Frank Hollingsworth argued in a letter that failing to tax extreme wealth fairly invites long-term political and economic damage, saying the debate has overlooked history’s clearest lessons.
Four risks anchor his case: family fortunes snowball across generations, wealth concentration turns gains into a zero-sum contest, elites can capture politics, and ordinary workers bear the costs of wars and austerity.
Historical examples and quotations from George Santayana, Edmund Burke and Cicero frame his warning that entrenched wealth weakens self-government and drains economic vitality.
East Lampeter Township’s Hollingsworth cast the issue as a public-welfare test, urging tax policy that prevents opportunity from being hoarded at the top.