Posted by tecwrg on 10/22/2014 4:21:00 PM (view original):
In order for "more people to have more money", that "more money" has to come from somewhere,
I assume it's not just falling from the sky. I'll further assume that it is being taken away from other people. Robin Hood's "take from the rich to give to the poor".
So when you, or Obama, says "more people having more money is great for everyone", does "everyone" include those people who are having money taken away from them?
I think he's referring to better balance in the economy. If wealth is concentrated in a very small percentage at the top, the economy is more unstable, more people need government assistance, there are less jobs, etc.
How to get there is the complicated part. Sure, that could involve higher taxes/reduction in subsidies at the top. It could also include policies that drive wages up, tax cuts on people in the bottom 80%, etc.
And, to your last question, it could. It goes back to marginal utility. If you have $10 billion and the country is an unstable mess, aren't you better off if you have $9 billion and the country has a stable, thriving economy?