volkris @volkris@qoto.org
I think the most pressing and fundamental problem of the day is that people lack a practically effective means of sorting out questions of fact in the larger world. We can hardly begin to discuss ways of addressing reality if we can't agree what reality even is, after all.
The institutions that have served this role in the past have dropped the ball, so the next best solution is talking to each other, particularly to those who disagree, to sort out conflicting claims.
Unfortunately, far too many actively oppose this, leaving all opposing claims untested. It's very regressive.
So that's my hobby, striving to understanding the arguments of all sides at least because it's interesting to see how mythologies are formed but also because maybe through that process we can all have our beliefs tested.
But if nothing else, social media platforms like this are chances to vent frustrations that on so many issues both sides are obviously wrong ;)
Joined Dec 2022
I have!
And I notice that the US Treasury has plenty of revenues incoming to pay for it.
I was critical at the time of that deficit spending. Boo on them. But here we are, and the US probably shouldn't spend EVEN MORE money that it doesn't have.
But so often I see clips of Oliver saying things that are inconsistent with how (for example) government functions or easily debunkable based on two seconds of research on congress.gov.
He says false things pretty routinely.
Saying that he has a good research staff doesn't mean much when he clearly promotes falsehoods. I guess it just means his statements are intentional lies.
@Mastopoet @Npars01 @Clackable@tldr.nettime.org @stopgopfox@libretooth.gr
The FairTax literally mails money to poor people.
And taxes the purchases that rich people will spend so much more on.
Some bias toward the rich...
Well, the FairTax proposes to raise the minimum amount of income exempt from tax to... all of it.
No, inflation is not temporary. By definition it is a core aspect of a currency, and being so core to the money itself, it ends up being pretty permanent.
It is extremely unlikely that the dollar will every again be what it was worth two years ago.
@Npars01 @csgordon@zirk.us @Clackable@tldr.nettime.org @stopgopfox@libretooth.gr @Mastopoet @GreenFire
And the FairTax folks are extremely critical of the Canadian tax as they emphasize the substantial differences between their tax and the Canadian policy.
The FairTax folks agree with your characterization of Canada's plan, which is why they emphatically don't go that direction!
@dkbgeek @csgordon@zirk.us @Npars01 @Clackable@tldr.nettime.org @stopgopfox@libretooth.gr @Mastopoet @GreenFire
And that's the exact reason why the FairTax proposes to mail people checks to make sure the middle/lower class isn't screwed by sales taxes.
That's a core part of the proposal.
Folks who talk about the idea without mentioning the parts that make it progressive are being dishonest.
That's a nice conspiracy theory you have there.
@Mastopoet @Npars01 @csgordon@zirk.us @Clackable@tldr.nettime.org @stopgopfox@libretooth.gr @GreenFire
There is this unchallenged mythology out there that spending time in classrooms is necessarily beneficial to the student.
It's not.
But educational institutions do enjoy selling that story, even as students may find themselves unable to gain employment based on their certificates, and find themselves having wasted all that time, at least.
@Npars01 @Mastopoet @csgordon@zirk.us @Clackable@tldr.nettime.org @stopgopfox@libretooth.gr @GreenFire
The FairTax proposal would directly send checks to the poor.
@TransitBiker @Npars01 @Mastopoet @csgordon@zirk.us @Clackable@tldr.nettime.org @stopgopfox@libretooth.gr @GreenFire
It's a 30% sales tax that applies to the wealthy (who buy expensive things, mind) instead of taxing the working class, leaving the working class with more money to buy things.
The global economy will be fine.
volkris
boosted
If you don’t have classified documents at your home, are you really living?
Well it's significant that we know Trump's people were in contact with officials in the current administration to discuss the proper way to handle these documents, that he was working with them to sort out issues of what was and wasn't classified.
@csgordon@zirk.us
But that is my point exactly: there is an enormous difference between foregoing revenue versus giving away revenue.
Politicians love to conflate those, but it is not realistically coherent to say they are the same.
Like, my not handing you some money is not the same as you losing money. It's just not factually reasonable to say they are the same thing.
@Mastopoet @csgordon@zirk.us @Npars01 @Clackable@tldr.nettime.org @stopgopfox@libretooth.gr @GreenFire
Well great! The FairTax proposes to exempt ALL wages from taxation!
So far the Biden administration has proposed a number of extremely regressive taxes, ones that would hit the poorer the hardest.
I'm no Republican, but I will call that guy out for either his regressive taxation or his complete ignorance as to what he is actually calling for as he mumbles out vague proposals that make no sense.
@Npars01 @csgordon@zirk.us @Clackable@tldr.nettime.org @stopgopfox@libretooth.gr @Mastopoet @GreenFire
That is factually incorrect.
By law payroll taxes are required, and have always been required, to be deposited in the Treasury just like any other taxes. So by law payroll taxes pay for everything from congressional toilet paper through Ukrainian armaments.
Seriously, it's written right into the law that established Social Security in the first place.
Eliminating income tax just means that workers keep more of what they earn, more of what they trade their labor for.
Heaven forbid!
@Mastopoet @Npars01 @csgordon@zirk.us @Clackable@tldr.nettime.org @stopgopfox@libretooth.gr @GreenFire
What in the world?
The FairTax is specifically designed to take from the rich and give to the less well off! It's specifically has elements of the plan to make sure what you describe doesn't happen!
@Npars01 @Mastopoet @csgordon@zirk.us @Clackable@tldr.nettime.org @stopgopfox@libretooth.gr @GreenFire
Yeah, but we make the mistake of electing stupid officials who build that infrastructure without charging for it.
We should not blame corporations for that. We elected them. That's really on us.
@Mastopoet @Npars01 @csgordon@zirk.us @Clackable@tldr.nettime.org @stopgopfox@libretooth.gr @GreenFire
Wow, I just want to point out in response to this one is that no cost student higher education is highly, highly regressive, ending up asking the poorest to help fund educations that help the best off make a lot more money.
Any economically progressive stance would completely reject that sort of strategy.
@dkbgeek @csgordon@zirk.us @Npars01 @Clackable@tldr.nettime.org @stopgopfox@libretooth.gr @Mastopoet @GreenFire
You would have a point except that proponents of the FairTax acknowledge and then address that issue very very very emphatically by transferring money to those people to make sure this is not impact them!
This is a core element of the proposal.
I think the most pressing and fundamental problem of the day is that people lack a practically effective means of sorting out questions of fact in the larger world. We can hardly begin to discuss ways of addressing reality if we can't agree what reality even is, after all.
The institutions that have served this role in the past have dropped the ball, so the next best solution is talking to each other, particularly to those who disagree, to sort out conflicting claims.
Unfortunately, far too many actively oppose this, leaving all opposing claims untested. It's very regressive.
So that's my hobby, striving to understanding the arguments of all sides at least because it's interesting to see how mythologies are formed but also because maybe through that process we can all have our beliefs tested.
But if nothing else, social media platforms like this are chances to vent frustrations that on so many issues both sides are obviously wrong ;)
Joined Dec 2022
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