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There are so many knock on effects of all this -- people will be unemployed with limited unemployment at best. They'll potentially lose their healthcare, and in
by Pfhreak 7y ago
There are so many knock on effects of all this -- people will be unemployed with limited unemployment at best. They'll potentially lose their healthcare, and in the worst cases their homes. Schools are closing in Seattle, and they won't have lunch programs running until Monday which means a lot of kids are likely to go without adequate food.
We need to fix the safety net in our country, so when things like this happen we can all chip in to cover each other. Basic healthcare, affordable or public housing, eviction protections, food programs. These aren't radical ideas, we ought to be out here looking out for all of us.
- ngngngng 7y agoWe definitely need to fix a lot in this country, but then the only people that have ideas on how to fix things also want to tax options at vest or do any number of other insane things that will completely out weigh the good changes.
- mvid 7y agoPeople having healthcare isn’t worth taxing options at vest?
- donavanm 7y agoWho gets options? The vast majority of public (tech) firm comp like this is done via RSUs for the last 20 years. Which, SURPRISE, is literally taxed as income at vesting at the vested value. It even shows up on the same W2 as regular paychecks. So 1) isn’t this how it works already 2) why are RSU/options the equity you want to tax anyways?
- Pfhreak 7y agoWe're talking about basic food, shelter, and medical care. You don't think that maybe you could accept a small tax on your stock?
- ethanwillis 7y agoThey don't have to go hand in hand? Sticking someone with a massive tax bill for unrealized gains doesn't do anything to help the former. If you haven't realized gains in a practical sense there's no money to pay the "small tax" with.
- Pfhreak 7y agoIt's definitely not the first tax I'd choose to pay for all this. But it's the one the parent comment mentioned. I'd much rather see wealth taxes or raising income taxes, etc.
- Mirioron 7y agoDon't you already have basic shelter and medical care though? Shelters exist and doctors can't turn you away when you're in an urgent need for medical care. I think what's needed is beyond basic.
- mpfundstein 7y agoEver been to LA? Skid row?
- albroland 7y agoThat's not a great example. There are incredible resources available in LA for medical care and housing support. The people on skid row are electing to not use them, and they cannot be compelled to use them. It's a mental health/drug issue. You can see a similar dynamic in NYC, where the city cannot turn you away from a shelter, and they've been spending hundreds of millions to put up homeless people in hotels for years. Yet still, there are thousands on the street. Not for a lack of option, but because they've specifically refused these services and outreach, and you cannot force them.
- AstralStorm 7y agoThat's not a mental health issue at all. If you ever visited a homeless shelter, you'd know they're only slightly better than prisons (sometimes even worse, as theft is common) and are definitely not good for transient homeless at all, while the ones with serious issues get kicked out. Shelter is not enough of help and rather terrible at fixing reasons for homelessness. In fact some of the rules in these seem designed to prevent job and house searching. If anything, the programs would have to be extended to allow most anyone to crash and not strip people of hope.