Elon Musk showed interest in an idea that would guarantee a $5,000 payment, or 'DOGE Dividend,' to every American to show off the $55 billion in taxpayer funds saved.
I guess to me it’s pretty simple. Poor folks have less disposable income and therefore taxing them is more likely to take from basic needs. Why aggravate poverty? If the owner class doesn’t pay its workers enough then we should tax them and support workers with owner class money.
Because in the models I saw and like, basics like food, utilities, housing wouldn’t be taxed. So it’s more of a consumption tax. Buying shit you don’t need. Poor folks don’t need the latest phones, latest styles of clothes, latest shoes, the fastest internet, etc.
People who buy lots of crap, would pay more taxes. Those of us who buy less crap would pay less taxes. Basically rich people would pay way more taxes than non-rich people. That’s a simplification, but that’s the gist.
And to be honest, I don’t think most of Lemmy has ever been poor. Most of Lemmy are computer programers/nerds who think poor is making $80K a year just out to college–guys, that ain’t poor.
Poor is never even have been to college, and working minimum wage without benefits. And sometimes 2 jobs. And fucking eating beans and rice to fucking live. Or not having a job and being homeless.
Bitching about having a 4-year computer science degree and not making $100K a year is NOT FUCKING POOR, no matter where you live, guys. Try not having a degree.
Source: I’ve been poor. I’m retired now and I still make less than 99 percent of Lemmy. lol
I see, I’ll ingore the rant and stay focused. I’ve heard you rant about that before.
I don’t believe in a natural hierarchy. I think people are incomparable value wise, and therefore I’d like to see everyone as equal as possible. Therefore I think being rich should be one of the most difficult things for a person to maintain. I think things should naturally equalize. An intense progressive tax where the vast majority of wealth over some threshold is taxed would force the rich to actually work for the people.
Being rich would be a positive status from any angle there because you are giving most of it away.
I haven’t given up at all. I retired at a youngish age, I have a great social life, I have a great gf, I have a great relationship with my children, and a great life in general. I realize the value of dealing with reality.
I paid off my house, paid off all my debt, and now I do what I want. I don’t owe anyone anything, and I can’t be canceled or silenced. I’m also fit and healthy. All of this was achieved by working hard, adapting to reality, and working with what I had/have.
I think life is awesome and I’m having a great time, and I have about 50 more years to have a great time. And hopefully by then, my consciousness can be downloaded into a robot and I can live forever.
I meant specifically: what in your life convinced you that an egalitarian society is impossible? Why have you given up on that idea if you say you want it too?
What makes you think it’s possible? Especially since no major country power in the world has done it. It’s not just the US that doesn’t do the things you are asking for.
Not in the models I have seen. I have seen people argue that, but I’ve also seen people argue against that.
I guess to me it’s pretty simple. Poor folks have less disposable income and therefore taxing them is more likely to take from basic needs. Why aggravate poverty? If the owner class doesn’t pay its workers enough then we should tax them and support workers with owner class money.
Because in the models I saw and like, basics like food, utilities, housing wouldn’t be taxed. So it’s more of a consumption tax. Buying shit you don’t need. Poor folks don’t need the latest phones, latest styles of clothes, latest shoes, the fastest internet, etc.
People who buy lots of crap, would pay more taxes. Those of us who buy less crap would pay less taxes. Basically rich people would pay way more taxes than non-rich people. That’s a simplification, but that’s the gist.
And to be honest, I don’t think most of Lemmy has ever been poor. Most of Lemmy are computer programers/nerds who think poor is making $80K a year just out to college–guys, that ain’t poor.
Poor is never even have been to college, and working minimum wage without benefits. And sometimes 2 jobs. And fucking eating beans and rice to fucking live. Or not having a job and being homeless.
Bitching about having a 4-year computer science degree and not making $100K a year is NOT FUCKING POOR, no matter where you live, guys. Try not having a degree.
Source: I’ve been poor. I’m retired now and I still make less than 99 percent of Lemmy. lol
I see, I’ll ingore the rant and stay focused. I’ve heard you rant about that before.
I don’t believe in a natural hierarchy. I think people are incomparable value wise, and therefore I’d like to see everyone as equal as possible. Therefore I think being rich should be one of the most difficult things for a person to maintain. I think things should naturally equalize. An intense progressive tax where the vast majority of wealth over some threshold is taxed would force the rich to actually work for the people.
Being rich would be a positive status from any angle there because you are giving most of it away.
And I have seen your rants before. The things you want have never happened, and will never happen.
I’d love to see everyone as equal as possible too. But to think that that you can wish/force the rich to actually work for the people is laughable.
It’s not going to happen. And I think you know it’s not going to happen. So I think the best way is to adapt the best we can.
But you keep wishing for that. Trump won for a reason.
We ain’t Star Trek. We’ll never be Star Trek. But that doesn’t mean we have to be unhappy.
What made you give up?
I haven’t given up at all. I retired at a youngish age, I have a great social life, I have a great gf, I have a great relationship with my children, and a great life in general. I realize the value of dealing with reality.
I paid off my house, paid off all my debt, and now I do what I want. I don’t owe anyone anything, and I can’t be canceled or silenced. I’m also fit and healthy. All of this was achieved by working hard, adapting to reality, and working with what I had/have.
I think life is awesome and I’m having a great time, and I have about 50 more years to have a great time. And hopefully by then, my consciousness can be downloaded into a robot and I can live forever.
Not even joking! lol :)
I meant specifically: what in your life convinced you that an egalitarian society is impossible? Why have you given up on that idea if you say you want it too?
I just listed my reasons.
What makes you think it’s possible? Especially since no major country power in the world has done it. It’s not just the US that doesn’t do the things you are asking for.