The growth of the wealth of the super rich, and the increasing gap with the less rich, is a manifestation of exponential math. Two investors put money into the same investment that grows at 10%. One invests $1,000, the other $10,000. Each year, the gap will increase.<p>There is nothing immoral about this.<p>Where super wealth becomes a problem is when that wealth is used to influence policy. Effectively, the super-wealthy can choose to behave as unelected politicians. This is a problem.<p>Soros and the Open Society Foundations is an example of where this is manifest. He contributed $32 billion to fund the organization. His Open Society Foundation employs 1,150 professionals who promote his political agenda[1]. Whether you agree with his political agenda or not, Soros and I are both American citizens. We both have one vote. My influence in US politics should equal his. It does not. The only Americans who should have more political influence than I are those who have been elected or appointed to government positions.<p>Carlos Slim has owned 9-17% of the New York Times. Lauren Powell Jobs foundation owns the majority of The Atlantic. Bezos himself purchased the Washington Post. Perhaps these simply seemed like good investments, and I am certain that wealthy persons have owned media for centuries. But the unprecedented wealth of this century increases the potential influence the super wealthy can wield. This is a concern.<p>[0] <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/07/billionaires-are-buying-media-companies-new-york-times-not-for-sale.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/07/billionaires-are-buying-medi...</a><p>[1] <a href="https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/past?page=2" rel="nofollow">https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/past?page=2</a>
Capital gains are not cash income, and to treat them the same is to fundamentally misunderstand money.<p>The term "make money" is overloaded, and refers to several entirely distinct activities that share only the units in which they are denominated.
It's just a hard coded fixed constant rate in the code, and not actually showing you the real amount of wealth accrued by Bezos.<p>Just go look at the source: <a href="https://github.com/alvaromontoro/bezos-calculator/blob/main/script.js#L6" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/alvaromontoro/bezos-calculator/blob/main/...</a>
It is not money since he can't possibly spend it faster than he gains them. It is just power, the amount of control that he has over fellow inhabitants. Unlike money, he doesn't need to spend it to manifest it.