citation for this, but it holds against what I know of his life. The general idea was this: For the first third of ones life, one should work to learn as much as possible about as many things as possible. For the second third, one should use that knowledge to amass whatever wealth one could. For the final third, one should give away that money via an organized system of philanthropy.
Looking at this, I can't help but think that that makes a generous model for the way a free market should work while at the same time aiding those in need. Whether or not the government should be the "System" by which that philanthropy is enacted is certainly up for debate, but never-the-less I find it an admirable direction to go (or at least investigate) rather than one to be slandered out of hand with the pariah that is the term "Socialism" in this country.
That being said, I think it wise to consider the idea's of John D. Rockefeller. That's right, the oil man his-own-self (Yes he had his faults, but we'll bypass those for the moment). I don't have a direct citation for this, but it holds against what I know of his life. The general idea was this: For the first third of ones life, one should work to learn as much as possible about as many things as possible. For the second third, one should use that knowledge to amass whatever wealth one could. For the final third, one should give away that money via an organized system of philanthropy.
Looking at this, I can't help but think that that makes a generous model for the way a free market should work while at the same time aiding those in need. Whether or not the government should be the "System" by which that philanthropy is enacted is certainly up for debate, but never-the-less I find it an admirable direction to go (or at least investigate) rather than one to be slandered out of hand with the pariah that is the term "Socialism" in this country.