Taxes

The rich are rich because they are connected to people who give to them.

But the purpose of community is not to create rich people. It's a direct result of us being social animals.

But being social animals is no explanation for community.

We are social animals because we have collectively decided that it is a better strategy to specialize in what we can manage, and allow others to give us what we cannot.

Our communities are strong because we have abstracted and virtualized our ability to collect and transmit our strengths and weaknesses. We are strong because we have things that help us do redistribute our strengths: the internet, logistics, social protocol, language, money.

In that sense, we could attribute part of our strength to taxes - it literally redistributes resources from those who are good at collecting it to those who aren't.

In that sense, taxation is the whole purpose of a certain class of modern communities.

In that sense, the rich are made rich because they are expected to give to the poor.

Unless - unless the rich do not live in communities. Unless the rich do not live in protection of the community: without the protection of law, the trust conferred by money, the mechanisms of efficacy afforded by infrastructure. Unless the rich had nobody to give to them. Unless the rich - were not rich.

That is why I think it's fair to levy extremely high taxes on the ultra rich.