Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by 01HNNWZ0MV43FF 81 days ago
No, inequality is bad because money buys political power. Using some made-up numbers:

Say a typical cost of living is $50,000 per year. If you make $100,000 per year after tax, you can spend that extra $50,000 per year on political efforts - Lobbying, propaganda, political campaigns, soft power, hard power, land-grabs, etc.

If you have a billion dollars, you make about 30 million per year in returns. Cost of living is a rounding error.

Every billionaire is capable of outspending 600 six-figure software engineers, while sitting on their ass all day every day, or networking, or playing tennis. I think they realize this.

Do you think it is dangerous for a civilization when someone can dedicate all their waking hours to amassing power through any means possible, while they have more financial power than 600 middle-class people?