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CSB3: Sterkrazzys Five Page Dissertation - TLDR He Got A Flat Tire
- Thread starter riceburner
- Start date
aspro_gti
Autocross Champion
So you're saying he's not rich because of selling teslas and having founded paypal? You must not have been to California (they're everywhere)
btw, just looked it up, musk said paid over $11bn in taxes, unless he's a liar, that's more money than we'll likely ever see.
"And we don't have free market, so not sure what your point is" -we don't because so many people believe in intervention.
Elitist? Collapsing societies? Do tell.
If you think government and using power to redistribute wealth lift people out of poverty instead of by people pulling themselves up by the bootstraps, then I believe you are sadly mistaken.
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GTIfan99
Autocross Champion
Taxing the wealthy a lower percentage than middle class people reduces revenue larger about of money than you'd think.
The real issue is the changes to capital gains and corporate taxes.
Our corporate tax code used to encourage corporations to hire employees and invest in the business to lower their tax burden. Now taxes are so low for both, there's no need, and they focus solely on share price and pay executives in shares, allowing them to pay zero taxes and they just borrow against their stock, cash out stock to pay loan, then deduct interest paid, lowering taxes to almost nothing. Billionaires are paying 3-4% federal taxes. A quarter of corporations pay 0% or less, many receiving tax incentives. To round out the kick in the dick to the working class, they paid off or politicians to write incentives into the tax code to outsource to other countries.
Elon a good con man.
oddspyke
Autocross Champion
Damnit, you lured me in.
Ok, first, Musk: please do some basic googling about how he actually got his start, who his family is, and how he got money to invest in the first place. I'll leave it at that.
As for the rest, I'm not going to argue with you, but some difficult questions that it would benefit you to ponder:
How can you achieve equality of opportunity without also having some level of redistribution of assets? People with the means will always look for ways to help their children by providing them more opportunities that other people don't have access to.
You stated that "people can be whatever they want", but what if they can't? I assume you're a person of above average intelligence and based on what I know about you, you've likely spent most of your life around similarly smart people, but as your world expands, you will likely meet many more people of average or below average intelligence and you will be astonished by how dumb the average person actually is and rightly worried when it dawns on you that half the population is then dumber than that. No amount of hard work is going to get the guy born with an IQ of 78 to be an engineer or programmer, let alone something like a neurosurgeon. There are huge swaths of the population who quite literally do not possess the intelligence to become more educated or do better then menial labor; do they deserve to live in poverty?
GTIfan99
Autocross Champion
Dude is rich because he started rich, gets away with violating labor and tax laws, because he's rich and is swimming in government subsidies.
Governments can prevent monopolies and ensure a living wage. Our government hasn't, which has allowed billionaires to thrive while starving out the people doing the actual work. You're cool with that, because you were born well off.
Again. You're only cool with it, because you think you're going to end up a winner. It shows an elitist attitude and lack of empathy. It's literally why revolutions happen.
GTIfan99
Autocross Champion
He believes they do.
I grew up wealthy, I grew up around it. They really do feel like they deserve excess and people that do labor deserve poverty. It's why I got as far away from my family as I could when I graduated high school.
My wife is the epitome of the “anyone can be anything” argument. Her parents were below the poverty line for years as she grew up. She graduates from med school in 2026.
In high school, she asked her guidance counselor (near West Side Chicago school), how she could set herself up to get into medical school. She was told she wouldn’t ever have a shot at it, and that her best shot at anything resembling success would be to either join the Marines or go to community college and pursue nursing. She would be the first one to tell you that not everyone has the capability to move upwards, because they’ve started underwater and are just struggling to keep their head above water. When you’re stuck working 60 hours (or more) to just live, there’s just no time to advance yourself.
In high school, she asked her guidance counselor (near West Side Chicago school), how she could set herself up to get into medical school. She was told she wouldn’t ever have a shot at it, and that her best shot at anything resembling success would be to either join the Marines or go to community college and pursue nursing. She would be the first one to tell you that not everyone has the capability to move upwards, because they’ve started underwater and are just struggling to keep their head above water. When you’re stuck working 60 hours (or more) to just live, there’s just no time to advance yourself.
cb1111
Newbie
Ahhh, to be young and naive. I would have said "ignorant" but that might have had other connotations.
Tell you what. Try to live your life without the janitors and the cafeteria lady and the cashiers at McD or the grocery store.
And no, I'm not going to get sucked into this discussion.
aspro_gti
Autocross Champion
Well don't you talk a lot at dinner? Bowling isn't a terrible idea. Hiking isn't bad although very weather dependent, and it's cold... would have sniffles. Festivals is a good lead... will look further. Boat?No movies - someplace where you guys have to talk a bunch. Bowling? Duckpin bowling? Short hike? Boat? Any festivals you can walk through? (pulling on all the stuff my now wife likes as low key dates)
Gee, idk guys, maybe I should invite her to the garage to hold the flashlight while I lean over my engine bay with my crack sticking out, trying to fix my oil leaks.
Lloydrule