Our Curious relationship with wealth

We Americans are curious in a lot of ways. In many ways we are a contradiction. That is partly because of our historic belief in freedom. Unlike the Socialist republics of western Europe and the dictatorships of Africa and South America we have written into our founding documents the fundamentals of freedom. No matter your political beliefs you cherish freedom. We have great disagreements about what freedoms are most powerful but we cherish freedom.

The political left tends to value freedoms that people on the right don't. That is OK because we have freedom. We have bitter arguments about what are rights and what aren't. This too shows our basic love of freedom.

One 0f the best examples of this is wealth. The left tends to look suspiciously at wealth. Far short of universal condemnation though they dislike a particular source of wealth. Wealth accumulated from business is very suspect with progressives. Bill Gates, before he got involved with his charitable foundation was a pariah. Now he is embraced by the left. We need wealth for charitable giving, but of course the most far left people really don't trust charitable giving as much as they trust government, but in our current society will embrace George Soros with open arms, but not say Rupert Murdock. This of course is because **gasp** Murdock created Fox News.

Another way of looking at wealth is private property. This was a core issue with our founders. The right to keep your private property is at the heart of our commercial success up till now. When incremental tax rates fall production goes up for example. This is simple economics, but that doesn't please left wing believers. Another source of wealth that is good is Hollywood money. Warren Beatty, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Sean Penn are good stewards in popular culture. Oil Execs are not.

What does wealth do for us? This is too broad a question for one piece but I will attempt. Wealth gives the holder the ability simply to create. They may start a business. They may expand a business. They may endow an artist. They may give it to charity. They may put it in tax free government bonds. All of these are possible and of course all are done. Only the values of the wealth holder constrains the options. Personally I don't find it my business what they do with it. Even though I despise many things that George Soros holds dear, I find no need to restrict his ability to do what he wishes with his money.

Why then do right leaning people become villianized for their pursuits. Investments in science that is contrary to the Al Gore school of global warming becomes so evil that it draws angry letters from Senators on government stationary. Investment in local churches is poo-poo'd as wasting resources that could be used on the poor.

Another role of wealth is to safeguard us with better products and innovation. We notice that the industrialized world has less profound effects when natural disaster hits. Better construction, better engineering is purchased with wealth. When third world lands are hit with typhoon or earthquake hundreds of thousands die for one reason, lack of wealth. They cannot build using the latest technology and engineering. This is unfortunate. It is also not going to change as long as we encourage them to shun modernity and capitalism.

Yes wealth is a powerful thing, and a most hated thing in many circles. Count me out of those circles. As for me, I embrace all the wealth I can accrue.