Report: Tax Returns of the Top 25 Wealthiest in America

[Slant]

Nah, if taxes cause their net worth to shrink then that means the tax policy is onerous and would have to be changed. If financial shrinkage is purely caused by a larger economic downturn, terrible choices, or donations then that would be totally fine, that's what already happens from time to time.

The reality is this isn't a problem because billionaires are on their way to becoming trillionaires. You can try to stop that but I'd bet everything I have that it won't work.

I bet that's what Louis XVI. said before he lost the bet. And his head.

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No worries, the violent people who want that are the most incompetent and ignorant people in society. They aren't capable of pulling it off.

You don't have to be competent or smart to force change. You just have to be desperate enough to force it and possess the bigger mob. And this is true for every single revolution. Some revolutions had really fucking shite ideas (Communism). They didn't win their struggle based on competence or intelligence, they won it because they held out the longest before the other side gave in.

[Themius]

I bet that's what Louis XVI. said before he lost the bet. And his head.

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You don't have to be competent or smart to force change. You just have to be desperate enough to force it and possess the bigger mob. And this is true for every single revolution. Some revolutions had really fucking shite ideas (Communism). They didn't win their struggle based on competence or intelligence, they won it because they held out the longest before the other side gave in.

What's the specific "shite idea" of communism. I seriously feel people who are anti-communism simple grew up with "communism evil! Now excuse my capitalist ass while I force a regime change and get 150k people exterminated by the conservative corporatist I placed in charged because I wanted access to resources for money!"

[Specialka]

What's the specific "shite idea" of communism. I seriously feel people who are anti-communism simple grew up with "communism evil! Now excuse my capitalist ass while I force a regime change and get 150k people exterminated by the conservative corporatist I placed in charged because I wanted access to resources for money!"

And usually those "pro communism" are those who have never lived under a communist regime.

[Themius]

And usually those "pro communism" are those who have never lived under a communist regime.

So literally no argument?

Communism is a way to organise a society... why is it inherently evil but the capitalist way society is arranged not? Why is having a profit motive to enslave people people abroad to make fast fashion not evil? Why is it not evil to overthrow democratically elected leaders to get rid of leftists in order to prop up far right regimes, that often have led to exterminations of people at the hands of the right-wing people supported by the USA?

Let me guess you think now that Cuba is the most evil place on the planet? What with sending their doctors to help with Ebola while America was pondering whether they should just reject Americans from coming back? Please... give me a fucking break.

Use your fucking words and explain explicitly why it is inherently bad, but I already know you can't because you have no argument.

[Slant]

What's the specific "shite idea" of communism. I seriously feel people who are anti-communism simple grew up with "communism evil! Now excuse my capitalist ass while I force a regime change and get 150k people exterminated by the conservative corporatist I placed in charged because I wanted access to resources for money!"

Open a history book. Read it. That shite idea of Communism.

[Specialka]

So literally no argument?

Communism is a way to organise a society... why is it inherently evil but the capitalist way society is arranged not? Why is having a profit motive to enslave people people abroad to make fast fashion not evil? Why is it not evil to overthrow democratically elected leaders to get rid of leftists in order to prop up far right regimes, that often have led to exterminations of people at the hands of the right-wing people supported by the USA?

Let me guess you think now that Cuba is the most evil place on the planet? What with sending their doctors to help with Ebola while America was pondering whether they should just reject Americans from coming back? Please... give me a fucking break.

Use your fucking words and explain explicitly why it is inherently bad, but I already know you can't because you have no argument.

Because we have plenty of exemples of communist regimes (USSR, Cuba, North Korea, even China at one point, etc...) ? While I do agree that capitalism (under a democratic regime) is not "great", it is still better to live under it rather than under communism.

[Themius]

Open a history book. Read it. That shite idea of Communism.

Oh I've read plenty of history books and books on theory

You speak like a person who hasn't opened a history book.

[Specialka]

Oh I've read plenty of history books and books on theory

You speak like a person who hasn't opened a history book.

And you speak like someone that read too much books and do not open his eyes to how reality works.

[Themius]

Because we have plenty of exemples of communist regimes (USSR, Cuba, North Korea, even China at one point, etc...) ? While I do agree that capitalism (under a democratic regime) is not "great", it is still better to live under it rather than under communism.

How is it better because you mentioned only a few countries and Cuba... you mean the country that the USA has unfairly embargoed yet manages to have higher life expectancy and create vaccines and send its doctors all over the world? That Cuba? What a fucking terrible example lol.

[uuuhname]

Cuba

which is laughable as an example given over half a century of US embargo and they still manage to have universal healthcare, you know, that thing the US doesn't have.

[Machismo]

So literally no argument?

Communism is a way to organise a society... why is it inherently evil but the capitalist way society is arranged not? Why is having a profit motive to enslave people people abroad to make fast fashion not evil? Why is it not evil to overthrow democratically elected leaders to get rid of leftists in order to prop up far right regimes, that often have led to exterminations of people at the hands of the right-wing people supported by the USA?

Let me guess you think now that Cuba is the most evil place on the planet? What with sending their doctors to help with Ebola while America was pondering whether they should just reject Americans from coming back? Please... give me a fucking break.

Use your fucking words and explain explicitly why it is inherently bad, but I already know you can't because you have no argument.

That's rather simple, people are terrible fucking beings, who have a tendency to be authoritarian, and oppress others. The problem with communism is that it has no solid mechanism in which to deal with observational outliers within a society, while at the same time, promoting corruption, as well as complacency. Communism on any large scale requires that humans not be corrupt, and not seek to rule over others.

There's also the issue of how people seek to implement communism, which is through heavy-handed acts, and significant violence. Communism really only works, when it's voluntary, and on very small scales. Otherwise, you get skidmarks like Stalin.

