Yes! thats the point I've been trying to get at all this time. Just because the rich seem to be getting richer doesn't mean they actually are. They may have more money in terms of nominal value but not really have more money (assuming the poor and middle class stay the same) but not if it is accurately adjusted for inflation.

 

 

 

To add to what dusqi said, the rich can make money easier than the poor. This would lead one to think they could make money at a greater rate than the poor assuming the poor have to spend most of their money (which they do) to stay within reasonable living conditions. This leaves the poor with very little money afterwards to invest or put towards education. The rich on the other hand can easily pay for comfortable living, leaving them with plenty left over to invest or pay for ivy league education. Pretty common sense stuff really.

While it would be beneficial for rich people to give away their money to poorer people--to a certain extent--, it would not be effective without making it fully widespread, and would not be feasable without being made compulsory.

 

 

 

To implement such a system would not be "morally" right; since as people who are rich have, generally, earnt it, it would not be at all "fair" to redistribute wealth. I belive that all people shold have equal oppurtunity, but not equal status. Of course, there are cases when wealthy people are not "deserving", but it would be so difficult to sort out who is deserving of keeping their wealth that it would cause a great deal of suffering--weighting the moral concept towards not doing so.

^For some reason that reminded me of the land rights and land use issues in Brazil. In Brazil, the government has the right to expropriate land that is not in use, so this has led farmers (who own most of the land) to sometimes cut down trees to prove they are using their land. Unfortunately, they don't always plant trees in place of the ones they cut down and the rain forest makes up some of the trees they cut down. It's a horrible mess with many other issues related, including over 4 million landless peasants and the ability to legally squat almost anywhere.