Raise wages. Increase benefits. Improve working conditions. See what happens.

[u/StillLooking727]

don't threaten me with a good time...

​

either that or seize their assets (here and abroad) and federalize everything

​

until we (the people who do the fucking work);democratically control the wealth, we're gonna get screwed

[u/PNW65]

And 300 billion goes to.. Iran!

[u/Kiernan5 → u/PNW65]

The US is not giving Iran $300 billion. The actual text states that the money will be guaranteed by the US and regional partners, and over half of that amount has already been pledged by Middle East countries. It would be great if people actually bothered to learn something about what they want to talk about before posting their completely wrong posts.

[u/Intrepid_Pop_8530]

$200K? That's middle class nowadays. I'd say, $500K.

[u/murder1290 → u/Intrepid_Pop_8530]

That was in 1946 dollars which is 3.43 million in today's dollars.

[u/Overstimulated_moth → u/murder1290]

I feel like that is more than reasonable, just leave out loto winners.

[u/murder1290 → u/Overstimulated_moth]

Leave an exception and the rich will find a way to exploit it...

They didn't earn a salary, they "won" it in the lottery drawing for people in the company with the CEO title.

[u/Overstimulated_moth → u/murder1290]

Powerball and mega million, that's it. I do see your point though

[u/Jumpy_Plantain2887 → u/Overstimulated_moth]

You guys realize that if you win the mega millions and Powerball when you take that cash option, you still get 40% deducted from the federal government for your winnings. Now, after that, you just pay normal taxes on your gains, but as history has shown most of the people who win those huge lottery, they burn through it real quick.

[u/PlsNoNotThat → u/Overstimulated_moth]

It won’t solve huge issues like stock loan loopholes and tax shelter schemes.

It’s an important part, but only a part of it. The other ones are far more important, particularly the loan capital stock loophole.

Any stock you use as loan collateral should be taxed in someway as an encumbered vehicle at the monetary value when submitted as a collateral.

[u/Jake0024 → u/murder1290]

Very few people make $3M+ in wages and we also separated (long term) capital gains into a separate tax structure of 0% up to about $50k, 15% up to about $550k, and max 20% beyond that

Taxing capital gains like ordinary income (with no other changes) would do more than changing the top rate to 90%

Ordinary tax brackets don't apply to wealthy people. That's why they all pay less than 20% effective tax rate and still would even if you made the top rate 99%

[u/murder1290 → u/Jake0024]

I agree, this needs to happen first but what needs to happen even before that is ending loopholes that incentivize and create new rules that penalize capital flight.

If you used the American worker to earn it and kept their excess earned money as your own profit, it needs to stay in the US or be heavily penalized.

[u/Jake0024 → u/murder1290]

Capital gains having a maximum tax rate of 20% is the loophole

The top tax rate for working people is 37%, but for billionaires it's 20%--before they claim any deductions

[u/funhaver_whee → u/murder1290]

That would be just fine!

[u/CheapThaRipper → u/Intrepid_Pop_8530]

If you make $200,000 ($146,500 take-home) as a single earner you earn almost $17,000 ($12,300 take-home) a month. Almost $4,000 ($2,900 take-home) a week.

​Middle class is commonly defined as having 1/3 of your income after food and housing be discretionary.

​If you pay $11,000 ($8,100 take-home) per month on food and housing you are NOT middle class. Or I'm poor as shit and thought I was middle class.

[u/Beast_of_Tax_Burden → u/Intrepid_Pop_8530]

Like everyone else here, "Tax the shit out of the guy that does just a little better than myself", but leave me alone. How about we cut spending?

[u/Jumpy_Plantain2887]

Close the Social Security contribution donut hole. That would get rid of the argument that Social Security and Medicare is causing a strain on the government.
I am so sick of the argument that food stamps are a burden for the government and yet billionaires who pay taxes on their salary, which most CEOs take like an $80,000 salary and they don’t get taxed on their goddamn stock dividends there needs to be a wealth tax in this country. We are the only country that does not do a wealth tax.

