| > Surely, capitalism has lifted billions from poverty. True. And while I think capitalism is generally a good thing, lifting people out of poverty doesn't make it a good thing necessarily. By that measure communism in China would be a good thing - after all, Mao also lifted millions out of poverty. Many dictators have done the same. > Anyone can make it if they apply effort. Not at all. You can be disabled, held back by family obligations or even by a harmful family, be remarkably unintelligent, mentally ill, or otherwise be unlucky in any number of ways. > A non-producer simply means, someone who is not providing a good or service of value to a willing buyer. According to you. To me a non-producer is someone whose income is unearned[1]. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unearned_income
Unearned income refers to income received by virtue of owning property (known as property income), inheritance, pensions and payments received from public welfare. The three major forms of unearned income based on property ownership are rent, received from the ownership of natural resources; interest, received by virtue of owning financial assets; and profit, received from the ownership of capital equipment.[1] As such, unearned income is often categorized as "passive income". |