Tax the rich! Make America affordable again!

Post Reply New Topic

I'd say, [citation needed].

https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/progdes ... -kong.html

I don't see Hong Kong particularily different from anywhere else in the world.

Anyway, if no state is purely capitalist (which is true), then maybe pure capitalism is just as unstable in real world as pure socialism?

Basically, it sucks to be disabled anywhere in the world.

If it’s possible, avoid the “social service system” in your country. Some people do okay, and some social workers are compassionate. But it’s usually a tough life unless one could “work the system.”

Not Hong Kong now but during the period between after WWII and before it was handed back to China by the British. During that period, Sir John James Cowperthwaite who was the Financial Secretary of Hong Kong introduced laissez-faire economic policies.

The main reason no state is purely capitalist is not because the marked doesn't work but because it's in the nature of the state to expand. People want security and a sense of control, politicians are more than glad to increase their power by providing what people want, the state employees want to keep their jobs, and so on. The only reason why we don't have a total state control is because it fails to respond to the allocation of scarce resources problem as efficiently as the free market does. So it has stoped right at the point where it is not feasible to expand any further. The ultimate nature of the state is totalitarianism. The story of Cesar will endlessly repeat itself forever. It is a glitch in our nature.

Should they be denied it?

I am not opposed to taxing the super rich, but it shouldn't be a substitute for addressing other issues.

For example, we talk a lot about student loan debt, but not enough about why college is so expensive.

With housing, we need to think about banning anybody other than prospective residents from owning residential property. We also need to address repurposing vacant office space for residential use. In Houston, the county government set up a land trust reserved for affordable housing.

As for inflation, the issue could be as simple as ramping up production of high-demand goods domestically, bypassing issues regarding China's zero-Covid policy or the Russia-Ukraine war.

Absolutely aagreed.

Hard to tell - here, it's entirely different.

I believe Mona also suggested loosening zoning rules.

I was wondering how inflation differs between eurozone and USA. Found this:
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/economic- ... 8e.en.html
Inflation in the US has peculiar structure, with transportation and travel-related servives playing a big role.

In Europe, the situation is simple: cutting out Russian natural gas costs.
In USA, it seems to be something more complex.

I'm sorry but control is not a right. As for security that is also a matter that has a spectrum from security meaning police and military, to security meaning financial security. I don't think this last one is a right. Neither the former is, but it is a necessity unfortunately. Denied by whom?

Isn't control over your own life a right? By the state.

What is the purpose of the state then?

Agreed, but everybody has control ever their own life. The state's role is to guarantee that others do not have control over one's life, a.k.a individuals (criminals) who use violence to extort others. Not the opposite, a.k.a individuals (politicians) who use the states monopoly on violence to extort others (the rich). That should answer also the question about what is the purpose of the state.

How about individuals (the rich) who use lobbying in the state and their privileged access to legal services (e.g. sue one until they gets bankrupt) to extort others and limit their freedoms?

100% agree there. That is the real problem, for me at least . The mother of all evil is politicians (power) and the rich (money) being in bed. That should be stopped.