Democratic Primaries
Related: About this forumprimary today, I would vote for: Undecided
oldsoftie
(12,485 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Response to oldsoftie (Reply #1)
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oldsoftie
(12,485 posts)Too many people dont seem to understand the difference between assets & money.
Certainly the rich need to pay more taxes. But acting like we can pay for everything we'd like to implement by ONLY taxing them is disingenuous
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
LonePirate
(13,407 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
left-of-center2012
(34,195 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Red Oak
(697 posts)The top 5% own 65% of the wealth in the US.
The top 10% own an astounding 77% of the wealth in the United States as of 2016 (Statista).
Who do you think should bear the burden of paying for our budget? The bottom 90% that own only 23% of the wealth?
BTW - the bottom 50% own an overpowering 1.2% of the wealth in the United States. That's right, just 1.2%.
Maybe healthcare for all, free college and free child care might help improve the lives of a couple hundred million people.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Ferrets are Cool
(21,102 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
DENVERPOPS
(8,785 posts)when we talk about billions and millions, just what those numbers represent.
Bloomberg has 60? Billion...............
He makes revenue of 10? billion a year off that money?
This: As a "presidential candidate" he could give 100 MILLION to ads hammering Repubs, IN EACH AND EVERY STATE and he would only spend five billion............
When a Billionaire admits that his house keeper pays more in taxes than he does, that's beyond ludicrous....(Warren Buffet)
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
oldsoftie
(12,485 posts)Carried interest, all that BS, needs to be done away with
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
DENVERPOPS
(8,785 posts)capitalize on those, plus capital gains are taxed at an extremely low rate and their are many ways around that.
AND how about Corporate Taxes..........The top corporations pay absolutely zero in taxes regardless of how many BILLIONS in Profits they make.
something to think about: All the goods shipped on container ships. If there were no U.S. Navy, most of the tankers and container ships would certainly be hijacked at sea. And we taxpayers fund the U.S. Navy, not the corporations, not the uber rich, us common folk. What a dream set up for the Corporations. We pay for their security to make the billions..........
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Red Oak
(697 posts)We have property taxes and that is a wealth tax.
I'll bet we could figure something out.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
oldsoftie
(12,485 posts)We need a VAT; which they HAVENT done away with. Because they DO work.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Red Oak
(697 posts)It doesn't.
A VAT is pushed by those that have all the wealth already.
A study was done in Italy to see how wealth inequality changed through generations. The summary is it doesn't.
Basically the same wealthy families from hundreds of years ago are still the same wealthy families today.
Wealth places a stranglehold on politics and that's why a wealth tax doesn't work. Those with all the wealth dont want it to work.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Newest Reality
(12,712 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
KPN
(15,634 posts)via laws passed by legislators and an electoral system prone to lobbying by profiteering corporations and wealthy at a cost and losses incurred by the middle and working classes. Rather than call it tax, lets call it restoration.
Your point has merit in a balanced setting, but not a system effectively plumbed to siphon wealth upward away from common people into the hands of the relatively few by comparison wealthy class. Its an unsustainable economic model accelerating toward collapse already. Call that hyperbolic, but those who support the message that Warren, Sanders, Reich and many economists are voicing do not think so or agree; and they are tens of millions. Ignore or reject those supporters at your own risk. I wont and dont.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
oldsoftie
(12,485 posts)Anyone thinking this would even be possible just doesnt understand what can work and what cant
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
KPN
(15,634 posts)That at least feels good.
Listen, success is one thing. Fleecing Americans through a rigged playing field politically is another. Participating, taking advantage of, and most likely contributing to rigging the playing field is yet another. They deserve the bashing.
Defending mega-billionaires by calling it bashing success deserves bashing as well in my view.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Red Oak
(697 posts)One doesn't make $60B, one takes it.
It's OK to take some of it back to help others.
When he said of course he deserves his $60B "I worked hard for it". Yeah - right. So he worked three jobs trying to feed the family and still be able to afford a trip to the doctor or pay for medicine? I doubt it. He worked $60 Billion times more than the person that didn't enjoy the opportunity to go to college because they couldn't afford it? I doubt it.
Bloomie is out of touch, tone deaf and very much deserved the gutting he received by Sen Warren. So yeah, it is a winning argument.
BTW - How about those "consensual" NDAs?
