Thursday, September 25, 2008

Is it immoral to be very rich?

Being rich is better than being poor. There is no limit to how much money a person can have in a liberal economy. But acquiring money also entails responsibilities towards one’s country and the financial markets. There are many who get rich through dubious means like engaging in illicit activities (drugs, smuggling etc.) There are those who resort to tax evasion , the exploitation of the workers and the monopoly of the market to fix their own prices.

However there are laudable rich people who get clean money and use it for the welfare of the needy. The best example is Bill Gates who decided to quit his executive post at Microsoft and to dedicate his vast fortune to help poor people.

It doesn’t make sense to curb people’s ability to make as much money as they can but it also doesn’t make sense to let financial institutions get out of control leading to an economic collapse affecting both the rich and the poor. What is needed is a vision that can lead to the general prosperity and not an excessive greed that leads to the downfall of the perpetrators and those linked to them directly and indirectly.

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