Airline worker falls asleep, OP ED.

[Brian37]

The difference in life styles between rich and poor has been steadily closing....quality of life is rising and its rising fast.  Poor people today have it better than middle class people of the 1970s.  We have a situation where there is a capitalistic tide lifting all boats.

...rather than looking at gaps, it seems that trickle down is working quite well.
...work hard and work smart. THat's the recipe for success, and it isn't a secret.

. There's no question the state-owned behemoths we saw in the Soviet Union were flops.

Hard work little assures success because having or acquiring personal connections who can assist your rise is also needed. But it's true that laziness will kill your chances. 

Which is why a mixed economy is probably the best way to travel.  

But Dubai isn't poor. The Saudi Royal Family is not poor, and China's communist party makes tons of money allowing western businesses to exist. You cannot treat the word "capitalism" as a form of government. There is not one country in the world who does not have people in power that don't invest in the global market. I have no doubt Un's family has bank accounts and global investments.

I agree hard work has nothing to do with success. Neither does laziness. Literally even outside our species both work and luck work. 

And I agree a mixed economy is good, which is why you cannot have a huge pay gap or allow monopolies of wealth.