>>The claim is the 1% have screwed us out of a chance to pursue happiness.
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>>"The cheapest revolution insurance is a chance at pursuit of happiness for all. "
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>That wasn't mine, it was a response to my quip about the fools who fail to pay that insurance. Fools, because they deny the others that chance, and innocent people will die and suffer because of their stupidity.
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>>What that should really say is "I think I'd be happier if I was richer".
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>Actually, in my case, I'd be happier if my neighbors were richer. And generally I don't mind if someone gets rich by hard or smart labor, or by inventing something useful. I do mind if it's by theft, bribery, politics, banking, insurance, gaming the stock market or any other among the things that are still legal or now legal but actually dishonest, if it's by screwing the numbers and selling vaporware (interestingly, "selling fog" is a rather old expression here, depicting certain kind of con men), because those are the guys who exploit the others. Even if it's by perfectly legal small print that anyone can read - people don't read it because they are honest and think they are dealing with equally honest people, and then get screwed.
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>Do I need more money than I have now? No. Do I want more? Actually, no, I'd prefer having more time to do other things I like. Do I spread the wealth? In a way, I do - I shop locally, hire locals for whatever I need around the house (some remodeling has taken place) and generally don't haggle too hard and in the end tip them some if they've done well (but there's also a guy whom I shooed away).
>

not too far from my POV

>Would I be happier if I was much richer? I don't think so. I'd have to hire a bunch of thugs - a legal thug, an accountant, perhaps some thug thugs as security, befriend some politicians, exactly the kind of people I'm not happy to be in the same room with. And I would probably be forced to change my lifestyle, which is a no-go. I've worked hard to get to this point, why would I throw it all away just to make all the good things in my life inaccessible again? I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid.

but here I'd say the argument smells of sour grapes: pretty certain that up to three times no thugs are needed and accounting/tax prep cost hike would be no problem - assuming one of your programs sells to a larger audience than previously calculated. Change in lifestyle still up to you - I still drive a car I bought used (with an engine housing some additional horses for irrational fun factor), having more motor bikes would not hike the #km ridden more than 5%. Having gold weights would not make me train better - it is still up to me to kick myself to get into gear. But NOT having gold weights does not make me train harder/better as well, provided I am able to set aside enough time... Which I could also use to play more with interesting data.
For me the added options of having more money are not worth the hightened effort if I presume similar effort/compensation relation as I currently enjoy - in 40 years I am probably talking with the worms or too addled to mind the difference. The 40+H week seems less interesting nowadays - might do it for some interesting task but that itch has been scratched often enough.