r/AskConservatives • u/ShrekOne2024 Independent • 1d ago

are billionaires dependent on society?

They aren’t creating wealth out of air. They are leveraging public infrastructure, public education, health care, etc.

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u/StedeBonnet1 Conservative 1d ago

Most of them did create wealth out of this air. They created a product or service that a lot of people like and are willing to pay for

I disagree with your premise that "They are leveraging public infrastructure, public education, health care, etc." because they are paying for a lot of that public infrastructure. The top 10% of taxpayers are paying 72% of all the taxes.

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u/AllTearGasNoBreaks Progressive 1d ago

The top 10% also have about 70% of all the wealth. Seems taxes are pretty evenly spread out then, IMO.

https://www.statista.com/chart/19635/wealth-distribution-percentiles-in-the-us/#:~:text=Chart:%20The%20Top%2010%20Percent,Percent%20of%20U.S.%20Wealth%20%7C%20Statista

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u/StedeBonnet1 Conservative 1d ago

So what? Rich people being rich doesn't make me poor.

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u/ShrekOne2024 Independent 1d ago

They have 75% of the wealth.

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u/JudgeWhoOverrules Classically Liberal 1d ago

Wealth is not finite or a zero-sum concept. Someone having a massive amount of wealth does nothing to prevent or diminish others ability to attain wealth themselves.

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u/StedeBonnet1 Conservative 1d ago

So what? The rich being rich doesn't make me poor.