So, that same guy could have done what Bama did...risked money to make money. Bama allocated his limited resources, took a risk, and could have lost. He should be punished by confiscatory government taxes? You apparently understood risk v reward as well because you did it not once but twice. (you must have a steeper learning curve).
Had he been allowed to keep more of his gains he may have been encouraged to do it again. A few more reno'd houses to improve a neighborhood, at a price point more of those $45K a year workers might one day be able to buy.
If cap gains are low, one suspects that the tax rate overall is low. So I seriously doubt the 45K earner is giving $15k back to the government.