socialism

[hyperalgesia]

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guess what - pure capitalism also fails. it sucks for 99% of the population.

unfortunately, the ultra wealthy - the oligarchy - has successfully brainwashed people into thinking that their owning 30% of the total wealth in the country is acceptable. and a lot of that has to do with terminology and the terms communism and socialism ie the Red Scare.


we have not had a true socialist system in modern history; there are party or totalitarian lead "socialist states".

i do note that democrats consistently show a lack of social awareness. almost no one is arguing the US should become socialist (except those people who are arguing not in good faith against socialist policies). republicans and right wing advocates have managed to successfully conflate "socialism" and "communism" with policies that are "socially equitable" and should be considered democratic.


what should be argued for is better balance in the form of socially equitable policies, including a better balancing of income inequity. it means getting a middle class that owns its share of wealth, unlike the imbalanced system currently in play where the top 1% owns 31% of total wealth and the bottom 50% owns 2.5%.

in fact, the top 1% share has increased from 22% in the 80s to over 31% now. the middle class owned about 37% of total wealth 50 years ago and now owns only 26% and these are worsening (for all but the 1%).

Can you define what you consider to be "pure capitalism"?

Are you referring to a hypothetical free for all, dog-eat-dog situation without any guardrails, checks on anti-trust, or social safety nets at any level? Or are you referring to the USA currently?

 

[clubdeac]

Nothingburger. Everything Mamdani said was completely fine. He didn't 'bless' anyone. He's not responsible for what everyone says after he leaves the stage. Guilt-by-association, you are really reaching hard.

If every politician were responsible for everything someone said in any event they were at, there would be no one left.

You’re ill informed and again anyone who refuses to denounce this kind of speech when present is implicitly condoning it. The fact you defend this language is frightening

 

[bubaghanush]

You’re ill informed and again anyone who refuses to denounce this kind of speech when present is implicitly condoning it. The fact you defend this language is frightening

Rejecting guilt by association isn't defending hate speech. I condemn any call to violence. Simply pointing out the 'gotchas' you keep going for is faulty logic. Just imagine if someone asked you to defend everything Trump or or one his supporters at a rally has said.

 

[mille125]

High value immigrants are leaving the US bc of Democrat tax policies not bc of Trump. Try again.

Hmm...interesting given that they have not started leaving en masse until trump was elected with a right wing supreme court and republican congress. Really hard to blame Democrats for anything but of course you will try as it is in your nature. Those that aren't leaving in masse are just choosing not to come which is same result.

 

[mille125]

No need to waste your time copy and pasting from chatgpt. A handful of successful companies founded by immigrants is a poor argument for allowing millions of foreigners in.

It's no better than the opposite argument of ceasing immigration completely because of the following immigrants who have committed violent crimes. I can do the same thing. See:

• Victor Martinez-Hernandez — Salvadoran national; convicted in 2025 of the rape and murder of Rachel Morin in Maryland.
• Keiber Jaen Martinez — Venezuelan national; pleaded guilty in 2026 to two murders and a shooting in New York City as a member of Tren de Aragua.
• Samuel Gonzalez Castro — Venezuelan national; same case, pleaded guilty to two murders and a shooting.
• Eferson Morillo-Gomez — Venezuelan national; same case, pleaded guilty to two murders and a shooting.
• Keineyer Ibarra-Mujica — Venezuelan national; same case, pleaded guilty to two murders and a shooting.
• Jose Luis Reynaldo Reyes-Castillo — Salvadoran national; convicted in 2026 of offenses including murder, attempted murder and kidnapping connected to MS-13.
• David Arturo Perez-Manchame — Honduran national; convicted in the same MS-13 prosecution involving murders, attempted murder and kidnapping.
• Joel Vargas-Escobar — Salvadoran national; convicted in the same prosecution involving murders, attempted murder and kidnapping.
• Jose Gonzalez Flores — Guatemalan national; convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Virginia after a 2018 vehicle collision killed a four-year-old child.
• Nahro Sudoi Innab — Palestinian immigrant; convicted in 2026 for participating in murder-for-hire schemes targeting three people and sentenced to 35 years.
• Akayed Ullah — Bangladeshi immigrant; convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the 2017 attempted suicide bombing in the New York City subway near Times Square.

There are plenty more where that came from

-------

Out of curiosity, do you notice any common characteristics in my list and your list?

I picked four names only so folks could recognize them but you probably missed where I and others mentioned that 50% of ALL US fortune 500 companies where founded or run by immigrants. Let that sink in and then come back.

 

[mille125]

You know I was talking about the athletes but then you threw out some strawman argument being a manager. I wonder why the left never fought for diversity in basketball/football. Hmmmmmm.

I guess you never heard of the Rooney rule (football) or the NBA inclusion initiative.

Go read it and then come back.

Out of all of the things going on in our country it is truly amazing that THIS is the stuff that gives the right palpitations. Some company put up a notice about how important diversity was on their website and it caused pearl cluthcing? It is baffling how some people think.

But more on sports since it seems important to you.

Note that there may or may not be the ability for nationals of non-North American countries (Asia, Europe) to freely move to the NBA to compete if they're already signed in their youth to domestic leagues. The draft exists but there are limited rounds per year so only the very top players from international leagues get picked, while undrafted players end up staying in their domestic leagues. In the case of baseball they cannot get drafted by MLB and must go through the posting process with their domestic teams. Asian teams do quite well in the WBC so their talent level is CLEARLY high enough to support more MLB players, but the restrictions on overseas transfers makes this impossible for all but the best players.

Sports are highly culturally specific; Asians, whites, and Latinos are well-represented or overrepresented in other sports, especially if you're looking at sports played internationally. Why would you cherry pick 2 of the 4 major American sports, while ignoring hockey, which is predominantly white and baseball, which is highly multicultural and under-represented by blacks, and soccer, which is played at the highest level by people of all ethnicities, Latinos, whites blacks, Asians. Did you watch the World Cup? Soccer is a sport that requires all around skill from the athlete. All races and ethnicities competed and fared well equally.

Next you ask why DEI does not apply to athletes and then somehow try to throw in Democrats here. DEI programs have largely applied to leadership positions in industry (refer back to the Rooney rule). Athletes are individual contributors. Highly compensated at elite levels, yes, but still not leadership positions. Pretty much every non-white ethnicity is under-represented in leadership positions, whether it's front office positions or coaching. These are just the facts and the point of the illustration of Ms. Ng that I shared earlier.

