I think the “punishing the successful” meme is a fabrication made up by those who want to protect the very people who have destroyed our economy. I don’t know anyone who wants to punish people who’ve worked hard, created new and useful things that benefit society, and become successful as a result.
But there are far too many people who have designed a financial system (and economy) that specifically exploits the ignorance and weaknesses of others, rather than doing anything productive. We need to get back to investing in productive enterprises, not “financial innovations” that are destined to blow up once they are in someone else’s hands/accounts. We need to encourage productivity, not speculation, and that’s exactly the opposite of what we’re doing with our current tax and trade policies.
