Wealth will help the rich win zero-sum games against the poor. The most important zero-sum games being political power and social status and desirable land.
I agree with both statements. It's not because a rich person has more, that poor people have less.
If we were to start from scratch and redivide all the wealth in the western world between the people, it wouldn't take long for some individuals to rise to the top again and build up their net worth.
However, with wealth also comes power. There's just so much more you can achieve with good money in the bank. One simple example: a wealthy person with the good lawyer will almost always end up receiving a lighter sentence (if any) in comparison to the poor person with the shitty lawyer (if he even has a lawyer). That is clearly unfair, yet the way it is.
This is certainly true. What's not clear is whether that power can be redistributed equally or if addressing it just leaves a vacuum of power and the risks that entails. More concretely, there hasn't been a form of campaign finance regulations that has actually achieved its goals in the U.S. At least so far.
If the rich couldn't fund their unfair legal teams, would the justice system be more fair? Or would it just give more power to prosecutors who wouldn't have their actions challenged and appealed as often?
So I'd say no, it's not really a counter. There is something else, something intrinsic in our society, that causes the existence of the wealthy. Or "inequality" as others like to call it.
Ah yes, and modern constitutions and democracies came to be from goodnes of old aristrocratic hearts!
Events like french revolution were key drivers of reforms that brought around the modern democracy. While they weren't as bloody outside of France, they certanly did influence movements in other countries across Europe and forced their absolutists to accept the necessity of a parliament to curb their powers.
Even IF new wealthy people took the positions, they end result for general population was an improvement of living conditions.