 

[mille125]

A little extreme don't you think?

Here is a quick chatgpt search and it is an undeniable fact. Capitalism sure sucks where most everyone in the US lives better than the world median. But lets get rid of that so we can live like most of the world. Those Rich billionaire scoundrels who put in the hard work/risk to build companies, employee people, create GDP, provide health insurance, etc. They should never exist!!!!!!

The problem is you just latch onto talking points and myopic rather than looking at the whole picture/consequences. There is a reason people risk their lives to come to the US illegally so they can hope to live the bottom 1/3 American Lives. If 99% of the people's life sucks, then most could go live in another country quite freely. Physicians, on avg are not in the top 1% of US income, and for you to say their life sucks is just plain ridiculous. How can anyone in their right mind think that most physicians life sucks not to mention pharmacists, engineers, lawyers.

Most Americans in the bottom third of the U.S. income distribution have a higher material standard of living than the majority of the world's population. the 10 largest economies by nominal GDP, essentially all 10 operate predominantly capitalist/market-based economies. The top 50 largest economies by nominal GDP, the answer is even clearer: almost all are fundamentally market-based capitalist economies.

No one is saying that the rich billionaires should not exist. Most of the points are that they should not be able to pay less than 1 percent taxes and defer taxes even further thru very low rate loans (which I am sorry to tell you do exist for this class) as well as inheritance tax rules.

Do you really disagree with this? You really think it is okay for them to pay 1 percent tax while you pay 35-39%?

 

[mille125]

Rejecting guilt by association isn't defending hate speech. I condemn any call to violence. Simply pointing out the 'gotchas' you keep going for is faulty logic. Just imagine if someone asked you to defend everything Trump or or one his supporters at a rally has said.

Mamdani is clearly in the heads of the entire right wing ecosystem or its just a ploy to deflect from the very large laundry list of the failings of Trump and the Republican Congress as well as the right wing court.

Right wing is in total control and things are really going sideways in war, economics, etc (really you name it). We cant blame anyone but ourselves because we are in total control so lets go out there spewing a bunch of vitriol about socialism and Mamdani and lets see what sticks....

 

[emergentmd]

No one is saying that the rich billionaires should not exist. Most of the points are that they should not be able to pay less than 1 percent taxes and defer taxes even further thru very low rate loans (which I am sorry to tell you do exist for this class) as well as inheritance tax rules.

Do you really disagree with this? You really think it is okay for them to pay 1 percent tax while you pay 35-39%?

If Dell gave billions to the Trump fund or Dell hospital system but 1% in income tax, is it worse than being taxed 35% with some nebulous formula of wealth.

Instead of debating on the 1% number, lets assume we all agree that billionaires should be taxed at 37%. How are you going to put a number on their income?

Lets take Musk, He started the year at around 500Bil and when Spacex IPOed, he was around 1.2T. Are you telling me he should be taxed 35% on 700bil? Lets say SpaceX goes back to its ATH in December 24th and the IRS taxes him 250Bil due April 2027, Now SpaceX drop by 50% in Feb. His net worth now is 850Bil. Where is he going to get 250Bil to pay the taxes? No one is loaning him 250Bil so he has to sell 250Bil in stocks which will crash both Tsla and SpaceX more.

It really sounds great to say Tax them more with pitchforks but we do not live in theoretical dream worlds.

If you want to destroy ownership and governance of great/successful companies, then this would be a great way to start.

To your questions bolded - ABSOLUTELY. Unrealized gains is not taxable. My house unrealized gains are not taxed. My business unrealized gains not taxed. My stocks unrealized gains not taxed. UNREALIZED Gains should not be taxed.

If you want to tax unrealized gains, then I am sure you would be ok with a large tax bill on your house/stock/business/rentals/gold coins/art work/vintage car appreciations? Lets be real and act like we are living in the real world.

 

[mille125]

If Dell gave billions to the Trump fund or Dell hospital system but 1% in income tax, is it worse than being taxed 35% with some nebulous formula of wealth.

Instead of debating on the 1% number, lets assume we all agree that billionaires should be taxed at 37%. How are you going to put a number on their income?

Lets take Musk, He started the year at around 500Bil and when Spacex IPOed, he was around 1.2T. Are you telling me he should be taxed 35% on 700bil? Lets say SpaceX goes back to its ATH in December 24th and the IRS taxes him 250Bil due April 2027, Now SpaceX drop by 50% in Feb. His net worth now is 850Bil. Where is he going to get 250Bil to pay the taxes? No one is loaning him 250Bil so he has to sell 250Bil in stocks which will crash both Tsla and SpaceX more.

It really sounds great to say Tax them more with pitchforks but we do not live in theoretical dream worlds.

If you want to destroy ownership and governance of great/successful companies, then this would be a great way to start.

To your questions bolded - ABSOLUTELY. Unrealized gains is not taxable. My house unrealized gains are not taxed. My business unrealized gains not taxed. My stocks unrealized gains not taxed. UNREALIZED Gains should not be taxed.

If you want to tax unrealized gains, then I am sure you would be ok with a large tax bill on your house/stock/business/rentals/gold coins/art work/vintage car appreciations? Lets be real and act like we are living in the real world

Yep we are.

I make an exception for this class. Yes they have a lot of unrealized gains but they are very very different from you and I

They take little to no income froom W2 salaries. Bezos applied for and received the child tax credit in around 2012. Surely you dont think that this is how it should be (but who knows maybe you do)

They acquire money a lot differently than the rest of us. A while back you brought up that the middle to upper middle class can take out a home equity loan. Yes....true but the national average today for a home equity loan is over 8 percent. Clearly not the same league.

My proposal is not to tax the ultra-wealthy at 37% of unrealized gains but they do need to pay more than they do

So therefore I would say either close every one of the tax loopholes that they use and leave them alone or keep the loopholes and they will pay 5% on all unrealized game over a threshold (lets call it 250 million of wealth). So to be clear, they pay 0 percent on all wealth under 250 million and 5% on all wealth above it.

If you don't like it then lets hear your solution but stop defending the status quo.

 

[hyperalgesia]

Yep we are.

I make an exception for this class. Yes they have a lot of unrealized gains but they are very very different from you and I

They take little to no income froom W2 salaries. Bezos applied for and received the child tax credit in around 2012. Surely you dont think that this is how it should be (but who knows maybe you do)

They acquire money a lot differently than the rest of us. A while back you brought up that the middle to upper middle class can take out a home equity loan. Yes....true but the national average today for a home equity loan is over 8 percent. Clearly not the same league.

