Big subject, but in terms of the current discussion it involves equalizing the rewards for equivalent contribution.
If that is your definition of equal opportunity than I would oppose "equal opportunity", at least as something that is enforced rather than something that might be reasonably nice if it happens.
I do support equal opportunity by the more standard definition of the term
equal opportunity
n.
Absence of discrimination, as in the workplace, based on race, color, age, gender, national origin, religion, or mental or physical disability: “The issue of equal opportunity... posed particular problems” (Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.).
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Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Main Entry: equal op·por·tu·ni·ty
Function: noun
often attrib : freedom from discrimination (as in employment) on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, age, or sometimes sexual orientation —see also Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in the IMPORTANT AGENCIES section
Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
equal opportunity
n : the right to equivalent opportunities for employment regardless of race or color or sex or national origin
Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University
dictionary.reference.com
the capital too would have it's "what have you contributed lately"
It does. If you sit on a pile of cash it will have a negative return (after inflation) so its value will slowly decline. If you own gold it probably will have a zero return after inflation (in the short run it can have a large positive or negative return but in the long run it only holds its value). You have to invest the wealth in something productive. You can own a stock and have it continue to provide a return, but if you continue to own it that means your capital is continually tied up in the company. If you try to extract it and use it you lose that ongoing capital gain. Stocks have the potential for large returns but that is largely a compensation for the large risk. The stock could go to 0 and you could lose everything. |
