Why Do Some People Have Indoor Trampolines

On page 126 Wheelen poses the question, “Why do some people have indoor trampolines and private jets while others sleep in bus station bathrooms?”. I believe that Wheelen is asking about the disparity of wealth within developed nations. Why is it legal for Bill Gates to install an 81 car parking garage within his house, but over half a million Americans are without homes. To answer his own question, Wheelen goes on to discuss the concept of human capital, the total sum of skills a given person has. Wheelen suggests that since Gates has a higher human capital then most average citizens, he’s entitled to spend whatever profits he makes on whatever he pleases. Wheelen suggests that Gates shouldn’t be blamed for all the money he’s accumulated, as there’s only one Bill Gates therefore he hold a monopoly on his desirable skills.
While it’s economically true that a man is entitled to whatever profits he makes, this poses an ethical dilemma. How much money is too much for a single person? While Gates has the means to fund a 20 seat theater in his house, does he have the ethical right to spend that money doing so? Why does our economic and governmental system allow the top 1% of our nation to hold 38% of its private wealth and allow the bottom 90% to hold 73% of the debt? While it’s true that Gates does not directly take money from the hands of the lesser, there is only a finite amount of printed currency, and he holds more than most Americans will see in their lives, without a need or want to spend it. In order to alleviate the struggles of lower-class Americans, the government needs to impose stricter regulations on the top 1%, allowing money to return to where it’s