The OLIGARCH (wealth tax) act is coming
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Okay, well, it's an attempt. It's a terrible one but it's an attempt.
We've never figured this out. Ever. Income inequality goes past a threshold and the lower classes flip the board over, every single time. It's ridiculous to presume we're done doing that.
What's a better solution? Ignore it? Preach hard work? That's never prevented revolutions.
Please love yourself.
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"It is unacceptable that millions of hardworking people remain impoverished, while the top 0.1% hold over 20% of the nation's wealth."
Why is this unacceptable?
@89th said in The OLIGARCH (wealth tax) act is coming:
"It is unacceptable that millions of hardworking people remain impoverished, while the top 0.1% hold over 20% of the nation's wealth."
Why is this unacceptable?
Because it gets us closer to a threshold in which people will start to die.
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@Aqua-Letifer I remember @Jon saying something similar. That the concern with inequality isn't really in what it does (is one person made poorer when another gains wealth?), but in what it could lead to... social unrest.
@89th said in The OLIGARCH (wealth tax) act is coming:
@Aqua-Letifer I remember @Jon saying something similar. That the concern with inequality isn't really in what it does (is one person made poorer when another gains wealth?), but in what it could lead to... social unrest.
It's happened to every toppled civilization in our history.
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This is what institutionalized populism looks like. Meanwhile, supporters of this legislation will wield the word “populism” as a weapon against the right.
That said, AI will probably force some very difficult conversations regarding wealth redistribution from huge and massively profitable corporations with astonishingly low employee counts.
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Okay, well, it's an attempt. It's a terrible one but it's an attempt.
We've never figured this out. Ever. Income inequality goes past a threshold and the lower classes flip the board over, every single time. It's ridiculous to presume we're done doing that.
What's a better solution? Ignore it? Preach hard work? That's never prevented revolutions.
@Aqua-Letifer said in The OLIGARCH (wealth tax) act is coming:
Okay, well, it's an attempt. It's a terrible one but it's an attempt.
We've never figured this out. Ever. Income inequality goes past a threshold and the lower classes flip the board over, every single time. It's ridiculous to presume we're done doing that.
What's a better solution? Ignore it? Preach hard work? That's never prevented revolutions.
The relatively small number of people I've known personally who made a shit-ton of money certainly didn't get it because of hard work. Risk-taking, maybe. Sociopathy in at least one case. Right/place, right time. But it's not hard work that singles out the super-rich from the rest of us.
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@Aqua-Letifer said in The OLIGARCH (wealth tax) act is coming:
Okay, well, it's an attempt. It's a terrible one but it's an attempt.
We've never figured this out. Ever. Income inequality goes past a threshold and the lower classes flip the board over, every single time. It's ridiculous to presume we're done doing that.
What's a better solution? Ignore it? Preach hard work? That's never prevented revolutions.
The relatively small number of people I've known personally who made a shit-ton of money certainly didn't get it because of hard work. Risk-taking, maybe. Sociopathy in at least one case. Right/place, right time. But it's not hard work that singles out the super-rich from the rest of us.
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@Aqua-Letifer said in The OLIGARCH (wealth tax) act is coming:
Okay, well, it's an attempt. It's a terrible one but it's an attempt.
We've never figured this out. Ever. Income inequality goes past a threshold and the lower classes flip the board over, every single time. It's ridiculous to presume we're done doing that.
What's a better solution? Ignore it? Preach hard work? That's never prevented revolutions.
The relatively small number of people I've known personally who made a shit-ton of money certainly didn't get it because of hard work. Risk-taking, maybe. Sociopathy in at least one case. Right/place, right time. But it's not hard work that singles out the super-rich from the rest of us.
@Doctor-Phibes said in The OLIGARCH (wealth tax) act is coming:
@Aqua-Letifer said in The OLIGARCH (wealth tax) act is coming:
Okay, well, it's an attempt. It's a terrible one but it's an attempt.
We've never figured this out. Ever. Income inequality goes past a threshold and the lower classes flip the board over, every single time. It's ridiculous to presume we're done doing that.
What's a better solution? Ignore it? Preach hard work? That's never prevented revolutions.
The relatively small number of people I've known personally who made a shit-ton of money certainly didn't get it because of hard work. Risk-taking, maybe. Sociopathy in at least one case. Right/place, right time. But it's not hard work that singles out the super-rich from the rest of us.
Well, yeah. I'm just pointing out the idiocy of calling the poor a bunch of lazy whiners looking for a handout. French aristos were doing the exact same thing while the mob was dragging them and their families out of their homes. Oddly, the rhetoric didn't sway the crowd any.
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There's at least two branches of populism at the moment. One seems intent on blaming the rich for everything, the other has different groups to point the finger at. Neither one really fills me with much hope that things are going to improve.
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The difference between our situation and the ones that ended in revolution is that the 99.99% have the opportunity to become wealthy here. That was not true of Russia, France, wherever you might like to mention.
“I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” ~Winston S. Churchill
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Most of my super-rich friends did get their wealth from hard work.
My regular friends also got their wealth from hard work.
If you want to pursue wealth, go ahead, nobody is stopping you. Except maybe the democrats who want to eliminate exorbitant wealth.
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Most of my super-rich friends did get their wealth from hard work.
My regular friends also got their wealth from hard work.
If you want to pursue wealth, go ahead, nobody is stopping you. Except maybe the democrats who want to eliminate exorbitant wealth.
@Copper said in The OLIGARCH (wealth tax) act is coming:
Most of my super-rich friends did get their wealth from hard work.
Being a gangster doesn't really count as hard work.
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My super rich friends (9 figures+) inherited it.
My rich friends (8 figures) worked for it and had plenty of luck.
@Jon said in The OLIGARCH (wealth tax) act is coming:
My super rich friends (9 figures+) inherited it.
My rich friends (8 figures) worked for it and had plenty of luck.
Male prostitutes don’t count either
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I imagine the billionaire I've been in the same room with, the owner of the company I work for, finds great joy in making other people rich. Everybody who reports to him gets generational wealth, and he did that. Well, his dad did, and then he inherited it.
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The difference between our situation and the ones that ended in revolution is that the 99.99% have the opportunity to become wealthy here. That was not true of Russia, France, wherever you might like to mention.
@Mik said in The OLIGARCH (wealth tax) act is coming:
The difference between our situation and the ones that ended in revolution is that the 99.99% have the opportunity to become wealthy here. That was not true of Russia, France, wherever you might like to mention.
In the USA, darn near 100% of the population can afford a lottery ticket and therefore have the opportunity to become wealthy. The same can be said for Russia and France.
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The difference between our situation and the ones that ended in revolution is that the 99.99% have the opportunity to become wealthy here. That was not true of Russia, France, wherever you might like to mention.
@Mik said in The OLIGARCH (wealth tax) act is coming:
The difference between our situation and the ones that ended in revolution is that the 99.99% have the opportunity to become wealthy here. That was not true of Russia, France, wherever you might like to mention.
Which I think is why the threshold has been higher this time. But it's not infinite.
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I see your point, but do you think any American truly has such a legitimate grievance? I don’t.
@Mik said in The OLIGARCH (wealth tax) act is coming:
I see your point, but do you think any American truly has such a legitimate grievance? I don’t.
No, I don't either, but I'm saying it doesn't matter. Arguing over fair and legitimate won't keep the board from being flipped over. The only thing that will is keeping inequality from crossing the collective "fuck this" threshold.
Which, no, I don't know how we should do that. I just think it's possible that with AI job loss, a burgeoning capitalistic landed gentry, growing party animosity and central planning shenanigans, we could be in for some serious shit.
