Whereas our planet is threatened with catastrophic environmental degradation, and collapse of the biosphere, I propose an international agreement to help achieve balance and direct funds to immediately address the emergency. The agreement will state that the personal wealth of an individual shall not exceed one billion dollars.
Billionaires – Some have worked very hard, some are smart, many were simply born into great wealth. But all are victimized by a system that grossly and unfairly places unhealthy burdens of wealth on the already super-rich. It is wrong to over burden these individuals with such colossal wealth, and it is hurting the rest of us in the process.
The idea is very simple: When a person has accumulated one billion dollars of wealth – they may have no more. They have enough Should their business or investments continue to produce greater wealth, they shall be hailed as great contributors to the general welfare of the planet, but they may not keep more than one billion dollars for themselves.
This is an adjustment, not a punishment. Many people of all income levels are generous and charitable. All enormously wealthy people have benefited from rules and tax codes written by people for the expressed purpose of funneling greater and greater amounts of wealth to those already extremely rich. It should never have happened, and we must correct this obvious mistake.
Some billionaires my feel as though they’ve earned their wealth. Yes, many have earned success, but our current system, whether capitalist or socialist is built upon exploitation. We share this planet with billions of other people and all the non-human life. We have the right to a clean environment and access to resources – food, shelter, and knowledge. We can be a society which rewards hard work and intelligence, while acknowledging that there are lots of smart hardworking people that only make a sliver of a fraction of what a billionaires make.s The gap is way, way too large. Jeff Bezos had a brilliant idea and worked hard to make it successful. Bravo, but all of Amazon’s employees deserve a lot more in wages and benefits. I don’t believe for a second that capping personal wealth at one billion dollars will in any way hamper those with ambition and drive.
The needs of our planet are too dire for anything but bold action to put the needed resources in place to deal with our issues. The clock is ticking loudly, and the temperature is rising. We certainly don’t need the super-rich earning compensation at thousands of times that of other working people. It is obscene and unfair. And again, this condition only exists because of laws and rules written by those in power. Men and women will write new rules.
So, the billionaire class can be congratulated on their success and/or good fortune. A robust democracy can allow a glide path of time for taxes to take effect and to allow worthwhile charities, research projects, etc. to assimilate the excess wealth.
Some will say this is impractical. I would only ask you to visualize the super wealthy atop an ever-growing resource gobbling skyscraper hundreds of stories high, while the mass of humanity is crowded at street level, or sewer level, with fresh food, air and water becoming increasingly scarce and toxic. Is that a picture of a practical and ethical society?
We can and must do better. We are the species capable of producing noble and heroic people. Let us save our planet making it a safe and healthy place for everyone, but we must act now, with intelligence – in communion with each other and nature. Please support the international wealth cap. #Wealthcap