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RE: Damned Billionaires
May 28, 2026 at 9:32 pm
(May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: (May 27, 2026 at 11:52 pm)AFTT47 Wrote: I can't agree with this sentiment. People who succeed suck? That sounds like a philosophy of failure.
The system (at least in the US) may be too skewed towards rewarding the successful at the expense of the not so successful and particularly at the expense of the unsuccessful. I believe we need to be much more compassionate. But that is the fault of the system itself, not the people who benefit from it.
Before anyone claims that billionaires use their power to maintain the status quo, well yeah, that's a general problem with human beings in general, not billionaires in particular. People may be generally well intentioned but most are susceptible to temptation. Locks are a minor deterrent to determined thieves. They are mostly there to keep honest people honest.
Warren Buffett has been saying for years that it's a travesty that he pays less taxes than his secretary. He's a liberal. But a guy doesn't become a multi-billionaire by paying more taxes than he is assessed. The problem is the system - not the billionaires.
I don't disagree that the system, not the ultra-rich, is the issue. Even Adam Smith argued that the wealthy should pay proportionately more in taxes - those who benefit the most from society would be obligated to do more to support that society. But when you've got Musk money (or Bezos money or Zuckerberg money), then the billionaires become a significant part of the problem because money = political influence. Anyone who thinks policy makers aren't for sale hasn't been paying attention.
Boru
Well that's another problem with the system. Great wealth should
not afford one political influence. Obviously, Citizens United was a horrible thing allowing the ultra-rich to essentially buy elections but it goes deeper. IMO, lobbyists should be forbidden. There should be severe penalties for policy makers whoring themselves out and such should be vigorously prosecuted.
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.
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RE: Damned Billionaires
May 29, 2026 at 1:18 pm
I'm not anti-Christian. I'm anti-stupid.
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RE: Damned Billionaires
May 30, 2026 at 2:44 am
(May 28, 2026 at 9:32 pm)AFTT47 Wrote: (May 28, 2026 at 5:48 am)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: I don't disagree that the system, not the ultra-rich, is the issue. Even Adam Smith argued that the wealthy should pay proportionately more in taxes - those who benefit the most from society would be obligated to do more to support that society. But when you've got Musk money (or Bezos money or Zuckerberg money), then the billionaires become a significant part of the problem because money = political influence. Anyone who thinks policy makers aren't for sale hasn't been paying attention.
Boru
Well that's another problem with the system. Great wealth should not afford one political influence. Obviously, Citizens United was a horrible thing allowing the ultra-rich to essentially buy elections but it goes deeper. IMO, lobbyists should be forbidden. There should be severe penalties for policy makers whoring themselves out and such should be vigorously prosecuted.
System enjoyers and beneficiaries tell us the problem isn't them, but the system....but ofc they literally
are the system. It's the contemporary incarnation of jeffersons wolf by the ear bit.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
