I defy you to show one where luck had NOTHING to do with it.
I don't know what luck means.
I have two brothers. One elected to drop out of high school. He's had low level jobs for much of his life (e.g., dishwasher). I can remember him telling me that he puts in only 25 hours/week because he doesn't like to work. My other brother graduated from high school and has been employed in typical blue collar jobs for 35-40 years. Historically, he puts in a solid 40 hours/week. I have a PhD. I've been putting in 60-80 hours/week, either at school or on the job, since high school (the last 35 years). I've taken 10 days of vacation in the last 18 years. I can only guess as to what my two brothers earn. One probably earns $10K/yr; the other perhaps $35K/yr. I earn a little over $185K/yr.
Yes, all three of us are very lucky that we live in the United States and not Rwanda. But that doesn't explain the difference in our incomes. Here are three brothers coming from the same gene pool, or so my mother claims. Presumably, we possess similar innate abilities and intelligence. We've been blessed with similar opportunities in life. We had many of the same teachers in public school.
I didn't win the lottery. 99% of the income difference between me and my brothers is due to the work, dedication, focus, and sacrifice each of us elected to put into our own lives and careers. It's as simple as that.
While an ethical argument can be made that the United States should redistribute its wealth to people in Rwanda, I don't see why the government should force me to redistribute much of my income to either of my brothers. If I choose to do so, fine, but I don't see this as the governments call.
My marginal tax rate is approaching 50%. I paid about $60K in taxes last year (all taxes). And then the government tells me that it needs more and that I'm not paying my fair share. On the other hand, my annual expenses are about $30K/yr. That's $15K for mortgage and property taxes, $5K for charity, and $10K for everything else (food, clothes, utilities, gas, home and auto repairs, insurance, recreation and entertainment, etc). Put simply, I pay more than twice in taxes than what I spend on myself. If I can live within my means, why can't the government?
I work for every penny I earn. And then I pay my taxes. Work doesn't pay, which is a main reason why I will soon take early retirement. If the government wants to create an anti-incentive for me to work, fine, I won't work. And when I retire, my taxes will drop from $60K/yr to well below $10K/yr. And when I'm relaxing on the beach, I'll start complaining that others aren't paying their fair share.
Back to work.