4 ms·

Most wealthy Americans were never paying 96% in taxes, if any at all. There were many more loopholes during this time. People are forgetting that the high t

Most wealthy Americans were never paying 96% in taxes, if any at all. There were many more loopholes during this time. People are forgetting that the high tax countries are enjoying the fruits of lower-tax countries labor. Technology and drugs are the big ones. Big, evil companies create life-saving drugs and generics are created and sold for pennies to these countries. With no incentive to create (ie: large profits), humans will definitely not advance. Money is also freedom. The less we are able to keep, the less free we become (and more dependent on the government/state).

serverholic 4y ago
[flagged]
- yakshaving_jgt 4y ago
  If the likely financial outcome were the same between making music and writing software for banks or insurance companies, I sure as hell wouldn't go anywhere near a computer. Do you think people do Office Space style work out of the goodness of their own hearts? > That’s frankly ridiculous. The feeling is mutual.
  - serverholic 4y ago
    Uh, have you heard of open source software? The world is full of software that people built because it’s interesting and/or useful. Linux for example was created as a hobby project during college. People love to create. Just because YOU wouldn’t touch software doesn’t mean it’s true for everyone.
    - yakshaving_jgt 4y ago
      Yeah, I've heard of it. I contribute to it. I pay people to write it. I run my business on it. If you're so inclined to work on things for your own pleasure, please do give us a hand by solving some of these. https://github.com/bitemyapp/esqueleto/issues https://github.com/bitemyapp/esqueleto/issues
      - serverholic 4y ago
        This response makes no sense. Why would I spend my time on your specific project? And I do contribute to open source, but I prefer to work on stuff that isn’t connected to some company.
        yakshaving_jgt 4y ago
        > Why would I spend my time on your specific project? That's exactly my point. I work in a field that is really very important, but it's not interesting enough for you to work on purely for your own amusement. That's why there needs to be a financial incentive.
        datpiff 4y ago
        > I work in a field that is really very important > "Esqueleto, a SQL DSL for Haskell"
        yakshaving_jgt 4y ago
        Esqueleto is an open-source library that my company's software uses. The code specific to the business is proprietary. Obviously.
        serverholic 4y ago
        Dude I don't know you, I don't know what you do. All you did is link a Haskell SQL library. Sorry I don't care about that particular project. You seem to be under the impression that unless people are coerced they'll only work on projects that entertain them in some way, like a child playing with bubbles. I feel sorry for you that you have such a poor opinion of humanity. Personally, I think humans are curious, collaborative, and like to build things. Yes they like to build things they find interesting but interesting is a wide concept. If my Mom got cancer then I'd probably be more likely to work on cancer software. I want to live in a world where people can voluntarily work together to build things based on shared interests, whatever those interests might be. A world where people aren't forced to submit to business owners like you.
    - s3000 4y ago
      You are not fully arguing his point: >writing software for banks or insurance companies Look at Gimp. It's the software that people like to write but not the one designers like to use. There was this submission: 'Ask HN: How might HN build a social network together?' [1]. With Mastodon, people create a social network, but one that is unnecessarily inefficient. Why hasn't that submission led to a better social network? Ford is quoted with saying: 'People would have asked for faster horses'. How do you give the people with new ideas the power to implement them? [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33999296 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33999296
      - serverholic 4y ago
        You empower people by making sure their basic needs are taken care of so they have the freedom to fully pursue these projects. It’s no wonder projects like GIMP don’t take off because these developers work on it in their spare time. They don’t have the time or energy to fully commit to it because they’re busy being forced to write someone else’s software. Linux, for example, was built over the course of 8 years while Linus Torvalds was in college. He was able to do so because his college in Finland provided room and board and the freedom to pursue his interests alongside his studies.
        yakshaving_jgt 4y ago
        Ok. If I take care of your basic needs, will you come and write my insurance software?
        serverholic 4y ago
        Man, you really are fixated on getting people to do things for you.
        yakshaving_jgt 4y ago
        I think you’re missing the point. I’m not interested in a business relationship with you. The point is that I need certain things to get done, and it’s not feasible to sit around and hope that enough people decide to take on my specific problems as their passion project. And if taking care of someone’s basic needs is sufficient, why would they work on my software when they could do anything else that is more enjoyable?