My proposal is not to tax the ultra-wealthy at 37% of unrealized gains but they do need to pay more than they do

So therefore I would say either close every one of the tax loopholes that they use and leave them alone or keep the loopholes and they will pay 5% on all unrealized game over a threshold (lets call it 250 million of wealth). So to be clear, they pay 0 percent on all wealth under 250 million and 5% on all wealth above it.

If you don't like it then lets hear your solution but stop defending the status quo.

The status quo with respect to equality, wealth, and income is EXCELLENT.

The one thing on this topic that I don't like is the stepped up basis. I would be ok eliminating that. But it's not gonna make you or any of the socialists happy.

 

[clubdeac]

Yep we are.

I make an exception for this class. Yes they have a lot of unrealized gains but they are very very different from you and I

They take little to no income froom W2 salaries. Bezos applied for and received the child tax credit in around 2012. Surely you dont think that this is how it should be (but who knows maybe you do)

They acquire money a lot differently than the rest of us. A while back you brought up that the middle to upper middle class can take out a home equity loan. Yes....true but the national average today for a home equity loan is over 8 percent. Clearly not the same league.

My proposal is not to tax the ultra-wealthy at 37% of unrealized gains but they do need to pay more than they do

So therefore I would say either close every one of the tax loopholes that they use and leave them alone or keep the loopholes and they will pay 5% on all unrealized game over a threshold (lets call it 250 million of wealth). So to be clear, they pay 0 percent on all wealth under 250 million and 5% on all wealth above it.

If you don't like it then lets hear your solution but stop defending the status quo.

You didn’t watch the video did you.

And it’s important to remember what the government spends its money on; entitlements and interests

1. Social security
2. Medicare/Medicaid
3. Interest on the debt (1 trillion!)

Taxing the Rich Won't Fix the Deficit

A Reason Video Runs the Numbers

www.jessicariedl.blog

 

[Ducttape]

I understand your concern for the bottom 99%. Can you share what specifically you're doing to help the bottom 99% other than pontificating online?

logical fallacy - attacking the presenter rather than the argument.

however, ill just mention that i work daily in the one pain office in the city that sees inner city population that is the bottom 99%. my take home pay has also less than any of my colleagues. i dont hide behind tax deductions or pass throughs to avoid taxes - just the standard deductions.


one person is not going to fix the US problems. it will take everyone. which is the argument being made.

 

[mille125]

You didn’t watch the video did you.

And it’s important to remember what the government spends its money on; entitlements and interests

1. Social security
2. Medicare/Medicaid
3. Interest on the debt (1 trillion!)

Taxing the Rich Won't Fix the Deficit

A Reason Video Runs the Numbers

www.jessicariedl.blog

You argument makes no sense. I dont think anyone disagrees that government spending should be revised but to then say getting the rich to pay wont make a difference is just incredibly short sighted. Why wouldn't an entity collect everything that it is entitled to pay a debt? Your point makes no sense and honestly it get rather tired as you say nothing about Trump spending money on vanity projects and wars.

 

[Ducttape]

A little extreme don't you think?

Here is a quick chatgpt search and it is an undeniable fact. Capitalism sure sucks where most everyone in the US lives better than the world median. But lets get rid of that so we can live like most of the world. Those Rich billionaire scoundrels who put in the hard work/risk to build companies, employee people, create GDP, provide health insurance, etc. They should never exist!!!!!!

The problem is you just latch onto talking points and myopic rather than looking at the whole picture/consequences. There is a reason people risk their lives to come to the US illegally so they can hope to live the bottom 1/3 American Lives. If 99% of the people's life sucks, then most could go live in another country quite freely. Physicians, on avg are not in the top 1% of US income, and for you to say their life sucks is just plain ridiculous. How can anyone in their right mind think that most physicians life sucks not to mention pharmacists, engineers, lawyers.

Most Americans in the bottom third of the U.S. income distribution have a higher material standard of living than the majority of the world's population. the 10 largest economies by nominal GDP, essentially all 10 operate predominantly capitalist/market-based economies. The top 50 largest economies by nominal GDP, the answer is even clearer: almost all are fundamentally market-based capitalist economies.

you might want to reconsider your reliance on chatGPT.

AI is only as good as the individual asking the questions.

noone is arguing that billionaires shouldnt exist. this is the classic right wing poser response. noone in the US is looking for government takeover of resources.

yes most americans in the bottom third do live better than the rest of the world.

but why are you comparing americans to those who live in somalia or yemen or north vietnam?

do you think that lowly of american life that these are comparable?

you should be comparing american life to those of 1st world countries.

why are you not comparing how americans live compared to the Swedes? or Norwegians? or (gasp) Canadians?



with respect to americans as a whole, americans live shorter, have more health problems and are more economically disadvantaged compared to other first world countries.

the US is 55th in life expectancy, right between Panama and Estonia. every single 1st world country is better.

by one metric, the US ranks 31st in education, dead last amongst the industrialized 1st world countries.

the US is 65th in the GINI coefficient, a metric of income inequality. every single European nation is better (Canada is 10th).

in terms of economic prosperity, using the Legantum Prosperity Index, the US ranks 19th. yes, better than France and Spain and Portugal, but the Nordic countries and switzerland make up 1-6.

the US poverty rate is 3 times greater than Belgiums. it ranks between dominican republic and uzbekistan and kyrgyzistan at 20.2%.


essentially by every metric, the US is worse than other 1st world nations and its not close.


oh yes "but america is so diverse and so big!" well, compare the US to the EU then. similar population size. the US is worse than the EU in terms of life expectancy, income inequality, poverty rate, education, etc.

 

[mille125]

you might want to reconsider your reliance on chatGPT.

