A thought about the politics of equality

There are people out there who think that inequality is the root of all evil.  If only everybody were equal, everything would be kumbaya.  Inequality causes depressions and recessions.  Inequality causes unhappiness and despair and suffering.  Or so we are to believe.

But first, let's examine the term "equality" in connection with politics.  Isn't it true, that in politics, equality has a lot to do with money?  For example, there's a progressive income tax that attempts to "spread the wealth around".  There's equal opportunity statutes which attempt to level the playing field for jobs.  There's a constant battle for who gets what, with the ostensible purpose of making sure somebody is treated fairly according to some standard.  Somebody has to decide what's fair or not and have the power to do something about it.  Politics and money are closely related, it would seem.

No doubt that most folks want more money.  To paraphrase, money may not buy you happiness, but it calms the nerves.  Perhaps it just makes a lot of things in this life easier.

Now, let's turn the thought around.  Let's say that we are talking about a lack of something besides money.  Let's say you lost a limb in an accident.  Imagine being this person.  Now, is it appropriate to go to politicians and demand you be given a new arm?  No, but, in doing so, it will come back to money.  But that's not what's missing.  It is pointless to discuss getting a new arm, but compensation for its loss in exchange for money is quite common.  Then, what is the point?  It wasn't the lack of money that got consideration, but something that had nothing to do with money.  Money is being substituted for what is missing.

Now, if money gets substituted for what's missing, then spreading it around doesn't necessarily remove what's missing.  It is a form of compensation for the loss, or for the lack of the thing that's missing.  It hasn't anything to do with justice, because the thing that is missing may have nothing to do with money.  You won't be any more equal if you've got more money than what you were before.  The possession of money may have been equalized, but the cause for the lack of equal possession of money has not.  It will not confer equal ability to make money upon the person if that person is granted a lot of money.

The point is that money can't buy happiness, it can't buy ability either.  It won't make anyone more equal except in terms of money.  And that is only temporary.  If someone doesn't have money, giving it to them risks it being lost.  After all, if money making was their strength, they'd already have the money.  Making people equal that way doesn't do anything more than to make people temporarily equal in terms of money possession and nothing more.   Eventually, the money will flow back to the ones most ability to get it and keep it.

Better make hay while the sun shines and do something to make yourself better able to handle your money, if you get some.  Getting  money that way may afford that opportunity, but will it be taken, or will it be squandered?  Odds are, a certain percentage of people will squander new found money.  Those people will be back to square one, without money.  The agitation for spreading the wealth around will begin anew.  But the problem of what is really missing remains.

The obvious thing, therefore, would be to concentrate on what's missing, not on the money.  Even though it may be obvious, it is also obvious that the money will get the first look, not what's missing.  The thing that is missing and sought for is equality, but the money will not provide equality.  It will only provide a compensation for a lack, which may or may not be addressed with the new money.

Another consideration is the equality itself.  Would having equal amounts of money make people happy?  If so, only as long as it stays equal, but the likelihood is that it won't stay that way for long.  Perhaps with all their new money, those who feel envious can discover what makes them that way and is there anything that can be done about it.  It isn't the lack of anything that makes them envious.  It is how the lack is perceived.  Having money alone will not change that perception if that perception has nothing to do with the money itself.  It won't grow a new arm.  But not having an arm won't cause you to be unhappy unless you allow it to.