One of the workhorse statist cliches is that successful people have to “give back to society.” Never mind that whatever wealth an honest person accumulates comes via mutually beneficial exchange — those who amass fortunes must somehow return most of their money to the community that supposedly made the fortune possible. And never mind that unless the wealthy individual destroys his wealth, it’s going to benefit people when it’s either spent or invested. Lefties need excuses to take money from people so the almighty State can dispose of it politically and they won’t let any of their excuses go.
In this excellent column, writer John Tamny draws and quarters the “give back to society” argument. One of his targets is Bill Gates’ father, who crusades endlessly for the preservation of the estate tax.
Worth reading!
