Adam Smith coined the phrase "invisible hand" of the market and is the one who stated that when individuals pursue their own private good, it benefits the whole. Smith's words and ideas have been co-opted by conservatives and actually he truly did have the public good at heart, rather than private gain. But in general, he is regarded as one of the "fathers" of the conservative movement. Keep in mind as you read this quote that the combined assets of the 400 wealthiest people in America equals that of the economic bottom 50% of the entire population, yet conservatives are constantly arguing for lowering taxes on the wealthy. Here’s the quote: “The subjects of every state ought to contribute toward the support of the government, as nearly as possible, in proportion to their respective abilities; that is, in proportion to the revenue which they respectively enjoy under the protection of the state . . . a goal of taxation should be to remedy inequality of riches as much as possible, by relieving the poor and burdening the rich.” — Adam Smith, An Inquiry Into The Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations
