The wealthy don’t become wealthy in a vacuum. They may benefit from some or all of the following: an existing infrastructure that facilitates their business — roads, bridges, schools, power, water, police and fire protection (paid for by the taxes of the people); an educated workforce; the ability to exploit others for personal gain; an inheritance and luck. And yes, hard work. Is their hard work “harder” than that of the teacher, nurse, child-care employee, construction worker, custodian, truck driver, etc.?
Many wealthy people recognize the opportunities they’ve had and give back financially to our communities. Paying more in taxes just helps the others to contribute fairly to the society that helped them build their wealth.
Cathy Bobbe, Millcreek