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At a certain level of wealth people become unbiased. They can look at a system from an impartial point of view because they are so wealthy they are no longer pa

At a certain level of wealth people become unbiased. They can look at a system from an impartial point of view because they are so wealthy they are no longer part of the system. Bill Gates is so rich that income tax is no longer a factor for him anymore. When he says that Washington needs an increase in income tax he's giving an unbiased point of view. I trust his intentions more than I trust my own. I am not elite, therefore I participate in the system. My own individual wants and desires tell me that I don't want to be taxed. My view of the system as a whole is therefore clouded by my own selfish desires. Perhaps his position needs to be rebranded to be even more inline with intentions: An exclusive tax for the elite.

JumpCrisscross 7y ago
> At a certain level of wealth people become unbiased I'd modify this to "at a certain level of wealth, one can afford to be unbiased." Plenty of the very wealthy are biased. For those with inherited wealth who never learned any productive skills, debating higher taxes could feel existential.
- crimsonalucard 7y ago
  Yeah you're right. I was more referring to this specific context.
DaiPlusPlus 7y ago
> At a certain level of wealth people become unbiased. Strongly disagree. Consider people like Gina Rinehart or various Russian oligarchs - their wealth is well into the billions yet they do not act as though they are above the system. Bill Gates and other modern tech-billionaires are different to the rest insofar as they share a meritocratic ethos and didn't inherit their wealth (granted, many of them had privileged upbringings, but it's not fair to compare Gates' upbringing as the son of a highly successful lawyer to people like Rinehart). And of course, the current US President - assuming we can believe his claims about how rich and successful he actually is.
- crimsonalucard 7y ago
  Yeah, you're right. Another person mentioned that I should edit the post to say that rich people can afford to be unbiased which was more inline with what I was trying to convey. So a bit of a rewording here to make my point more clear: "In this specific context, I believe what Bill Gates is saying about income tax is unbiased because he is so rich, he can afford to be unbiased."
8bitsrule 7y ago
Washington doesn't have an income tax ... personal or corporate. Yep, it only has a sales tax. (That tax runs from 6% in rural areas to 10% in Seattle.) It's a good and way-overdue idea ... however it affects Gates personally. That's just part of his proposal, and he's not the only wealthy WAtonian calling for more taxation.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]

JumpCrisscross 7y ago

> At a certain level of wealth people become unbiased I'd modify this to "at a certain level of wealth, one can afford to be unbiased." Plenty of the very wealthy are biased. For those with inherited wealth who never learned any productive skills, debating higher taxes could feel existential.

crimsonalucard 7y ago
Yeah you're right. I was more referring to this specific context.

DaiPlusPlus 7y ago

> At a certain level of wealth people become unbiased. Strongly disagree. Consider people like Gina Rinehart or various Russian oligarchs - their wealth is well into the billions yet they do not act as though they are above the system. Bill Gates and other modern tech-billionaires are different to the rest insofar as they share a meritocratic ethos and didn't inherit their wealth (granted, many of them had privileged upbringings, but it's not fair to compare Gates' upbringing as the son of a highly successful lawyer to people like Rinehart). And of course, the current US President - assuming we can believe his claims about how rich and successful he actually is.

crimsonalucard 7y ago
Yeah, you're right. Another person mentioned that I should edit the post to say that rich people can afford to be unbiased which was more inline with what I was trying to convey. So a bit of a rewording here to make my point more clear: "In this specific context, I believe what Bill Gates is saying about income tax is unbiased because he is so rich, he can afford to be unbiased."

8bitsrule 7y ago

Washington doesn't have an income tax ... personal or corporate. Yep, it only has a sales tax. (That tax runs from 6% in rural areas to 10% in Seattle.) It's a good and way-overdue idea ... however it affects Gates personally. That's just part of his proposal, and he's not the only wealthy WAtonian calling for more taxation.

deleted 7y ago
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