I've seen both sides of the coin. I've seen folks working 80+ hours a week and just not catching a break. I've seen folks that basically worked odd jobs and smoked weed for a decade. In general, I believe that hard work does pay off. But I don't think it is enough. You need to actually THINK in addition to working hard and honestly, being lucky. Or at least, not unlucky.
Lot of folks say "So and So is only rich because they inherent X dollars and turned it into (40X)". Yes, they were lucky. But they could have turned it easily into 1/X by picking up a coke habit, blowing money on bad investments or not keeping tabs on things. I've seen those happen as well.
Intelligence, hard work and good or neutral luck.
To make a lot of money, you need a combination of all three.
To make decent money, you only need two out of three.
To enough to survive, you need at least one.
If you have none... Well. Sucks to be you.
As for the lady and the whole "miners cost too much". While I agree that plenty of countries have very high tax rates, insane bureaucracies, et al... I also think some business folks should realize its in their own long term interests to pay their people well. If you pay market wages, you will get market talent. Overwork your best talent by trying to replace two or more folks with one, and it will also bite you in the long run. I do not think that Ms Rinehart would prefer to live in a country with Africa's level of prosperity. I'm not saying business owners "owe" society jobs. I'm saying enlightened self-interest is a good thing. Treating your employees well (does not have to be spectacular) is good business for many reasons.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/the-iron-ore-lady-why-the-worlds-richest-woman-is-mired-in-controversy-7848535.htmlWhen I read that, the comments by the Australian officials sounded like quotes from Atlas Shrugged. And I didn't think the book was spectacular. Because the characters were friggin hokey and one dimensional.
"When I see people like Ms Rinehart deploying her huge wealth – gained by selling the non-renewable resources which belong to the entire Australian community – in an attempt to try to stop us spreading the benefits of that natural wealth more fairly across the community, of course I'm going to stand up."
I mean... REALLY? It's friggin iron. And no, it does not, let alone should not, belong to the entire Australian community. And no, those benefits should not be "fairly" (ie not remotely fairly) distributed at gunpoint. Taxes to pay for courts, police, etc are necessary. Aside from flat out anarchists, that's fairly understood. Beyond that, it becomes less and less "fair" and more "I have a claim on other folks' lives".
