What privilege does the rich have and how do they screw the rest 99%?

France is not the US, with our wars crime, drugs, poverty, and terror while the right claims we don't have enough money and need to reduce social spending for the least wealthy.

 

You think the french are of some other species, and that americans wouldn't evade taxes or flee to a country with less tax burden like the french?

 

One could use the same logic to defend those who game the welfare system which the right are very fond of talking about. The only real difference between them is welfare abusers suck less money out of the system and quickly circulate the wealth they do get back into the system.

 

I don't see the French suffering for it. Why do you care if rich people flee a country?

 

And what do the rich do, just bath in the money or what? Money isn't worth anyhting unless it's spent somehow.

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I suppose you'll go on by saying that africans live in bliss because of all the poor people there.

 

Africans are poor because the global capitalist class bleed them dry. Particularly in mineral wealth.
In Africa people starve to death next to fields of crops destined for export.

I'll ask again, why should it matter to the average French worker if unproductive rich people leave?

 

You pay taxes on your rental income and property taxes on top of that.

I work with plenty of people who weren't born into privilege, have no college education, but own rental property. The difference between you and them is that they got off their asses and made something of their lives.

 

Isn't that what happened in Detroit? Won't the rich people take the jobs they provide to the French with them when they leave? ErikBEggs told us in another thread of how the 'white flight' phenomenon sucks the vitality out of inner city neighborhoods. Isn't this the same thing? Isn't the 'average French worker' and employee of an 'unproductive rich person'?

 

Have you heard about 'brain drain'? that's when the most successful people leave because they're taxed to death. And you know higher taxes at one point becomes countra-productive because of that and tax evasion? The thing with rich people is that they have wealth, and if they leave, take take that wealth with them, and that means the country will have less wealth. pretty straight forward.

 

The capitalist class is international and very mobile, they don't need to be physically based somewhere to, ahem, "provide employment".

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Brain drain usually refers to highly paid specialist workers, not capitalists.

 

Only the right has that problem being good partiots; potheads don't mind bailing out our States with taxes from pot revenue.

 

Which are paid highly, and don't like high taxes.

Point remains that people will try to evade the taxes, and that you'll kill the economy with taxes.

 

Well I guess we'll see in time if French specialist workers are prepared to leave their culture, language, community and family for the sake of higher wages and less taxes. I myself doubt it.

 

Now is the time for communists to praise culture and community? well, well.

Yes indeed, we'll see. Doesn't look very well thus far.

 

Nonsense. Because they are rich, they have the rapt attention of every legislator from precinct level to US senators and congressmen. They don't even have to solicit senators and congressmen; senators and congressmen solicit them. The hugely uneven playing field begins there. It's called 'trickle-down' legislation.

 

Maybe potheads are too euphoric to be less patriotic regarding paying our taxes.

 

Which is precisely why catering laws to specific groups of people or companies should be illegal.

Oh, but then you wouldn't be able to tax the rich people at higher tax rates or subsidize green energy would you?

 

I'd be suprised if they paid any at all.

 

I have paid taxes when going to a pot shop; it isn't my fault "original sinners" have a problem with a potentially seed bearing plant that some claim, was created by a god.

 

Tell that to New York which has seen itself drop from the worlds financial center to runner up to London and will soon drop behind Hong Kong.

 

I am sure that some people do game the welfare system, but I do not believe it is as common as many suggest. Your inference that the rich "suck" wealth out of the system is ludicrous at best. The rich always put the money back into the system as investment to make even more over and above of what the spend on their personal luxuries. Even if they keep some in a bank it still is available to be loaned to assist the economic system in spreading the wealth.

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When the rich flee a country they bring their capital with them and that is detrimental to the economy.

 

Agreed, but impractical.

I think the mood for higher rates and subsidies are a result of the collusion between the wealthy and legislators.

Just saw an interesting movie on that topic (collusion) called "American Hustle".

 

I think a lot of the rhetoric about the evils of corporatism are based on movies which tend to exaggerate what actually goes on. Having spent over 20 years as a private business consultant most of the corporations/businesses I encountered were honest good corporate citizens trying to make happy employees.

In my opinion lobbying should be illegal such that every single encounter between a lobbyist and a politician should be required to be in the public domain.

Another reform which would reduce a lot of political hackery would be to eliminate and outlaw political parties and make every single candidate run on his/her own recognizance by putting politics back where it belongs, in the local area in which the candidate lives and giving back the state legislatures the power to choose US Senators and the President and vice president. The framers had a great idea for elections making them all effectively local.

 

Yeah, it's all based on movies. No truth to it whatsoever. Corporations are wonderful, caring corporate citizens who only want the very best for all of the country's citizens. They don't put profit ahead of people, they don't monopolize, they don't abuse anyone or any thing, they only do fantastic, great and wondrous things, which everybody is so very grateful for, and everybody only wishes there could be even more monopolistic monstrosities to make all of our lives even more fantastic then they already are. They never run over anybody, they never take more than is needed, they never outsource, they never do anything at all to impoverish anybody. They only do good things. There are totally responsible for everything they do, and they would never dream of hurting anyone. We need more of them. They can only help us all.

I stand corrected. They're all as clean as the wind driven snow. The bigger...the better.

 

Oh, yeah, I'm sure. I own a corporation and I'm not evil.

Agreed, but like I said, rather impractical. I don't think there's any place a politician can go that he cannot be approached by lobbyists with envelopes and promises.