Money Money Money
When I was younger I used to believe in Capitalism. Like you work hard, earn a good life for yourself. You reap what you sow. It seemed fair and reasonable, the way the world should run. But live a little longer, and see a little more, and you begin to realize that capitalism is merely a utopian dream: the world simply doesn't work this way. The winner of the race isn't necessarily the one who trained the hardest, sometimes it's the one born with an unfair advantage, other times it's the schemer, and sometimes it's just the one who lucked out. Some people are born inches away from the finish line of a comfortable, successful life, while others have a marathon before them, and yet to others that finish line is but a dream.

So perhaps socialism is the way to go. Let the government act as a social equalizer, a monolithic Robin Hood, taking money from the rich folk and sharing it with the poor. But again, there's a sense of injustice, for as much as Robin Hood was a hero he was also a theif. And few people in society feel that the government is justified in taking their money and supporting lazy ass slackers with it. What's the point of working hard anymore, if the government will support you regardless?

I think it's rare to find anyone who thinks that the government has properly earned their taxes. Whereas most people will think that many large corporations earn their revenue (though not necessarily fairly). With their deep pockets, large corporations have more financial clout than small countries, and yet unlike a government, most corporations see little responsibility to their own communities, let alone the global community. It seems depressing sometimes that the plight of the unfortunate needs celebrity endorsement before anyone will notice.

Aristotle suggested that the purpose of government is to promote good lives. I suspect that a political science education may imbue a sense of ethical responsibility, a business education focuses primarily on corporate and personal gain. Even when businesses can rival governments in the ability to balance unfortune in a society. Afterall, most people are happy to give their money to competitive companies.

I was pondering these useless ponderings (especially useless when one is an engineer) when I chanced across two articles that seemed to show humanity in a slightly warmer light. There are people who seem to believe that social responsibility is more than simply paying your taxes. And it's somewhat heartening to see that Bill Gates thinks so too.

But sometimes I really wonder, since supporting the poor, giving them education and health, only serves to create a new demographic of consumers.