Is there such a thing as being "Self Made"?

Only the ones who actually accumulate wealth rely on others in order to accumulate it. I suspect, however, that almost everyone who has ever accumulated wealth, has relied on others for significant help in the accumulation.

To what degree do those who accumulate wealth owe their success to the average person? How much should they be required to give back? Take for instance mineral rights, some corporation gets a permit and gouges the earth, they introduce gas in people's water supply due to fracking and poison rivers, they remove entire mountains for dirty coal, they cause environmental disasters they do not intend, neither are able to adequately to fix. They for the majority of the profit reap from the accumulation of wealth... In this the average person pays for the wealth of others... either in healthcare costs or in taxes to fix what has been ravaged by unscrupulous entrepreneurs.

Then there are "connections"... For instance, globalization would not be possible had Henry Ford not invented the automobile, Henry Ford could not have invented the automobile had the Greeks not invented the turbine.... Should technology be exploited to benefit only the few? Are these inventions not in essence the property of the people in general and should these connected inventions be used to disenfranchise the majority of the population?

I do not know, Rex…I certainly cannot quantify it. But I dare to assume it is significant because the structure of society is part of that contributions…and the structure of society is significant.



Nothing, perhaps; although I would hope the sharing of wealth could be considerable. My personal disposition is that wealth should be shared as much as possible. I am not looking for all people to have equal…but it would be nice in a world with as much as we have for all people to have sufficient…in fact, more than just sufficient.

And if I had my dream world—I would want it to be completely free from the notion that anybody should be required to work for a living. Working for a living should be a privilege given only to those who can make an honest contribution to increasing the total product of society. Those who are lazy or inefficient should never be allowed to impact on productivity…because they will always impact negatively.

The guy who invented velcro had 1) a great idea and 2) financial backing to get his product to market.

That's what you need to be "self made."

Yup. That and roads, bridges, interstate commerce laws, patent laws, a market regulated in a way that will allow for purchase, and a whole bunch more things that the guy did not have anything whatever to do with.

That is the point being made here.

How much should the consumer's need outweigh the inventor's monopoly considering the inventor depends so much on the consumers infrastructure?

I recall an episode of Gilligan's Island where the professor sold the other castaways some wax candles he had made. They were all happy at the purchase 'till they got back to their huts and realized there were no wicks... They went back to protest to the professor and he said with a funny grin, "Ohhhh, wicks will cost you extra..."

There is meaning in that, not sure exactly what it is.

Sounds like Romney is saying all the Olympians had to do was walk up and accept the award and everything else was due to the efforts of others...