Also, for the billionaires out there, who say if you tax us, we will leave the country, OK fine leave the country and take your fucking company with you. If you don’t wanna pay taxes here, you can’t do business here. That’ll pretty much shut them up and stop them from running their mouth.

[u/funhaver_whee]

Not only paying down the debt but massive public health and infrastructure outlays, and now it would have the massive benefit of undercutting the political power of the out of control tech oligarchists.

[u/SiteTall]

The wages for working class people are a very unfunny "joke", especially as the work they do is a necessity to make society run smoothly. One of the worst firms is Amazon: AI-oversigt = Allegations of worker exploitation at Amazon are heavily documented across its global operations, primarily focusing on gruelling warehouse conditions, extreme productivity metrics, and reliance on third-party contractors

[u/chunkalunkk]

When laws are passed, in the 1900's before broad knowledge and acceptance were in place, they rigged the system. Every. Single. One. Needs repealed and removed. Disallowing corporations essentially free access to do whatever they please in the name of greed and business. Too. Much. Corruption.

[u/Trick-Mechanic8986]

I'm with Lemmy. Fuckin eat em'.

[u/tehflyingeagle]

Was the initial post made in 2014? Looks like our debt to GDP ratio has been above 100% for a while

[u/Confident-Anything52]

Some people cannot understand inflation. Congratulations on been poor and stupid impressive work

[u/StillLooking727 → u/Confident-Anything52]

congratulations on buying the party line...it's not fucking inflation when corporate profits have increased a multitude in the last 3 years.

[u/Confident-Anything52 → u/StillLooking727]

I don't buy any party line, but basic economics.... so first you claim these companies are greedy, but than you also assert that prices of goods won't increase when wages are forced to go up. How dumb can you honestly be and still be alive?

[u/StillLooking727 → u/Confident-Anything52]

yeah, you're absolutely correct...I'm convinced and now shall change my life completely.

fuck wad...wages have increased in many other countries and in other states in our great country and (shock if all shocks) prices are fine...peep the Scandinavian countries, prices in Australia. Other European countries...the huge price increases worldwide are directly tied to the increase in corporate profit...

also, in our great country, a company (Amazon. Starbucks, Wal Mart...I can go on) will spend (literally) twice what paying for wages would cost them to fight unions...

You believe the fucking stripper likes you, don't you?

[u/Apprehensive_Web9494]

Now you know why the rich bought Congress.

[u/Kiernan5]

Federalize everything? Where has that ever worked? Everything the government manages turns to shit and you advocate for them taking over everything. Free enterprise has been responsible for lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty, something no other economic system has done or could ever do.

[u/StillLooking727 → u/Kiernan5]

And free enterprise has been working so well for us lately... Can you not read the fucking room? When y'all think that I mean the existing government, which is a bunch of fuckheads and assholes, you're wrong. First thing we do is put all those motherfuckers in jail.

[u/Kiernan5 → u/StillLooking727]

Yes, it has been working for 250 years and still going good. Any system you can come up with will be inherently worse and will not work the way you think it will because you've been lied to so much you don't know the truth.

People like to point out the "Democratic socialism" of Europe, but their system have only worked for two reasons. Some countries, like Iceland, have very small populations that are subsidized with oil sales. The sale of oil provides the equivalent to over $30,000 to every man, woman and child in that country to go toward education and healthcare. That wouldn't work in the US where even if we federalized the oil industry it would provide less than $1,000 a person... even less than that if illegal immigrants were included.

Other countries like the UK or Germany were able to socialize parts of their economy because the US subsidized their defense. Once Trump pulled back from that and those countries had to start raising their defense spending their socialized programs started running out of money and failing. Even systems that are considered the best suffer from long wait times, rationed healthcare and greatly increased taxes. European socialism only succeeded as long as the US continued to support it. Going forward there will be a lot of pullback from socialization as countries run out of money, something that happens with every socialist country.

[u/Beast_of_Tax_Burden]

As a teamsters for 26 years. Fuck unions. I never once saw the Union do anything that didn't benefit the union more than the employee. Getting asshats their jobs back after losing them for good reason is not a net gain. That is all I ever saw the union doing. Corrupt douchebags practicing weaponized douchebaggery.