CURRENT EVENTS May 22 - July 5

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CFordUNC said:
That’s where I’m at. I’m a firm believer in capitalism as a conduit of creation, innovation, entrepreneurship, business-building, etc., so I’m also a firm believer in the ability to make immense amounts of money as an incentive to the above.

That said, I also think that wealth/assets/income above a certain high threshold (say, at a net worth or asset value of $1B) should be appropriately taxed at a high rate. There’s no earthly need or reason for any human being to have $1B+. It’s just not necessary. You can still live one of the most lavish lifestyles in the history of humanity on….several hundred million….all while getting the altruistic benefit of knowing that your immense wealth has made a major impact on society. This notion of billionaire assholes hoarding wealth and trying to destroy American democracy because they don’t want to pay taxes is, in my estimation, a relatively new phenomenon. Back in the day, comparative billionaires like Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan, etc. etc. gifted things like libraries, hospitals, educational institutions, etc. instead of, you know, trying to dismantle on American democracy and establishing a technofeudal state.

In my line of work, I work with HNW to UHNW folks on financial planning, wealth management, estate planning, philanthropic planning, etc. and am always surprised at how much more naturally generous are the folks with the seven figure and low eight figure NW’s are than the folks with the high-eight and nine figure net worths. Although I can share one feel-good anecdote about one guy I work with, who last year sold a biotechnology/pharmaceutical company he co-founded 20 years ago for $7B, and is now, by definition, a billionaire in his late 40’s (and fully retired, obviously). He’s got a house in Mexico and a house in Park City, and he and his family want to travel internationally a lot, but otherwise his mission for his money is to give the vast majority of it away in his lifetime.
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Sounds as if you’re friends with Bill Gates. :-). Have no problem with billionaires… particularly if they earned it. But those who receive the most from the system should be willing to give more back to society that made their good fortune possible. Now days owning most of wealth is not enough… they want it all. Personally, I’m “a man of means by no means’.
 
"After Trump pushes the big lie, DeSantis jumps in to say Florida was "jipped" by Biden and he says, "I would love for them to redo the census for 26.""

This should actually be rendered "gypped." It's a slur against gypsies, same as if he had said Biden jewed them down or some such...
 
tarheelbillie said:
Sounds as if you’re friends with Bill Gates. :-). Have no problem with billionaires… particularly if they earned it. But those who receive the most from the system should be willing to give more back to society that made their good fortune possible. Now days owning most of wealth is not enough… they want it all. Personally, I’m “a man of means by no means’.
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I've said it before. The enemy of capitalism Is greed. If you are expecting the wealthy to donate their money you're kidding yourself. Some do but that's because they only care about their legacy.

That said there's a lot that can be done that billionaires shouldn't scoff at. Removing the social security cap. Sorry we are a nation. The tax is to support our neighbors when they retire. It's a flat tax. Capital gains should be taxed at a higher rate unless you are of retirement age. The tax goes down depending on age. This allows people to stretch their money. Limits on political contributions. The SCOTUS is wrong. If you are rich you can put out your own ads.

The first thing we need to do is change the political campaigning system.
 
CFordUNC said:
That’s where I’m at. I’m a firm believer in capitalism as a conduit of creation, innovation, entrepreneurship, business-building, etc., so I’m also a firm believer in the ability to make immense amounts of money as an incentive to the above.

That said, I also think that wealth/assets/income above a certain high threshold (say, at a net worth or asset value of $1B) should be appropriately taxed at a high rate. There’s no earthly need or reason for any human being to have $1B+. It’s just not necessary. You can still live one of the most lavish lifestyles in the history of humanity on….several hundred million….all while getting the altruistic benefit of knowing that your immense wealth has made a major impact on society. This notion of billionaire assholes hoarding wealth and trying to destroy American democracy because they don’t want to pay taxes is, in my estimation, a relatively new phenomenon. Back in the day, comparative billionaires like Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan, etc. etc. gifted things like libraries, hospitals, educational institutions, etc. instead of, you know, trying to dismantle on American democracy and establishing a technofeudal state.

In my line of work, I work with HNW to UHNW folks on financial planning, wealth management, estate planning, philanthropic planning, etc. and am always surprised at how much more naturally generous are the folks with the seven figure and low eight figure NW’s are than the folks with the high-eight and nine figure net worths. Although I can share one feel-good anecdote about one guy I work with, who last year sold a biotechnology/pharmaceutical company he co-founded 20 years ago for $7B, and is now, by definition, a billionaire in his late 40’s (and fully retired, obviously). He’s got a house in Mexico and a house in Park City, and he and his family want to travel internationally a lot, but otherwise his mission for his money is to give the vast majority of it away in his lifetime.
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Agree. I've got my own theory about these new-money billionaires:

In reality, we don't know these people in real life. We think we know these people from what we read, see and hear across all the public mediums. Fact is, many of the world's richest people today are also some of the world's most horrible people.

We like to think of these billionaires as success stories, shining examples of the American dream, capitalism at its finest, brillant minds being rewarded for being brilliant. It gives us hope, right? But in fact, I would be willing to bet that many of these billionaires have become billionaires from committing unspeakable wrongdoings; circumventing the rules of business ethics; screwing others to add to their own bottom lines; destroying lives, families and relationships to enable their own financial gain. They have no morals. They laugh at ethics. They absolutely thrive on others' misery. They "not like us."

I know for a fact that most of us here wouldn't think twice about giving back and helping others if we ever found ourselves with billion-dollar bank accounts. Almost any empathetic and decent human would.

And maybe that's exactly why we're not billionaires.
 
Pretty wild that all Zohran’s done so far is make some anodyne progressive comments and win a primary and he’s been the subject of a nonstop character assassination campaign from mainstream democrats (see Kirsten Gillibrand) and republicans ever since. The media is focusing on him instead of, say, the MAGA who ambushed the firefighters in Idaho, the assassin in Minnesota, or I don’t know, republicans destroying the last shreds of the social safety net with the big beautiful bill. Feel like I’m going crazy.
 
nycfan said:
“…A group of about 400 EPA employees have signed a public letter sent Monday to Zeldin claiming the Trump administration is ignoring science to the benefit of corporate polluters. Zeldin is “fundamentally changing the mission of the EPA when he focuses on industry needs above human health and the environment,” said Amelia Hertzberg, an environmental-protection specialist at the EPA who signed the letter. She said she was put on administrative leave in February.

An EPA spokeswoman said the agency was “bound by laws established by Congress—not what some would like the law to say.”

Under Zeldin’s leadership, scientists at the agency’s Office of Research and Development have seen their funds, staffing and contracts slashed, according to people familiar with the matter. The EPA earlier this year submitted a plan to the Office of Management and Budget to eliminate the research and development office and fire at least half of its staff, according to a document reviewed by Democratic staff for the House Science Committee and seen by the The Wall Street Journal….”
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Money above all for these idiots.

Who cares if 80% of the population dies and the remaining have to live underground.
 
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