Foreword by Chuck Collins

The debate over taxing the wealthy inevitably gets bogged down in two competing worldviews or narrative stories about wealth and deservedness in the United States. The Self-Made Myth goes to the heart of that debate. On the one hand, some argue that we should not tax the wealthy because these individuals earned their wealth alone and, as such, government has no right to tax it.

But there is another view put forth in this book that begins with an understanding that no individual is an island. No one starts a business or creates wealth in a social vacuum. There are things we do together—through our tax dollars and public expenditures—that create the fertile ground for wealth creation. Without these social investments—education, scientific research, and infrastructure—there would be significantly less private wealth.

In 2004 I co-authored a report from United for a Fair Economy, titled “I Didn’t Do It Alone: Society’s Contribution to Individual Wealth and Success,” that examined the multiple factors that contribute to individual success. In The Self-Made Myth, Miller and Lapham have elevated that effort to an entirely new level.

One great feature of The Self-Made Myth is the personal stories from successful business leaders who describe the web of societal supports that make their private wealth possible. In their stories they talk of schools, libraries, public transportation, scholarships, research—and larger public institutions that protect property rights, build and maintain infrastructure, and facilitate a stable marketplace.

As a result, their attitudes about taxation are refreshingly different. They view taxes as the price we pay to live in a healthy society—with adequate services, infrastructure, and equal opportunity. They understand that for future generations to have the same opportunities that they had, we each have to pay forward to ensure that the ground remains healthy and productive.

Instead of feeling resentful, these fortunate individuals feel gratitude to live in a society with such opportunities. Having received the gift, they want to pass it on. The voices of these wealthy individuals and business leaders are critical to the public policy debates of today. In this new narrative and these powerful examples lies the possibility for a positive future.

Chuck Collins is a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies and the co-editor of www.inequality.org. He is co-author, with Bill Gates Sr., of Wealth and Our Commonwealth: Why America Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes. In 1995 he co-founded United for a Fair Economy.