NauticalNoodle

Well I've just read every comment on this thread and I'm relieved to realize that our recitation of our National Pledge of Allegience at every opportunity is in-fact seen as totally normal.

I see that you too have heard the prophecy.

i didn't say tax evasion isn't the real problem. i said that the meme is blaming the wrong people.

it's GE's (And politicians) fault that GE is evading taxes, not the IRS.

Same. This has been the story of my entire adult life and It's so frustrating in it's own right.

If other peoples' tax evasion is your big concern then you hate the wrong people.

I haven't used a new printer or an inkjet in a number of years now, but using my 18yo HP laserjet is a matter of plugging it in and checking it's status under the main distro settings menu. That was also on par with the windows process iirc.

I do remember 20 years ago when I had to sideload pcmcia wifi drivers, though.

Nah, being an asshole is just a minimum requirement to becoming megawealthy with regards to anything but the lottery. —I didn't say that immense luck still wasn't required. That's a given and the fact that most megarich people don't recognize this feeds back into them being assholes.

I can't say that I agree. If lotteries don't bring in more money to fund public services than they pay out, then that's a failing of a political nature. That means it could be a failing of an entire state population if that state represents a democracy, or it could be a failing of a states corrupt political class if that state isn't a democracy. Regardless, it's not necessarily a corruption of the winner which I was referring to earlier. Additionally, I've heard the "tax on the stupid and the poor" concept multiple times before, and the level of condescension towards the lower class in a discussion about financial ethics has never sat right with me. It also ignores the entertainment aspect of playing the lottery. If we really want to do away with a tax on the poor as well as the foolish, then perhaps it's more important to end excise (AKA sin) taxes, but that's also beside the subject.

Both but I believe to a certain degree a person can have a certain amount without it corrupting them. Beyond that point, everyone is corrupted. There are no truly benevolent billionaires because a person must engage in various questionable practices to keep growing their wealth at such an exponential rate. Basic market economics dictates that a business entity competing for a limited market share must repeatedly find new ways to make more profit by using strategies their competitors aren't. This includes but is not limited to skirting around regulations and laws, and somebody unquestionably runs those companies.

I also think most people massively underestimate the impact that conditioning puts on a person's outward demeanor, but that leads into a deeper tangentially related discussion. Regardless, people are complex creatures.

—To put it simply, to become a billionaire or even a typical* megamillionaire a person must invariably step on someone else.

*The only exception I can think of are SOME lottery jackpot winners.

It's easier to steal, copy, or alternatively subpoena a fingerprint.

Immigrants being on the right is also implicit. Almost nobody is gonna migrate to some place new because things like recent changes are going well for them in their country of origin. They instead leave and migrate to some place that is relatively more stable & predictable. Host countries don't like it when people migrate over and start agitating for change. As a result conservatism is built into the process.

–Consider the Cuban Communist. The Cubans that are happy with Communism have no major incentive to leave and resettle in Miami. The Cuban Capitalists OTOH flee to Miami where they espouse the evils of Communism while advocating for our government to continue the trade embargo, ensuring they can spread their pain to their fellow Cubans back in Cuba. It's the same exact story with Falun Gong