Our share of envy (day 23)

We took a walk along the sea today.  We started at kits beach and passed through Jericho, Locarno, and Spanish Banks.  A portion of the walk has to be on the road because there is protected land.  While strolling along Point Grey Rd. and 1st Ave. we couldn't help but notice and sometimes admire the massive houses overlooking the water.   It's a spectacle of sorts and we make a game out of pretending to buy and sell our favourites.    Ownership of a house on that stretch of road probably starts at three million and we feel rather certain that our group will never own any of them or even socialize in any of them.   Once in a while we spot someone who lives in the houses and they look normal.  There is no glow of money it seems.   We wonder what it is that they've done to be there.  What is it that we're not doing, or not doing right?  Looking at wealth distribution in Canada it's clear that some people know something others don't and that they are not sharing.   I'm puzzled by this crazy making situation.   Our tacit approval of the wealth distribution means that we accept the notion that the people that get millions in salary and bonuses deserve it, and that the rest don't.   The implication is that if you don't have the money to buy the Point Grey house, you're not smart enough.   There is currently so much discussion about bank executive salaries but at the root of the dialogue is this massive insecurity that inequality creates in those that don't fetch the millions in bonuses.  And this insecurity means that nothing will change.   As long as we buy the tale that they deserve it, we will continue to minimize the impact of the injustice, and resist regulation.

Of course I'm aware of the irony of this discussion.  I am rich by any relative measure that goes beyond downtown Vancouver and most definitely North America.  The imbalances are stunning.  But surely one of the ways to start to right the craziness is to skim the fat off the top and redistribute it properly.   Or better, keep the fat from rising.  If more of excess capital is widely distributed, it can only mean better, more equitable participation in world markets.

Back to lighter topics tomorrow...

A song for this post.