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Are Wealthy Capitalists Really Obliged to "Give Back?
Capitalism is the best thing that ever happened to the common man.
The rich have always had access to entertainment, often in the comfort
of their palaces and mansions. The rich have never had to experience the
drudgery of beating out carpets, ironing their clothing, or slaving
over a hot stove all day to have a decent dinner; they could afford to
hire people. Capitalism’s mass production and marketing have made radios
and televisions, vacuum cleaners, wash-and-wear clothing, and microwave
ovens available and well within the means of the common man, sparing
him the boredom and drudgery of the past. Today the common man has the
power to enjoy more than what only the rich had yesteryear.
What about those who became wealthy making comforts available to the
common man? Henry Ford benefited immensely from mass-producing
automobiles, but the benefit for the common man from being able to buy a
car dwarfs anything Ford received. Individuals and companies that
produced penicillin and polio and typhoid vaccines may have become very
wealthy, but again it was the common man who was the major beneficiary.
In more recent times, computers and software products have benefited our
health, safety, and quality of life in ways that far outstrip whatever
wealth was received by their creators.
and
Capitalism is relatively new in human history. Before the rise of
capitalism, the way people amassed great wealth was by looting,
plundering, and enslaving their fellow man. Capitalism made it possible
to become wealthy by serving one’s fellow man. Capitalists seek to
discover what people want and then produce and market it as efficiently
as possible.
Source: Walter Williams, "Capitalism and the Common Man," fee.org, January 1, 2000
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