The Myth That Success Is Unearned

The continuance of the movement to level the playing field on wages and the claim that success is not earned is a denial of the success of this nation throughout its history.

This article puts it in very simple and understandable terms for those of you who believe that there has been an unfair advantage given some, like the belief in white privilege or that no one builds their own company as Obama said, "you didn't build that".

Instead of denying that pay motivates people to earn their success—a concession that undermines the case for income redistribution—many advocates of redistribution deny that success is earned. If income is unearned, then we can redistribute it without slowing growth or reducing middle- and working-class incomes, even if incentives motivate effort, risk-taking, investment, and innovation. If pay is unearned, it’s fair to take it away.

Pay may be unearned for a variety of reasons. The price of talent—the wages of the successful—may rise for no other reason than talent is in short supply and cannot expand to meet the growing demand for it. In that case, a shortage merely redistributes pay from the rest of the economy to talent without talent doing anything more to earn its increased pay. If talent has done nothing to earn their increased pay, then taking away the increase will similarly have no effect on their behaviors.

Here is the link to the original article if you are interested in reading more. freebeacon.com...

Nothing could be build on such lies as that "Success is Unearned". Competition and Innovation is what motivates people to be success not giving equally to all equally for nothing more than showing up to work.

You are right, to a degree, but also fail to take into account just how many people hate the high paying job they have and would much rather be, say an artist or a teacher or some such.

There are a lot of people who aren't worth ten percent of what they are getting paid, but they are protected in their positions by the fact that the "system" can't be seen to fail.

When you allow small numbers of people to stash away billions of dollars in trust funds and suchlike it means that there is less liquid money out there in the economy for everyone to chase. At some point, people realise that carrot is getting smaller and further away and they give up reaching for it.

We need a bit of sense, not total communism, but not total corporatism either.

a reply to: SprocketUK

That is one of the reasons I believe that corporations should fund grants instead of the Government. The government never gets anything in return nor recoups its losses, when a corporation does it they control where and how the grant is used and utilize the findings of the research grant. Which are then used to create more jobs and motivate others to bring their ideas out of the dark and into the light per se.

We don't live in a perfect world. But if there was a country that had come near to that, it was the US until about 50 years ago.

I have a great Idea and simple product Idea to better another product, and I would like to get it created and licensed to market. But most of these companies that help want tens of thousands of dollars from me that I don't have. So far they have not taken my idea do to trade secret agreements. But how long will that last.

So what is keeping me from a successful product is these middleman corporations that are too greedy and don't want to invest in a good idea.

a reply to: ChesterJohn

I know one thing that would slow drastically, which would heavily impact the economy in a domino effect: Sales.

Salespeople are "coin operated" - you want something sold? Pay me for doing so. If you don't, I'll just sit back and take orders at whatever price is easiest and results in the happiest customer. I don't play psychologist and master of persuasion for free.

a reply to: ChesterJohn

I agree, back when a working class man could do his shifts, maybe a bit of overtime and buy a house, a new car every few years, a holiday every year and have enough money left over to save for retirement and his kid's college fund while not needing to have a wife go out and work full time too, then, for a time, things seemed perfect.


As for the trouble's you are having, that's nature's way of telling you to go it alone. I don't know what it is, but I would imagine that a second hand lathe, milling machine and 3d printer ought to at least let you make it on a small scale. If you need finance, then you won't get a look in without a significant wedge of your own and probably an offer of a majority share holding.

Some of course are automatically granted wealth by being born into it
Others work hard and long to attain it ...

A beggars mind is no different than that of a king ... It is what they choose to fill their minds with that differs

Yet money is not the mark of the worth a person
Money is niether good or bad ... It is how it is used

You can fill your life with luxury and self comfort
Yet the truth about money is ... It is meant to be spent ... pieces of paper and digits on a screen even gold bars are worthless until traded for real things

Some wealthy people have realised that they can touch the life's of many through generosity

Yes money is earned but it can not buy respect when hoarded for self

A measure of ones worth is not determined by how much money and stuff they have.

Rather, how we behave towards others.

a reply to: ChesterJohn

So far they have not taken my idea do to trade secret agreements. But how long will that last.