AI is only as good as the individual asking the questions.

noone is arguing that billionaires shouldnt exist. this is the classic right wing poser response. noone in the US is looking for government takeover of resources.

yes most americans in the bottom third do live better than the rest of the world.

but why are you comparing americans to those who live in somalia or yemen or north vietnam?

do you think that lowly of american life that these are comparable?

you should be comparing american life to those of 1st world countries.

why are you not comparing how americans live compared to the Swedes? or Norwegians? or (gasp) Canadians?



with respect to americans as a whole, americans live shorter, have more health problems and are more economically disadvantaged compared to other first world countries.

the US is 55th in life expectancy, right between Panama and Estonia. every single 1st world country is better.

by one metric, the US ranks 31st in education, dead last amongst the industrialized 1st world countries.

the US is 65th in the GINI coefficient, a metric of income inequality. every single European nation is better (Canada is 10th).

in terms of economic prosperity, using the Legantum Prosperity Index, the US ranks 19th. yes, better than France and Spain and Portugal, but the Nordic countries and switzerland make up 1-6.

the US poverty rate is 3 times greater than Belgiums. it ranks between dominican republic and uzbekistan and kyrgyzistan at 20.2%.


essentially by every metric, the US is worse than other 1st world nations and its not close.


oh yes "but america is so diverse and so big!" well, compare the US to the EU then. similar population size. the US is worse than the EU in terms of life expectancy, income inequality, poverty rate, education, etc.

It saddens me to agree with this but those statistics are all true.

We do however lead all industrialized nations by a wide margin in firearm deaths and homicides.

Needless to say even without commenting on debt and spending we have a ton of real problems. Yet the Right chooses to focus its attention on DEI or if a person wants to have transgender surgery.

 

[clubdeac]

logical fallacy - attacking the presenter rather than the argument.

however, ill just mention that i work daily in the one pain office in the city that sees inner city population that is the bottom 99%. my take home pay has also less than any of my colleagues. i dont hide behind tax deductions or pass throughs to avoid taxes - just the standard deductions.


one person is not going to fix the US problems. it will take everyone. which is the argument being made.

Ha! I love how you always say logical fallacy to anything you disagree with. It’s cute

The real logical fallacy is thinking you have no personal responsibility to help fix the problem since it’ll take everyone as you say. 🤦🏻‍♂️

 

[clubdeac]

You argument makes no sense. I dont think anyone disagrees that government spending should be revised but to then say getting the rich to pay wont make a difference is just incredibly short sighted. Why wouldn't an entity collect everything that it is entitled to pay a debt? Your point makes no sense and honestly it get rather tired as you say nothing about Trump spending money on vanity projects and wars.

Yeah, I agree. Trump is spending way too much. But please just watch the video.

 

[SSdoc33]

Ha! I love how you always say logical fallacy to anything you disagree with. It’s cute

The real logical fallacy is thinking you have no personal responsibility to help fix the problem since it’ll take everyone as you say. 🤦🏻‍♂️

that is b/c you dont understand what a logical allacy is

you dont know what you dont know

 

[clubdeac]

that is b/c you dont understand what a logical allacy is

you dont know what you dont know

You're right, what's a logical allacy?

 

[bubaghanush]

You're right, what's a logical allacy?

Sometimes it's just best to throw in the towel.

 

[clubdeac]

Sometimes it's just best to throw in the towel.

logical allacy, magical thinking, neologism?

 

[VA Hopeful Dr]

No need to waste your time copy and pasting from chatgpt. A handful of successful companies founded by immigrants is a poor argument for allowing millions of foreigners in.

It's no better than the opposite argument of ceasing immigration completely because of the following immigrants who have committed violent crimes. I can do the same thing. See:

• Victor Martinez-Hernandez — Salvadoran national; convicted in 2025 of the rape and murder of Rachel Morin in Maryland.
• Keiber Jaen Martinez — Venezuelan national; pleaded guilty in 2026 to two murders and a shooting in New York City as a member of Tren de Aragua.
• Samuel Gonzalez Castro — Venezuelan national; same case, pleaded guilty to two murders and a shooting.
• Eferson Morillo-Gomez — Venezuelan national; same case, pleaded guilty to two murders and a shooting.
• Keineyer Ibarra-Mujica — Venezuelan national; same case, pleaded guilty to two murders and a shooting.
• Jose Luis Reynaldo Reyes-Castillo — Salvadoran national; convicted in 2026 of offenses including murder, attempted murder and kidnapping connected to MS-13.
• David Arturo Perez-Manchame — Honduran national; convicted in the same MS-13 prosecution involving murders, attempted murder and kidnapping.
• Joel Vargas-Escobar — Salvadoran national; convicted in the same prosecution involving murders, attempted murder and kidnapping.
• Jose Gonzalez Flores — Guatemalan national; convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Virginia after a 2018 vehicle collision killed a four-year-old child.
• Nahro Sudoi Innab — Palestinian immigrant; convicted in 2026 for participating in murder-for-hire schemes targeting three people and sentenced to 35 years.
• Akayed Ullah — Bangladeshi immigrant; convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the 2017 attempted suicide bombing in the New York City subway near Times Square.

There are plenty more where that came from

-------

Out of curiosity, do you notice any common characteristics in my list and your list?

Hyphenated last names?

I'll admit, I hate them so I say we ban them. That'll fix it.

 

[hyperalgesia]

Ha! I love how you always say logical fallacy to anything you disagree with. It’s cute

The real logical fallacy is thinking you have no personal responsibility to help fix the problem since it’ll take everyone as you say. 🤦🏻‍♂️

These guys think they have it good. No personal sacrifice. OTHER people pay for a safety net. The nanny government makes sure no one has more than they have. And even after all that selfishness, they still claim the moral high ground.

Hopefully they figure out before it's too late that happiness actually comes from sacrifice and service.

 

[Ducttape]

Ha! I love how you always say logical fallacy to anything you disagree with. It’s cute

The real logical fallacy is thinking you have no personal responsibility to help fix the problem since it’ll take everyone as you say. 🤦🏻‍♂️

well, if you arent going use logic in our "discussions", then there appears to be little to no point in communicating. maybe i should just give up on you and just block away...

one can contribute in many ways. throwing money is one of the most idiotic ways because it gives one the visceral feeling of "helping" but does nothing to remedy systemic injustices.

i choose to contribute by how i work, what i do, the patient population i interact with, and in educating others on this forum about facts that i verify from legitimate sources, not memes or emotions.


maybe, to quote Conan:

 

[emergentmd]

you might want to reconsider your reliance on chatGPT.

