Forcing wealthy estates to sell off some land to small or beginning farmers makes sense from a social policy point of view, and also is a way to equitably fund the government from those who can afford to pay, as opposed to low to middle-income families who will be forced to make up the difference if the estate tax is repealed.
This sort of 'looter's mentality' has in the past produced failure in other economies. And it would destroy the very engine that drives *our* economy if it were allowed to happen now. In fact this sort of mentality *will* destroy our society if it is left unchecked.
In a free market economy the farms with the most crops, with the highest quality, and/or the best prices win the most money. They therefore can make the largest investment into what they believe the market wants and needs (read: will buy). Can 'big businesss' go bad? Of course. But the free market system will not allow 'big businesss' (big farms) to gain and keep undeserved marketplace. When large companies hurt their customers it just gives the opportunity for small new businesses, or even re-tooled previous failures to rise up in the gap. IBM went blind, and Microsoft grabbed the ring (IBM is MUCH better off for it too!!!)... The music industry has turned it's back on the public, and now they are scrambling in the face of their own destruction.
This is how the free market economy uses greed to artfully fuel it's quality and equity. The greed will be a constant in ANY system. What YOU want requires people to be truly selfless. That is not only impossible, but it is in my opinion undesirable. At least the sort of selflessness that I believe we are talking about.
A prediction: Smart people, motivated by profit, will architect the way for musical artists to be paid, and still let the public listen for free.
We live in the twilight of one of the most free economic systems in the history of the world. We can criticize it all day long. Our country has serious problems in the arena of medicine for example... But show me a country that has contributed more to the conquering of disease and sickness. You can't. Our culture has ravaged the environment and been a polluter. But it is the very machines that have caused this pollution that have also enabled us to elevate the lives of not only the people of this nation, but those of the world, to a status that only a KING lived at just a few hundred years ago.
And it will be this country, and the other across the world that have followed in it's footsteps that will clean up the mess it has made, and improve the lives of citizens even more.
As long as we don't do what you suggest and cripple the talented and successful in the name of equality.
As long as we do not loot the ideas and resources of smart men and women who's desire for riches lead them to create newer and better products, processes, and services.
As long as we don't foolishly destroy every great company, idea, business, or market that threatens those that cannot achieve as high an accomplishment.
You see... if we do things the way you want then we cut down the producers in our world. We slay those the create new wealth and ideas. We injure the strong. We weigh down the graceful. And we incapacitate those the carry the rest of us up behind them.
You talk about 'big farms' as 'the surest way to kill small towns (and the social fabric that they make up)'. I say that if those small towns are valuable parts of our social fabric, then they will survive. Even rise again. But if they are not, then we need to change, grow, and cut them off like dead branches so that productive new buds (*here* is the equality you rightly want!) have room to grow into strong limbs. It is a fool's game to save for the sake of saving... ask any gardener. You clip off the dead leaves. This is not only fair and wise, it is compassionate to the whole.
Kurt Vonnegut wrote a short story about this (In his book "Welcome to the Monkey House")... I wish I could remember the name of the story. The idea was that those that were beautiful had to wear masks. Those that were strong had to carry more weight. Those that were smart had to listen to insane noises in a headset to interrupt their thought. This to make the world an equal place. This is the world you desire when you want to break up riches, and destroy success in the name of an 'equal chance'.
Respectfully - I don't want your world.
regards,
cAPSLOCK
(just a poor unsigned musician and composer - new work uploaded soon)
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