Fun Fact (Inequality Related)

[Temerit]

In 2005, the combined wealth of Bill Gates + Warren Buffet was equivalent to the combined wealth of the bottom 40% of Americans.



2 Americans had the same amount of wealth as 120 million Americans.



The Walton family also has the equivalent level of wealth, so that one family also has as much wealth as the bottom 120 million Americans.

 

[DrLeftover]

So working and being successful in your chosen field, computer technology, investment banking, or retailing, shouldn't be rewarded?



Or should said success be penalized at some point?

 

[Jazzy]

How do you deem this as inequality related?

 

[Evil Eye]

How do you deem this as inequality related?

(Gates' + Buffet's money) > (120000000 people's money)

It's an obvious inequality

 

[Fatal Dawn]

Bill Gates' money (minus charity donations) would still be 850,000x larger than most Americans.



Proportionally, what would be $100,000 to Nebulous Shmoe would be like 0.12 cents for Bill Gates.

 

[DrLeftover]

And Mr. Gates has done nothing at all to EARN said money.

 

[Jazzy]

(Gates' + Buffet's money) > (120000000 people's money)

It's an obvious inequality

Excuse me but how are you saying it's the people's money?

Gates + Buffet + Success = THEIR money

 

[Temerit]

The collective wealth of bill gates and warren buffet (their money) is greater than the collective wealth of the bottom 120,000,000 Americans (their money).



That's a bit of an inequality of wealth I would say.



Regardless of whether you think they earned it.

 

[Fatal Dawn]

I view it as a classic qualitative/quantitative argument. It can be argued that the 1% have no place in an accurate comparison of class structure. Put simply, they are of a class entirely of their own. When you have an elite billionaire juggernaut like Bill Gates, how many lower-working class people would you have to juxtapose in order to satisfy the socioeconomic divide?



@ Temerit

As an aside, what is your opinion of a functionalist outlook towards class structure?

 

[Temerit]

I'm not positive what you're referring to, but structural functionalist theory seems reasonable, as do the criticisms of it.

 

[Fatal Dawn]

What do you make of this conspicuous socioeconomic divide? Perhaps there is some inter-dependency (in regards to the few elite and the large-scale working class)?



I was just thinking about this in reference to the qualitative/quantitative dichotomy.

 

[Temerit]

I think it's bad for society.

 

[Fatal Dawn]

Sorry if my statement was unclear earlier.

I think it's bad for society.

So how would you envision a healthy society without the large, working-class foundation?

 

[Temerit]

It can't? I'm super supportive of the working class.

[font=Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif]

People who dismiss the unemployed and dependent as “parasites” fail to understand economics and parasitism. A successful parasite is one that is not recognized by it’s host, one that can make it’s host work for it without appearing as a burden. Such is the ruling class in a capitalist society.​

​

 

[DrLeftover]

Who ever said everything is supposed to be equal? Life is NOT fair. If one has talent or drive or opportunity, you might get ahead. If not, you won't.



I work for a living and am barely getting by. But it is the job I chose, and I'm good at it, and I'll be able to retire from it and go do something else. And if one of my stories gets picked up by a studio for a movie, that might be what I do.



But I work for what I get, and so did they, and so will you when your time comes.



Perhaps it is time for a relevant quote:



[size=-1]A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man; a debt he proposes to pay off with your money.

- G. Gordon Liddy (born 1930) [/size]

 

[Evil Eye]

Excuse me but how are you saying it's the people's money?

Excuse me, but how're you saying I said that?

 

[Temerit]

[background=rgb(250, 246, 237)]A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man; a debt he proposes to pay off with your money.[/background]

[background=rgb(250, 246, 237)]- G. Gordon Liddy (born 1930)

[/background]



That's a stupid quote if I've ever heard one. I've never heard of a liberal proposing tax increases on those who are better off who would not be willing to pay that higher tax.



Our society needs greater equality, it would benefit everyone. We've reached the limits of what economic growth can do to improve our health and social wellbeing, now it's time to reap the benefits of a more equal society, a society in which people can better relate to and trust each other and a society where people have a stake in their communities and in the general welfare. <-- That's what a liberal is.

 

[DrLeftover]

never heard of a liberal proposing tax increases on those who are better off who would not be willing to pay that higher tax.



Yes there are a few who have said they're willing to pay more in taxes 'for the greater good', and there are also those who have moved out of such states that have passed millionaire taxes such as Maryland-

MarylandReporter.com's Len Lazarick has accomplished something that has eluded me for years: getting somebody who moved because of Maryland's high taxes to go on the record. Maryland tax flight is real, but most folks changing their residence to Florida or Virginia don't want to be quoted in the paper, for obvious reasons.

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/business/hancock/blog/2011/08/a_millionaire_maryland_tax_ref.html



So... how do you propose to enforce said equality?

 

[Fatal Dawn]

The millionaires really change the landscape for the entire state. I think they are partially responsible for why the cost of living is so high in Maryland. It's driving a lot of the population away. People who are fortunate to live in Northern Maryland close to the Pennsylvania border are migrating to South Central Pennsylvania.



And the thing is Maryland does not how to deal with it, democrats pretty much run that state. Millionaire tax was to provide an incentive so more millionaires would leave. It hasn't really worked. The evidence is palpable if you look at the DC area - I thought Baltimore was bad, but the neighborhoods I've seen in DC are absolutely deplorable. And then you have some of the nation's wealthiest living in one neighborhood over like Prince George's. It's pretty embarrassing.