The wealthy win again![views:10526][posts:73]____________________________________ [Aug 5,2011 12:21pm - Alx_Casket ""] Because saying that the wealthiest should be taxed at a higher rate is easier for laymen to perceive than "tax code reform" |
| ___________________________________ [Aug 5,2011 12:21pm - Boozegood ""] arktouros said:I can't talk numbers, but I'm talking about large shareholders, that may or may not be involved in the activities of a corporation. If this corporation lobbies congress to increase military spending so they grab a contract for a new amphibious tank (which indirectly cuts funding for a public school) or, more directly, lobbies for de-regulation of an environmental law so they can dump their waste in a local river, they are actively increasing their wealth at the expense of population. It's sort of the global malady of unregulated capitalism. The shareholders can put their hands up and say "I didn't do it". So to grab recent examples, look at the BP oil spill. BP and the government regulatory body that were both responsible for the safety of that equipment had their hands in each other's pockets and essentially deregulated themselves while no one else was watching, and when the pipe broke, their shares plummeted. Whether or not they will pay their fines has yet to be seen (Exxon still hasn't from 20+ years ago, last time I checked) their company brand is tarnished. Or the News Corp phone hacking scandal -- not only killed their shares but made David Cameron look like a joke. These have real effects on shares and real effects on public opinion. I guess my point is deregulation can both help and hurt a corporation, where the only thing that protects them from government and public scrutiny is walls of gold, and maybe their monopoly on a service that should be publically-owned and regulated. Good post. Corporations are the definite 'touchy subject' of capitalism, due too the general populace thinking of them as businesses when the laws that pertain to businesses and corporations are very different. |
| ___________________________________ [Aug 5,2011 12:27pm - Boozegood ""] Serious question, just looking for an answer, not implying anything: Is there any information on how much money is being lost too people in the lower income bracket/welfare/illegal residents skipping out on taxes ? |
| __________________________________________ [Aug 5,2011 12:28pm - largefreakatzero ""] Applicable to this subject: http://articles.cnn.com/2011-07-29/tech/ap...-jobs-apple-cash-balance?_s=PM:TECH |
| ___________________________________ [Aug 5,2011 12:30pm - Boozegood ""] largefreakatzero said:Applicable to this subject: http://articles.cnn.com/2011-07-29/tech/ap...-jobs-apple-cash-balance?_s=PM:TECH "Maybe the cash-strapped U.S. government should start selling iPads." The irony of that is that the government really SHOULD do more to earn money outside of taking it from the earnings of their citizens. |
| ________________________________________ [Aug 5,2011 12:32pm - DestroyYouAlot ""] Boozegood said: largefreakatzero said:Applicable to this subject: http://articles.cnn.com/2011-07-29/tech/ap...-jobs-apple-cash-balance?_s=PM:TECH "Maybe the cash-strapped U.S. government should start selling iPads." The irony of that is that the government really SHOULD do more to earn money outside of taking it from the earnings of their citizens. I can totally get down with this - or, at least, there should be some correlation between what government requires from its citizens, and what it does for them. 'Course, I'm of the mind that there should be some correlation between what is required to be ELIGIBLE for citizenship, and what's granted by said status, soooo... |
| __________________________________________ [Aug 5,2011 12:33pm - largefreakatzero ""] Boozegood said: largefreakatzero said:Applicable to this subject: http://articles.cnn.com/2011-07-29/tech/ap...-jobs-apple-cash-balance?_s=PM:TECH "Maybe the cash-strapped U.S. government should start selling iPads." Or iPads filled with...weeeeeeeed... |
| ___________________________________ [Aug 5,2011 12:36pm - arktouros ""] Boozegood said:Serious question, just looking for an answer, not implying anything: Is there any information on how much money is being lost too people in the lower income bracket/welfare/illegal residents skipping out on taxes ? without taking into account the rediculously unique and bloated american prison and justice system, the money lost on them is probably a lot. however, without welfare and alien safety nets, would the cost of persecution, high crime, and gestapoing them to death be more? i don't know, but maybe someday we'll find out. |
| ___________________________________ [Aug 5,2011 12:44pm - Boozegood ""] Well, at least this thread went from stupid pseudo-Anarchist/Commie bullshit, to an intelligent discussion. AM I REALLY ON RTTP?! |
| ___________________________________ [Aug 5,2011 12:47pm - arktouros ""] Boozegood said: The irony of that is that the government really SHOULD do more to earn money outside of taking it from the earnings of their citizens. relevant, obama has been trying to do this against the behest of a broken government. http://www.cambridgeblog.org/2010/09/an-in...rivate-investment-for-public-works/ |
