[Dan]

I continually debate wilth myself on whether this is a valid question, but it's been bugging me for years: Do people in the richest 1 percent of the U.S. population feel any guilt about controlling 40 percent of the wealth, while the working class and poor control less than 10 percent of it (if I remember the correct figures)?

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Name : Dan, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : na, Race : Chicano, Religion : Pentecostal Christian, Age : 21, City : Los Angeles area, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[DN]

Although I am far from that category, I'd have to wonder why they would feel guilty about their wealth. If the wealth were inherited, then it was totally out of their control. If they earned it (honestly), why should there be guilt associated with it? Analogously, should people who are able to access Y? Forum experience guilt because there is a segment of the population which has no access to computers or the internet? If there is guilt associated with wealth, I'd think it would stem from what is done (or not done) with it.

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Name : DN, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 35, City : Seattle, State : WA Country : United States, Occupation : Project Manager, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Turk24925]

Unfortunately, I do not belong to the richest 1 percent or even close to it. But I do not understand why the "rich" should feel guilty. Most certainly some people inherit their richness so that it cannot be said that they "earned" the money. A lot of people make their money. Why should either feel guilty? I always have the feeling that the people who believe that the rich should feel guilty are just jealous, or are looking for an excuse. I will never be rich, but then again, I am too lazy to put in the effort required.

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Name : Turk24925, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 57, City : N/A, State : NA Country : Turkey, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[James]

Do they? Who knows - some people feel guilty about anything. Should they? Not on your life! There is no denying that Capitalism is the most successful wealth-generating economic system in history. It is inherent in Capitalism that some will make out better than others. Indeed, Capitalism depends on people wanting to do better enough to work hard and be creative and take chances, thereby generating more wealth for everybody. This is the system we all work in, the objective we all share and the game we all play. Expecting those who come out on top to feel guilty is like expecting the Denver Broncos to feel guilty that none of the other fine AFC teams got to go to the Super Bowl. Also, a great many of these rich people, Bill Gates being the ultimate example, have, in the process of amassing their wealth, created jobs for thousands or (perhaps indirectly) even millions of others. You may be smarter and nicer and more honorable and in every way that matters a better person than Bill Gates, but only on the basis of what he has contributed to the national and global economy, his billions are well-earned. Now, if they got filthy, stinking rich by breaking the law, that would be something to feel guilty about. But that's another matter entirely. PS Please don't send me any 'I hate Bill' letters. I hate the little egotistical tyrant too - but there is no denying what Microsoft has done to facilitate the exponential growth of the computer industry. PPS Does anybody else recognize how tragic it is that the majority of Americans feel their only opportunity to achieve economic success comes from buying state run lottery tickets?

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Name : James, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 32, City : Alexandria, State : VA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[John K.]

You wanted to know whether your figures were correct. They are not. The following comes from an article dated 7/14/99, using figures from 1995, which is the last year from which figures are available. The top 1 percent of earners (above $210,000) earned only 14.6 percent of U.S. income. They paid over 30 percent of U.S. federal income taxes. The top 5 percent of earners (above $96,000) earned over 28% of US income. They paid 48.8% of U.S. federal income taxes. The top 25% of earners (above $44,000) earned over 73% of U.S. income. They paid over 80% of U.S. federal income taxes. The top 50% of earners (above $22,000) earned 85.5% of U.S. income. They paid 95.4% of US federal income taxes. The bottom 50% of earners (under $22,000) earned 14.5% of US income. They paid 4.6% of U.S. federal income taxes. So your numbers are way off, especially when you consider that many of the working class make more than $22,000. Now, you can debate whether there is a difference between earning a certain amount of income andcontrolling income, but I suspect that such definitions would be highly subjective. If you look at the figures, the middle class stretches pretty far up the percentages, certainly into the top 25%. Even the top 5% are merely well off, not too far removed from upper middle class. And depending on how you define "rich," even some of the top 1% do not quite make it. So based on this information, I would say that people who honestly made enough money to be in the top 40% (which would be people earning roughly $80,000) should not feel guilty at all. Most of those people simply worked hard to get a good college education and succeed at what they did. Why feel guilty about that?

