[quote]Let me simplify my post for you. You demonize intergenerational transfers by connecting them to 'bad apples' so to speak. You construct an exploitative example to describe your latent issues with such transfers.[/quote] Stop attempting to divert the debate - wealthy individuals and the corporations/lobby groups that they control/influence have a significantly disproportionate influence on policymakers in most developed nations, especially the US - this isn't up for debate, nor is noting it as a fact demonising intergenerational transfers. Individually, parents want to make their children happy and ensure that their lives are free of financial worries - there is nothing wrong with this ideology at all when examining it at an individual level (it's an emotionally/instinctual driven behaviour after all) - however, aggregate it across a nation, a legal system that encourages the practice, and enough time (generations) - in the modern US intergenerational transfers are now one of the major causes of wealth inequality. There are a number of other factors - globalisation for example has also contributed a fair amount to the current situation in the US - many low-mid skilled workers have found their careers no longer viable, as their jobs can be more cheaply outsourced to poorer countries. The post I made above on wealth inequality is in response to the OP's suggestion that everybody in the world starts off with equal opportunity, and the only factor in getting ahead is how hard you work - which is far from the truth. It was not intended to 'demonise' the idea of intergenerational transfers, just to point out the well-documented flaw in that commonly held belief. [quote]It would be akin to saying there are some bad muslims, so all muslims are bad. Hence my analogy that (surprise, surprise) offended you.[/quote] 'Intergenerational transfers' are not a group of people - even with your misinterpretation of the intent of my post, it is in no way comparable to a (within the US) marginalised group that are regularly discriminated against, and are presently an active target of real-life and online hatred. Your comment was not relevant, and it is highly offensive. [quote]I don't see anything inherently wrong with passing along your 'stuff' to your children. If they get a leg up, so be it. If they are accumulating wealth faster because of a headstart, there's an argument that they are actually a better steward of those resources than others (i.e., since it's growing). And then there's Darwin's law and all that.[/quote] Great - thanks for sharing your personal view with me. I'm happy for you to feel personally that it's ok if not everybody has equal opportunities in life - you're entitled to hold any such view that you like. I'm not attempting to convince you that your view is somehow 'wrong' - the purpose of my post was simply to point out that not everybody does in fact have equal opportunity (something that we obviously agree on). [quote]There is absolutely no validity to the notion that we are supposed to have equal paths in life. Equal opportunity is so nebulous that it is simply a great soundbite for mass audiences. Everyone can get to the same place in life, no matter with how much or little with which they started (in general, of course). At least in this country, that is. The biggest issue is not what resources they start with, but one of parenting. And there are certainly just as many horrible parents that are wealthy as there are poor ones.[/quote] There is absolutely no validity to many notions that form the backbone of how we view the world morally (e.g. is the death penalty acceptable? For which crimes?) Many moral views that are widely held have simply been passed down from parents to unquestioning and impressionable children before they have a chance to logically assess the worth of the belief. One general area of responsibility for Governments in most developed nations is to maintain a set of laws that roughly reflect the community views on such issues - a topical example of this in the US is the current ongoing debate about abortions. There isn't a technical strict 'yes/no' answer to these questions, different people have different views for their own reasons - and beliefs about equal opportunity are no different. [quote]Since you aren't from the US, perhaps you have a hard time connecting with the notion of personal liberties which here in the US is kind of a big deal. So in a way, I can understand how you are getting to your argument against private ownership.[/quote] Indeed - the US has some very interesting and unique cultural beliefs that are tied up in it's history. The idea that equal opportunity truly exists (already, thus not requiring any Government intervention), that the financial fortunes of a person are theirs entirely to control, as a function of hard work, is much more prominent in the US than most other developed countries. Ironic, that such a belief should be so deeply held in a country where stats have shown a strong correlation between the financial fortunes of parents and their children.