As for GMs stealing other people's rating... yeah that is how it works I think. Hikaru steals rating from Naroditsky, he steals from an IM, IM steals from CMs and NMs, who steal from strong unrated players, who in turn prey on the rest ...
When two active players play (let's say they both have the same RD) the game doesn't add or subtract any rating points from the pool, so a Hikaru and Naroditsky match doesn't do what tygxc is saying a new GM does. What tygxc is talking about is when the point-to-skill relationship is altered by points being permanently added or removed from the pool.
For example if by some error all your ratings were set to 1000, then those points would disappear, and the cost of returning you to your correct rating would be evenly shared by all other players.
@19
At any moment more beginners join that grandmasters.
A beginner joins, gets an initial rating of 1200, plays rapid, loses, and descends to 900.
Then he has donated rating to the rapid pool.
A grandmaster joins, gets his initial rating, plays bullet, wins, and rises to 3000.
Then he has drained rating from the bullet pool.
Sure, there are multiple inflationary and deflationary affects.
One funny one is this. If a new player joins, and plays every day for a year... as they improve, they'll lower the ratings of other players.
There are also idiots who, for example, lose every game on purpose (sandbag) or win every game on purpose (cheat) and then get banned.