[quote=CA renter]
One, single person with a lot of wealth can wield much more power than a hundred thousand people (or more) with no wealth. I don’t see how that can work out to anyone’s benefit but the very rich/powerful. The wealthier and more powerful these people become, the more they can extract from the country and from the people via regulations and policies that favor themselves over “the masses” and society. How does society benefit from that?[/quote]

Gates and Buffet have created arguably thousands of jobs during their lifetime and many millionaires where there were previously none. Those jobs have not only benefited the workers, they have also created a society where luxuries that could only be previously accessible to the rich are now even affordable to the poorest of the United States.

Gates and Buffett have also decided to spend a large portion of their personal fortune to charity and other humanitarian causes.

Their benefits to society should be pretty evident and was not just limited to the rich and powerful.

Not saying everyone does this, but there is something in America that fosters this more than any other civilization. Even other societies have benefited from this, not just ours.