Wealth! How much is enough?

[Patine]

You most certainly can stop people from moving. No one gets on an airplane without the US government's approval. Furthermore assets can be seized under a wide variety of pretenses. Almost any illegal conduct by Amazon would make them subject to forfeiture and the only reason not to do it is to protect specifically the wealthiest .01% of Americans that own most of it.

This is where the rampant corruption and bribery that's a BIG problem in many, many nations, even powerful First World Nations like the U.S., UK, France, Germany, and South Korea, and the power of such plutocrats to criminally have more power and influence through blatant graft over those governments than the constituent voters do, comes into play, I'm afraid...

 

[Birdjaguar]

You most certainly can stop people from moving. No one gets on an airplane without the US government's approval. Furthermore assets can be seized under a wide variety of pretenses. Almost any illegal conduct by Amazon would make them subject to forfeiture and the only reason not to do it is to protect specifically the wealthiest .01% of Americans that own most of it.

IIRC it was in the 70s that British taxes on the wealthy went way up and many celebrities like the Rolling Stones moved out. The government cannot just seize assets of citizens because they want to.

 

[Zardnaar]

IIRC it was in the 70s that British taxes on the wealthy went way up and many celebrities like the Rolling Stones moved out. The government cannot just seize assets of citizens because they want to.

They can if it's tied up in landwhich is the problem here.

Can't flee with land if they bring in capital gains tax or a LVT.

Amazon can easily be blocked from operating in US even if they locate HQ offshore.

 

[Patine]

They can if it's tied up in landwhich is the problem here.
Can't flee with land if the bring in capital gains tax or a LVT.

Did you read the de facto (if not de jure) issue in my last post, above?

 

[Zardnaar]

Did you read the de facto (if not de jure) issue in my last post, above?

The rant about legalized corruption/influence?

 

[Synobun]

You most certainly can stop people from moving. No one gets on an airplane without the US government's approval.

This is tankie 14-year-old edgy nonsense. Sure, ban rich people from leaving the country and then take all their stuff if they try. Why not.

 

[Patine]

The rant about legalized corruption/influence?

It's not legalized. It's still a high crime on the books. But that's not ignored. And calling all of my posts, "rants," by default, regardless of the subject matter or format (the post you're referring to was quite short and concise) to just say none have any validity, credibility, or valid points would be like me saying all of your posts were just "flippant colour commentary," to accomplish the same effect, because of your way off-hand way of typing. Consider that for a minute.

 

[Birdjaguar]

They can if it's tied up in landwhich is the problem here.

Can't flee with land if they bring in capital gains tax or a LVT.

Amazon can easily be blocked from operating in US even if they locate HQ offshore.

I don't think anyone is fleeing NZ.

 

[Patine]

I don't think anyone is fleeing NZ.

The nation right now with the highest flight, or emigration, rate (relatively) of the ultra-wealthy are Russian oligarchs from their home country. But I don't believe it's taxes that are exactly the reason in that case.

 

[stinkubus]

This is tankie 14-year-old edgy nonsense. Sure, ban rich people from leaving the country and then take all their stuff if they try. Why not.

Why are you conveniently ignoring the portion of my post which makes it clear that in this hypothetical Amazon would be stripped of their assets through currently existing legal channels?

Your precious courts have UPHELD forfeiture because physical and financial assets do not have civil rights.

 

[Patine]

Why are you conveniently ignoring the portion of my post which makes it clear that in this hypothetical Amazon would be stripped of their assets through currently existing legal channels?

Your precious courts have UPHELD forfeiture because physical and financial assets do not have civil rights.

Judges and politicians would be bribed, and the lawsuit would go away...

And any political figures who levied such a lawsuit would magically find their fundraising dry up as they faced an opponent with an awe-inspiring campaign warchest and legion of Super PAC's next they ran for election...

 

[Synobun]

Why are you conveniently ignoring the portion of my post which makes it clear that in this hypothetical Amazon would be stripped of their assets through currently existing legal channels?

Your precious courts have UPHELD forfeiture because physical and financial assets do not have civil rights.

You are talking about random fluff that has nothing to do with the thread.

Also, I'm not an American.

 

[Zardnaar]

I don't think anyone is fleeing NZ.

They normally leave for economic reasons. 1/5th of the population lives elsewhere.

 

[Zardnaar]

Judges and politicians would be bribed, and the lawsuit would go away...

And any political figures who levied such a lawsuit would magically find their fundraising dry up as they faced an opponent with an awe-inspiring campaign warchest and legion of Super PAC's next they ran for election...

True but even in America a large warchest only goes so far. Trump got outspent, Bloomberg came up short, Dems dumped tens of millions into various states and came up short.

 

[Patine]

True but even in America a large warchest only goes so far. Trump got outspent, Bloomberg came up short, Dems dumped tens of millions into various states and came up short.

There's also the problem there, which a quote sums up.

"Populism, lack of education, and apathy are the Achilles' Heels of the democratic system."
-James Callahan.

That was the problem there. The problem hasn't left American politics even though Trump's now been defeated, and supporters of both major parties are at least suffering from the middle problem, and the bad ideas, myths, absolutist thinking, and brain-dead attitudes that comes out of populists' mouths anyways.

 

[Zardnaar]

There's also the problem there, which a quote sums up.

"Populism, lack of education, and apathy are the Achilles' Heels of the democratic system."
-James Callahan.

That was the problem there. The problem hasn't left American politics even though Trump's now been defeated, and supporters of both major parties are at least suffering from the middle problem, and the bad ideas, myths, absolutist thinking, and brain-dead attitudes that comes out of populists' mouths anyways.

Don't need to preach to me in that regard. Problems with America were there in 1776 slavery and aversion to paying tax being big ones.

 

[Patine]

Don't need to preach to me in that regard. Problems with America were there in 1776 slavery and aversion to paying tax being big ones.

Well, here in Canada and New Zealand, cheating our indigenous people blind and screwing them over good have long been big issues through much of our histories. Australia's well in that boat, too...

 

[Lexicus]

Sounds awful.

Why? or rather, what about it sounds awful?

 

[Patine]

Why? or rather, what about it sounds awful?

The curious thing about Tolkien is most of his novels, letters, and essays seem very pro-Feudal and to glorify the concept. The quote you produced seems to attack the big manorial land ownership with the production being done by those scrabbling to enrich the land owner (attacking one of the very pillar ideas of Feudalism) at the very core.

 

[Zardnaar]

Well, here in Canada and New Zealand, cheating our indigenous people blind and screwing them over good have long been big issues through much of our histories. Australia's well in that boat, too...

True from the sounds of it NZers further down making that right to some extent than Canada.

That's not a major problem in day to day life as such though vs lack of health care US style.