5 ms·
Every country already has a well established "deep state" constituted by the rich 0.1%. Wealth determines what is allowed in a state, with small variations that
by coliveira 10y ago
Every country already has a well established "deep state" constituted by the rich 0.1%. Wealth determines what is allowed in a state, with small variations that have to do with the particular party in power. In the USA both Democrats and Republicans represent the elite, with the Democrats having additional progressive support and republicans with conservative support.
- yummyfajitas 10y agoImagine hypothetically that the rich 0.1% were NOT the "deep state". What policies would be different?
- shard972 10y agoUnless you assume those people were purely altruistic, what would stop them from becoming the rich 0.1%?
- coliveira 10y agoTaxation.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- mistermann 10y agoTaxation. War.
- someguydave 10y agoEven better: imagine the government forced the sale of all assets. Then imagine the government distributes the proceeds to all citizens in equal measure. What's the probability that after a few years the 0.1% will be in the 0.1% again? I suspect it's pretty high.
- ChuckMcM 10y agoThat is powerful analysis tool right there. I tend to suspect that the policies would not be much different than they are. The top 20% of earners still pay 84% of the income taxes[1]. Lyndon Johnson felt the "military industrial complex" was a sort of deep state. However I would distinguish between the notion of a deep state which is making foreign policy vs corruption which is simply enriching a few special interests. [1] https://www.wsj.com/articles/top-20-of-earners-pay-84-of-income-tax-1428674384 https://www.wsj.com/articles/top-20-of-earners-pay-84-of-inc...