5 ms·

> tax would be effectively based on payment volume, rather than profit Playing SimCity as a young kid taught me that raising taxes too much means people and bu

> tax would be effectively based on payment volume, rather than profit Playing SimCity as a young kid taught me that raising taxes too much means people and businesses leave. Maybe the SF lawmakers did not play SimCity growing up.

danbolt 4y ago
I think that was a reflection of the game developer’s political views and the gameplay they strove to author.
fzzzy 4y ago
Maybe they want people to leave?
- rbanffy 4y ago
  Reverting gentrification is a valid goal.
- node-bayarea 4y ago
  Maybe it's Maybelline :)
joemazerino 4y ago
SF Lawmakers were too busy playing AI vs AI and then complaining about the results.
Datenstrom 4y ago
Maybe governance simulation can be worked into some standardized test for basic competence for lawmakers. Or is that not democratic?
- tablespoon 4y ago
  > Maybe governance simulation can be worked into some standardized test for basic competence for lawmakers. Or is that not democratic? It would be profoundly anti-democratic. Just, as a thought experiment, imagine if the game was "Socialist Utopia: Central Planning Works." A requirement like you propose would amount to a program of ideological indoctrination, either deliberate or inadvertent.
turadg 4y ago
The gross receipts tax policy is from Proposition C. So decided by SF residents, not legislators. https://www.vox.com/2018/11/7/18065086/san-francisco-prop-c-marc-benioff-jack-dorsey https://www.vox.com/2018/11/7/18065086/san-francisco-prop-c-...
- 1-6 4y ago
  If you say to residents, ‘tax the rich’ without providing much background, of course you’ll get their vote. Legislators are responsible for making the messaging clear and fair.
  - codefreeordie 4y ago
    At the same time, the voting public should also be smarter than this
    - yucky 4y ago
      That would be nice but it never works out that way.
      - deepsun 4y ago
        Those who are not smart enough to see it -- ought to face the consequences. Besides, the same voters elect the legislators, so the blame is totally on voters.
  - JumpCrisscross 4y ago
    > you say to residents, ‘tax the rich’ without providing much background, of course you’ll get their vote This shifts too much responsibility off voters. Not every voting population is so predictably simple.
    - 1-6 4y ago
      It would be a good study to see how informed the average voter is especially when it comes down to local elections and not national.
tablespoon 4y ago
> Playing SimCity as a young kid taught me that raising taxes too much means people and businesses leave. Maybe the SF lawmakers did not play SimCity growing up. That may be so, but SimCity didn't teach you about the real world, it taught you about SimCity. The simplified worlds of simulations often have ideological assumptions baked in, either deliberately or inadvertently.
- TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
  Are you suggesting that no part of SimCity is based on “the real world”? See also https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31531997 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31531997 currently front page on HN
  - tablespoon 4y ago
    I'm saying SimCity isn't the real world, it's DOS-based entertainment. So you can't jump from "SimCity behaves thusly" to "the world behaves thusly."
    - TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
      How do you explain the influx of businesses to places like Austin? It has nothing to do with taxes?
      - aaomidi 4y ago
        Low land price is one. Moving businesses isn't free or cheap. These companies are gonna struggle once Texas goes full fascist. How many parents want to raise their kids in Texas now? What if your kid is LGBT? Anyway, good luck to companies moving into Texas. Market short term planning do be showing its face.
      - tablespoon 4y ago
        > How do you explain the influx of businesses to places like Austin? It has nothing to do with taxes? Dude, SimCity isn't the real world, and cherry-picking some correspondence doesn't change that. Even a stopped clock will sometimes give you the right time.

danbolt 4y ago

I think that was a reflection of the game developer’s political views and the gameplay they strove to author.

fzzzy 4y ago

Maybe they want people to leave?

rbanffy 4y ago
Reverting gentrification is a valid goal.
node-bayarea 4y ago
Maybe it's Maybelline :)

joemazerino 4y ago

SF Lawmakers were too busy playing AI vs AI and then complaining about the results.

Datenstrom 4y ago

Maybe governance simulation can be worked into some standardized test for basic competence for lawmakers. Or is that not democratic?

tablespoon 4y ago
> Maybe governance simulation can be worked into some standardized test for basic competence for lawmakers. Or is that not democratic? It would be profoundly anti-democratic. Just, as a thought experiment, imagine if the game was "Socialist Utopia: Central Planning Works." A requirement like you propose would amount to a program of ideological indoctrination, either deliberate or inadvertent.

turadg 4y ago

The gross receipts tax policy is from Proposition C. So decided by SF residents, not legislators. https://www.vox.com/2018/11/7/18065086/san-francisco-prop-c-marc-benioff-jack-dorsey https://www.vox.com/2018/11/7/18065086/san-francisco-prop-c-...

1-6 4y ago
If you say to residents, ‘tax the rich’ without providing much background, of course you’ll get their vote. Legislators are responsible for making the messaging clear and fair.
- codefreeordie 4y ago
  At the same time, the voting public should also be smarter than this
  - yucky 4y ago
    That would be nice but it never works out that way.
    - deepsun 4y ago
      Those who are not smart enough to see it -- ought to face the consequences. Besides, the same voters elect the legislators, so the blame is totally on voters.
- JumpCrisscross 4y ago
  > you say to residents, ‘tax the rich’ without providing much background, of course you’ll get their vote This shifts too much responsibility off voters. Not every voting population is so predictably simple.
  - 1-6 4y ago
    It would be a good study to see how informed the average voter is especially when it comes down to local elections and not national.

tablespoon 4y ago

> Playing SimCity as a young kid taught me that raising taxes too much means people and businesses leave. Maybe the SF lawmakers did not play SimCity growing up. That may be so, but SimCity didn't teach you about the real world, it taught you about SimCity. The simplified worlds of simulations often have ideological assumptions baked in, either deliberately or inadvertently.

TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
Are you suggesting that no part of SimCity is based on “the real world”? See also https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31531997 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31531997 currently front page on HN
- tablespoon 4y ago
  I'm saying SimCity isn't the real world, it's DOS-based entertainment. So you can't jump from "SimCity behaves thusly" to "the world behaves thusly."
  - TedDoesntTalk 4y ago
    How do you explain the influx of businesses to places like Austin? It has nothing to do with taxes?
    - aaomidi 4y ago
      Low land price is one. Moving businesses isn't free or cheap. These companies are gonna struggle once Texas goes full fascist. How many parents want to raise their kids in Texas now? What if your kid is LGBT? Anyway, good luck to companies moving into Texas. Market short term planning do be showing its face.
    - tablespoon 4y ago
      > How do you explain the influx of businesses to places like Austin? It has nothing to do with taxes? Dude, SimCity isn't the real world, and cherry-picking some correspondence doesn't change that. Even a stopped clock will sometimes give you the right time.