To start with, nursing is not my first degree; history is. While that may not be an economics degree I think it qualifies me more than you to speak about things like this esp. when you bring up the history of China.
So your contention is that a conservative leaning media has brainwashed American citizens into thinking what exactly? Where has the rich guy ever been made the good guy by glowing media approval, unless (like BUffet) they start making statements like yours? Show me the capitalist in our society who has been made out to be the good guy by 'commercials'.
Now what I would really love to know is how you think emulating China is a great thing. I am no fan of Trumps, but I don't know how much he inherited so I can't say how great he is at making $. But I do know how China made its money... slave labor. Communism is the way to prosperity? What in the modern age has China invented? They steal I.P. and than set their slaves off to work. They also sell their slave labor to American companies to make more $. Books have been written about how China has become a world power, but not one of those books says that China should be emulated.
And if you don't like Trumpian policies, than why are you complaining that he is putting up trade barriers to China? According to you proectionism is what got China where it is today. That and slave labor, so lets also get rid of the min. wage.
And you really don't know how a free market works. Capitalist create goods and services that others want. If I don't provide a good or a service that people want I will go out of business. Why do nurses make higher than the median income... because we can provide a service that people want. Why do starving artist starve? Because their service is not in demand.
Not sure how Bill Gates is a crony capitalist. If you know of some subsidy he got I am all ears (I am truly interested). However Musk is a fraud and a charlatan. I just told you I got 12k from buying 2 EV cars (not Tesla though). Why are his cars discounted thousands of dollars right off the shelf? No other car company is given that kind of subsidy. He is the anti-capitalist. He has billions of dollars thrown at him from stock holders with rose colored glasses throwing money into a company that has never had a quarter (much less a year) of having a profit despite the fact he is given additional billions from government subsidies (crony capitalism). His company is worth more than either Ford or GM... and they don't even make 1/100th of the cars. This man has a waiting list of people wanting to buy his cars, but he is so bad at what he does he can't take their money because of his incompetence as far as production goes (6 month waiting. Which is why I took my $ as well as the 12k of tax payer/your $ somewhere else when it came time for me to purchase my EVs).
And your metaphor about feces rolling downhill. Whatever. Cream also rises to the top. Lets not joust in metaphors. It is childish.
Using myself as anecdotal evidence (which is not strong evidence, but it is strong to me since I have lived it), I don't owe anyone to "Pay it forward" to other than my kids. My wife and I both bring an income into our home, but we only need one. She pays the bills with hers, I invest with mine. Because of the way WE HAVE CHOSEN to live my home is paid off, I have no debt (and never have had debt), and I have enough saved now that I could buy my current home twice more if I had to. To this day I have never made more than 50k a year, but I intend on retiring with a few million. Who are you to tell me I don't deserve what I have earned, or that it is wrong for me to give what I have EARNED to my kids instead of 'paying it forward'.
