The absurdity of class envy was exposed brilliantly by The New York Times in a Monday story (headlined "Very rich are leaving the merely rich behind"). Of course the expose was unintentional.
One in every 825 households earned at least $2 million last year -- nearly double the 1989 inflation-adjusted percentage, according to the story. And one in every 325 households had a net worth of $10 million or more in 2004 -- four times that of 1989.
The secondary headline -- "Gilded paychecks new paths to a windfall" -- suggests the Old Gray Lady wants readers to be green with envy.
The income gap between affluent Americans should be the envy of the world because in this republic hardworking citizens make money the old-fashioned way -- they earn it.
Doctors, lawyers and other professionals -- maybe that unpretentious neighbor with the pickup truck -- are becoming the super nouveau riche by offering Wall Street their highly prized expertise.
But that is draining people away from more "useful" work, according to an elitist New York University economist. What kind of work is most useful is a matter of opinion, he said.
Actually, it's the law (of supply and demand). Adding a zero to a six-figure salary isn't good fortune -- it's earned income.
It's self-evident that the pursuit of happiness is intertwined with life and liberty in America's DNA. Must elitists always denigrate success?
-- Dimitri Vassilaros
