Birthright

Birthright is defined as a right, privilege, or possession, such as property, to which one is entitled by birth. In his article "Taking Luck Seriously" Matt Miller suggests that birthright results in the "inherited package of wealth, health, genes, looks, brains, talents and family." Approximately two-thirds {or more} of all wealth in the United States is inherited by birthright. In a recent study conducted at Ohio State University's Center for Human Resource Research, author Jay Zagorsky stated "Intelligence is not a factor for explaining wealth." Therefore, one may draw the conclusion that most business and political leaders are not intelligent. They did not earn their way into powerful positions but rather were manipulated into them because of birthright. This further begs the question: then why are they in charge? Why is it that our country is not run by the best and brightest? Does the merit system stop when one graduates from school? While intelligence is certainly not the only factor in determining who is most fit to lead our society, it is certainly a better measure than birthright. In over two hundred years the United States has failed at overcoming one of the biggest barriers to a just society. We refuse to find a way to limit the benefits of birthright and therefore make for a fairer {and better managed} society.

"A Decade of Executive Excess,'' the sixth annual survey of executive compensation by the Institute for Policy Studies and United for a Fair Economy, finds the ratio of top executive to factory worker pay has exploded this decade from 42 to 1 in 1980 to 419 to 1 last year. Why are we paying these people so much more if they don't have the intelligence and will to act in our best interest? What tangible proof is there that top executives contribute that much more to the successful attainment of corporate goals? Why aren't these executives {Enron} given longer prison terms than car thieves? If intelligence determined corporate leadership rather than birthright, the compensation ratio would be much lower because smart leaders would recognize it as the right thing to do whereas those that are there by birthright simply don't know any better {or care}. It is this ignorance perpetuated by birthright that is leading this country to collapse. Perhaps someday our society will be lead by intelligent people who see their own best interest as having promoted society's best interest.

There are different kinds of intelligence. Those that get into positions of power through birthright, tend to be from a background where education can and is paid for through the nose. These expensive educations might not seem fair to the rest of us poor ordinary folk, but at least they do what the say on the box - they give these people who are more likely to run our lives a good education, so whereas they might not all have the natural, innate intelligence or genius' like Einstein or emotional intelligence like say Mother Theresa or creative intelligence like some great artists like that young girl Akiane. They can at least have knowledge drummed into them and a degree payed for by mummy and daddy so that they can do the job. I for one do not envy people in power. Wouldn't want the responsibility, but give them their due, they tend to do the best they can at a hard and thankless job. As for corporate heads who give them selves those huge pay-rises, that's something else entirely.

Most Westerner's (I cannot speak for others) tend to rely on this notion of what's fair in life. And I think this comes from our notion of Democracy, with the promise that all should be fair in life. This promise purchases obedience and compliance from the masses, who are taught to wait patiently in line for justice to be delivered, right?

Yet Capitalism involves dog-eat-dog tactics, and so too does Power. Perhaps birthright is no more than the holding onto power by those who have it, while history seems to show that nobody ever gives up power (regardless of intelligence), but has it forcibly taken from them.

In which case Power (and birthright) involves more predatory cunning and manipulation than the mere accumulation of learned intelligence...

So therefore the burning question becomes: How will Democracy survive this ever growing cynicism?

good points

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And I think this comes from our notion of Democracy, with the promise that all should be fair in life. This promise purchases obedience and compliance from the masses, who are taught to wait patiently in line for justice to be delivered, right?

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I tend to agree with these idealic notions. In fact, they seem to be based on christian idealism? The basic ideal of a good shepard leading others is not the real world attitude of elected & non-elected officials promoting their own best interest (self-serving not serving others). In a real sense, christianity has exchanged the truth for the lie in that they have come to run after false profit (the good life of material wealth) rather than serving (sharing) each other.