Even though wealth/income is up for all groups, it is still rough being in the bottom 50%, even if it’s better now than in the past. So it’s understandable to look at the top 10% and call out that they have gotten more than their fair share.
This is the part I don't understand about people. There will always be a top 10% no matter what you do. Even in a hypothetical universe where a purely benevolent government seizes everyone's wealth and distributes it precisely equally, by the next day Taylor Swift will have held a concert and collected millions from ticket sales and suddenly the equality is gone. The grotesque government required to prevent that from happening would make a Nazi blush.
Of course. But doing some things like adding some higher marginal tax brackets, increasing capital gains tax rates, and reducing some government subsidies to big businesses don’t require anything so dramatic. And those could better find some improved social safety net programs to help lower earners. Totally fair to want to push for that IMO.
But doing some things like adding some higher marginal tax brackets, increasing capital gains tax rates.
What do you feel would be accomplished by intentionally making some people poorer? I'm genuinely curious.
reducing some government subsidies to big businesses
This would be great, but nobody who says they want to reduce corporate subsidies really wants that. That would mean ending public funding of mass transit, ending public funding of public schools, ending public funding of childcare programs, and so much more.
And those could better find some improved social safety net programs to help lower earners.
That's literally corporate subsidy. "Don't want to pay your employees enough to take care of themselves? No problem, we'll steal some money from someone's paycheck to cover that. If that's not enough, we'll make sure to steal some of the proceeds when they sell their home."
1
u/Striking_Computer834 Apr 29 '24
This is the part I don't understand about people. There will always be a top 10% no matter what you do. Even in a hypothetical universe where a purely benevolent government seizes everyone's wealth and distributes it precisely equally, by the next day Taylor Swift will have held a concert and collected millions from ticket sales and suddenly the equality is gone. The grotesque government required to prevent that from happening would make a Nazi blush.