Michael Mitchell: All things being equal, wealthy earned their money

It appears that “inequality” will be one of the recurring themes during the upcoming election cycle. Two writers, Robin Geery and Derek Merrill, wrote about it in a 2014 piece ( “Inequality is easy to find on UC campuses,” Oct. 4). What puzzles me is that there has always been folks who have more than others, even when I was in college.

I never had the talent of a basketball player, singer, actor or UC Merced chancellor. According to the latest barrage, people who are wealthy must be taxed or forced to give up what they have rightfully earned to balance out the economy. How did we get so skewed that we look like a socialist country; taking from people who have worked extremely hard to give to people who have done nothing to earn it? Has anyone asked Madonna, Jay Z, Mark Zuckerberg, Michael Jordan, Laurene Jobs, Britney Spears, Bill Gates, Oprah, Ted Turner, the Walton Family, Bill Clinton, Morgan Freeman, Kanye West, Robert Reich et al if they would give up half their wealth to help alleviate inequality? This is none of the government’s business, and I suspect that would be the response of the numerous folks mentioned above.

Lets not be fooled, people who support this failed attempt at creating an even playing field would be the first ones to complain when the government comes after their wealth.

This story was originally published June 9, 2015 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Michael Mitchell: All things being equal, wealthy earned their money."