Money off the smarts

I try not to seem very old-fashioned but it's hard sometimes. I grew up thinking that if you studied well and had good fortune on your side, you would get a good job. You would then proceed to work hard at that job (or jobs) to earn your living. And would ultimately be able to make a good life.

Old fashioned wisdom, like much else, has been turned on it's head in this world I live in. One doesn't have to be a seasoned veteran of the trenches to earn a good life. The live rich quick have their credit cards and then there are those who live off their smarts.

These 'smart' players are ace investors. They invest in everything and anything, from equities to commodities, in other words, from shares in Walmart to water. They seem to know which way the market will turn at most times. So ask a smart and s/he will tell you whether Walmart will have a stronger market presence and if buying water on the stock exchange will be a good investment. Of course there are times when these seers do not see very well, but then they reveal their human side. More on that some other time.

Sadly, the smarts don't just make money for themselves. They make a lot of difference to a lot of lives. Today, a giant pharmaceutical company said that it would lay off 2,000 people in a bid to save $200 million every year. This step was important for the company to show profits and stay in good financial health to keep investors happy.

And that confused me. I do understand to a certain extent how companies work. And I am all about efficiency. But there's some discord here. How can the investors that gain from a company's profits be content with such a one-dimensional return? How does the social inequality created by job losses and other people becoming poorer make the world a more comfortable place to live in?

End of the day, isn't it important for everyone to live in a world that is clean, has easily accessible resources and doesn't house hungry hordes that are waiting to gnaw at the first fat cat that ambles along? How can it be better for a few to hoard the resources of the world? Isn't it just safer for everybody if everyone can earn a living wage and has enough to eat?

I might as well admit it. I am just plain old-fashioned.