Maybe he can release his taxes? (yeah, like that will happen)
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Kurt V.
(5,624 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Newest Reality
(12,712 posts)Yes.
We are still, in the 21st-Century laboring, (pun intended) under the old myth of the self-made man, the rugged individualist, etc. That's now, obviously, a cock and bull story meant to bolster a belief system that supported capitalism. The social contract is also becoming a myth under the current politics.
It obscures the fact that nobody does everything needed to get their "success" and that everything is interdependent, (notice how climate change is going now base on an obsolete view of nature) and we are all in this together.
The above lessons need to be learned well if our society is going to move forward, democratically in this century. It is either that or we continue to enable wealth addiction and buy into the mythical post-rationalizations that smack of something like religious views, (God favors you, not the poor) and even misinterpretations of the idea of karma as a judgement.
I, for one, don't see it as healthy and viable to our collective democracy to continue to coddle wealth and allow excuses to be made as to why they deserve it and we have to make do based on our lack of "merit" in a society that then gives them celebrity, leniency, a different form of justice and offers them more and more simply because they have wealth.
Feeding any severe addiction can be devastating to families and communities and we are clearly seeing that manifest in the big picture. There is no need for guessing or conjecture. If I want to support parasites, I will go hang around mosquitoes or maybe contract some hook worms.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Kurt V.
(5,624 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)middle-class.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
madaboutharry
(40,181 posts)Last edited Thu Feb 20, 2020, 10:28 PM - Edit history (1)
This billionaire tears schtick just as dumb.
Billionaires are not horrible people. Paul McCartney is a billionaire. He gives lots of money away to charity. Bill Gates is a billionaire. He is leaving almost his entire estate to charity. George Soros is a billionaire and gives tons of money to Democrats and many different charities. Are they Saints? No, but they are not evil people.
This whole boogey man thing is tiring. Sure there are billionaires who are greedy and corrupt. But many billionaires have a sense of duty to pay it forward to the society and culture that made them rich.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
radical noodle
(7,997 posts)even when we're talking about the super-wealthy. Of course, there are greedy, mean spirited billionaires, but they shouldn't all be lumped together. Some of the worst, most greedy and unscrupulous people I know are those who are millionaire wannabes... small businessmen who rape their companies and cheat their workers.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
grantcart
(53,061 posts)And had a genuine concern for everyone.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Red Oak
(697 posts)Theres class warfare, all right, but its my class, the rich class, thats making war, and were winning.
Quote from Warren Buffet (Second richest man in the US)
In all fairness, Mr. Buffet made this statement giving his position that taxes should be raised significantly on the wealthy to improve the lives of those that had less opportunity in life.
I think it's OK for the 275,000,000 Americans that are getting a raw deal to point it out. Enough is enough!
The rich love socialism, as long as its their pockets the money is going into. Enough is enough!
Privatized profits, socialized losses - Enough is enough!
Tax cuts go to the wealthy. Enough!
Justice goes to the wealthy. Enough!
Money is declared "free speech" Enough!
Enough.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
DENVERPOPS
(8,785 posts)Just how many Billions does a Billionaire need?????????????????? Just when is their ever increasing wealth enough?????????
Warren Buffet said all those things, but yet, I didn't notice him just writing a check to the U.S. Treasury. I'm sure they would have
gladly accepted it........
Actions speak louder than words.
WASF
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
DrToast
(6,414 posts)I think it makes Warren look bad.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Baclava
(12,047 posts)But by all means, sell some more! Go Liz!
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
eissa
(4,238 posts)Love walking around the office with it! And for some reason my coffee seems to taste extra good ever since Ive been drinking out of it
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
captain queeg
(10,081 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Fran2020
(40 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
unitedwethrive
(1,997 posts)have billionaires. The success of a capitalist society is to get the wealthy to pay a fair share of the expenses. Mocking them will not help in this goal.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
musicblind
(4,484 posts)I don't hate all billionaires. I hate that we live in a system that creates insane income discrepancies, but I do not hate a group of people because they won/inherited the money lottery.
There are many good billionaires who give insane amounts of money to liberal causes. Some, like Steyer, have even pledged to give away the majority of their wealth before they die.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
nilesobek
(1,423 posts)What to do? Where to flip?
Liz solved it for me on Tuesday night 😁.
She is the Dragonslayer, She is The One.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden