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Hmmm, well, the one commodity that never seems to be in short supply is people who think it's their duty to tell other people how the fruits of their labors sho
by tsotha 16y ago
Hmmm, well, the one commodity that never seems to be in short supply is people who think it's their duty to tell other people how the fruits of their labors should be spent.
Incidentally, the author confuses tax rate with tax receipts. The rich in 1950 had a much higher rate, but they paid no more taxes than the rich of today. The whole point of the tax changes in 1996 was to eliminate all the loopholes and gamesmanship that was going on in the tax code and make rates more reflective of reality.
- zootar 16y agoI, too, am irritated by people who advocate raising taxes for (or greater charity in) every bracket above their own. But Harris isn't doing that. He's asking the two former richest people in the world to tell him how to spend the fruits of his own labors. But beyond that, Harris points out that a significant fraction of your "fruits" are not of your labors but of your favorable circumstances. He's telling you that you ought to share some of the fruits of your good fortune. Even if you deny the role of chance in your financial success, how you spend your money has strong ethical implications. If other people believe I'm acting unethically in some way, I do consider it their duty to tell me.
- tsotha 16y ago>But beyond that, Harris points out that a significant fraction of your "fruits" are not of your labors but of your favorable circumstances. He's telling you that you ought to share some of the fruits of your good fortune. I know that's a common perception on the left, but I don't accept it. I don't know anyone super-wealthy, but the people I know who are at least mid-six-figures didn't get their through favorable circumstances.