AI is only as good as the individual asking the questions.

noone is arguing that billionaires shouldnt exist. this is the classic right wing poser response. noone in the US is looking for government takeover of resources.

yes most americans in the bottom third do live better than the rest of the world.

but why are you comparing americans to those who live in somalia or yemen or north vietnam?

do you think that lowly of american life that these are comparable?

you should be comparing american life to those of 1st world countries.

why are you not comparing how americans live compared to the Swedes? or Norwegians? or (gasp) Canadians?



with respect to americans as a whole, americans live shorter, have more health problems and are more economically disadvantaged compared to other first world countries.

the US is 55th in life expectancy, right between Panama and Estonia. every single 1st world country is better.

by one metric, the US ranks 31st in education, dead last amongst the industrialized 1st world countries.

the US is 65th in the GINI coefficient, a metric of income inequality. every single European nation is better (Canada is 10th).

in terms of economic prosperity, using the Legantum Prosperity Index, the US ranks 19th. yes, better than France and Spain and Portugal, but the Nordic countries and switzerland make up 1-6.

the US poverty rate is 3 times greater than Belgiums. it ranks between dominican republic and uzbekistan and kyrgyzistan at 20.2%.


essentially by every metric, the US is worse than other 1st world nations and its not close.


oh yes "but america is so diverse and so big!" well, compare the US to the EU then. similar population size. the US is worse than the EU in terms of life expectancy, income inequality, poverty rate, education, etc.

You are cherry picking data without looking at the whole picture so I am not even going to debate this. All I stated was Standard of living and GDP. I never said anything about life expectancy b/c it is multifactorial and to compare different countries would be a fallacy.

But for you to say that the US is the worse 1st world nation by every metric just shows me that you have no idea how to process data and critically think. If we are the worse, why do the US have the greatest net surplus of immigrants to emigrants.

This debate is old and worn out. There is a reason people in power are smart enough to not implement all these crazy socialists ideas. Nothing is going to change no matter if dems control everything because most in the party are smart enough to just laugh at AOC and put her in a corner. You can argue all you want, I am stepping out and working on getting to the uber rich so I can partake in all of these "unfair" programs. I will be working on an endowment fund for my Med school in next year while you complain that the rich are not giving back enough.

 

[clubdeac]

You are cherry picking data without looking at the whole picture so I am not even going to debate this. All I stated was Standard of living and GDP. I never said anything about life expectancy b/c it is multifactorial and to compare different countries would be a fallacy.

But for you to say that the US is the worse 1st world nation by every metric just shows me that you have no idea how to process data and critically think. If we are the worse, why do the US have the greatest net surplus of immigrants to emigrants.

This debate is old and worn out. There is a reason people in power are smart enough to not implement all these crazy socialists ideas. Nothing is going to change no matter if dems control everything because most in the party are smart enough to just laugh at AOC and put her in a corner. You can argue all you want, I am stepping out and working on getting to the uber rich so I can partake in all of these "unfair" programs. I will be working on an endowment fund for my Med school in next year while you complain that the rich are not giving back enough.

Dude don’t waste your time with Duct. He's off the rez. Every once in awhile I try but the dude is fully indoctrinated, plus he lies and is manipulative

 

[mille125]

You are cherry picking data without looking at the whole picture so I am not even going to debate this. All I stated was Standard of living and GDP. I never said anything about life expectancy b/c it is multifactorial and to compare different countries would be a fallacy.

But for you to say that the US is the worse 1st world nation by every metric just shows me that you have no idea how to process data and critically think. If we are the worse, why do the US have the greatest net surplus of immigrants to emigrants.

This debate is old and worn out. There is a reason people in power are smart enough to not implement all these crazy socialists ideas. Nothing is going to change no matter if dems control everything because most in the party are smart enough to just laugh at AOC and put her in a corner. You can argue all you want, I am stepping out and working on getting to the uber rich so I can partake in all of these "unfair" programs. I will be working on an endowment fund for my Med school in next year while you complain that the rich are not giving back enough.

Specifically which of the measures that he mentioned do you think he got wrong?

I am curious to know. Educate and edify me please.

 

[clubdeac]

 

[MitchLevi]

Everything old is new again.

 

[hyperalgesia]

one can contribute in many ways. throwing money is one of the most idiotic ways because it gives one the visceral feeling of "helping" but does nothing to remedy systemic injustices.

I agree with you on this point, especially government money. Which is exactly why we need to cut cut cut government spending.

I'm glad you agree!

 

[mille125]

I agree with you on this point, especially government money. Which is exactly why we need to cut cut cut government spending.

I'm glad you agree!

Except spending on wars and vanity projects. Make sure you dont leave that out.

 

[emergentmd]

Cali Billionaire tax on the ballot, I hope it passes. Just curious what this really means if it passes.

1. If I have 1 Billion then I get taxed 5% (one time). So I pay 50M. What happens if my NW goes up to 10B in the next year, am I good b/c I paid the 1 time tax?
2. If I have 10 Billion, then I pay 500M. Why does Billionaire #1 pay only 50M when I have to pay 500M just because he made his money 12 months later?
3. If the billionaire tax such a good thing, why do just do it one year? Why not just do it every year, that way they can pay their "fair" share?
4. If Billionaire Joe has his 10Bil in cali and Billionaire Bob has only 900M of his 10 Bil net worth in Cali, then Joe Pays 500M while Bob pays nothing?
5. If Billionaire Joe smartly moved out of the state Dec 29th 2025 and billionaire Bob moved out on Jan 10th 2026 then Joe paid nothing and Bob pays 500M?
6. If Billionaire Joe NW is 950M and he moves out of the state then he pays nothing but Billionaire bob NW hit 1B right before moving out of the state, then Bob pays 50M just because it took him an extra week to move out?
7. Billionaire Joe loves Cali and keeps his business in Cali and has a NW of 10B so he pays 500M. Billionaire Bob loves cali but smart so he moves his business right across the border to Nevada so Bob pays nothing even though their two businesses are about 1 mile from each other?
8. Billionaire Joe has 1.1Bil and Bob has 990M so now Joe has to pay 50M while Bob pays nothing?
9. Billionaire Joe has 10 Bil on Jan 2026 and Bob has 900M. In Jan 2027, Joe business crashes and now he is only worth 2Bil while Bob goes parabolic and worth 100B. Joe Pays 500M while Joe never has to pay any?

So Billionaire Joe gets screwed while Bob pays nothings only due to his CPA making smart moves in timing or location?

Sometimes Libs/socialists do not think when they push nice sounding talking points. Lets make them pay their "Fair" share.

 

[hyperalgesia]

Cali Billionaire tax on the ballot, I hope it passes. Just curious what this really means if it passes.

