So when do we put a stop to this feodalist capitalist horror that is also destroying our planet now?
@janisf Remember when Elon Musk was supposed to save the world? There was even a Simpsons episode telling how great world saver he is.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Musk_Who_Fell_to_Earth
The Musk Who Fell to Earth - Wikipedia

@janisf Billionaires won't save us. Future technology won't save us. EV's wont save us. Mars is inhabitable, we can't move there. Moving there would be worse than staying in Earth, if it was possible.
Stop eating meat and dairy, stop overconsuming, stop doing bullshit jobs, stop doing work that only makes things worse, change car to bicycle, planes to trains, hang oil executives and billionaires. That will save the Earth and humanity.

@bhasic

√ Vegan
√ Spent $1512 so far this year, $500 of that medical, mostly food
√ Work at an art studio
√ Can't bike to three of my doctors, or my kid, bought electric, used.
√ Have infiltrated the rich by going to the right church--you can , too. Yes, it makes me squirm, but they don't deserve to be drawn & quartered. Public shame is working on some of them.

Threatening billionaires will only make them build new bunkers in more secret places.

Your personal life choices are great, but other people are killing the planet with "natural gas" and mercury, and no restriction on your own lifestyle will affect that. That's why they want you focusing on eating vegetables, and not organizing, just to warn you. That stuff you're doing is still good to do.

Anyway we don't have to threaten billionaires. They'll still feel threatened, because they're complete nutcases, but any accusation of threats doesn't need to be anything but a paranoid lie. What we have to do (one way or the other) is take away their power and capital. Their loans canceled, their investments voided, and their extra property and rentals repossessed, and given to the people who used to be beholden to the wealthy. They have to be on an equal stage with the rest of us, or we'll be giving them the means to return everything to tyranny again.

I don't know how to deal with all the police who brutally murder anyone who tries that, but I suppose they would have to be part of the solution too, if a solution exists.

CC: @[email protected]

@cy @bhasic You act up and fill their news feed with protests pointing out what shitheads they're being. You teach their children how to spot and call out bullshit. Then you tax them, having carefully laid out the impact it will have. And daddy won't be able to say no to his sweet little girl. Trust me on this. I used to sell wedding dresses. Not the cheap ones.

They pay the police, and they pay the people who write what the police are supposed to do.

The problem is they pay the police and the lawmakers though. That's why you can't tax them. You just can't. They always get out of it.

And you really think they aren't being shitheads on purpose? Only thing protesting does is give them an excuse to sic their pet cops on you, and claim you're forcing them to militarize even more with your "rioting" and "drugs."

CC: @[email protected]

@cy
Biden indicated early in his term said that taxes for the rich are effectively voluntary. With mobility, your place of citizenship is voluntary. So coercively taxing people will drive them away.

No, you don't up & tax them. You talk to them by whatever means you can find and sell them on the idea of a better America. It helps if it's an investment, but there are plenty of philanthropic options, too.

@bhasic

It is a better America already, more so for them every day. It's just a worse one for everyone else.

As for philanthropy, I have some bad news...
https://inv.tux.pizza/watch?v=i8w3qPwpzZA

CC: @[email protected]
Why Billionaire Philanthropy Won't Solve Anything

You ever notice how oligarchs like Warren Buffet and Bill Gates are cast as these uber-wealthy saviors who are singlehandedly raising the world out of poverty? That doesn't happen by accident. In this week's episode, we're taking a look at the insidious philanthropy scheme billionaires use to make sure their reputation remains squeaky clean. Hope you enjoy! Why Billionaire Philanthropy Won't Solve Anything – Second Thought SUBSCRIBE HERE: http://bit.ly/2nFsvTS New video every Friday! Citations and Further Reading: Hasan Minhaj’s video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS9CFBlLOcg Microsoft Bad https://time.com/3553242/microsoft-monopoly/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Microsoft Bill and Melinda Gates Rebrand https://www.gatesfoundation.org/about/our-story Charitable Tax Deductions (74% statistic) https://inequality.org/great-divide/every-buck-billionaire-charity-74-cents/ https://ssrn.com/abstract=3462163 Where I Got the 60% of Gross Income Stat https://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/personal-income-taxes/charitable-tax-deduction.htm $246.1 Billion Dollars in Charitable Tax Deductions 2010-2014 (free article on Google Scholar) https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.17310/ntj.2011.4.05?journalCode=ntj Charitable Donations Increase Over Time (the second source is the original, but it’s paywalled) https://winklergroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Screenshot-2021-06-15-160402.png https://store.givingusa.org/collections/home-page-2021/products/2021-annual-report?variant=39329211613263 5%/95% Split in Charitable Foundations https://www.philanthropy.com/article/whats-so-special-about-5/ https://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-gatesx07jan07-story.html https://www.pfs-llc.net/blog/the-5-rule-explained/ https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/5/1/21242144/billionaires-foundations-giving-money-coronavirus-fight Where the Gates’ Foundation 95% Goes https://www.globaljustice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/gjn_gates_report_june_2016_web_final_version_2.pdf https://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-gatesx07jan07-story.html https://www.wedemain.fr/partager/la-philanthropie-de-bill-gates-alimente-la-machine-capitaliste_a3977-html/ (in French) Coca-Cola & Passion Fruit Farmers https://www.globaljustice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/gjn_gates_report_june_2016_web_final_version_2.pdf https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/gates-foundation-coca-cola-technoserve-partner-to-empower-small-scale-fruit-farmers-in-east-africa Gates Foundation and Charter Schools https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/media-center/press-releases/2003/05/grant-to-launch-new-charter-schools-in-san-francisco Oscar Wilde’s Quote https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/wilde-oscar/soul-man/ Follow and Support Second Thought! Twitter: https://twitter.com/_SecondThought Patreon: https://patreon.com/secondthought BuyMeACoffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/secondthought CashApp: $JTChapman Watch More Second Thought: Latest Uploads: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6SJktA-ecJR_Fq2hhYVEFS11cf1YzG27 Spaaaaaace!: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6SJktA-ecJQRpqT-hMTTFx8A6VVH3m6v What If...: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6SJktA-ecJRI7VrWf_-mT0z6lrN--Cvi Popular Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6SJktA-ecJRx7ZaO9J04Kbob_u5baHxN About Second Thought: Second Thought is a channel devoted to education and analysis of current events from a Leftist perspective. Welcome! Business Email: [email protected]

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