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Sergey Brin Moves to the Right, with a 'MAGA Girlfriend' by His Side
- bell-cot 6mo ago> After once backing liberal causes, the Google co-founder has praised President Trump, donated to Republicans and spent $57 million to try to block a California billionaire tax. "Don't be evil" was a long time ago in a Googleplex far, far away. When Performative Activism and Praising the King are opposing strategies, the Smart Money decides after comparing the RoI's. How many of the world's top (say) 50 "liberal" billionaire support special taxes on billionaires?
- skilled 6mo agohttps://archive.is/9n5Ow https://archive.is/9n5Ow
- 1attice 6mo agoClass capture. RIP Sergey
- dmitrygr 6mo ago[flagged]
- aggakake 6mo agoFar left in the US is center right in most other developed countries. His screed uses red scare words but really he just doesn't want to pay taxes, plain and simple.
- throwawaypath 6mo ago>Far left in the US is center right in most other developed countries. Disagree. Far-left in the US is just as far than most other developed countries. Any sources that say otherwise?
- throwawaypath 6mo agoNo response, not surprised. Leftists in the US are likely further left than anywhere else in the developed world. Mutilating children in the name of LGBTQ, open borders, political violence, etc.
- dmitrygr 6mo ago> he just doesn't want to pay taxes Nor does anyone else. If you think you pay too little, here: https://www.pay.gov/public/form/start/708094624 https://www.pay.gov/public/form/start/708094624
- hooverlabs 6mo ago[dead]
- standardly 6mo agoProposing taxation on wealthy individuals isn't exactly a sudden and dramatic philosophical shift to the extreme left.
- dmitrygr 6mo agoWEALTH taxes are a dramatic change - America never had them and there are still questions as to whether they are even constitutional
- standardly 6mo agoIt's called income tax, which isn't new, and used to be much higher for the top brackets. Income tax rates are not derived from the Constitution, and an amendment is not necessary. But if someone wanted to propose an amendment to forbid taxation, then good luck to them. Let's say a group of 3 people wanted to pay for something that costs $3k. They want to split the cost fairly, but two of them only own $1k. The third person owns $70 billion. Would you ask them to agree to each give $1k? Or would you ask the person with $70 billion to maybe cover, idk, at least half? Anyone that answers "well its not fair to the person with 70 billion to ask that they pay more", is an idealogically-captured simpleton. It only takes basic logic and empathy to derive the obvious answer but meaningless ideology prevails somehow
- danny_codes 6mo ago> Asked for comment on this article, Mr. Brin said in a rare statement: “I fled socialism with my family in 1979 and know the devastating, oppressive society it created in the Soviet Union. I don’t want California to end up in the same place.” He must be confusing socialism and communism. Presumably not a mistake. But embarrassing nonetheless. I suppose the gullible among us may be convinced
- aggakake 6mo agoWhat an absolute shame, and a fantastic example of the corrupting power of money.
- manoDev 6mo agohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand-kissing#Kissing_the_ring https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hand-kissing#Kissing_the_ring
- jacquesm 6mo agoYou'd think that Brin would know the difference between Soviet Russia and socialism. Money sure doesn't seem to make people smarter. Anyway, I really don't understand why he is trying to justify his choice in this awkward and clearly dumb way when there is a much more straightforward explanation that will do just fine.
- casey2 6mo agoCan't think of a better time to go MAGA than right now. Buy the dip!
- moneycantbuy 6mo agoHe would have only $259,000,000,000 after the 5% tax.
- moneycantbuy 6mo agowho's flagging every article about Sergey's endless greed? why not comment instead if you're for it?
- aaron695 6mo ago[dead]
- carabiner 6mo agoYeah this is annoying. Ten years ago hearing of Google cofounder turning right wing would sound like hell freezing over. I think this is deeply interesting to see how tech has been captured by big money politics like every other industry.
- tim333 6mo agoI didn't flag but I'm not sure the voting intentions of famous people are really what HN is about.
- moneycantbuy 6mo agoit's not about fame and voting, it's about the fact that the oligarchic owners of the technology we rely on are actively destroying what's left of our democracy and society generally.
- carabiner 6mo agoWhat about funding political causes with hundreds of millions of dollars? Same thing?
- deleted 6mo ago[deleted]