| __________________________________ [Aug 5,2011 1:06pm - arktouros ""] Boozegood said:how much money is being lost too people in the lower income bracket also, it might be good to look that in the way of investment, which many people don't for some reason -- knowing a lot of people who've collected unemployment/assistance, used that to get the hell out of their unfortunate situation, get an education, work toward providing for themselves, in ways they could not have done without that assistance. collecting assistance doesn't mean you're a lazy asshole, a lazy asshole is a lazy asshole either way. lazy asshole |
| __________________________________ [Aug 5,2011 1:10pm - Boozegood ""] arktouros said: Boozegood said:how much money is being lost too people in the lower income bracket also, it might be good to look that in the way of investment, which many people don't for some reason -- knowing a lot of people who've collected unemployment/assistance, used that to get the hell out of their unfortunate situation, get an education, work toward providing for themselves, in ways they could not have done without that assistance. collecting assistance doesn't mean you're a lazy asshole, a lazy asshole is a lazy asshole either way. lazy asshole I fully agree, I have collected unemployment for a bit when I got out of the Corps. I just meant the people that do no pay taxes, from that area of life. I never hear anything about that, just the opposite end of the spectrum. |
| _________________________________________ [Aug 6,2011 11:10pm - ridahsofdizoom ""] yeah, protect the state man, pay the people starvation wages and make sure the public education system never works mannnnn |
| ____________________________________ [Aug 7,2011 3:48pm - longdeadgod ""] the public eductation system fails mostly because of the lack of a sense of personal responsibility in america, wether it be the parents of or the students. as soon as a kid fails its the teachers fault, not the fact that the kid never spent one minute studying. |
| _____________________________________________ [Aug 7,2011 5:02pm - bobnomaamrooney nli ""] I'd pin most of our issues re:education on fortune 500 companies' influence on setting education policy. Business had been the driving force behind our shift toward standards based education (read increased reliance on high stakes standardized testing) over the past two decades despite innumerable complaints from the educators who actually teach kids. And while there are a multitude of factors behind our nation's decline I'd put the majority of it at the feet of an educational model that discourages innovative and creative thinking in favor of drilling and rote memorization. |
| _________________________________ [Aug 7,2011 9:41pm - ShadowSD ""] Nailed it. I've been saying this for years, sums up my philosophy as a guitar/theory teacher in throwing off those chains; all teachers should. |
| ________________________________________ [Aug 8,2011 2:47am - ridahsofdizoom ""] bobnomaamrooney%20nli said:I'd pin most of our issues re:education on fortune 500 companies' influence on setting education policy. Business had been the driving force behind our shift toward standards based education (read increased reliance on high stakes standardized testing) over the past two decades despite innumerable complaints from the educators who actually teach kids. And while there are a multitude of factors behind our nation's decline I'd put the majority of it at the feet of an educational model that discourages innovative and creative thinking in favor of drilling and rote memorization. This The whole system of education seems to create people uninterested in learning once they get out of the public school system...sometimes I wonder if it is intentional, whatever Thomas Jefferson said about a nation and a need for well educated, freethinkers etc. |
| ___________________________________ [Aug 8,2011 10:55am - poopshit ""] Boozegood said:Well, at least this thread went from stupid pseudo-Anarchist/Commie bullshit, to an intelligent discussion. AM I REALLY ON RTTP?! this post is an example of one of the most annoying and non-productive aspects to the national dialog about the economy: the fact that you can't talk about regulation or corporate responsibility or paying higher taxes without some dick, whose brain can't handle nuance, automatically start tossing around "COMMIE" (or marxist, or anarchist, or anti-freedom, etc.).... not saying you're one of those dicks, but really.... commies??? isn't that just the easiest shortcut accusation to make? |
| _________________________________________ [Aug 8,2011 11:12am - ridahsofdizoom ""] bennyhillifier |
| _________________________________________ [Aug 8,2011 11:51am - ridahsofdizoom ""] [img] Lowell in 10 years...or Lynn...or JP...or any working class city that the rich have stuck their tentacles into because of how cool urban landscapes are now to the Yuppy culture |
| ___________________________________________ [Aug 8,2011 12:57pm - FuckIsMySignature ""] where is that ^ |
| ______________________________ [Aug 8,2011 12:59pm - ark ""] Mexico city |
| __________________________________________ [Aug 8,2011 1:05pm - FuckIsMySignature ""] ah. |
| ___________________________________________ [Aug 8,2011 1:13pm - Stickydrippintitz ""] FuckIsMySignature said:watch from 1:00 on bennyhillifier priceless. I'm voting for this mofo!!!!!!! His taglines will be "Spade the Bitches." and "FUCK YOUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!" |