Is inherited privilege good for america or should every person make it on their own?

Question

Bill Gates and Waren Buffet are giving almost all of their fortunes to charity to avoid spoiling their children. They are both in favor of an increase in the estate tax. This will ensure only the best and brightest rise to the top.
Should people like Paris Hilton and George W. Bush continue control the power in this country or should the most intelligent and qualified individuals do so?

Answer 1

The President Of The United States is the best example of why inherited privilege doesn't work. If left on his own he probably wouldn't have made it to be assistant manager of a fast food restaurant.

Answer 2

From the bottom of the totem pole, I tell you this... Inheritences don't necessarily make or break anyone. Even the extremely wealthy have a responsibility to the rest of society -- to give us something for which to aim and aspire. It is not their job to give us money or much of anything else. I am poor, yet there are still those poor souls who are still more poor than me. You're nutz to think I'm going to give them some of what I've worked damned hard for. And no, by giving the money away, we're not ensuring that only the best and brightest rise to the top. Far from it.
And while I agree that Paris Hilton is a poor excuse for a human being, you have to admit that regardless of daddy's connections, GW still had to have something academically going on upstars to make it in the ivey leagues. And still, the most intellegent do not run for public office (I used to believe that you had to be really smart to get to Washington, then I woke up and grew up No, to get to Washington, you have to have charisma, money, political backing and.... Judging from the Clinton/Kennedy legacies, I guess that's about it.
To answer your question, as a parent, I hope and pray that my kids do better than me. And if I can leave them a little something to help them get there, so much the better.

Answer 3

I do not believe in spoiling children, if i were to win the lottery my children would still need to get a job and would not get anything they wanted. I think it is best for people to learn to stand on their own two feet.

I also think it is hard to compare Paris Hilton to George W. Bush. He at least went to Yale and Harvard. You may argue that he only got there because of his father, but he graduated on his own and makes an effort to better not only himself but others. Paris on the other hand does little more than spend her families money and parties.

Answer 4

This sounds like a loaded question, but I agree with you. Becoming rich should require some skill or intelligence of some sort and not just be based on which family you are born to.

Before anyone says it, no, most rich people don't "earn" their money. Even if you went to college and grad school, you did it because you had the opportunity. Look at the world around you. Most poor people are not lazy.

Answer 5

There is no such thing as inherited privilege, although there is obviously inherited money. Most of the really big fortunes extant today are owned by the people who created them, rather than the heirs. Having inherited money at least offers the opportunity for developing new ideas and financing them to the market, as opposed to trying to round up venture capitalists to do so.

Answer 6

You think Paris Hilton has some kind of power? Or the smarts to us it? She will have to drop the smack habit before she realizes she could have power.

If I were rich, I would make my children work for theirs too. If they did not want to, they would have to wait till I died to get a penny. However, if you can't pass on your wealth to your children, what is the point of ever getting weathy?

Answer 7

I like how you pair Paris and George. They are of equal opportunity and intelligence.

Alas, it should happen, but it won't happen. There will always be asshole inheriters whom the media and the public latch on to. It is up to us as individuals to ignore them in the case of Paris and NOT vote for them as we did Bush.

Answer 8

Everyone should make it on their own. No one should be given the keys to the chocolate factory with out hard work and self discipline, and certainly not daddy's over loaded wallet.

Answer 9

Is socialism or capitalism good for America? You can't have capitalism without the accumulation of wealth. I think the system we have is preferable to what you imply.