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1) Every country has its classes of "rich" and "poor". Billionaires would be an easy target to rob outright, but I suggest the GP meant something like progressi

by aleksei 10y ago

1) Every country has its classes of "rich" and "poor". Billionaires would be an easy target to rob outright, but I suggest the GP meant something like progressive taxation, where those with more would pay more back into the society they benefit from. Also, the poor of another country are no less people to help than those in your own (and man would to well to transcend national identities anyway, but that's different can of worms). 2) What do you think happens to the money, that it gets burned? The money will continue in circulation (ie. the previously poor will now pay for their food instead of stealing it etc.), and if you were rich before the money will obviously keep coming back, as more people have the wealth to purchase your services.

ruste 10y ago
The rich aren't just sitting on a giant pile of liquid assets. Basically all of their money is invested. It's circulating right now. It's the infrastructure and businesses the poor are buying from. You can't redistribute wealth like that because if you do there quickly won't be services to buy from. You don't improve a poor mans situation by dismantling the grocery store he goes to. Even if you give him a slice of what you take, you've removed infrastructure that he relies on. He'll be set for a week or two, but when he needs to buy food again the grocery store won't be able to provide the way it used to.
prostoalex 10y ago
> if you were rich before the money will obviously keep coming back, as more people have the wealth to purchase your services In a scenario where the original rich person was a landlord, factory owner or a farmer, the property progressively got taken away to cover the tax bills and either sold to a bunch of third parties or just taken over by a government agency, as those property auctions take a while to set up, find respective buyers and run. The "services" thesis works for someone charging per engagement, like a doctor, as they can probably operate with relatively small overhead, but for a bunch of occupations the property that's responsible for building wealth is also the tool of building that wealth.
- aleksei 10y ago
  Obviously with absurd property taxes this would be an issue.
collyw 10y ago
Rob outright? Do you really believe that billionaires create so much value for the world (because they can't work hard enough to justify their exceptional wealth)? Mark Zuckerburgs contributions were more valuable than Tim Berners Lee?

by aleksei 10y ago

ruste 10y ago

The rich aren't just sitting on a giant pile of liquid assets. Basically all of their money is invested. It's circulating right now. It's the infrastructure and businesses the poor are buying from. You can't redistribute wealth like that because if you do there quickly won't be services to buy from. You don't improve a poor mans situation by dismantling the grocery store he goes to. Even if you give him a slice of what you take, you've removed infrastructure that he relies on. He'll be set for a week or two, but when he needs to buy food again the grocery store won't be able to provide the way it used to.

prostoalex 10y ago

> if you were rich before the money will obviously keep coming back, as more people have the wealth to purchase your services In a scenario where the original rich person was a landlord, factory owner or a farmer, the property progressively got taken away to cover the tax bills and either sold to a bunch of third parties or just taken over by a government agency, as those property auctions take a while to set up, find respective buyers and run. The "services" thesis works for someone charging per engagement, like a doctor, as they can probably operate with relatively small overhead, but for a bunch of occupations the property that's responsible for building wealth is also the tool of building that wealth.

aleksei 10y ago
Obviously with absurd property taxes this would be an issue.

collyw 10y ago

Rob outright? Do you really believe that billionaires create so much value for the world (because they can't work hard enough to justify their exceptional wealth)? Mark Zuckerburgs contributions were more valuable than Tim Berners Lee?