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Yup. It’s hard to live in a democracy with billionaires. It’s going to be basically impossible with trillionaires. We waited until the ultra-wealthy figured ou

Yup. It’s hard to live in a democracy with billionaires. It’s going to be basically impossible with trillionaires. We waited until the ultra-wealthy figured out how to weaponize their power against us. It may be too late. But we have to reduce the wealth gap as a priority step to fixing democracy.

GuB-42 2y ago
Governments, which, in representative democracies are led by elected officials still have power over billionaires. If the US government wants Peter Thiel assets, including his life, it can just take them, and if Peter Thiel is unhappy, the US government has an army, Peter Thiel doesn't. It doesn't happen because the elected government doesn't want to. In the USSR, it would have happened, but such politics didn't work well in the end. The current system that allows billionaires is not perfect, but unless shown otherwise, it is the least bad.
- JKCalhoun 2y ago
  Well, least bad if your choices are what the U.S. has now and the U.S.S.R. Some of us wouldn't mind at least going back to before (so called) Citizens United.
- hx8 2y ago
  Those aren't are only two options. We could raise billionaire taxes to take a larger portion of their assets. We could adjust anti-trust law to limit the power of their companies. We could adjust campaign finance law to limit their influence on politics. We could better fund a free press to better inform people on their actions. The question is how should the power of governments and the ultra wealthy be balanced.
- hackyhacky 2y ago
  > It doesn't happen because the elected government doesn't want to. You're skipping over the point of why they don't want to seize the billionaire his assets: because a billionaire is a valuable ally to a politician seeking to stay in power. In fact, a billionaire is more valuable to a politician than his actual constituents. And that's how we get oligarchs.
- jajko 2y ago
  Whats wrong with how ie Switzerland works? Capitalism is everywhere, work ethics stellar, personal freedom is top notch, people have guns yet they don't shoot nobody, crime is low, education is free, healthcare cca too and all is top notch. Obviously economy then follows and so does population happiness. We have billionaires but not because we desperately try to lure such piece of scheize like thiel, they come or don't leave because they want all it offers and know when to shut up and respect rules just like effin' everybody else. And they are well taxed btw, wealth tax is here, pretty real albeit not crushing and not something introduced recently. Things can be done, well within framework of typical western democracy, people just need to get down from their hyped egos that 'their way' is the best way bar none. Emotional discussions vs rational ones.
- chasing 2y ago
  > If the US government wants Peter Thiel assets, including his life, it can just take them... Billionaires go radically apoplectic and turn into propagandistic freaks when the US government is simply not reducing their taxes fast enough. I actually think most people don't want this massive wealth gap, but we're reaching the point where it's impossible for the will of the people to find expression in our government, especially now that the billionaires are literally running the joint.

GuB-42 2y ago

Governments, which, in representative democracies are led by elected officials still have power over billionaires. If the US government wants Peter Thiel assets, including his life, it can just take them, and if Peter Thiel is unhappy, the US government has an army, Peter Thiel doesn't. It doesn't happen because the elected government doesn't want to. In the USSR, it would have happened, but such politics didn't work well in the end. The current system that allows billionaires is not perfect, but unless shown otherwise, it is the least bad.

JKCalhoun 2y ago
Well, least bad if your choices are what the U.S. has now and the U.S.S.R. Some of us wouldn't mind at least going back to before (so called) Citizens United.
hx8 2y ago
Those aren't are only two options. We could raise billionaire taxes to take a larger portion of their assets. We could adjust anti-trust law to limit the power of their companies. We could adjust campaign finance law to limit their influence on politics. We could better fund a free press to better inform people on their actions. The question is how should the power of governments and the ultra wealthy be balanced.
hackyhacky 2y ago
> It doesn't happen because the elected government doesn't want to. You're skipping over the point of why they don't want to seize the billionaire his assets: because a billionaire is a valuable ally to a politician seeking to stay in power. In fact, a billionaire is more valuable to a politician than his actual constituents. And that's how we get oligarchs.
jajko 2y ago
Whats wrong with how ie Switzerland works? Capitalism is everywhere, work ethics stellar, personal freedom is top notch, people have guns yet they don't shoot nobody, crime is low, education is free, healthcare cca too and all is top notch. Obviously economy then follows and so does population happiness. We have billionaires but not because we desperately try to lure such piece of scheize like thiel, they come or don't leave because they want all it offers and know when to shut up and respect rules just like effin' everybody else. And they are well taxed btw, wealth tax is here, pretty real albeit not crushing and not something introduced recently. Things can be done, well within framework of typical western democracy, people just need to get down from their hyped egos that 'their way' is the best way bar none. Emotional discussions vs rational ones.
chasing 2y ago
> If the US government wants Peter Thiel assets, including his life, it can just take them... Billionaires go radically apoplectic and turn into propagandistic freaks when the US government is simply not reducing their taxes fast enough. I actually think most people don't want this massive wealth gap, but we're reaching the point where it's impossible for the will of the people to find expression in our government, especially now that the billionaires are literally running the joint.