serverholic 4y ago

[flagged]

yakshaving_jgt 4y ago
If the likely financial outcome were the same between making music and writing software for banks or insurance companies, I sure as hell wouldn't go anywhere near a computer. Do you think people do Office Space style work out of the goodness of their own hearts? > That’s frankly ridiculous. The feeling is mutual.
- serverholic 4y ago
  Uh, have you heard of open source software? The world is full of software that people built because it’s interesting and/or useful. Linux for example was created as a hobby project during college. People love to create. Just because YOU wouldn’t touch software doesn’t mean it’s true for everyone.
  - yakshaving_jgt 4y ago
    Yeah, I've heard of it. I contribute to it. I pay people to write it. I run my business on it. If you're so inclined to work on things for your own pleasure, please do give us a hand by solving some of these. https://github.com/bitemyapp/esqueleto/issues https://github.com/bitemyapp/esqueleto/issues
    - serverholic 4y ago
      This response makes no sense. Why would I spend my time on your specific project? And I do contribute to open source, but I prefer to work on stuff that isn’t connected to some company.
      - yakshaving_jgt 4y ago
        > Why would I spend my time on your specific project? That's exactly my point. I work in a field that is really very important, but it's not interesting enough for you to work on purely for your own amusement. That's why there needs to be a financial incentive.
        datpiff 4y ago
        > I work in a field that is really very important > "Esqueleto, a SQL DSL for Haskell"
        yakshaving_jgt 4y ago
        Esqueleto is an open-source library that my company's software uses. The code specific to the business is proprietary. Obviously.
        serverholic 4y ago
        Dude I don't know you, I don't know what you do. All you did is link a Haskell SQL library. Sorry I don't care about that particular project. You seem to be under the impression that unless people are coerced they'll only work on projects that entertain them in some way, like a child playing with bubbles. I feel sorry for you that you have such a poor opinion of humanity. Personally, I think humans are curious, collaborative, and like to build things. Yes they like to build things they find interesting but interesting is a wide concept. If my Mom got cancer then I'd probably be more likely to work on cancer software. I want to live in a world where people can voluntarily work together to build things based on shared interests, whatever those interests might be. A world where people aren't forced to submit to business owners like you.
  - s3000 4y ago
    You are not fully arguing his point: >writing software for banks or insurance companies Look at Gimp. It's the software that people like to write but not the one designers like to use. There was this submission: 'Ask HN: How might HN build a social network together?' [1]. With Mastodon, people create a social network, but one that is unnecessarily inefficient. Why hasn't that submission led to a better social network? Ford is quoted with saying: 'People would have asked for faster horses'. How do you give the people with new ideas the power to implement them? [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33999296 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33999296
    - serverholic 4y ago
      You empower people by making sure their basic needs are taken care of so they have the freedom to fully pursue these projects. It’s no wonder projects like GIMP don’t take off because these developers work on it in their spare time. They don’t have the time or energy to fully commit to it because they’re busy being forced to write someone else’s software. Linux, for example, was built over the course of 8 years while Linus Torvalds was in college. He was able to do so because his college in Finland provided room and board and the freedom to pursue his interests alongside his studies.
      - yakshaving_jgt 4y ago
        Ok. If I take care of your basic needs, will you come and write my insurance software?
        serverholic 4y ago
        Man, you really are fixated on getting people to do things for you.
        yakshaving_jgt 4y ago
        I think you’re missing the point. I’m not interested in a business relationship with you. The point is that I need certain things to get done, and it’s not feasible to sit around and hope that enough people decide to take on my specific problems as their passion project. And if taking care of someone’s basic needs is sufficient, why would they work on my software when they could do anything else that is more enjoyable?