Opinion: Let's Give Thanks for the One Percent

Let's Give Thanks for the One Percent

By Alex  Epstein, Founder of the Center for Industrial Progress

Published November 23, 2011 | FoxNews.com

In a country mired in recession and unemployment, it may seem hard to find things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. But there are many. Because we live in America, even those of us who are going through hard times have access to abundant food, racks of clothing, secure shelter, heating and air-conditioning, and an amazing array of learning and leisure activities.

This is important to remember, not just to keep our spirits up, but to avoid a tragic mistake societies often make: taking the good for granted. It is all too easy to fixate on our problems without appreciating the good in our lives. Societies that make this mistake are easy prey for scapegoating charlatans--such as those who tell us that our salvation lies in redistributing the wealth of “the 1%.”

In this past year, it has become popular to collectively blame the most financially successful Americans, “the 1%,” for America's economic problems. The grain of truth here is that some Americans are rich because of government favoritism, such as bailouts, handouts, and other cushy deals. But the solution here is to attack favoritism--not to attack "the 1%" as such. America is still a free enough country where most of its 1% earn their success--through superior productivity that benefits us all.

Consider the impact of some leading 1%ers in recent years.

There's billionaire George Mitchell, whom Forbes has called "the father of shale gas," was the prime mover behind the growing shale gas revolution, which is creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and dramatically increasing America’s ability to produce energy--including the clean, cheaper-than-ever natural gas that will heat many of our homes this Thanksgiving.