Talking about the putative dangers of "too little inequality" when the amount we have today is so absurdly high seems kind of disingenuous, even if that's not what's intended.
In order for there to be "too little inequality" to the extent that you describe, it would have to be impossible for anyone to, say, earn more than about $100k/yr (based on current median incomes in the US). So far as I know, no one with an iota of credibility has proposed anything remotely like this.
As it stands, any time any level of increase in taxes on the ultra-wealthy is proposed, people come out of the woodwork claiming that a higher tax rate on those making $100m, $500m, $1b/yr would just destroy all interest in striving and doing well, which is so clearly absurd.
...And, unfortunately, we also know that there are a fair number of people for whom reduced inequality would destroy their ambition, because their ambition has nothing to do with being reasonably wealthy themselves or having financial security: the reward, for them, is very explicitly being able to treat other people like they aren't even human. And that's not something society should ever accept, from anyone.
In order for there to be "too little inequality" to the extent that you describe, it would have to be impossible for anyone to, say, earn more than about $100k/yr (based on current median incomes in the US). So far as I know, no one with an iota of credibility has proposed anything remotely like this.
As it stands, any time any level of increase in taxes on the ultra-wealthy is proposed, people come out of the woodwork claiming that a higher tax rate on those making $100m, $500m, $1b/yr would just destroy all interest in striving and doing well, which is so clearly absurd.
...And, unfortunately, we also know that there are a fair number of people for whom reduced inequality would destroy their ambition, because their ambition has nothing to do with being reasonably wealthy themselves or having financial security: the reward, for them, is very explicitly being able to treat other people like they aren't even human. And that's not something society should ever accept, from anyone.