General Politics Discussion (VI) [ARCHIVED] • Page 1259

Looks like we’re staring a war

 

???

 

Priorities are wild

We really gotta keep porn away from all this kids in cages.

 

Yang just appealing to all the weirdest demographics

 

Is that group really anti-masturbation, or are they just against porn...???

 

Just watched Warren in the LGBTQ forum

she continues to be really really good at this.

Ended by emphasizing how we can't just rely on the courts to protect LGBTQ rights, we need to do stuff in congress too. Spent the first bit of her time reading off the names of the trans women of color who have been murdered so far this year. Reiterated the need for MFA to help provide gender affirming surgeries. Just really solid stuff.

 

I get why she does it, but how long can she evade saying taxes will go up before it turns people off? Just say yes, you'll probably pay more in taxes, but overall costs will go down. Or I like the argument of calling insurance payments as a "private tax". You pay private taxes to your private insurance, so we'll get rid of that and so you pay a little more in public tax, but the overall cost is going to be lower.

 

why would a politician with a completely Libertarian fanbase come out against j/o, Yang gang is gone baby

 

Plus the uptick in taxes will either 1) be cheaper than premiums for a comprehensive plan; or 2) be less than the raise you can demand because now your employer doesn’t have to pay your health insurance and better pass that benefit onto you

 

Because it polls badly and people won’t hear the second part. They’ll just hear the first.

 

Though when people ask, “will taxes go up?” and you begin your answer with “costs will go down”, everyone knows that means the answer is yes and just see it as dodging the question, which is basically what it is

 

Welcome to political messaging. Lead with what you want people to hear. A sound bite saying “yes I’m gonna raise everyone’s taxes” is very bad.

 

Basically all of his net worth is tied up in Amazon stock, so that's not the same as your $60k salary. It's not like he pulls in an extra $100+ billion or whatever it is every single year. If Amazon were to suddenly become worthless then all of his stock would too (but then I imagine that would also cause the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression). If he were to sell all his stock then yeah he could spend it, but then he would also be relinquishing his power within the company, which he's free to do but obviously isn't going to do. He apparently has about an $80k salary through Amazon, which is actually kind of strange since so many uber-wealthy people do the whole $1 salary shit. But as it says in that wiki article, someone like Bezos obviously doesn't live off $1 but receives millions in yearly income through other means, both through Amazon itself and assuredly through other sources like speaking engagements and whatever the hell, just by virtue of being a high-demand "public figure." Which I've tried looking to see what he's actually raking in and spending every year but all I can find are those articles that give a vague sense of his biggest side investments. I imagine (hope) that he does give away a ton of his wealth every year, but to answer your question, yes, like with Bill Gates, even if he's giving away millions yearly it still amounts to chump change for him

 

Pointing out that "will taxes go up" is a disingenuous question / framing of the issue is not the same as dodging the question. It's the most blatant bait out there, hence Biden's comment

 

It really is annoying how anti-taxes this fucking country is. Like omg your taxes will go up and you’ll get more services for it waaaah

 

It's absolutely based in founding fathers american origin story bullshit. How many people had the phrase "no taxation without representation" etched into their brains before they even understood what representation or taxes are

 

Yep. That + 40 years of reagan talking points

 

So is now when I get to say “I told you so”? Or do I need to wait another week.