Communism isn't evil, humans are.

[Themius]

And you speak like someone that read too much books and do not open his eyes to how reality works.

Tell me how reality works...

It usually goes something like this:

people elect members of socialist or communist party to rule

America pops in and starts propping up a far right regime or wage proxy wars which end in the removal (often death) of the democratically elected leader

Then a right right conservative often takes charge with close ties to America and then.......THEY START MURDERING PEOPLE BY THE TENS OF THOSUANDS

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That's rather simple, people are terrible fucking beings, who have a tendency to be authoritarian, and oppress others. The problem with communism is that it has no solid mechanism in which to deal with observational outliers within a society, while at the same time, promoting corruption, as well as complacency. Communism on any large scale requires that humans not be corrupt, and not seek to rule over others.

There's also the issue of how people seek to implement communism, which is through heavy-handed acts, and significant violence. Communism really only works, when it's voluntary, and on very small scales. Otherwise, you get skidmarks like Stalin.

Communism isn't evil, humans are.

How is communism somehow worse than capitalism in this example? All you did was say "few have power and they're corrupt so bad and that's why communism is bad"

Um... have you taken a look at your own country?

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which is laughable as an example given over half a century of US embargo and they still manage to have universal healthcare, you know, that thing the US doesn't have.

Create vaccines... fund research... share research with the world... send doctors to help with Ebola while the USA wasn't doing shit. Higher life expectancy... odd...

If Cuba was a fully capitalist country like the USA but was still embargoed... they'd be utter utter shit.

[Machismo]

Tell me how reality works...

It usually goes something like this:

people elect members of socialist or communist party to rule

America pops in and starts propping up a far right regime or wage proxy wars which end in the removal (often death) of the democratically elected leader

Then a right right conservative often takes charge with close ties to America and then.......THEY START MURDERING PEOPLE BY THE TENS OF THOSUANDS

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How is communism somehow worse than capitalism in this example? All you did was say "few have power and they're corrupt so bad and that's why communism is bad"

Um... have you taken a look at your own country?

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Create vaccines... fund research... share research with the world... send doctors to help with Ebola while the USA wasn't doing shit. Higher life expectancy... odd...

If Cuba was a fully capitalist country like the USA but was still embargoed... they'd be utter utter shit.

Capitalism allows for more individual liberty, and promotes productivity.

I have taken a look at my own country, which is why I oppose authoritarianism in all its forms. Republicans and Democrats aren't really very different in my eyes.

[Specialka]

Tell me how reality works...

It usually goes something like this:

people elect members of socialist or communist party to rule

America pops in and starts propping up a far right regime or wage proxy wars which end in the removal (often death) of the democratically elected leader

Then a right right conservative often takes charge with close ties to America and then.......THEY START MURDERING PEOPLE BY THE TENS OF THOSUANDS

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How is communism somehow worse than capitalism in this example? All you did was say "few have power and they're corrupt so bad and that's why communism is bad"

Um... have you taken a look at your own country?

Should we talk about Katyn or any other massacres done under Stalin ? Or will you start to argue that USSR was not communist ? Maybe it is Stalin that was not ? And somehow all those after him did not do better. How curious.

[uuuhname]

Should we talk about Katyn or any other massacres done under Stalin ? Or will you start to argue that USSR was not communist ? Maybe it is Stalin that was not ? And somehow all those after him did not do better. How curious.

Stalin = any and all forms of communism. according to you. this is why they said you have no argument, just strawmen.

[Machismo]

Stalin = any and all forms of communism. according to you. this is why they said you have no argument, just strawmen.

Would you rather talk about Mao or Lenin?

[Specialka]

Stalin = any and all forms of communism. according to you. this is why they said you have no argument, just strawmen.

Do you know a successful communist country that did not turn up as a dictatorship or is not authoritarian ? Or are you just nit picking and building strawmen after strawmen ? (as usual)

[Mayhem]

Because we have plenty of exemples of communist regimes (USSR, Cuba, North Korea, even China at one point, etc...) ? While I do agree that capitalism (under a democratic regime) is not "great", it is still better to live under it rather than under communism.

I'd say the people that suffer under either form of government do not care what form of government they suffer under. The US is a prime example against democracy. The soviet union was a prime example against communism. Yet no one would say "democracy is shite because just look at the US". The things all of the failed forms of government have in common is corruption.

[uuuhname]

Would you rather talk about Mao or Lenin?

same strawman argument....

[Endus]

Open a history book. Read it. That shite idea of Communism.

Because we have plenty of exemples of communist regimes (USSR, Cuba, North Korea, even China at one point, etc...) ? While I do agree that capitalism (under a democratic regime) is not "great", it is still better to live under it rather than under communism.

Those history books only cover basically a single sub-branch of communism, one that's a strong rejection of Marxist principles. Stalin is the archetype, and from there, we get Maoism and Castroism and all the rest, springing from that origin point. And not even Lenin was anywhere close to what Stalin was; Lenin spoke strongly near the end against authoritarianism and centralizing power into the hands of someone like Stalin. As in, he named Stalin, directly, in that accusation.

These autocratic regimes are not the expression of the whole body of communist theory. They are not the only way communism can be implemented. Pretending otherwise is McCarthy level propagandizing. As is pretending that the choices are "capitalism" or "Stalinist communism", when there's a wide range of other economic systems beyond those two.

And it's not like capitalism was not responsible for comparable horrors, either. If you want to delve down into the "which is worse" fight, it's a long and drawn-out argument about how awful and abusive both systems have historically been. Hand-waving the abuses of one system to laud another is how you get propaganda, not history.