paul_f

16 ms·

121.
by paul_f 5y ago
Maybe you should focus on how you would avail the failures of past attempts: https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/02/26/698057356/if-a... >In 1990, twelve countries in Europe had a wealth
122.
by paul_f 5y ago
The "idea" of wealth tax is liked, the reality is that is has never been implemented successfully. Everywhere it has been tried, it has been rolled back.
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by paul_f 5y ago
You don't necessarily have to pay back the loan until your death, then it is taken from the estate and the balance passed on to heirs. At that point the step up basis occurs and the process starts over again. No taxes were paid on the
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by paul_f 5y ago
The biggest problem IMO with capital-gains step-up, is knowing the cost basis of the asset. If my uncle dies and leaves me his house, and he owned it outright, how do I know what he paid for it? It would put an impossible burden on heirs.
125.
by paul_f 5y ago
Not sure we can make borrowing money illegal. For example, is it OK to have a second mortgage backed by the equity in your home?
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by paul_f 5y ago
I think most people forget about this. You can have capital gains, not pay taxes, and borrow against them, and spend the money. In my opinion, do away with income and capital gains tax and have a pure consumption tax instead. Want a lavish
127.
by paul_f 5y ago
While college towns mostly fit the bill, what I think people really want are vibrant, small to medium sized towns, with a lot of money. Places such as Ashville, which is not a college town, is equally desirable
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by paul_f 5y ago
Wow, thank you. Totally agree. So glad you have been able to put this into words what I have been struggling to explain. "Fear of missing out" is a powerful drug.
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by paul_f 5y ago
Brilliant point. I agree. Cryptocurrencies are fueled almost exclusively by FOMO. Tether is a joke and probably a scam, yet somehow has a $60B market value. SMH.
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by paul_f 5y ago
It appears Salesforce.com has mostly remained a platform.
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by paul_f 5y ago
The world is not running out of helium. It is a by product of natural gas extraction. It will though get more expensive over time.
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by paul_f 5y ago
The concern many have with UBI is that society will still have to provide all the other social benefits anyway, food stamps, housing, etc, because many people who need UBI likely are not going to spend the money wisely.
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by paul_f 5y ago
Exactly. Apply Occam's Razor. "the simplest explanation is usually the best one". Gain of function research being done in Wuhan, lab scientists become ill, virus explodes in Wuhan. How much more evidence is needed? Until prov
134.
by paul_f 5y ago
This is a straw-man. People are not legitimately comparing NYT to OANN and NewsMax, they are comparing NYT to the New York Post, the Wall Street Journal and Fox News.
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by paul_f 5y ago
It is overly simplistic to think of a global company, such as Oracle, or Coca Cola, as a single monolithic US corporation. They have literally hundreds of subsidiary companies all over the world, manufacturing and selling into different mar
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by paul_f 5y ago
Just watch, the next step is to apply this concept to US Sates. Require a minimum 5% state income tax and if less, have the IRS take the difference.
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by paul_f 5y ago
The US can tax the US company. The US will have a hard time taxing the Luxembourg subsidiary of the US company especially if the parent owns less than 100% of the subsidiary.
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by paul_f 5y ago
Sales price: $100 Apple's cut: $30 Costs (including dev and mktg): $40 (60% net profit) Profit: $30
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by paul_f 5y ago
If a developer's net profit margin, after dev and marketing costs, is less than 60%, then Apple makes more money on the app than the developer. 30% is outrageous.
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by paul_f 5y ago
Malcolm Gladwell wrote about this in his brilliant essay - The Art of Failure. "When Jana Novotna faltered at Wimbledon, it was because she began thinking about her shots again. She lost her fluidity, her touch." https:/&#x2
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by paul_f 5y ago
Think bigger. A Dyson Sphere would maximize bitcoin mining
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by paul_f 5y ago
Not sure why the downvotes. It is not realistic for every country in the world to pass an equivalent carbon tax. The mining will just move to he locations with no (or lowest) carbon tax
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by paul_f 5y ago
Actually you can. And it has been done successfully for decades. Proselytizing has no place in the workplace.
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by paul_f 5y ago
Love this. Complete thread killer.
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by paul_f 5y ago
I translate PoW as Proof of Waste.
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by paul_f 5y ago
This is an Appeal to authority fallacy.
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by paul_f 5y ago
The reason for the contention is because it is not simply one side wearing masks and the other side not. It is one side wearing masks and demanding the other side do as well.
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by paul_f 5y ago
Agree. To add, 450 individuals dying separately from different causes in different places is not as newsworthy as 450 people dying in one event in one place in spectacular fashion.
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by paul_f 5y ago
false positives and crappy pcr tests, never meant as diagnostics
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by paul_f 5y ago
may be. Here's the problem, many see this as let's upend society for a "may be". Versus, isolate the sick as we've always done before

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