[skhunted]

This is not correct. Look up rent seeking. If a company has regulatory capture it can seek the maximum profit and remain static (until it loses its capture). Generally it attains its maximum by exercising its pricing power. Exercising pricing power does not lead to more employees by the company.

[randomdata]

Profit is the accumulation of promises other people have made to you that they will work for you in the future.

That is, after all, why people seek profit. They like the security in knowing that others will do work for them in the future. When you feel hungry, you want to know that someone will work to give you food. When you feel cold, you want to know that someone will work to provide you shelter. When you feel bored, you want to know that someone will work to entertain you. So on and so forth.

Unless people can offer work that you want to have done in the future, you cannot profit. Rent seeking doesn't change anything. You still need valid promises of future work in order to profit.

[skhunted]

Your knowledge of economics appears to be lacking. Your original statement that the only way to extract wealth from someone is by putting them to work is factually wrong for the reasons I stated.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent-seeking

[randomdata]

> Your knowledge of economics appears to be lacking.

Well, duh. If it weren't lacking, what reason would there be for me to talk about it? There would be nothing left to learn. That would be a useless waste of time.

> Your original statement that the only way to extract wealth from someone is by putting them to work is factually wrong for the reasons I stated.

Go on. You stated that rent seeking accumulates profit, but as profit is merely the promise of future work, no wealth is actually extracted. Only a potential promise of future wealth is gained. Not until the profit is spent – as in people are put to work – can wealth be extracted out of those promises.

[skhunted]

If it weren't lacking, what reason would there be for me to talk about it?

In case you don’t know this there are people knowledgeable about a topic who also talk about that topic.

[randomdata]

For extrinsic financial gain, sure, but that doesn't apply here. The only potential gain here is the possibility of learning something.

Just as you have demonstrated yourself. You are no doubt knowledgeable in the subject, but have completely refused to talk about it, spending all your time focused on my character. Which is to be expected, as what more are you going to learn about the topic at hand? The only thing you might stand to learn something about is me.

[skhunted]

For extrinsic financial gain,…

This is not necessarily true. Sometimes people do things without financial gain.