The Deserving Rich

In light of what is known about “success” and making money in the U.S.A., I find it maddening to continue to hear the people, such as Dick Turpin, plunk the view that the affluent have “ . . . earned it, let them spend it.” (May 22).

The rich should remember that they got where they got because the society helped them in many, many ways, and they ought to pay a lot back to the society for that help.

Some of the rich worked a bit to get where they got, although a claim that they worked harder than most other people is rubbish for most cases. They got where they got mainly because they were lucky. That luck goes right back to the day they were born, when they got life itself and, in most cases, a reasonable brain and good health.

They usually got a fairly nice childhood and a good education because good conditions were created for them by a society of hard-working individuals. They are rich largely because they chose money-making pursuits, rather than jobs that pay little but in which individuals make lasting contributions to a better society.

So, come off this nonsense about the merits of the rich. Recognize them for what they are: lucky, and too often unaware of this, partly because of support from the likes of Dick Turpin they are so busy beating their chests about how hard they have worked.

JOHN HORN

Rancho Palos Verdes