Almost every Great Fortune is Made at the Expense of Others

Almost every great fortune is made at the expense of other people.
Describe a specific situation in which a fortune might be made without harm to other people. Discuss the principles you think determine whether or not fortunes are made at the expense of other people.
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In the United States, the ever-increasing gap between the rich and poor has made daily headlines. This is especially in light of the economic melt down two years ago where many low and middle class people have experienced a drop in their quality of life. This gap is also a world-wide fact with the wealthiest 1% owning 40% of the global assets. These wealthy people have gained their fortunes in different ways---from innovators undertaking entrepreneurial actions to leaders stealing from their people. It is a widely held view that almost every great fortune is made at the expense of other people. While this is true in most cases, the amount of harm done to the "common" people depends on the way wealthy people have made their money.

Some of the wealthiest people in America include corporate executives/founders of successful companies. These companies often rely on less-skilled, lower-waged workers to keep the business up and running by providing manual labor and performing every day tasks. The executives, on the other hand, make key business decisions meant to increase the bottom line and protect investors. Much of the profits are concentrated in the hands of these decision makers, while the people in the bottom of the pyramid struggle to feed families and pay debt. In cases where the companies have outsourced jobs to developing countries, workers are paid even less due to lack of regulatory protection. Indeed, the million dollar executives paying workers a small amount are, in a sense, profiting at the expense of other people. However, a capitalistic system justifies this type of economic structure where people with mental horsepower, drive and some luck can make huge sums of money---even when paying their workers with hardly a living wage.

While some people gain their wealth by means of a great education/background and entrepreneurial endeavors, others receive their windfall by leading a resource-rich country in a corrupt fashion. Especially in oil rich nations, "kleptocracies" have been institutionalized to the point where it is quite normal to view dictators and families to siphon and hoard nation profits. The common people, in the meantime, do not receive benefits and struggle with problems of malnutrition and lack of education. These leaders may have received a great education and have the intelligence to make great fortunes by more "honest" means; however, they take the easy--and often accepted--way to enrich themselves and their families---by stealing from the people.

Some people believe that governments should redistribute the income in society as a means of gaining economic equality. This could be done in the form of taxing the rich using a disproportionately higher rate in comparison to that used for lower and middle income people. Opponents of income redistribution maintain that a system moving towards socialistic principles will stifle the creative ability of people and cause them to work less. Indeed, the promise of unlimited wealth may drive some people to push harder and think of creative ways to achieve their goals. Gaining wealth, no doubt, most often involves the efforts of other people---many of whom are paid very low wages. In a capitalistic (and democratic) system, children of these low-wage workers---if possessing intelligence and talent---could improve their position in society and also become wealthy. However, these stories of the American Dream/Rag to Riches are few and far between; more often, the rich become richer and poorer become poorer.