5 ms·

If they do this, we will lose the smartest members of congress. Hear me out via an example: Consider Nancy Pelosi, who made $20M via trading in 2020. To have p

by clove 3y ago

If they do this, we will lose the smartest members of congress. Hear me out via an example: Consider Nancy Pelosi, who made $20M via trading in 2020. To have predicted the market would crash during otherwise good times and then rise during otherwise hard times, you would have had to be an economic genius. If we had banned our senators from trading, Pelosi would probably choose trading over guiding our nation, essentially employing her 200+ IQ to making money instead of making our nation great. I say that instead of banning congress from trading, we should give them more power the better they are at trading, as doing so would ensure that the smartest congress members have their decisions more fairly weighted.

hiatus 3y ago
In your own profile you mention that you are a stock trader. Do you not see the potential confusion between cause and effect you are making here? When you control the laws of an entire country, it should be trivial to multiply your wealth by investing in areas and industries that you intend to effect with legislation.
revlolz 3y ago
This seems like a troll post, but I will bite in the spirit of hn and consider it very serious. The brain drain idea is a fallacy. These aren't doctors who will flee to private practices away from Medicare spot where they can earn more money. These are elected public representatives of the people. More power translates to more corruption and tyranny, and I'd be 100% opposed. Our government would be approaching near complete erosion of trust and values if we further empowered these people to become elected privateers. That may be silly to say given how low trust and value are at the present time, but this notion of empowering them to earn more money feels like it would be a defining catalyst moment in future history books to where it all went wrong for the American Republic.
- polski-g 3y ago
  There are high IQ people who decide against being a doctor because its a lot easier to make $350k programming than working 60hr/week as a doctor (also no educational debt). Same thing here. If you want high IQ people to do things, then you need to compensate them in some fashion.

by clove 3y ago

hiatus 3y ago

In your own profile you mention that you are a stock trader. Do you not see the potential confusion between cause and effect you are making here? When you control the laws of an entire country, it should be trivial to multiply your wealth by investing in areas and industries that you intend to effect with legislation.

revlolz 3y ago

This seems like a troll post, but I will bite in the spirit of hn and consider it very serious. The brain drain idea is a fallacy. These aren't doctors who will flee to private practices away from Medicare spot where they can earn more money. These are elected public representatives of the people. More power translates to more corruption and tyranny, and I'd be 100% opposed. Our government would be approaching near complete erosion of trust and values if we further empowered these people to become elected privateers. That may be silly to say given how low trust and value are at the present time, but this notion of empowering them to earn more money feels like it would be a defining catalyst moment in future history books to where it all went wrong for the American Republic.

polski-g 3y ago
There are high IQ people who decide against being a doctor because its a lot easier to make $350k programming than working 60hr/week as a doctor (also no educational debt). Same thing here. If you want high IQ people to do things, then you need to compensate them in some fashion.