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Name : John K., Gender : M, Age : 26, City : Cranford, State : NJ Country : United States, Occupation : Chemical Engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Priya]

Whether someone should feel guilty about their wealth is debatable, but it is a fallacy to say that our system of Capitalism is a meritocracy, one that rewards those who work hardest or are most skilled or intelligent. Of course, some people who are wealthy have worked hard to earn it, but there are countless others who have the ability but not the opportunity. A very large proportion of wealthy people have inherited it down several generations and have lived in environments more conducive to succeeding, and those who start from scratch at the bottom can't possibly compete with them. Furthermore, I really don't see how anyone can believe in Capitalism without believing in some sort of absurd racial bell-curve; how else can you explain the stark socioeconomic disparity between white people and people of color without realizing that exploitation is inherent in the system? The fact is the the Founding Fathers succeeded in establishing a legacy of white supremacy through Capitalism, which so many people trust blindly.

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Name : Priya, Gender : F, Age : 19, City : Berkeley, State : CA Country : United States, 

[CP19390]

I doubt if most of them feel guilty, but I believe they should. I think I would if I were in their shoes. As for all that nonsense about them having earned their millions/billions honestly and through hard work, I say "so what?" Much of what they do is not even socially useful. (For example, stock market, advertising, violent entertainment, sugary processed snack food, useless luxury items, sports stars, etc.) Anyway, the money they do make is made off the backs of other people. I always find it interesting to compare the income of the CEO of a company with the salary of the lowest-paid employee of that company: There's food for thought! It's not about hard work: There are many poor people who work extremely hard for what amounts to peanuts. But just to put this in perspective, everyone in North America, even those on welfare, is incredibly wealthy when compared with the people of the Third World. We should all realize that we are in a position of affluence, which we were born into and did not earn, and we therefore have a responsibility to try to "even things out" as best we can.

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[Kari26781]

As someone who comes from the lower part of the top 1 percent, I do not understand why there is a general sentiment that my partner and I need to help others. Our wealth is well-earned, as we both carry a lot of economic risk by being self-employed and work more than 65 hours a week each. Quite a few people could be in our shoes if they wanted to be, as we started with nothing - no capital, no bank loans, no rich parents. Why should we have to pay others for the hard work we have done?

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[Mark]

As a person who became wealthy through hard work, why should I feel guilty? I started a business from scratch and worked many, many hours for little or no pay. Now that it is successful, I am in the highest tax bracket, I have to pay taxes on employees, my health insurance is astronomical, and if I get hurt tomorrow, it can stop quickly. I support many government programs with my taxes, and I think that is enough.

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Name : Mark, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, Age : 30, City : Baltimore, State : MD Country : United States, Occupation : Self-employed, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class, 

[Susan27472]

As an attorney I make a substantial salary. On the whole, I live a very comfortable life. I have a lot less than the investment bankers and internet entrepreneurs I see every day, but I have more than most people. Do I feel guilty? Absolutely not. Do I feel grateful? You betcha! My ability to make this kind of salary is due to a number of things, some in my control, some not, some fair, some not. I was fortunate enough to be born with high intelligence, to parents who valued education and could afford to buy a home in a town with a top notch school system and then send me to the college of my choice. And I'm white. There's no question that all those things give me a leg up and I would never be so insulting or preposterous as to suggest that it would all have been just as easy if I were poor or stupid or from a family that didn't think education was important. On the other hand, I worked hard for 4 years in college and then for another 3.5 getting 2 law degrees and I went $90,000 into debt to pay for my legal education. Now, I work hard at my job and I perform a service that is very necessary in our complex economy and that, frankly, most people aren't able to do. I earn my money. I believe that our society is not as fair as it should be and I vote those convictions. But I have nothing to feel guilty about.

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Name : Susan27472, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, City : Chicago, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : attorney, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[Paul]

I have been fortunate - money for college, a good marriage, a good job and very strong investments. I work hard, and I don't feel guilty. I am, however, very aware of people who are not as fortunate. My financial success is due in part to lucky circumstances. That makes me all the more willing to share when opportunities arise. Onlookers might mistake that for acting on guilt. Be careful not to label positive actions with negative origins. I recognize our economy as a system that favors those within it. I try to create opportunities to bring in those who might not have a chance otherwise. But guilt? No.

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Name : Paul, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 37, City : Seattle, State : WA Country : United States, Occupation : technology, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

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