@ CappedandPlanit: I agree 100% with your last post. I’ve grown up around EXTREMELY rich people, and EXTREMELY poor people, and everything in between. It’s really baffling/sickening/demoralizing to see the wealthy (from moderately wealthy to uber rich) cling to their money SO hard. It’s just plain old NOT FAIR to take the same amount from a rich guy as from a poor guy.
I think ppl like Sloth here demonstrate that point. They take what I just said - about the unfairness of taxing the poor equal to the rich - and come back with quick little jabs like what he said. “Oh, so tax the rich 80%?” Yeah dude, obviously that’s what we’re saying…Just think for a moment about your comebacks…Nobody would ever propose taxing the rich 80% (or at least hopefully nobody). I’m saying simply that plans like the 999 and other idiotic ideas of that nature are just plain old unfair.
I also understand that capitalism is a very complex machine, and that there are many subtleties that I don’t understand. But how about creating some new jobs and placing more of the burden OFF the backs of the poor and ON the backs of the rich. Not an overwhelming burden that will turn the rich into the poor (that seems like communism sorta) but instead how about the rich people take a bigger hit than they are to help out their brothers?
This goes back to my point about the moral duty of helping those around you. No doubt that tax money doesn’t always go to helping the poor, but come on…
And here’s one quick idea. If you want to create more jobs, make stricter salary worker guidelines. It seems that nowadays companies are losing money, so they hire 1 guy on salary and essentially force him to work 60 hour weeks. Well, if it were stritclty enforced that no person could work over 40 hours, then these companies would HAVE to hire another person to get all their work done. It seems that companies are using the salaried worker to pick up the burden of their work needs without paying him his fair share. I think Marx talked about this a bit, and I agree with him. Create more jobs by enforcing a stricter 40 hour work week, or even reduce it to 36 hours, say. That way companies that want X amount of work done will have to hire 2 people to do the work instead of overworking one poor SOB.
And, as to the replies that I’m sure will come…I think that socialism is probaby a better direction to go from here. Look, free market capitalism seems great, and I’m sure I’ll catch all kinds of shit for expressing my views, but…
Free market capitalism promotes people to be innovative and work hard. The ppl that work hardest and come up with the best products, ideas, etc, will be the ones who profit the most. I agree with Rand that money CAN be the root of all good, if we literally look at free market capitalism. BUT, inevitably the richest/most innovative people dig themselves a niche and establish their dominance. They then begin to exploit others and essentially rule the world. Don’t believe me? Look around. This leads to the current problem being addressed by the Occupy Movement: The 1% fucks the 99%. This is a direct result of free market capitalism.
Free Market Capitalism is a great incentive to work really hard and make strides to come up with cool new products and technology. But it inevitably leads to competition that inevitably leads to economic Darwinism that creates an upper echelon vs everybody else. So, I think that we MUST get rid of this 1% ruling everybody else. The 1% rules and creates laws/systems that benefits themselves. They typically do not care about the 99%, and use them (as Kant would say) as a means to their end. This is the crux of the problem in a nutshell.
Another thing that I find appalling is the Supreme Court’s recent ruling to stop donation caps to campaigns. Yeah, let’s let corporations give as much as they want to politicians, that way when the politicians win they’ll DEFINITELY be in debt to said corporations. Yeah, that should work…God people are so stupid. Say what you want about Obama, but at least he had the balls to criticize the Supreme Court after this horrific decision.
This country is in a sad state. Especially since everybody seems only to care about themselves these days. Instead of trying to hoard your money and act like you’re fiercely independent, look around you. There are people who are dying all around us, who we could help if we wanted to. Give money, or time, or at least thought. Go hand out food at a soup kitchen, or give a dollar to a homeless guy who isn’t on drugs, or help out others in need, be it a friend, relative, or homeless person. Have some G-D fellow feeling. Care about those who you could help. Act like a human being for once. You could’ve been born to a poor family in India, and since you weren’t, you should count your blessings. Gratitude is an action. Show it by doing something for others aroudn you. Get an education and do your best to make a difference.
Oh, and one more thing. Kids in my age group don’t seem to give a flying fuck about what is going on in the world. What’s the deal with apathy? Everybody hates the government, but aint nobody going to do nohing about it? Jeez (I realize that not everybody hates the gov’t). It’s just sad that the only place I can have a conversatino about this type of stuff is in class or on a BBing site, lol.
/Rant until later haahahhaa