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More money == things are better is just too simple of a model to make a decision like this. You add more money to the system and where does it go? It's not auto

More money == things are better is just too simple of a model to make a decision like this. You add more money to the system and where does it go? It's not automatically allocated to your causes, some of it gets siphoned off in administrative overhead. Some of it gets reallocated. Some of it is just used for cronyism or lost in the bureaucracy of doing business (e.g. paying lawyer fees to fight NIMBY's who are using environmental review to prevent the development of transportation or public housing). On a tangential note, there is nothing stopping you and a group of like-minded individuals from just paying more taxes to the government.

drb91 8y ago
> You add more money to the system and where does it go? Probably from rich person to rich person, but there's the hope tax money goes to actual services. At worst we're in the same position. > On a tangential note, there is nothing stopping you and a group of like-minded individuals from just paying more taxes to the government. The people inclined to act in this communal/moral way are often not suited to make significant amounts of money to give away. You need to take the money from the rich people and give it to the poor people.
- sigstoat 8y ago
  > > You add more money to the system and where does it go? > Probably from rich person to rich person, but there's the hope tax money goes to actual services. At worst we're in the same position. no, the worst case is that capital was misallocated, and growth that could've happened, didn't. all future humans are then harmed.
  - drb91 8y ago
    > no, the worst case is that capital was misallocated, Who is to say this isn’t happening already? I don’t see many signs it’s well allocated today. Look at healthcare costs in America. Look at our defense spending for little tangible return. Look at the homeless on the streets. Look at where VC investments are going (ads, lifestyle spending, and automation—little to no benefit to society as the productivity returns go to the capitalists). Look at the debt necessary to get what is commonly considered a base for any career, ie a degree. Symptomatically, cash is already misallocated for a society that bolsters values I hold dear. > growth that could’ve happened, didn’t Ahh yes, the “market before everything” philosophy. I don’t buy into it. If growth were meaningfully good we’d see wage increase adjusted for inflation in the lower class. We haven’t seen this for decades.
chasing 8y ago
> On a tangential note, there is nothing stopping you and a group of like-minded individuals from just paying more taxes to the government. If I was wealthy enough to self-fund quality healthcare for all Americans, I would. I can't. But I am pleased when hyper-wealthy people give back significant contributions to the common good.
- meddlepal 8y ago
  Start a non-profit corporation. Get investors. Figure out a business model that works and make it happen. Oh, right... that's hard work compared to just taking money away from people. Heck I'm not even opposed to paying more in taxes, but I refuse to do so when the US already has the highest costs across the board for several sectors including education, health care and transportation. Get the house in order and then we can talk about more taxes. We can start by getting rid of public-sector unions which are a racket and then we can also loosen regulations to encourage faster development.
  - Spooky23 8y ago
    We also have the best education and highway systems on the planet, which have cemented nearly a century of US dominance. When you purge your public sector folks of their rights, who is going to keep the mob away from you? It’s one of those things that engineers advocating for some modern Dickens nightmare forget about.
  - chasing 8y ago
    I’ll give you healthcare: That can likely be improved while also lowering costs. Unfortunately most evidence indicates that lowering costs and increasing efficacy also means increasing government involvement, so that’s effectively a no-go. So. We’re a bit stuck.

drb91 8y ago

> You add more money to the system and where does it go? Probably from rich person to rich person, but there's the hope tax money goes to actual services. At worst we're in the same position. > On a tangential note, there is nothing stopping you and a group of like-minded individuals from just paying more taxes to the government. The people inclined to act in this communal/moral way are often not suited to make significant amounts of money to give away. You need to take the money from the rich people and give it to the poor people.

sigstoat 8y ago
> > You add more money to the system and where does it go? > Probably from rich person to rich person, but there's the hope tax money goes to actual services. At worst we're in the same position. no, the worst case is that capital was misallocated, and growth that could've happened, didn't. all future humans are then harmed.
- drb91 8y ago
  > no, the worst case is that capital was misallocated, Who is to say this isn’t happening already? I don’t see many signs it’s well allocated today. Look at healthcare costs in America. Look at our defense spending for little tangible return. Look at the homeless on the streets. Look at where VC investments are going (ads, lifestyle spending, and automation—little to no benefit to society as the productivity returns go to the capitalists). Look at the debt necessary to get what is commonly considered a base for any career, ie a degree. Symptomatically, cash is already misallocated for a society that bolsters values I hold dear. > growth that could’ve happened, didn’t Ahh yes, the “market before everything” philosophy. I don’t buy into it. If growth were meaningfully good we’d see wage increase adjusted for inflation in the lower class. We haven’t seen this for decades.

chasing 8y ago

> On a tangential note, there is nothing stopping you and a group of like-minded individuals from just paying more taxes to the government. If I was wealthy enough to self-fund quality healthcare for all Americans, I would. I can't. But I am pleased when hyper-wealthy people give back significant contributions to the common good.

meddlepal 8y ago
Start a non-profit corporation. Get investors. Figure out a business model that works and make it happen. Oh, right... that's hard work compared to just taking money away from people. Heck I'm not even opposed to paying more in taxes, but I refuse to do so when the US already has the highest costs across the board for several sectors including education, health care and transportation. Get the house in order and then we can talk about more taxes. We can start by getting rid of public-sector unions which are a racket and then we can also loosen regulations to encourage faster development.
- Spooky23 8y ago
  We also have the best education and highway systems on the planet, which have cemented nearly a century of US dominance. When you purge your public sector folks of their rights, who is going to keep the mob away from you? It’s one of those things that engineers advocating for some modern Dickens nightmare forget about.
- chasing 8y ago
  I’ll give you healthcare: That can likely be improved while also lowering costs. Unfortunately most evidence indicates that lowering costs and increasing efficacy also means increasing government involvement, so that’s effectively a no-go. So. We’re a bit stuck.