4 ms·
The free market could never accomplish something like this.
by palmotea 9mo ago
The free market could never accomplish something like this.
- bugeats 9mo agoConsider what you might choose to do for the public good with the 30% of your income that is taken from you in the name of the public good. Philanthropy is a predictable outcome of an individual having met the basic needs of Maslow’s hierarchy. Consider how many more philanthropists would be created by returning this 30% back to individual discernment.
- harladsinsteden 9mo agoWhich 30% are you talking about? Taxes? If so: From what do you build things like infrastructure?
- Loughla 9mo agoIf you've ever worked with a church you know that donation and good will is not a way to ensure anything is structurally sound. Donations always come with asterisks. Nobody wants to make sure the roof is shingled and doesn't leak but everybody leaves money for new stained glass windows or the organ that nobody knows how to play.
- hobs 9mo agoA lot less because they'd be dead from easily preventable diseases in their water supply?
- palmotea 9mo ago> Consider how many more philanthropists would be created by returning this 30% back to individual discernment. Many, many fewer than you assume. Libertarians like to make lots of good-sounding promises to justify their favored radical policy, but it's bullshit and the promises don't pan out when tested [1]. By that point, the libertarian has gotten what he wanted and moved on. [1] Or their policy was already tried and already failed, e.g. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46876387 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46876387, leading to reforms to fix the problems that they're now mad about and want to undo.
- lostlogin 9mo agoThe billionaires out there are being revealed as paedophiles quicker than they are solving world health problems. I’d prefer not to rely on them.
- janalsncm 9mo agoWell my taxes go to roads, healthcare for people who can’t afford, schools, and the fire department. I would consider those public goods.
- throwway120385 9mo agoNot to mention the one meal per day that many children would otherwise not eat. And sometimes the free breakfast that keeps their gnawing hunger at bay long enough for them to learn something in school.
- ceejayoz 9mo ago> Consider what you might choose to do… Emphasis on might. Evidence suggests "a giant boat and some helicopters" is the more likely result.
- antonymoose 9mo agoI’d love to pay off my house early instead of giving 200% it’s worth to the banks in interest to hire the guys with the yachts.. Call me selfish.
- ceejayoz 9mo agoAnd your house value doesn’t benefit from taxes? No utilities? No road? No regulations protecting you from shitty neighbors? No army keeping you safe?
- deleted 9mo ago[deleted]
- mmooss 9mo agoIs there evidence that it happens? And that it serves the public good, not the personal interests of the wealthy? Do we need another $100 million given to a health program accessible only to the wealthy, or funding for public health? To a business school or art museum, or to arts programs for public schools? Philanthropy is anti-democratic; the people don't choose what is important to support, the wealthy few do. You can see that in the relatively poor public goods in the US, which has much lower taxes relative to peers.
- dennis_jeeves2 9mo agoLol, the reaction that you are getting to your post... They sure have a pretty dim view of their fellow humans while paradoxically believing in the goodness of the gubberment. One tiny correction to your post. While it's true that most income tax is in the region of 30%, the cumulative taxes would be of the order of 60% of what of what one could potentially earn. Cumulative taxes = income + payroll+ property taxes etc.
- marcosdumay 9mo agoWe nobody could ever achieve something like this without a free market taking care of most things.
- onraglanroad 9mo agoThere's no such thing as the "free market". It's a foolish propaganda term to try and assign people's actions to a philosophy they don't care about.
- 9875325996435 9mo ago[flagged]
- tim333 9mo agoMaybe not just the free market but the Carter Center funding was 7% governments, 90% foundations, corporations and individuals. (fye 2024)
- Jblx2 9mo agohttps://ia803407.us.archive.org/0/items/i-pencil-pdf-2019/I%2C%20Pencil%20%28PDF%202019%29.pdf https://ia803407.us.archive.org/0/items/i-pencil-pdf-2019/I%...
- palmotea 9mo agoCome on. It's 2026: I, Pencil isn't a mic drop. It's a cliche. It's 70 years old, assume everyone's read it. Also, your drop of it betrays a pretty fundamental lack of understanding. I stand by my statement that free market could never accomplish something like this. Eradicating a disease is nothing like a business making a pencil to sell.
- JumpinJack_Cash 9mo agoWell people who made their fortunes beating other guys in politics or in business now want to graduate to the next hit that is beating nature. So yes in a sense it is free market. Especially disease eradication is beating nature in macrobiology and philantropic foundations are the optimal tool to do that.
- dbvn 9mo ago71% of their 2022-23 funding was from corporations soooo....