Taxes & the Oligarchs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The situation we currently have — a dizzying and disgusting wealth gap, a proliferation of hubristic billionaires, a civic life that’s increasingly bent to the whims of corporations and the ultra wealthy — isn’t an inevitability, or the result of some natural law.

It was aided by a series of policy choices, most notably the decision to lower tax rates for the highest earners and corporations, again and again and again. But also decision to deregulate financial markets. To do nothing about stock buy-backs. To let our nation’s health become a mere product subject to the balance sheet machinations of rapacious PBMs and private equity ghouls.

These are policy choices, not inevitabilities. We can make different choices.

But can we make different choices? Back in olden times under Eisenhower, we had a 90 percent tax rate on the super rich. This is the golden era that people refer to, when a high school graduate could get a decent job, support a family, buy a home, a car, go on vacation, easily pay for college for the kids, have a pension, and on and on.

Now we have the world's richest man - a South African no less - destroying the federal government because he feels like it. We have a Supreme Court that in Citizens United equated money with free speech and opened the floodgates to special interests buying what they need from politicians. We have the longtime House Speaker - Nancy Pelosi - becoming filthy rich from insider trading. We have the dissolute offspring of presidents - Hunter Biden, Donald Trump Jr - making bank from their "art" or their crypto plays. Both parties are invested in the system as it is.

At this moment in time, there isn't a ballot box solution. The Clintons and the Bidens and the Pelosis and the Obamas have all demonstrated how alluring great wealth is. I'm not sure we have a choice when every mainstream Democrat or Republican is deeply invested in the status quo and the riches they gain from perpetuating it.

Having lived in other countries that have encountered systemic failure, I can say that when the dam breaks, it will happen very quickly. Because when people feel like they have no choice, they will move beyond the ballot box.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get money out of politics.

Let’s remember who is to blame for all of this. Roberts did more to destroy democracy with this case than pretty much anyone besides Trump and McConnell.

The Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission is a controversial decision that reversed century-old campaign finance restrictions and enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited money on elections.

While wealthy donors, corporations, and special interest groups have long spent money on campaigns, their role has ballooned as a result of Citizens United and subsequent decisions, resulting in a fusion of private wealth and political power unseen since the late 19th century.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The world will be better without them. Off with their heads, I say!

At least the evil billionaires of 100 years ago built libraries and schools to try to get into heaven. This new crop wants to tear everything down in the name of their capitalist god. I hate them.

Some of them are supporting universal basic income which would allow everyone to have basics like shelter, food, medicine for free, do you believe this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you advocate Communism?

This line used to work but the masses are starting to wise up.

Both Communism and capitalism are materialistic systems. Both view people as mere economic units. They will grind people down to support the overclass. Look at the discussion of tariffs, posters are fine with grinding people down so long as it's not their family.

Communism just got their faster.

True words

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The world will be better without them. Off with their heads, I say!

At least the evil billionaires of 100 years ago built libraries and schools to try to get into heaven. This new crop wants to tear everything down in the name of their capitalist god. I hate them.

Some of them are supporting universal basic income which would allow everyone to have basics like shelter, food, medicine for free, do you believe this?

Do I believe they’ll offer everyone ‘basics like shelter, food, medicine for free’?

Absolutely not. Unless you mean sheltering in sewers, foraging for rats peppered with the castoffs of the rich, and using bleach/ivermectin to cure us of all that ails us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you advocate Communism?

This line used to work but the masses are starting to wise up.

Both Communism and capitalism are materialistic systems. Both view people as mere economic units. They will grind people down to support the overclass. Look at the discussion of tariffs, posters are fine with grinding people down so long as it's not their family.

Communism just got their faster.

This. Someone gets it

so then what is the alternative?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m perfectly fine with the existence of billionaires, even though I don’t have a praying chance to ever become one.

What I think that should change is their ability to pretty much buy elections and favors. There should be a reasonable limit on what any person or company can donate to public campaigns.

Also, they should be taxed more - way more.

It’s the inherent nature of billionaires to never follow such rules and they have the corrupting influence to make it happen. That’s why we can’t have any billionaires. Their very existence is a corruption of society.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The situation we currently have — a dizzying and disgusting wealth gap, a proliferation of hubristic billionaires, a civic life that’s increasingly bent to the whims of corporations and the ultra wealthy — isn’t an inevitability, or the result of some natural law.

It was aided by a series of policy choices, most notably the decision to lower tax rates for the highest earners and corporations, again and again and again. But also decision to deregulate financial markets. To do nothing about stock buy-backs. To let our nation’s health become a mere product subject to the balance sheet machinations of rapacious PBMs and private equity ghouls.

These are policy choices, not inevitabilities. We can make different choices.

But can we make different choices? Back in olden times under Eisenhower, we had a 90 percent tax rate on the super rich. This is the golden era that people refer to, when a high school graduate could get a decent job, support a family, buy a home, a car, go on vacation, easily pay for college for the kids, have a pension, and on and on.

Now we have the world's richest man - a South African no less - destroying the federal government because he feels like it. We have a Supreme Court that in Citizens United equated money with free speech and opened the floodgates to special interests buying what they need from politicians. We have the longtime House Speaker - Nancy Pelosi - becoming filthy rich from insider trading. We have the dissolute offspring of presidents - Hunter Biden, Donald Trump Jr - making bank from their "art" or their crypto plays. Both parties are invested in the system as it is.

At this moment in time, there isn't a ballot box solution. The Clintons and the Bidens and the Pelosis and the Obamas have all demonstrated how alluring great wealth is. I'm not sure we have a choice when every mainstream Democrat or Republican is deeply invested in the status quo and the riches they gain from perpetuating it.

Having lived in other countries that have encountered systemic failure, I can say that when the dam breaks, it will happen very quickly. Because when people feel like they have no choice, they will move beyond the ballot box.

Welcome to the former Yugoslavia

[Anonymous]

Also, from the same people, we need to have lots of immigration. We should not have tariffs.