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The only acceptable number, but not only in Europe, everywhere, is “0”.
And if you already don’t know why: a billionaire has way too much money and power, and can influence governments in their favor, creating unsurmountable inequality and subverting the system’s rules. Billionaires are the cause why capitalism is failing (and since no one can stop them now, it will completely fail, and will drag the environment, and human survival, with it).
Yes, but capitalism isn't failing: billionaires ARE capitalism
When I say capitalism is failing is because for it to work, it need rules (offer/demand, competition without monopolies, etc), that these billionaires have eliminated or subverted. They changed the game rules in their favor, and are now so powerful it’s impossible to stop them (non violently, I mean). I honestly think we just entered a dark era of humanity, one in which its existence is in question. And yes, I’m a pessimist, but I try to be optimistic with all my might, but everything I see or read prevents me from being optimistic.
When I say capitalism is failing is because for it to work, it need rules
Because it is unstable. It is much easier to disrupt the system than to balance it in a stable-like state against it's nature. Capitalism has gotten out of hand and will collapse sooner or later. And no: I am not a pessimist
It's quite easy to get rid of billionaires (raise taxes, they will move away), but it's a question whether it is really beneficial for the country.
they are free people. They can leave at any time. But the money and capital they own in the country must stay in the country.
Easy to say, difficult to do in practice.
Oh easy to do in practice, hard to do with politicians choosing what happens though.
Easy? Who’s going to raise taxes for them, politicians? The same politicians whose campaigns are financed by these billionaires? Whose reputation can be tainted by the media conglomerates owned by these same billionaires?
There’s no stopping them now, and I have no idea how this is going to end. Things happen too fast now. I fear for the future.
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You sound like you're one of the "temporarily embarrassed millionaires" who doesn't understand that he's being defrauded.
You're a hooker thinking she's actually the pimp.
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Sure, we (that includes you!) are extorted into giving wealth to people who contribute nothing to society, but criticizing this is jealousy.
Just like slaves were just jealous of their masters, right?
To be slightly less cynical: look up how many empty houses/apartments there are in your country and then look how many homeless people there are. Chances are, the first number is larger. And now ask yourself: is that sane?
Or even more basic: why are we Westerners fattening, while other people are starving? Because there are some very rich people who profit from that situation.
BTW: you're oversimplifying the solution, to just "removing" billionaires. I assume, you're doing that out of mental laziness, and not stupidity. That interpretation, while being very literal, is an attempt to divert the discussion, a straw man. What is meant here is, changing the economic situation in such a way, that billionaires can't even exist. No one should be able to accumulate that much wealth, especially not if that wealth is purely extractive.
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Living up to your name. Keep it up, friend!
Not at all, you’re just projecting. And also not understanding what I’m saying or why. I know it’s useless, but find out what the New Deal was, when and why it ended, and what happened since. You won’t do it, but nobody can say I didn’t try to explain it to you. Cheers.
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Dude, please…
What you should be looking in the New Deal is the Revenue Act of 1935: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenue_Act_of_1935. That kind of taxation was ended by Ronald Reagan, and since then, economy has shifted to the commoditization of everything that you can speculate with (housing, food, medicine, etc). Without limits, there’s been a polarization of wealth and a growth of inequality (see the Gini index, or even, the disparity in salaries).
It’s not about the rich. Nobody is against the rich, but the rich (and the system) need rules and limits, without it, you allow some people to amass so much wealth that the system starts to collapse.
See that I’m only talking about billionaires, not millionaires or wealthy people. These billionaires are the most powerful people in human history, and we don’t have a way to deal with them. We got rid of kings, and powerful individuals in the past when they tried to exploit populations, but we never faced people as powerful as these billionaires, so maybe we can’t put a leash on them. It’s a difficult challenge.
It’s funny you mention the Bible. If you are a religious person, I guess, by you attitude here, that you’d say to Moses “Oh! Stop bitching about the pharaoh! Just do your job and don’t complain!” Right?
Whatever…
Your comment could be read as something left in the toilet.