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These individuals accumulated their massive wealth by utilizing the infrastructure and economic substrate of our society. So the people who make up that society
by xtian 7y ago
These individuals accumulated their massive wealth by utilizing the infrastructure and economic substrate of our society. So the people who make up that society have a right to decide democratically how some of those resources are allocated. That’s the deal.
Even assuming you are right, there are many more important values than mere efficiency. Governments are the only bodies which can realistically pursue the values and needs of the people in the face of massively powerful multinational corporations. Of course there is always room for improving the effectiveness of government, but the alternative is blind faith that the super-rich know best for us, despite their limited perspective and many well-documented flaws and biases.
- logicchains 7y agoEverybody had equal access to the infrastructure and economic substrate, billionaires just made better use of it to generate more value, so why should they have to pay more?
- kthejoker2 7y agoThey create far more negative externalities? They literally can and do pay for laws written in their favor, to entrench their interests, limit their competition, and adjudicate their behavior? See, even they agree they should "pay more." And because obviously they have more to lose if government services decline. They are the primary driver of demand for government services. Many of them need a functioning military, aviation, infrastructure, law enforcement, patent office, and other services to continue to make their billions. If all the highways, gas pipelines, airports, Internet backbone and the Pacific Fleet in America crumbled to dust tomorrow, I'd be greatly unhappy but WalMart, Amazon, and Facebook would be ... well let's just say disproportionately affected.
- dwaltrip 7y agoBecause they have the ability to do so and so we can create more value in the future. Also, doesn't it seem fair that those who benefit the most from society contribute back the most? > Everybody had equal access to the infrastructure and economic substrate Lastly, this point is more thornier, but I think it is easy to say that this isn't true across the board.
- xtian 7y agoWell 1) everyone does not have equal access in practice and 2) they should have to pay more specifically to help provide more equal opportunities to everyone in the future instead of resigning ourselves to dynastic feudalism. And also because ultimately that is the explicit agreement that one enters into by choosing to participate in this society.