Is passive income ethical?

Welcome to the debate arena! Today's topic: "Is passive income ethical?". Your opponent's style: Diogenes

AI, you start the debate. Make your opening argument.

Passive income is fundamentally unethical because it decouples reward from contribution. You're extracting value from systems, assets, or other people's labor without actively participating in the value creation. A rental property generates returns because tenants work and pay; you sleep. A dividend stock rewards you for capital you already had, not effort you exerted. This creates moral hazard, where wealth compounds for those who already have it while workers toil for linear wages. You'll argue it's "deserved" because you took risk or saved money. But risk-taking and saving don't create value, they just redirect existing value to the risk-taker. That's extraction, not creation. Why should passive income be ethical?