1. If I have 1 Billion then I get taxed 5% (one time). So I pay 50M. What happens if my NW goes up to 10B in the next year, am I good b/c I paid the 1 time tax?
2. If I have 10 Billion, then I pay 500M. Why does Billionaire #1 pay only 50M when I have to pay 500M just because he made his money 12 months later?
3. If the billionaire tax such a good thing, why do just do it one year? Why not just do it every year, that way they can pay their "fair" share?
4. If Billionaire Joe has his 10Bil in cali and Billionaire Bob has only 900M of his 10 Bil net worth in Cali, then Joe Pays 500M while Bob pays nothing?
5. If Billionaire Joe smartly moved out of the state Dec 29th 2025 and billionaire Bob moved out on Jan 10th 2026 then Joe paid nothing and Bob pays 500M?
6. If Billionaire Joe NW is 950M and he moves out of the state then he pays nothing but Billionaire bob NW hit 1B right before moving out of the state, then Bob pays 50M just because it took him an extra week to move out?
7. Billionaire Joe loves Cali and keeps his business in Cali and has a NW of 10B so he pays 500M. Billionaire Bob loves cali but smart so he moves his business right across the border to Nevada so Bob pays nothing even though their two businesses are about 1 mile from each other?
8. Billionaire Joe has 1.1Bil and Bob has 990M so now Joe has to pay 50M while Bob pays nothing?
9. Billionaire Joe has 10 Bil on Jan 2026 and Bob has 900M. In Jan 2027, Joe business crashes and now he is only worth 2Bil while Bob goes parabolic and worth 100B. Joe Pays 500M while Joe never has to pay any?

So Billionaire Joe gets screwed while Bob pays nothings only due to his CPA making smart moves in timing or location?

Sometimes Libs/socialists do not think when they push nice sounding talking points. Lets make them pay their "Fair" share.

My prediction is mainstream dems will come out at the last second and put an end to the bill, just like they got the "Cancel Thanksgiving" lady off the ballot at the last second. She was totally winning and the adults came out at the last second and easily swatted her away like the clown she is.

From what I just read, this bill is a one time worldwide wealth tax. As it's written, it screws people who have high value when they file. If their non-real estate portfolio plummets after they file, they still owe the money and are screwed.

As much as I like entertainment, nothing good comes out of envy. It's a demonic emotion and this bill will only scratch the itch and have the socialists tasting blood and coming back for more. The negative consequences won't be felt for decades. I just don't want to see Californians do this to themselves.

 

[clubdeac]

My prediction is mainstream dems will come out at the last second and put an end to the bill, just like they got the "Cancel Thanksgiving" lady off the ballot at the last second. She was totally winning and the adults came out at the last second and easily swatted her away like the clown she is.

From what I just read, this bill is a one time worldwide wealth tax. As it's written, it screws people who have high value when they file. If their non-real estate portfolio plummets after they file, they still owe the money and are screwed.

As much as I like entertainment, nothing good comes out of envy. It's a demonic emotion and this bill will only scratch the itch and have the socialists tasting blood and coming back for more. The negative consequences won't be felt for decades. I just don't want to see Californians do this to themselves.

Seems like Californians are gluttons for punishment

 

[Ducttape]

You are cherry picking data without looking at the whole picture so I am not even going to debate this. All I stated was Standard of living and GDP. I never said anything about life expectancy b/c it is multifactorial and to compare different countries would be a fallacy.

But for you to say that the US is the worse 1st world nation by every metric just shows me that you have no idea how to process data and critically think. If we are the worse, why do the US have the greatest net surplus of immigrants to emigrants.

This debate is old and worn out. There is a reason people in power are smart enough to not implement all these crazy socialists ideas. Nothing is going to change no matter if dems control everything because most in the party are smart enough to just laugh at AOC and put her in a corner. You can argue all you want, I am stepping out and working on getting to the uber rich so I can partake in all of these "unfair" programs. I will be working on an endowment fund for my Med school in next year while you complain that the rich are not giving back enough.

this laughable.

and a logical fallacy. actually, more than one, but the first one is moving the goalposts.

so ill bite.

standard of living by country:

Standard of Living by Country 2026

Luxembourg has the highest quality of life index at 218.20. Compare standard of living by country and see which countries rank highest for quality of life.

worldpopulationreview.com

in this analysis, the US is 14th.

quality of life by country

https://www.numbeo.com/quality-of-life/rankings_by_country.jsp

US is 16th on this survey.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/best-countries-for-quality-of-life

in US News survey, the US ranks 30th.


what metric are you using to say the US is the best or even in the top 10 1st world nation to live in?

and fwiw, the net migration rate for the US is 3.9 per 1000. (net migration rate is the difference between those entering and those leaving the country)

New Zealand - 4.1
switzerland - 5.1
denmark - 5.2
sweden - 5.2
UK - 6.5
finland - 6.8
Germany - 7.2
ireland - 8.4
Norway - 9.7
Canada - 11

notably lower are italy, france, (and a script stopped the page from working).

Net Migration Rate by Country – Ranked 2026 - The Facts Institute

A global ranking of countries by net migration, based on the latest international data showing the total balance of people entering and leaving each country.

factsinstitute.com

the reason very limited socialist policies are put in place is because they do not benefit the ultra rich, who own most of the political operatives. yes people like pelosi and mcconnell own a lot of money but they still are not the ultra rich.

good luck getting to the uber rich, unless you were already born in to it, because it is a pipe dream sold by the uber rich to keep the dumb poor masses in line and fighting for maintaining and expanding their vast hordes of money...

 

[Ducttape]

I agree with you on this point, especially government money. Which is exactly why we need to cut cut cut government spending.

I'm glad you agree!

i agree. cut government spending in defense.

get out of the iran war.

stop giving tax benefits for the ultra rich - who have been gaining significant wealth passively and do not reinvest.

in fact, consider mechanisms to get them to invest in the economy and make all that money as part of the economy. give money to the lower say 70% who will actually go out and spend it for food, gas, housing, essentials.

definitely stop giving tax breaks.



in case you didnt see, because mainstream media didnt do a good job in announcing it, but the US ran a $432 billion deficit for the month of July. (for comparison, the total federal deficit in 2008 just as trump started his first term was $590 billion, down from $1.4 trillion in 2009 and yes this is different than the federal debt)

and in case you forgot - a republican house. a republican senate. a republican president.


"party of fiscal responsibility"......

