Your Grandma does not provide much value to society.

First off, this isn't whining: It's a protest. Thanks.

And you're right, we're not all delt the same cards. That's why we have civil society in order to level the playing field. Are you saying that investors and hedge fund managers have more value than the people at NASA? Do they have more value than your sick grandmother who can't work? Do you have more value than a janitor? Income != Value. Income is about how much money you can juice out of everyone else. That means that typically the higher your income, the more convincing of a thief you are. Who actually produces value, eh?

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Umm...okay, if you really want to debate.

1) Financial people do create a lot of value. They provide money for companies to function to hire you, to offer your grandma a job, etc. In fact, they provide loans to companies that make parts for satellites, etc. that NASA uses. It's not anyone's "right" to just be given money that isn't there's to do with it what they wish. These financial people have to make hard decisions deciding what are good investments and what are not. Unfortunately, they are often not punished in the longterm financially, but that does not negate the value that they provide to society as a whole

2) your grandma who cannot work DOES NOT provide much value to society. Maybe she DID when she worked or raised her kids who raised you, but that work is passed. Going back to the banker. How much money has your grandma loaned to strangers to start business and employ people that aren't family members?

[ed note: yikes.]
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I suppose that we need a definition of "Value." My definition of "value" stems from providing real and tangible benefit to society en masse. Your definition of "value" are people who create marketable products. If we lived in a world where the rising tide raised all boats, then our definition would be one in the same. We however don't live in that world.

1) The decisions made by these financial supermen are what shipped jobs away. They lobbied for decades, nay, two FULL CENTURIES to loosen trade and monetary restrictions. Their motivations have been to swell their own bankrolls and increase the amount of control their sector has over the world. That's IT. You have some view of the idealistic capitalist marvel, putting money in the hands of only the peoples most beneficial to society. This is not the case. In our current system, profit is not based on what is better for all but rather how someone can best manipulate and coerce both the consumer and market itself. Credit Default Swaps are not valuable to society obviously. Fast food is not obviously all the good for society. However, paying your workers dirt at all costs and increasing your quarterly earnings at all costs are the behaviors that drive these folks. Tricking nieve collage students into getting 4 credit cards is a TOTAL WIN to these people. We're not talking about It's A Wonderful Life kinda bankers. We're talking about Wallstreet kind of bankers. They are not your friend. They live to syphon and the ONLY reason they hold sway is because their influence and value to the system of capitalism has been created by their past syphoning. Banks are not good players and the bottom line is a horrible measure of "value."

2) My grandmother was a poor example. I'm not saying she should be making millions of dollars for shitting her pants and forgetting my birthday but I am saying that reducing her ability to live comfortably since she doesn't add "value" is inhumaine.