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One of the more compelling arguments in my eyes is that wealth concentration is very difficult to separate from power concentration (which is the point of money

One of the more compelling arguments in my eyes is that wealth concentration is very difficult to separate from power concentration (which is the point of money in a way), so wealth inequality can have a direct effect on liberty. Think of the difference between being able to afford lawyers or not, or make political campaign contributions (i.e. buying political influence), to say nothing of outright bribes and other, more cinematic ways of turning money into power. The argument about standard of living kind of misses the point. Yes, standard of living is increasing, but it could be even better, so why aren't we doing that? That question at least deserves an answer (though to be clear I don't think a "wealth tax" is likely to be that answer). I do think that leftist political theorists are too fond of dealing with abstractions rather than concrete details, a bit like corporate buzzword jargon (semi-useful for describing problems, if not solutions), or code that has been factored to FactoryBeanManager levels. They often have good arguments underneath it all, but I don't know why they expect people not already on board with their agenda to take their terminology seriously.

analog31 6y ago
Indeed, look at how people talk about wealth, as if it's untouchable: If we tax the rich, they will move to another country, or take away our jobs. Even a perceived threat is a threat. It's as if talking about taxation is a form of lese majeste. There's something I noticed some time ago, brought into relief by the COVID crisis: We can apparently talk about any means of dealing with the crisis except dipping into private wealth. When it comes to paying for the crisis, working people can choose to pay for it with their livelihoods or their lives. We can apparently ask people to sacrifice their lives for the sake of "the economy," but suggesting that people sacrifice their wealth is seen as too absurd or reckless to even consider.

analog31 6y ago

Indeed, look at how people talk about wealth, as if it's untouchable: If we tax the rich, they will move to another country, or take away our jobs. Even a perceived threat is a threat. It's as if talking about taxation is a form of lese majeste. There's something I noticed some time ago, brought into relief by the COVID crisis: We can apparently talk about any means of dealing with the crisis except dipping into private wealth. When it comes to paying for the crisis, working people can choose to pay for it with their livelihoods or their lives. We can apparently ask people to sacrifice their lives for the sake of "the economy," but suggesting that people sacrifice their wealth is seen as too absurd or reckless to even consider.