Patriotic Millionaires

[Jessica]

I've only just learned about Abigail Disney, and I love her. Reading an article about her, and the organisation Patriotic Millionaires gave me a sense of relief. She knows that her ideal world is too radical to push for just yet, but this is a start. My favourite "too radical" idea is that £1billion is enough money for anyone, and that anyone who achieves that has "won capitalism" and cannot keep earning more. Like, fuck yes. It's hardly preventing people from chasing extreme wealth, is it. No-one is robbing the rich of their luxuries.

Everyone knows that the wealth gap is insane, and it's something that keeps coming up, but it's impossible to know what to do about it, for me. I think she is right, that it will take the millionaires themselves fighting for it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriotic_Millionaires

[Din Djarin]

Thats how we got the voting rights expanded as well after all: the minority of privileged citizens who were already allowed were aiding the people who didn't but were craving it. First men from lower classes and then even women (a sign you can get too far teehee JK!)

[Jessica]

Thats how we got the voting rights expanded as well after all: the minority of privileged citizens who were already allowed were aiding the people who didn't but were craving it. First men from lower classes and then even women (a sign you can get too far teehee JK!)

yes, true. i have huge respect for every person in that organisation, especially the ones who joined early on.
It was in the news magazine here because they are just starting a British branch

[6-eyed]

The largest reason the wealth gap has gotten so big is because the wealthiest of people buy and bribe politicians to write laws and regulations in their favor to keep others from rising up the wealth ladder.

COVID laws are a good example of this. Jeff Bezos and many others made so much money from the pandemic. Meanwhile the small business owners were forced to close down and go broke. It was no accident.

[neonspectraltoast]

On a related-to-money note...

So, the chip, inexplicably, disappeared from my debit card. (There is just a square space where it once was.) Somehow this has rendered my card completely useless, even if just entering the digits online. And I only tried to use the magnetic slide once.

I feel like this is a bad portent.

And really, it's becoming absurdly difficult to make any sort of transaction, I feel.

Maybe inquiring minds would know more about what's at play here than I do.

[OP1]

On a related-to-money note...

So, the chip, inexplicably, disappeared from my debit card.

While it's possible that the chip simply fell out, it's also possible that someone removed the chip deliberately. The chances of the second possibility increase if you were just recently in jail.

I recommend that you inform your bank of the problem ASAP and check your account balance.

[neonspectraltoast]

It happened before I went to jail, and it was always in my wallet. Which wasn't always on me, which is kind of a scary thought. Cause I agree...how the heck was it just missing...

I'm going to tell them tomorrow, possibly.

[Jessica]

https://patrioticmillionaires.org/our-values/

[6-eyed]

When asked to sign a pledge to pay 90% rate for their taxes, and redistribute their wealth to the community, the patriotic millionaires backed down and said no.

Whatever happened to leading by example?

These people are hypocrites

[6-eyed]

Din Djarin, it is basically the motto of the political corporate class. Patriotic Millionaires want a wealth ceiling for everyone except them. Global warming tsars want everyone to stop burning fossil fuels except them.

[Jessica]

Din Djarin just so you know, he's talking nonsense. The Patriotic Millionaires want the wealth ceiling for EVERYONE, including themselves. All this article says is that they refused to sign a pledge to do it themselves without laws changing to make it true for everyone. If they did that, they'd lose their power to campaign for it.

[Din Djarin]

Jessica I know, I guess I was testing his sincerity/giving him another chance to handle such a topic sensibly.

[Din Djarin]

The largest reason the wealth gap has gotten so big is because the wealthiest of people buy and bribe politicians to write laws and regulations in their favor to keep others from rising up the wealth ladder.

COVID laws are a good example of this. Jeff Bezos and many others made so much money from the pandemic. Meanwhile the small business owners were forced to close down and go broke. It was no accident.

What do the already rich people like Bezos win with small business owners going broke and closing down? Ok, I can see what really greedy people do win with ludicrous dubious and damaging decisions to others that make them even more rich. But... I don't see how it was a deliberate purpose here. Can you explain how that seems certain to you?

[mcme]

A few less mom&pop stores in every town is a bunch more people ready to be swooned by his click and it's delivered money machine.

[Din Djarin]

Yeah, I get what can be gained. I think Walmart is a good example of that. Still, I'm not convinced it was deliberately done during the covid restrictions. In fact, I'm pretty sure it was not a deliberate intent, and to proclaim the opposite with a lot of certainty reeks of a conspiracy theory. It definitely begs for an elaboration when it is put as not just an opinion

And I'm not saying that because I strongly sympathize with people like Bezos :P I'm saying it because I care about the truth.

[Jessica]

When asked to sign a pledge to pay 90% rate for their taxes, and redistribute their wealth to the community, the patriotic millionaires backed down and said no.

Whatever happened to leading by example?

These people are hypocrites

Oh dear, 6.
you're falling for bullshit way too easily.

This is an attempt to discredit them, to protect the billionaires who DON'T want to pay more taxes.

Their whole point is that poor people/non millionaires will never be able to change the system that favours the rich. It has to be the rich who do it.

If they, as individuals, start paying high taxes and lose their position as super wealthy.. but the system has remained the same.. then nothing will actually change, meaningfully for the long term. You can't "lead by example" in this case.

You're taking the side of wealthy people who are quite happy to keep things how they are.

[6-eyed]

Oh dear, 6.
you're falling for bullshit way too easily.

This is an attempt to discredit them, to protect the billionaires who DON'T want to pay more taxes.

Their whole point is that poor people/non millionaires will never be able to change the system that favours the rich. It has to be the rich who do it.

If they, as individuals, start paying high taxes and lose their position as super wealthy.. but the system has remained the same..then nothing will actually change, meaningfully for the long term. You can't "lead by example" in this case.

You're taking the side of wealthy people who are quite happy to keep things how they are.

Not really. The organizations and corporations they own will always financially prop them and their messages up in one way, shape, or form. So they'll never be less than rich, even if they committed to the pledge.

All these people are doing, is virtue signaling to the peasant class, to pretend to be a friend of the working man while delivering empty platitudes.

[Jessica]

Not really. The organizations and corporations they own will always financially prop them and their messages up in one way, shape, or form. So they'll never be less than rich, even if they committed to the pledge.

All these people are doing, is virtue signaling to the peasant class, to pretend to be a friend of the working man while delivering empty platitudes.

you seem to not suspect at all that the insanely rich people profiting off Fox News might have a vested interest in making you believe that ;-)

I'm honestly glad to see this. Someone clearly considers them a threat. Hopeful.

Even if they WERE simply virtue signalling, I'd support what they say they're trying to do. So.. seems a bit weird they'd go to that effort when they don't have to.

[Din Djarin]

The goal is also not to stop rich people from being rich. They just have to pay more taxes than the people in 'the peasant class'. If they remain rich after that kudos to them (well not literally :-D ). Arguing for a 90% tax rate and hold it against them that they say no to that, sounds like someone is busy with a different goal

[6-eyed]

The goal is also not to stop rich people from being rich. They just have to pay more taxes than the people in 'the peasant class'. If they remain rich after that kudos to them (well not literally :-D ). Arguing for a 90% tax rate and hold it against them that they say no to that, sounds like someone is busy with a different goal

Isn’t that the mission of Patriotic Millionaires? To stop individuals from becoming super wealthy?

These people would still be rich, powerful, and politically influential at a 90% tax rate. Their leader practically owns the Disney corporation ffs. I say they should practice what they preach.