dckingsfan wrote:stilldropin20 wrote:cammac wrote:
Balance is everything and while I found Bernie a breath air but he was also trying too much too quickly you are trying to take a "Luddite Society" politically into a totally reformed Social Democracy. While it might be "Utopian" it is unrealistic. All you have to do is look at the current Republican choice in Alabama..... Strange is regressive and Moore is a knuckles dragging Neanderthal. To think part of the American society can be dragged into the 20th Century little less the 21st is futile.
Let's stick to ideologies and not worry about which agent supports whatever given ideology and just stick to the ideology.
Ideally, I dont think we want the wealthy elite ruling class hoarding wealth and buying off politicians with that wealth so as to continue to influence legislation in a way that further enriches themeselves unless the vast and overwhelming majority of americans are simultaneously benefitting just as much? and even then we still dont want them hoarding too much of the wealth, correct? So I ask that question of the entire board. Who agrees with this basic premise that we dont want a wealthy elite ruling class at all and especially not to be able to easily pay off our politicians for favorable legislation?
I assume nearly everyone agrees with that except the few scant idiots that still think they are going to end up super wealthy and one of the elite ruling class?
So if we dont want that...how do we legally get our politician to write legislation to go after that wealth? And do so before they run off or paris, London, Dubai, Switzerland? Or better, get London, Paris, Germany, et al on board with us in a legal seizure of this wealth. How do we pull this off?
The arguments you made are - we don't want the wealthy to hoard wealth. From there you jumped to those that hoard wealth buy off politicians to further enrich themselves. Then you made the jump to we should separate the wealthy from their money and not let that money cross boarders easily.
Let's take an example that is easy to understand - since we are on a basketball board: Most that play basketball don't earn nearly as much as those the superstars. You are essentially advocating that we would pick a number, say $50M. As soon as a basketball player had accumulated $50M we would take the rest of his earnings and savings. Further, we wouldn't allow him to go to Europe and take his money with him to play, earn and accumulate more money.
So, although you have a simple argument - the argument is simple and unworkable in the context in which you have laid it out. I won't go through the numerous other flaws in your "argument". Instead, I would encourage you to think about your proposals in terms of the unintended consequences to those proposals.
well thats why i asked the question and I ask it to you directly? Do you want people like the Koch brothers to be able to steer elections, and buy influence from those politicians?
For time's sake, I assume you dont. As much as it is the "american way" its not suppose to be.
So at some point we have to tax income harshly. and by extension tax accumulated wealth harshly. That number is up for debate. at current dollar valuations I dont mind millionaires. I dont mind a person with a combined wealth of 10 million or even up to 50Million. But that's about my personal "hard cap " to use the basketball analogy you suggested. Beyond that it's just too much wealth. Too much power in one place. Of course wealthy and powerful families will simply distribute that amongst each other so we need to look at combined wealth too.
Put a gun to my head and me legislate a new tax code right now? i'd say 55% tax rate on income over 2Million. 65% over 4 Million. 75% over 6 Million. 85% tax rate on income over $25 Million. 98% rate over $50million. Combine that with a 98% tax rate on inheritance over $50M.
You can still be rich. just not ultra wealthy. No Billionaires!! Hard workers and genius who put that genius to work should be rewarded.
If we did that we would have a ton more low end millionaires once the trillions get repatriated into society. I think its better to have 100 people worth 1 million vs 1 person worth 100million. I think the world would be a better place. and I'd rather have 200 people worth $500K.



