 

[emergentmd]

this laughable.

and a logical fallacy. actually, more than one, but the first one is moving the goalposts.

so ill bite.

standard of living by country:

Standard of Living by Country 2026

Luxembourg has the highest quality of life index at 218.20. Compare standard of living by country and see which countries rank highest for quality of life.

worldpopulationreview.com

in this analysis, the US is 14th.

quality of life by country

https://www.numbeo.com/quality-of-life/rankings_by_country.jsp

US is 16th on this survey.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/best-countries-for-quality-of-life

in US News survey, the US ranks 30th.


what metric are you using to say the US is the best or even in the top 10 1st world nation to live in?

and fwiw, the net migration rate for the US is 3.9 per 1000. (net migration rate is the difference between those entering and those leaving the country)

New Zealand - 4.1
switzerland - 5.1
denmark - 5.2
sweden - 5.2
UK - 6.5
finland - 6.8
Germany - 7.2
ireland - 8.4
Norway - 9.7
Canada - 11

notably lower are italy, france, (and a script stopped the page from working).

Net Migration Rate by Country – Ranked 2026 - The Facts Institute

A global ranking of countries by net migration, based on the latest international data showing the total balance of people entering and leaving each country.

factsinstitute.com

the reason very limited socialist policies are put in place is because they do not benefit the ultra rich, who own most of the political operatives. yes people like pelosi and mcconnell own a lot of money but they still are not the ultra rich.

good luck getting to the uber rich, unless you were already born in to it, because it is a pipe dream sold by the uber rich to keep the dumb poor masses in line and fighting for maintaining and expanding their vast hordes of money...

Numbers and rankings can always be manipulated so I am not going go into a circular debate which lefties like to do for some reason. Instead of discussing the big picture it ends up picking whatever data that fits their views.

I just pointed out that you quoted, "essentially by every metric, the US is worse than other 1st world nations and its not close"

Stating this as fact just tells me that no one could ever change your mind. You must be glutton for punishment by living in the worse 1st world nation by every metric. There are many other 1st world nations that you could easily move to but you don't and you know why. You just can't admit that the US is one of the best places to live regardless of what you feelz.

 

[emergentmd]

in fact, consider mechanisms to get them to invest in the economy and make all that money as part of the economy. give money to the lower say 70% who will actually go out and spend it for food, gas, housing, essentials.

So Much wrong here that it makes my head spin. So much Socialism/com.

Make the Rich do this. Give the Poor this. This is essentially the definition of socialism comrade.

Almost all of Musk's wealth is in SpaceX and Tesla. Do you not understand that the vast majority of his wealth is employing thousands of people and creating jobs? Do you really think he doesn't contribute the economy and just puts his 700K in the bank collecting interests?

I love it when people are so emphatic about how others should spend their money but I doubt Wealthy Dr. Ducttape would like it if someone told him how to spend his money. You know that 500K house you have, you should be happy with a 200K house and you should give money to the lower 70% so they can spend. That 200K bank account, give it too. That nice BMW, get a corolla and give it too. Watches, Seiko should be good. You know that 600K salary you are getting, why don't you just live off 50K and give it to the poor.

If what you said was put into practice, Dr. Ducttape would be upset and I doubt he would be working as hard for that 600K salary. I bet Dr. Ducttape would soon be sitting next to medicare mary happy to collect that 40K benefits rather than working for that 50K. This is the problem with Socialism and it astounds me how educated people do not see this.

 

[Ducttape]

Numbers and rankings can always be manipulated so I am not going go into a circular debate which lefties like to do for some reason. Instead of discussing the big picture it ends up picking whatever data that fits their views.

I just pointed out that you quoted, "essentially by every metric, the US is worse than other 1st world nations and its not close"

Stating this as fact just tells me that no one could ever change your mind. You must be glutton for punishment by living in the worse 1st world nation by every metric. There are many other 1st world nations that you could easily move to but you don't and you know why. You just can't admit that the US is one of the best places to live regardless of what you feelz.

so one of the "trust me bro" kind of people.

that transitions to another logical fallacy of attacking the presenter rather than have discourse on the topic at hand.

in fact, you managed to string together 2 in a row with the "move to another country" fallacious argument.

wow. again and again.

your second post somehow managed to be even worse.

and fwiw, socialism is where the govnt owns the means of production. redistribution of wealth while maintainng private ownership to improve the lives of all is not socialism but is managed capitalism.

fwiw, anyone on this forum long enough will know that the rest of your unhinged weak sauce logical fallacy of an attack is not only idiotic but speaks very poorly of you. what makes you think i am wealthy monetarily (i view myself "well to do" morally and socially)

 

[emergentmd]

fwiw, anyone on this forum long enough will know that the rest of your unhinged weak sauce logical fallacy of an attack is not only idiotic but speaks very poorly of you. what makes you think i am wealthy monetarily (i view myself "well to do" morally and socially)

Doctor who is likely an anesthesiologist/pain making 500K+ who thinks he is well to do morally/socially but not monetarily..... Envy destroys lives and country, this is what socialism is.

I likely grew up much poorer than you and at worse, we were in the same boat.

I see rich/successful people and this motivated me to put in the hard work to be one of them.
You see the rich/successful people and all you can think of is, "Lets take their $$$ and give it to me/poor".

One works hard to advance himself. The other wants to sit around waiting for the gov to give them money. Who do you want to be? I chose hard work, you choose whatever you want but don't take away my motivation to work hard.

 

[Ducttape]

Doctor who is likely an anesthesiologist/pain making 500K+ who thinks he is well to do morally/socially but not monetarily..... Envy destroys lives and country, this is what socialism is.

I likely grew up much poorer than you and at worse, we were in the same boat.

I see rich/successful people and this motivated me to put in the hard work to be one of them.
You see the rich/successful people and all you can think of is, "Lets take their $$$ and give it to me/poor".

One works hard to advance himself. The other wants to sit around waiting for the gov to give them money. Who do you want to be? I chose hard work, you choose whatever you want but don't take away my motivation to work hard.

you are making tons of assumptions that are ungrounded.

theres a good chance that i have worked more years than you have been alive.

you are assuming that i have not put in hard work.

you are assuming that i am rich and have a specific income level.

you are assuming that i am wanting to be a modern day Robin Hood and steal from the rich, instead of wanting the rich to pay their fair share.

you are assuming i did not want to advance myself or put in hard work.

you are assuming im sitting around wanting someone to give me (or others) money.

work hard. but i advocate that you work hard and get your just rewards in a system that is fair; the current system is not and is set up to primarily benefit those who far exceed your potential income level by thousand-fold and that you have a <1% chance of attaining.


btw, you know the saying about assumptions.

