Far as I can tell, they're hoarders. They just hoard something that's (barely) socially acceptableBillionaires literally cannot understand the idea of "enough". The rest of us, if we managed to scrape together a few million bucks, would fuck off and spend the rest of our lives in comparative luxury- but people like Musk and Bezos can't do that; they can't feel comfortable until they have everything.
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has given an award to actor Steven Seagal for international humanitarian and cultural work, a state decree published on Monday showed.
Reuters reports the decree said the 70-year-old actor had been given Russia’s Order of Friendship. There was no immediate reaction from Seagal.
The decree mentioned Seagal’s work as a special representative of Russia’s foreign ministry for humanitarian ties with the United States and Japan.
Seagal, a frequent visitor to Russia, backed Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region in 2014 as “very reasonable”, joined a pro-Kremlin party in 2021, and visited a Russian-controlled part of eastern Ukraine last summer, where he met with a Russian-backed separatist leader.
I've seen that argument trotted out a lot over the decades, and it hinges on one fantastic (as in "related to fantasy") belief: That the rich are just aching to create jobs for their "lessers", and it's only government interference holding them back.The argument for lower taxes might stand that more income for investors supports more investment supports more technological advances and productivity increases.
I have mixed feelings on the matter of investment. Firstly, I think the basic concept of investment to improve production is true, if that's where investment goes. However....I've seen that argument trotted out a lot over the decades, and it hinges on one fantastic (as in "related to fantasy") belief: That the rich are just aching to create jobs for their "lessers", and it's only government interference holding them back.
It's bullshit. The rich want the maximum return for their money, so that they can get more money as fast as possible. It's no coincidence that the biggest era of growth in the United States also saw some of the highest tax rates on wealth; the rich, knowing that their money would be taken if they just sat on it, instead invested it into people, plant and product, knowing that it would still bring them more profit. But then Republicans concocted their stories of the benevolent rich and twisted tax laws to "let the rich keep more of their hard-earned wealth". What followed was entirely predictable: Workers' compensation flatlining while the rich vacuumed up all the wealth they could.
Yeah, sometimes I wonder why billionaires don't spend their money on something worthwhile instead of just amassing riches, but if they were the sort to do that, they'd not have become billionaires.Billionaires literally cannot understand the idea of "enough". The rest of us, if we managed to scrape together a few million bucks, would fuck off and spend the rest of our lives in comparative luxury- but people like Musk and Bezos can't do that; they can't feel comfortable until they have everything.
A business owner may need to have workers to be successful. This is being forced on them due to the needs of the business. This is not them 'wanting to make jobs.' No business owner wants workers. They cost money and are hard to deal withI have mixed feelings on the matter of investment. Firstly, I think the basic concept of investment to improve production is true, if that's where investment goes. However....
Investment in new technology can be problematic because (in terms of automation, for instance) it might actually drive workers out of relatively well paid jobs and into less skilled, lower wage work. In a similar vein, workers can be canned to move production to lower wage companies - and if instead cheap labour is utilised, there is less incentive to improve productivity. On the bright side, in all these situations, the product should become relatively cheaper (assuming the same quality). In the UK, investment money has heavily poured into property, just making land/homes really expensive and delivering no productivity at all (although of course it's been great for the asset wealth of homeowners, of which I am one). And of course, all the money that gets spent on share buybacks (concentrating ownership and wealth). For much of the West as well, why invest in people? That's what immigration is for: just attempt to entice the country's share of the world's best minds.
I tend to agree that the low tax, low salary (at the poor end) regime since the 1980s seems to have delivered us mostly just persistent, aggravating poverty; increasing wealth gap and social hostility; and increasing political and social dominance by the economic elites and away from the general public. As is oft said, class war is already happening, and the rich are winning it.
Because nothing says "quiet law-abiding citizen just looking to protect his family" like a depiction of bloodied brass knuckles.
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The Bloody Brass Backs. Where's The Warriors when you need them wisely whoop some ass?Because nothing says "quiet law-abiding citizen just looking to protect his family" like a depiction of bloodied brass knuckles.
Now I'm interested in what he'd consider 'disagreement'..."Still no disagreement about my point of view"
It's actually verified in the world of charity. French comedian Michel 'Coluche' Colucci, who set up an institution of free food for homeless people (which survived him to this day), pointed out that their donors are people who have just enough money to not be poor, but not enough to be rich. He added "Rich people don't give, that's why they're rich !". And I got a similar testimony from people who go door to door for various humanitarian causes. They don't bother with rich neighborhoods, because those are "impossible to sensitize" (the french verb "sensibiliser" is the word/concept we use for "raise awareness, generate solidarity, etc").Yeah, sometimes I wonder why billionaires don't spend their money on something worthwhile instead of just amassing riches, but if they were the sort to do that, they'd not have become billionaires.
Don't worry, taxes on personal wealth accumulation were replaced with taxes on corporate success and payroll. That's the same thing, right? (It's not, it's not the same thing at all.)I've seen that argument trotted out a lot over the decades, and it hinges on one fantastic (as in "related to fantasy") belief: That the rich are just aching to create jobs for their "lessers", and it's only government interference holding them back.
It's bullshit. The rich want the maximum return for their money, so that they can get more money as fast as possible. It's no coincidence that the biggest era of growth in the United States also saw some of the highest tax rates on wealth; the rich, knowing that their money would be taken if they just sat on it, instead invested it into people, plant and product, knowing that it would still bring them more profit. But then Republicans concocted their stories of the benevolent rich and twisted tax laws to "let the rich keep more of their hard-earned wealth". What followed was entirely predictable: Workers' compensation flatlining while the rich vacuumed up all the wealth they could.
That last part isn't a fair assessment. Nobody has ever become a billionaire by "amassing riches". People become billionaires by owning companies that expanded exponentially. The only way to realize those gains is to sell all or part of the company. The person with the dragon-like hoarding instincts is the one who sold of their company for a few million so they could sit on it. The person who left their money in a company that they thought was worthwhile is the one who becomes a billionaire.Yeah, sometimes I wonder why billionaires don't spend their money on something worthwhile instead of just amassing riches, but if they were the sort to do that, they'd not have become billionaires.
This does not mean that billionaires do not have the dragon sickness, dude.That last part isn't a fair assessment. Nobody has ever become a billionaire by "amassing riches". People become billionaires by owning companies that expanded exponentially. The only way to realize those gains is to sell all or part of the company. The person with the dragon-like hoarding instincts is the one who sold of their company for a few million so they could sit on it. The person who left their money in a company that they thought was worthwhile is the one who becomes a billionaire.
I strongly suspect that what it means is that Adams's publisher and agent announced their decision to drop him and declined to debate the rights and wrongs of his statement. This implies that he was perfectly reasonably explaining some sort of deep truth that people secretly agree with, but are too afraid to say so. The reality is that his publisher and agent understand that there's no point arguing with a crank about his bullshit. As said, this is hardly the first time, and they'll know what kind of guy he is.Now I'm interested in what he'd consider 'disagreement'...
They've probably got better things to do, like punch themselves in the groin until they pass out.I strongly suspect that what it means is that Adams's publisher and agent announced their decision to drop him and declined to debate the rights and wrongs of his statement.