Well said, Sir! As an epicurean, I love fine food and wine! You symbolize the good life most seek! Sadly, like many beautiful things, you are easy pickings for the drones of government! Extortionists, they are like the ants at a picnic! Not only do these faceless grays take from us but, then, they lie about what they are doing! I wish I were there to spend lavishly!
It's a difficult subject as most people see the rich as the problem and the government and their lackies are only too happy to feed this narrative, the unelected are rent-seeking gombeans with no accountability
I live in California, where taxation is out of control, and the state government spends most of its time trying to figure out more ways to squeeze us. The question I ask myself is "what do we get in return?" The answer, infuriatingly, is that we get damned little. We have lousy roads, terrible schools, and more bums and illegal aliens than all other states combined. They're bending us over and reaming us, and the money just disappears down a hole.
Yes, I agree, and unfortunately, those who can change their environment, the voters always seem to double down and vote more of the same, look at the mayorl race in NY at the moment.
Great post. It speaks to the truth of operating a restaurant. Like fake crab meat on sushi, people delude themselves that they are paying top dollar for a unique experience while ignoring the fact that the "princeps civitatis" of government already stormed the joint and had their fill.
Maybe if the vampire billionaire class paid their fair share of taxes the burden wouldn´t fall so unfairly upon the true entrepreneurs and low to mid earners. Anyway how do you imagine education, so that people are capable of working in the restaurant i.e literate and numerate, is funded? How do you propose organising and funding the infrastructure of roads and sidewalks which are needed to access said restaurant? How about supply of a reliable safe clean water supply? Sewerage?
Or do you propose getting rid of the bureaucracy of government altogether and leaving ´the market´ to step in?
We´re living with the terrible results of 40 years of neoliberalism in the US and much of Europe today so Good luck with that.
It's just too simple to blame the billionaires, a convenient out for those who are really taking from the poor and simply wasting those hard-earned funds on pointless feel-good policies.
Well said. Tax system is a convoluted mess, like a tangle of vines strangling the fruitful parts of the economy. Too many loopholes are only available if you have sufficient resources to overcome them and for the aspirational it is very hard to climb up the ladder by earning.
In order to see how convoluted taxation is, check out taxation on gingerbread men. It will blow your mind how complex a simple sweet treat can be when the tax man touches it.
Great stuff Brian, good simile for a wider problem. As I like to tell my socialist friends; it’s not the failure of capitalism, but the success of corporatism they rage at.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. It is frustrating when people go off on a rant about prices and capitalism when they are blind to the real theft happening under their noses.
Well said, Sir! As an epicurean, I love fine food and wine! You symbolize the good life most seek! Sadly, like many beautiful things, you are easy pickings for the drones of government! Extortionists, they are like the ants at a picnic! Not only do these faceless grays take from us but, then, they lie about what they are doing! I wish I were there to spend lavishly!
It's a difficult subject as most people see the rich as the problem and the government and their lackies are only too happy to feed this narrative, the unelected are rent-seeking gombeans with no accountability
I live in California, where taxation is out of control, and the state government spends most of its time trying to figure out more ways to squeeze us. The question I ask myself is "what do we get in return?" The answer, infuriatingly, is that we get damned little. We have lousy roads, terrible schools, and more bums and illegal aliens than all other states combined. They're bending us over and reaming us, and the money just disappears down a hole.
Yes, I agree, and unfortunately, those who can change their environment, the voters always seem to double down and vote more of the same, look at the mayorl race in NY at the moment.
What's hard to believe is that those voters actually like the way things are and want more of the same. Their tiny minds are inscrutable.
Great post. It speaks to the truth of operating a restaurant. Like fake crab meat on sushi, people delude themselves that they are paying top dollar for a unique experience while ignoring the fact that the "princeps civitatis" of government already stormed the joint and had their fill.
Thanks for reading and sharing, Bruce
Maybe if the vampire billionaire class paid their fair share of taxes the burden wouldn´t fall so unfairly upon the true entrepreneurs and low to mid earners. Anyway how do you imagine education, so that people are capable of working in the restaurant i.e literate and numerate, is funded? How do you propose organising and funding the infrastructure of roads and sidewalks which are needed to access said restaurant? How about supply of a reliable safe clean water supply? Sewerage?
Or do you propose getting rid of the bureaucracy of government altogether and leaving ´the market´ to step in?
We´re living with the terrible results of 40 years of neoliberalism in the US and much of Europe today so Good luck with that.
The top 1 percent pay almost a third of all income tax collected. Not a "fair share"? Low earners pay very little.
I'm not saying taxation is fair (it isn't), but billionaires aren't the problem.
I agree, teh eat the rich mantra is a simple device that obscures the true theft that is happening daily.
It's just too simple to blame the billionaires, a convenient out for those who are really taking from the poor and simply wasting those hard-earned funds on pointless feel-good policies.
Well said. Tax system is a convoluted mess, like a tangle of vines strangling the fruitful parts of the economy. Too many loopholes are only available if you have sufficient resources to overcome them and for the aspirational it is very hard to climb up the ladder by earning.
In order to see how convoluted taxation is, check out taxation on gingerbread men. It will blow your mind how complex a simple sweet treat can be when the tax man touches it.
Great stuff Brian, good simile for a wider problem. As I like to tell my socialist friends; it’s not the failure of capitalism, but the success of corporatism they rage at.
Add the buy me coffee link
Thank you for taking the time to read this. It is frustrating when people go off on a rant about prices and capitalism when they are blind to the real theft happening under their noses.
Will do
You write well but can Jenny cook?
She is an excellent cook, her breakfast is better than anything I could russle up