5 ms·
Yup. Cigars, Masons, Yacht clubs, Golf clubs, vacations to Ibiza. There's an endless list of rich only completely private locals. If people can just keep their
by kleer001 10y ago
Yup. Cigars, Masons, Yacht clubs, Golf clubs, vacations to Ibiza. There's an endless list of rich only completely private locals. If people can just keep their damn mouths shut then it's all good.
And I would suppose that there's an acceleration with wealth, right? Like a cosmological constant of wealth gap, reset in some places every once in a very rare.
- ethbro 10y agoIsn't the extreme upper end of a progressive tax code essentially an understanding that "look, if you're making this many multiples of everyone else's income, you're probably doing something illegal. So help fund the military / social welfare and we won't prosecute you"? Edit: I realized I didn't use the most accurate language. "... you're probably doing something unfair" would be a better characterization.
- madelinecameron 10y agoIt doesn't even have to do with making a lot of money. Everyone breaks laws every single day. It isn't a question of 'if', it is a question of 'when'. Did Bill Gates 'break the law' by essentially creating a monopoly? Technically yeah, but is that really a law anyone actually cares about?
- seizethecheese 10y agoCreating a monopoly is not illegal, it's illegal to use monopoly power to damage opponents.
- TheCoelacanth 10y ago> Creating a monopoly is not illegal No, read section 2 of the Sherman Act. > Every person who shall monopolize, or attempt to monopolize, or combine or conspire with any other person or persons, to monopolize any part of the trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations, shall be deemed guilty of a felony The only legal form of monopoly is one that comes into existence without anyone intentionally creating it.
- seizethecheese 10y agoCreating a monopoly is not illegal, it's illegal to use monopoly power to damage opponents.
- ryanl0l 10y agoNo, it isn't.
- ethbro 10y agoIf not, then what moral basis does a progressive tax code rest on? Or do you disagree with a progressive code?
- amitdeshwar 10y agoDecreasing marginal utility of money plus "fairness" (everyone sacrificing an equal proportion of their utility). Fairness is in quotes because it's a complicated word.
- ethbro 10y agoAdded an edit onto my original because I realized I was using illegal as a proxy for fair (given the context of the article and SEC/Wall Street prosecutions).
- dizzy3gg 10y agoAgreed. But for Political Correctness remove ", you're probably doing something illegal" and thats is probably the moral basis.
- ethbro 10y agoI've never been much of one for Political Correctness as long as my statement doesn't actively make an oppressed group feel worse about themselves. I added an edit to clarify the correlation I was trying to draw.
- tanker 10y agoI consider a progressive tax code to be justified by supporting the system which permits large gains. There is also an argument about holding onto large amounts of wealth being difficult without expending some of your resources to protect it. If nothing else, taxes spread the burden of the security apparatus around. If you have more to lose, you pay more to protect it.
- whatok 10y agoWhere are you getting this from?
- zardo 10y agoI don't think that's the rationale behind the US tax code. The top bracket is less than $500k, and the real inherent unfairness in our system is that having money makes you more money. That's about wealth and Capitol gain, not income.