 

[clubdeac]

i agree. cut government spending in defense.

get out of the iran war.

stop giving tax benefits for the ultra rich - who have been gaining significant wealth passively and do not reinvest.

in fact, consider mechanisms to get them to invest in the economy and make all that money as part of the economy. give money to the lower say 70% who will actually go out and spend it for food, gas, housing, essentials.

definitely stop giving tax breaks.



in case you didnt see, because mainstream media didnt do a good job in announcing it, but the US ran a $432 billion deficit for the month of July. (for comparison, the total federal deficit in 2008 just as trump started his first term was $590 billion, down from $1.4 trillion in 2009 and yes this is different than the federal debt)

and in case you forgot - a republican house. a republican senate. a republican president.


"party of fiscal responsibility"......

Jessica Reidl is brilliant and has debunked most all of your talking points

What specifically in this video or article do you think is factually incorrect bc it disproves most all of your points

Here's what would happen if we seized all the wealth from America's 800 billionaires

Don't comfort yourself with wishful thinking that millionaires and billionaires could take the entire burden of the deficit off our hands.

reason.com

 

[hyperalgesia]

Jessica Reidl is brilliant and has debunked most all of your talking points

What specifically in this video or article do you think is factually incorrect bc it disproves most all of your points

Here's what would happen if we seized all the wealth from America's 800 billionaires

Don't comfort yourself with wishful thinking that millionaires and billionaires could take the entire burden of the deficit off our hands.

reason.com

The problem with socialists is they're not honest. They use the cover of trying to help the poor, the helpless and the deficit. But the ONLY reason they want to tax the rich is because of their sense of envy and unfairness.

Trying to explain to them that their methods will fail to achieve their stated objective is like trying to explain to your young trophy wife that a new Birkin Bag will not actually help elephants in Africa.

 

[mille125]

Numbers and rankings can always be manipulated so I am not going go into a circular debate which lefties like to do for some reason. Instead of discussing the big picture it ends up picking whatever data that fits their views.

I just pointed out that you quoted, "essentially by every metric, the US is worse than other 1st world nations and its not close"

Stating this as fact just tells me that no one could ever change your mind. You must be glutton for punishment by living in the worse 1st world nation by every metric. There are many other 1st world nations that you could easily move to but you don't and you know why. You just can't admit that the US is one of the best places to live regardless of what you feelz.

I asked you days back about which metric did Ducttape post that you disagreed with. They are all standard methods for comparing countries.

I am trying to understand your viewpoint but you have to give me more substance rather than just disagreeing with no substance.

 

[mille125]

Jessica Reidl is brilliant and has debunked most all of your talking points

What specifically in this video or article do you think is factually incorrect bc it disproves most all of your points

Here's what would happen if we seized all the wealth from America's 800 billionaires

Don't comfort yourself with wishful thinking that millionaires and billionaires could take the entire burden of the deficit off our hands.

reason.com

I read it. Completely missed the point.

She says:

1) "Our middle class taxes are much less the Europe"...Yeah are taxes are less but we dont get free and greatly reduced healthcare or free college so her point makes no sense.

2) " Taxing the rich doesn't cure our deficit problems" I agree but why wouldn't you want to receive all revenue that is due. Not taxing the rich fairly does less for helping our fiscal situation than taxing them fairly does.

3) She makes an argument about federal taxes but speaks nothing about paryoll taxes which none of the ultra rich pay.

4) Near the end, she admits that closing a lot of tax loopholes that the ultra rich use makes sense. At least this is more than a lot of folks on this forum will acknowlege.

 

[emergentmd]

I asked you days back about which metric did Ducttape post that you disagreed with. They are all standard methods for comparing countries.

I am trying to understand your viewpoint but you have to give me more substance rather than just disagreeing with no substance.

I have found debating with some pointless but he said that the US is essentially by every metric, the US is worse than other 1st world nations and its not close.

Are you agreeing with this?

 

[mille125]

So Much wrong here that it makes my head spin. So much Socialism/com.

Make the Rich do this. Give the Poor this. This is essentially the definition of socialism comrade.

Almost all of Musk's wealth is in SpaceX and Tesla. Do you not understand that the vast majority of his wealth is employing thousands of people and creating jobs? Do you really think he doesn't contribute the economy and just puts his 700K in the bank collecting interests?

I love it when people are so emphatic about how others should spend their money but I doubt Wealthy Dr. Ducttape would like it if someone told him how to spend his money. You know that 500K house you have, you should be happy with a 200K house and you should give money to the lower 70% so they can spend. That 200K bank account, give it too. That nice BMW, get a corolla and give it too. Watches, Seiko should be good. You know that 600K salary you are getting, why don't you just live off 50K and give it to the poor.

If what you said was put into practice, Dr. Ducttape would be upset and I doubt he would be working as hard for that 600K salary. I bet Dr. Ducttape would soon be sitting next to medicare mary happy to collect that 40K benefits rather than working for that 50K. This is the problem with Socialism and it astounds me how educated people do not see this.

Again you are acting like assessing the ultra rich with a tax that makes them pay a fair share is "stealing"

For the life of me, I don't understand why you are falling over yourself to protect this class that making 100 times as much as you while you pay likely greater than 30% tax (and possible additional amounts to your state and local precincts) and they pay less than 1 percent tax.

Why on earth are you defending this as fair?

 

[emergentmd]

History shows that socialism and socialist ideas destroys nations. Some on here rather destroy America so they can make themselves feelz better.

 

[emergentmd]

Again you are acting like assessing the ultra rich with a tax that makes them pay a fair share is "stealing"

For the life of me, I don't understand why you are falling over yourself to protect this class that making 100 times as much as you while you pay likely greater than 30% tax (and possible additional amounts to your state and local precincts) and they pay less than 1 percent tax.

Why on earth are you defending this as fair?

Doctors are also a protected class who have similar fiscal loopholes/protections that the lower class do not have access to. Should we get rid of all of the top 10% loopholes?

IF you disagree, then why are you protecting the top 10% class? For the life of me, I can not understand why you don't just give more of your $$$ to the poor.

Lets get rid of the homestead exemption, property tax deductions, Roth IRAs, IRA tax benefits, Augusta rules, 1099 work deductions, K1 deductions. Lets get rid of estate tax exemption over $1M. Get rid of step up, estate trusts. I mean docs who have over $3M should pay a yearly 5% tax because who needs more than $3M to live a great life? There is no reason to pass on much more than $1M to heirs and give it to the poors that allowed you to live such an extravagant life.

you have to agree that there is no reason for you to have much more than $3M because after that it is just money that can help the bottom 1/3.