5 ms·

Is there any way to impose a "progressive taxation" system? Presumably the wealthy are willing to cough up $40 per month for the New York Times. But if it's the

Is there any way to impose a "progressive taxation" system? Presumably the wealthy are willing to cough up $40 per month for the New York Times. But if it's the poor and oppressed we want to take care of, how do you convince the wealthy to pitch in? Most studies I'm aware of indicate the wealthy are the least likely to be interested in progressive taxation schemes, even though they have historically created tides that lift all boats (rather than the current trend of financial schemes, which create tides that lift all yachts)

Mz 11y ago
I am so tired of hearing this kind of framing. Good paradigms do not frame economic solutions in terms of rich vs poor. I am not interested in talking about how to soak the rich for the benefit of the poor. That framing only deepens the class divide. We need a different mental model for this relatively new set of problems or the horrendous crisis we currently have will only get worse. You cannot solve a problem with the same mindset that created it. -- Albert Einstein
- niels_olson 11y ago
  I'm so tired of the frame too. So, how do you define the crisis?
  - Mz 11y ago
    People have inherent value. Their participation in the system has inherent value. Their ability to pay not only varies from person to person but also from time to time. We need to create paradigms that are inclusive of those who are less well off finanically not as charity but because their participation adds value. HN actually does that. It is part of the YC business model. HN is noit directly monetized. There are no ads and there is no membership fee. But you cannot apply to YC without a handle on HN. YC wants and needs HN members who are not currently wealthy. It invests in companies that are just starting out, that need seed money and other assistance. That is how YC makes money: by helping them grow and getting a cut of the action. The more we exclude the have nots, the harder it gets for them to escape poverty and become one of the haves. Creating a permanent underclass hurts everyone. I like the Patreon model and I am considering pursuing that for some of my projects. I also have tip jars on some sites. I need more traffic and some other pieces to come together. I am working on it. I see no reason why we cannot have several different viable models that treat those who are not currently able to pay as valuable participants. Human society is deeply harmed by systems that boil everyone down to their current net worth. It actively undermines the creation of real value. We need to start actively discouraging that while grappling with how to pay the bills at the same time.

Mz 11y ago

I am so tired of hearing this kind of framing. Good paradigms do not frame economic solutions in terms of rich vs poor. I am not interested in talking about how to soak the rich for the benefit of the poor. That framing only deepens the class divide. We need a different mental model for this relatively new set of problems or the horrendous crisis we currently have will only get worse. You cannot solve a problem with the same mindset that created it. -- Albert Einstein

niels_olson 11y ago
I'm so tired of the frame too. So, how do you define the crisis?
- Mz 11y ago
  People have inherent value. Their participation in the system has inherent value. Their ability to pay not only varies from person to person but also from time to time. We need to create paradigms that are inclusive of those who are less well off finanically not as charity but because their participation adds value. HN actually does that. It is part of the YC business model. HN is noit directly monetized. There are no ads and there is no membership fee. But you cannot apply to YC without a handle on HN. YC wants and needs HN members who are not currently wealthy. It invests in companies that are just starting out, that need seed money and other assistance. That is how YC makes money: by helping them grow and getting a cut of the action. The more we exclude the have nots, the harder it gets for them to escape poverty and become one of the haves. Creating a permanent underclass hurts everyone. I like the Patreon model and I am considering pursuing that for some of my projects. I also have tip jars on some sites. I need more traffic and some other pieces to come together. I am working on it. I see no reason why we cannot have several different viable models that treat those who are not currently able to pay as valuable participants. Human society is deeply harmed by systems that boil everyone down to their current net worth. It actively undermines the creation of real value. We need to start actively discouraging that while grappling with how to pay the bills at the same time.