[mrs9x]

You ask why risk taking should be rewarded? Because risk taking results in products beneficial to everyone. While there will be many risks that flop, those risks that produce the new miracle drug, the new medical device, or countless other products that make our lives better are worth it. Without an inducement to take risks, there would be none of these products. Therefore, we should reward risk to enable new inventions to be made.

In regards to your second question about why millionaires should be paid so much more than everyone else, even though they might not work "harder" than some manual labor, you have to think of the responsibilities of these people. First, there are not that many billionaires, so we will stick with millionaires. These people run the businesses that make this country work, and unlike the manual laborer, are personally liable as directors of corporations for things that go wrong. Without some additional financial inducement, no one would be willing to take the immense legal and financial responsibility to run these firms. And besides, there are not all that many people with the skills to do such jobs. Thus, with high demand and low supply, the wages will be high.

[Age of Reason]

You ask why risk taking should be rewarded? Because risk taking results in products beneficial to everyone. . . . Without an inducement to take risks, there would be none of these products.

How many billions do we pay cops, firemen, and servicemen for the far greater risks they take?