25 May 2022

Absurdly filthy rich


Reposted from 2011.  You can access all the NonSequitur comics here.

13 comments:

  1. Heck! They could cut their pay in half. That would still leave them filthy rich, and help the economy big time.

    The problem as I have heard it is that some of the wealthiest people in the world (many of those in the top 0.5% of wealth in the US) have turned from being citizens of just one country, and have become truly global citizens. This then means that they have no true stake in what happens to the United States, and so attempt to influence the political discussion to make things easier on them, even at the expense of the United States. In fact, they may even have an interest in seeing the US do poorly, especially if it meant that they can become wealthier, and gain power.

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  2. More class warfare drivel.

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    1. More class warfare drivel.

      True.

      But don't pretend that all these tax-cuts-for-the-rich and trickle-down bullshit isn't class warfare either. It just goes the other way.

      I am well above the median. I am happy to pay taxes. I value public education, good infrastructure, uncensored libraries and good health care for all. I benefited from all of these, so I'm happy to pay back my share.

      I just want the people who make more than I do to pay tax as well. And preferably more than I do. They can afford it. Someone is building a 40,000 sq ft home a few miles from where I live. They will be fine in this 17,000 sq ft home....

      https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/700-Bulls-Neck-Rd-Mc-Lean-VA-22102/167792949_zpid/
      https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/633-River-Bend-Rd-Great-Falls-VA-22066/51712244_zpid/

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    2. Kolo: Pretty sure we're screwed because that kind of trickle-down logic works with a lot of Americans. I know you're just kidding, but many people buy it. Of course redistribution of wealth through the construction of ten thousand square foot houses is economic nonsense, but let's not forget just how insane it is on the environmental level too.

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  3. I bet Anonymous there is just a middle class schmuck like the rest of us, but who votes Republican against his own economic interests because their social positions appeal to him so strongly.

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    1. Rugged individualism. Personal rights. Antebellum American governance model in action.

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    2. I've been enjoying Democrat leadership for about a year and half, and my economic interests are presently on fire.

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    3. IronHorse: Were you thinking we could pump 5.2 trillion in stimulus into the US economy without some serious disruption? Anyone you know on the hook for any of this? Here's just one piece of Trump's contribution: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CARES_Act Was this "medicine" necessary? Who knows? Are there side effects? Hell yes.

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    4. Also: https://www.propublica.org/article/national-debt-trump

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  4. I expect that the average TYWKI reader makes far more than the median $53,000 a year. How many of these readers do you suppose have voluntarily given away this surplus? Why?

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    1. My income is well below the median. But, let's say I make 100K a year and keep it all for myself (so I can pay insane rent in NYC, SF, LA, etc.). How does someone making roughly double the median justify another person making a thousand times the median? It's like there are 100 pies and I get a slice twice the size of my neighbor. But a household down the street gets 99 pies. Keeping my whole slice in no way justifies this kind of distribution. Especially when wealth grows more wealth at an exponential rate, so the loser continuously falls further behind, as is happening in the US. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_inequality_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_inequality_in_the_United_States

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    2. My income is somewhat above the median, and I give a good portion of it away frequently. And cheerfully. And I feel better for having done so.

      https://tywkiwdbi.blogspot.com/2022/03/more-information-about-world-central.html

      And note the cartoon refers to the ABSURDLY rich. What would I do with ten times the median income? 50 times the median?? 500X ????

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  5. The problem isn't feeding the poor, it's satisfying the rich.

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