'Equality', in its current usage, is so devoid of any precise meaning that it is utterly useless for anyone to appeal to equality when arguing for or against any position.
An iced bun and a jam doughnut are being sold for 50p each. Are they equal? Do they have equality?
Is this true?
Iced bun = Jam Doughnut
No, they're clearly different things. You can only lick icing off the bun. You can only get jam all over your fingers with the doughnut. In a normal day I will desire the bun far more than the doughnut. So they're not equal.
But despite this, they are equal in value. The baker has set their price to be the same, and my bunny preference is equalised by someone else's love for jam doughnuts.
The problem with 'equality' is that next to no one seems to be able to distinguish between these meanings any more.
One man earns £20,000pa and another earns £100,000pa.
What does equality require?
1. A charge of £20,000 per person.
2. A flat tax rate of 33% on all earnings.
3. The richer man to pay £40,000 to the government, the poorer man nothing.
4. The redistribution of the richer man's income - £40,000 to the government, and £20,000 to the poorer man (to even things up).
5. The redistribution of all both men's possessions and earnings so that they have exactly the same stuff- minus £40,000 paid to the government in administration fees.
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