The wealthy - remember there are a lot of wealthy liberals out there, but for some reason they do not put money in areas that conservatives have to counter them like MSM and social media. Musk could have been outed from buying Twitter, Zuckerberg could have been buried at Facebook. Many claim to desire to be taxed more, but they have sat…
The wealthy - remember there are a lot of wealthy liberals out there, but for some reason they do not put money in areas that conservatives have to counter them like MSM and social media. Musk could have been outed from buying Twitter, Zuckerberg could have been buried at Facebook. Many claim to desire to be taxed more, but they have sat on the sidelines in the media wars. It is almost as if they like their tax cuts and ignore the actions of those taking away the rights of the people. Money talks.
Rickey, I live in NC. We have exactly 100 counties. I have often wondered why some wealthy individual, just as a thought experiment, if for no other reason, wouldn’t pay 100 individuals $30k in an election year (Nov thru Nov) to get every eligible voter registered, and set up a campaign to get those voters to the polls. It would cost three million dollars to see what democracy would actually look like, and would, I suspect, help the poor and working class far more than the ‘philanthropic’ donations the wealthy use to show they ‘care’.
This would be a drop in the bucket for any multi-millionaire, much less a billionaire. Any sports star, Hollywood celebrity, Buffet-like businessman who claims they should be taxed more could swing it. But they won’t. Why? Because democracy means a wealth tax. It also means electoral reform, like ranked choice voting, which both parties oppose, because it dilutes their political power.
Any aspect of concentrated wealth opposes democracy. Any lip service to the contrary is just that; blowing smoke.
Of course, "we" could provide a similar effort by automatically registering everyone to vote when they turn 18. Then make voting mandatory. (Like in Australia). Voting day would be a national holiday - Saturday? Or Vote by mail. You can select any candidate (I LOVE RCV) or just check none of the above and mail it in. But for a couple of minutes, you HAVE to think about it.
How to enforce that? Require an "I voted" card in order to drive or buy booze or get into a concert or get married or eat at a restaurant...
I'm comfortable with making voting a requirement for every citizen - are you?
I’d come at it a bit differently, with a carrot instead of a stick, when it comes to ‘mandatory’ voting. Don’t exactly know what Australia’s ‘penalties’ are, but I’d do something to encourage voting, by, say, giving vouchers for food/housing/health care with possession of the ‘I voted’ card you describe.
Agree totally with automatic voter registration when a person turns 18, as well as your national holiday Election Day idea. But because many would still have to work on that day, I would also mandate a 10-day early voting period, letting the states decide whether that be consecutive days or slightly spread out.
I think a person has the right to choose not to vote without penalty, as that is itself a vote, from a philosophical standpoint. Better to go the encouragement route as opposed to the penalty one, imo.
Was just thinking about here in Iowa my rep, Zach Nunn, is on the record to oppose the "Death Tax" or inheritance tax. I believe that came about in our country as a remedy to European royalty wealth concentration being passed from one generation to another. Now the wealthy have convinced many Americans that they too can keep their wealth to pass on. This just keeps allowing wealth to concentrate especially to people that did nothing to earn it. The trust fund babies that are listed in Jane Mayer's book Dark Money, are intent on destroying our democratic republic to keep their wealth.
Warren Buffet said it well when he stated that not having inheritance taxes is like giving your olympic spots to athletes whose parents were Olympians before with no trials. Good information, but empty concern as he has the wealth to do something like you suggest.
I often wonder why the liberal leaning wealthy have sat by and watched the radical leaning wealthy implement the Lewis Powell Memo with surgical precision. Money talks.
The wealthy - remember there are a lot of wealthy liberals out there, but for some reason they do not put money in areas that conservatives have to counter them like MSM and social media. Musk could have been outed from buying Twitter, Zuckerberg could have been buried at Facebook. Many claim to desire to be taxed more, but they have sat on the sidelines in the media wars. It is almost as if they like their tax cuts and ignore the actions of those taking away the rights of the people. Money talks.
Rickey, I live in NC. We have exactly 100 counties. I have often wondered why some wealthy individual, just as a thought experiment, if for no other reason, wouldn’t pay 100 individuals $30k in an election year (Nov thru Nov) to get every eligible voter registered, and set up a campaign to get those voters to the polls. It would cost three million dollars to see what democracy would actually look like, and would, I suspect, help the poor and working class far more than the ‘philanthropic’ donations the wealthy use to show they ‘care’.
This would be a drop in the bucket for any multi-millionaire, much less a billionaire. Any sports star, Hollywood celebrity, Buffet-like businessman who claims they should be taxed more could swing it. But they won’t. Why? Because democracy means a wealth tax. It also means electoral reform, like ranked choice voting, which both parties oppose, because it dilutes their political power.
Any aspect of concentrated wealth opposes democracy. Any lip service to the contrary is just that; blowing smoke.
Tom! That's a brilliant idea. I wish I was rich.
Of course, "we" could provide a similar effort by automatically registering everyone to vote when they turn 18. Then make voting mandatory. (Like in Australia). Voting day would be a national holiday - Saturday? Or Vote by mail. You can select any candidate (I LOVE RCV) or just check none of the above and mail it in. But for a couple of minutes, you HAVE to think about it.
How to enforce that? Require an "I voted" card in order to drive or buy booze or get into a concert or get married or eat at a restaurant...
I'm comfortable with making voting a requirement for every citizen - are you?
I’d come at it a bit differently, with a carrot instead of a stick, when it comes to ‘mandatory’ voting. Don’t exactly know what Australia’s ‘penalties’ are, but I’d do something to encourage voting, by, say, giving vouchers for food/housing/health care with possession of the ‘I voted’ card you describe.
Agree totally with automatic voter registration when a person turns 18, as well as your national holiday Election Day idea. But because many would still have to work on that day, I would also mandate a 10-day early voting period, letting the states decide whether that be consecutive days or slightly spread out.
I think a person has the right to choose not to vote without penalty, as that is itself a vote, from a philosophical standpoint. Better to go the encouragement route as opposed to the penalty one, imo.
I like it. "A carrot in in every pot" - if you vote.
Could be a basket of benefits.
Was just thinking about here in Iowa my rep, Zach Nunn, is on the record to oppose the "Death Tax" or inheritance tax. I believe that came about in our country as a remedy to European royalty wealth concentration being passed from one generation to another. Now the wealthy have convinced many Americans that they too can keep their wealth to pass on. This just keeps allowing wealth to concentrate especially to people that did nothing to earn it. The trust fund babies that are listed in Jane Mayer's book Dark Money, are intent on destroying our democratic republic to keep their wealth.
Warren Buffet said it well when he stated that not having inheritance taxes is like giving your olympic spots to athletes whose parents were Olympians before with no trials. Good information, but empty concern as he has the wealth to do something like you suggest.
I often wonder why the liberal leaning wealthy have sat by and watched the radical leaning wealthy implement the Lewis Powell Memo with surgical precision. Money talks.