Stephanie Ruhl just made a valid point regarding taxes and Bezos and other gazillionaires

[Stinky The Clown]

If you have a problem with them not paying their fair share, go after the reason why they can do that.

IT

IS

LEGAL

Don't like it? Change the laws. The GOP has for a loooong time successfully changed laws that give money to people. No daycare? GOP. No universal healthcare? GOP. You get the idea.

[Wounded Bear]

1. Yep! nt

[mucifer]

2. It's a catch 22. manchin doesn't believe in taxing the wealthy. If we don't get any voters rights

bills passed we can't tax the billionaires because we will probably lose the senate and/or house.

[lagomorph777]

5. We have to out-bid Koch and out-Kompromat Trump/Barr/Putin to get Manchin/Sinema onboard.

[brooklynite]

10. You know he voted against the Trump tax cuts bill, right?

[mucifer]

12. He won't allow the infrastructure bill to walk back the tax cuts for wealthy So IMO

he NOW IS voting for the trump tax cuts for the wealthy.

[FoxNewsSucks]

13. +1000

[Xoan]

3. No manned space program ...

blame GOP.

[Mosby]

4. Not only that

But the deductions reduce taxes for millions of small business owners, good luck getting them on board for tax increases.

I think the best chance to balance tax burdens is adjusting cap gain %. Maybe a sliding scale, to make it more "progressive".

[Doc Sportello]

6. This lets drumpf off the hook too

After all, he said not paying taxes showed how smart he was and everyone on here slammed him for it. Bezos doesn't HAVE to avoid paying his fair share. He uses the system to do so, just like drumpf.

I like what Colbert said last night. Bezos has figured out a way to go to space. Now if he could only figure out a way to pay his taxes.

[Mr.Bill]

29. I'd be willing to bet Trump

has violated more than a few tax laws.

[Doc Sportello]

30. And I'd be willing to bet his accountants have followed more than a few tax laws

Meaning some or most of what he did was legal. So he is off the hook - just like Bezos - at least according to Ruhle and this OP.

[underpants]

7. She's friends with lots of rich people like the Under Armour guy

I mean. That’s what I’ve heard. Just saying.

[malaise]

8. And she sure loves to name call

just like Andrea Mitchell

[Rebl2]

9. Not a fan

of either of them.

[Stinky The Clown]

11. Is what she said about it being legal wrong?

[underpants]

15. No but it's simplistic for the purpose of obstruction

Oh sure. We don’t like it. I’m sure a sternly worded email and a phone call or two will get that fixed no problem at all.

I don’t have to tell you Stinky that I’m being sarcastic.

[Stinky The Clown]

16. Heh! Sorry. I was just trying to make a point.

The solution to this will take a LOT of collective hard work under increasingly dire conditions as the right wing and the rich wing gain an ever tightening death grip on our democracy.

Flapping our arms and showing our hairy armpits will get us nothing.

[underpants]

17. Speaking of which 🤪

Link to tweet

?s=21

[Stinky The Clown]

20. :snort:

That's about right!

LOL

[MFGsunny]

19. + 1000 n/t

[Stinky The Clown]

14. Ro Khanna was just on the teevee bemoaning rich guys in space.

Love ya, Ro, but on this point the solution is in YOUR hands. You and the other congress critters.

Yes, I know. The votes are not there. That's in OUR hands. Sorta. If we can vote. If our votes get counted as cast.

[lame54]

22. Why would we vote that way...

If no one is allowed to publicly address the problem

[anotherOKIE]

18. "we" voted for this

The USA may never be the fair, loving and equitable country we wish for because most people vote to put conservatives in power. I wish it were otherwise. Our hope is that younger generations can turn the tide and vote for the country that they would like to live in; although climatically speaking it may too late and we will have to live a dystopian future.

[lame54]

21. What bullshit...

It's an ingrained system

The Golden Rule
He who has the gold makes the rules

Can it be changed? - sure
Can it be changed easily?
HELL NO!

Financial power is tough to fight
And their financial power is growing exponentially

Yet - according to Stephanie - this is all our fault and we should just shut up

Expected reply:
So, you're saying we should just give up?
No
Calling them out for their immoral (yet legal) behavior and bringing it to the public's attention is one of our best tools for change

[CousinIT]

23. Senate Republicans are among the wealthiest politicians. And that is who

they represent. Themselves and other millionaires, billionaires and big corporations + their own personal business interests.

If Americans are SICK of rich people not paying their fair share then they need to be voting FOR DEMOCRATS.

EVERYWHERE. Every chance they get.

[Stinky The Clown]

24. Which is what I heard her say. Not literally, but in principle.

[TexasBushwhacker]

25. Ever heard of gerrymandering? N/t

[Stinky The Clown]

26. No. Please tell me about it.

[TexasBushwhacker]

27. Apparently Stephanie hasn't heard about it

[live love laugh]

28. Yes I'm sick of them targeting individuals and not the laws that enable them. Root causes people. nt

[Hekate]

31. She's right about that, you know. It is legal. Change the laws.

Last edited Wed Jul 21, 2021, 12:20 PM - Edit history (1)

[Johnny2X2X]

32. Stock as an asset is hard to tax

Anyone who has a 401K owns stock, that stock can end up worthless next week if things go South. Well, all of these billionaires are billionaires because they own stock in the companies they created. Jeff Bezos owns $200 Billion + of Amazon Stock, how do you tax something that has no value until you sell it? What if Amazon does poorly and that $200 Billion is suddenly worth only $2 Billion? How do you tax that $198 Billion loss? And furthermore, Jeff Bezos will be worth more and more as long as the company he runs continues to be successful, what is he supposed to do, tank Amazon?

But here's what needs to be taxed, every fringe benefit they get, the jets, the cars, the limos, the apartments, that's all part of their salary and needs to be taxed as such. And when they're given stock as compensation, that needs to be taxed right then too. Capital gains needs to be taxed at a much higher % for transactions above a certain high amount. There are ways to make things more fair, thousands of ways actually. Close the loopholes!

That being said, These ultra rich people just own a bunch of stock worth a ton, no real way to tax holdings that grow and shrink so much.