Oh, I'll bet you see them come up with a process verrry close to your's, but not quite close enough to give you reason to call patent infringement. If you have one that is.

originally posted by: intrptr
A measure of ones worth is not determined by how much money and stuff they have.

Rather, how we behave towards others.

Their are so many examples of that to prove your point of how it should be. It is the cabal running the media, the same ones who want to run the world, are the ones that have made wealth and carnal desires the driving factor in how the mechanism of worth is working right now.

a reply to: SprocketUK

When you allow small numbers of people to stash away billions of dollars in trust funds and suchlike it means that there is less liquid money out there in the economy for everyone to chase. At some point, people realise that carrot is getting smaller and further away and they give up reaching for it.

What would have us do? Force people to spend money they earned . . . that doesn't sound right. Not everyone wants to spend their money as they earn it, and some spend it more wisely than others.

a reply to: DAVID64

I have a patent pending.

a reply to: dogstar23

I agree, car salesmen are the perfect example. Sale by percentage of purchase a great motivator better than hourly wage.

But if there is a slow economy and very few people buying because they can barely pay their bills. Sales wont get you much and will be far and few in between.

There has to be a combination of agriculture, manufacturing, Mining/drilling of natural resources, and your small local business like restaurants and stores to keep the other ones alive and vise versa. If any of these are missing you get price gouging at best and killed off industry at the worse.

a reply to: SprocketUK

I have been looking int a three D printer service. Not telling them what it is and then I might be able to get local steel manufacturing company to make a template for mass production. But I need some different sizes for different machines that my product will help. These are found in every Home. If I were to put one of these in one third of the American homes I would be a multi-millionaire.

a reply to: artistpoet

Only one percent are born into it, these are called the Elite.

Money should be managed properly just to hand it out is a quick way to loose it all.

Invest in people teach them to fish not just give them fish.

a reply to: ChesterJohn

You misunderstood that. Point is someone coming from a family which made sure he learned something has it easier to become successful, than someone whose parents are on drugs or drunk all day and don't give a #, even if he would be smarter, more creative or what have you.

Elon Musk wouldn't be where he is now, or Bill Gates, or Obama, even Trump, without their parents and circumstances.

originally posted by: intrptr
A measure of ones worth is not determined by how much money and stuff they have.

Rather, how we behave towards others.

But that's not what this is about.

You can be the nicest person in the world, but if you cannot perform at your job, you are not worth what you are being paid.

a reply to: ChesterJohn

Success is often unearned. There are entire networks of crony capitalism made from a favoritism system. Just look at the Clinton foundation priveledges.

Success is also often earned. Its is both ways. Not one or the other.

a reply to: Peeple

well is that what everyone calls white privilege?

Because I am not buying into that one for sure.

I now this no matter what a man race or color is if he works hard he will be rewarded for it by higher wages, promotions and even partnerships.

White privilege is a myth also made up to make the rich kids born into wealth feel guitly and then try to put it on all whites as racist.

But then again you failed to mention those who came from nothing and made something of themselves. The ones who did build that.

Major thread drift is underway, so...

To address your OP:

The Myth That Success Is Unearned

The left wing progressives are claiming that success, in fact, is NOT earned.
My sister has worked at a major university for over 20 years, so she sees what's going on as it's unfolding.
Before it hits the outside world.
Not only are the academic liberals preaching that success is not earned, they avow that successful people are lucky at best, are generally evil, and are to be resented as a whole.
It has become so perverse, so twisted, that those who do excel are the ENEMY. I'm not joking.

A specific example that happened recently:
A girl was breezing through some advanced classes at an astounding rate. A young guy was struggling.
The guy was given tutoring and every possible free assistance available, and still couldn't hack it.

My sister said it was obvious the girl was brilliant, while the guy was just not intellectually qualified.
BUT had she even suggested such a scenario, she would probably have been fired.

End result: The girl was branded an elitist snob. The guy was a victim, and later, practically a hero.
That's how it is now.

a reply to: luthier
Cronyism that is of late the last 50 years.

Levi jeans for example. Levi Strauss a tent maker decided to make jeans for the miners during the gold rush and made a company out of it.

the mines have been closed some for over a century but Levi's is still going.