Re: the future long term financial apocalypse of the USA

On Wed, 29 May 2024 10:33:07 +1000, Mad Hamish
<newsunspammelaws@iinet.unspamme.net.au> wrote:

On Sat, 18 May 2024 22:18:25 +0200, D <nospam@example.net> wrote:
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On Sat, 18 May 2024, Michael F. Stemper wrote:
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On 17/05/2024 15.31, D wrote:
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I was unaware we have anything resembling capitalism. What we have today is
a plan economy with government calling the shots, which is far from
capitalism. Many billionaires are the ones who are the most cosy with
politicians.
 
As for who the wealth belongs to and the benefits for the population at
large, note that we are living at a high peak of civilization compared with
100 years ago on all scales, infant mortality, wealth, quality of life etc.

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The implication of what you're saying is that living at the peak of
civilization is strongly correlated with having a planned economy
rather than capitalism.

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That can be explained in two ways.
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1. What we enjoy now, was built up during times of much lower taxes and
much fewer regulations.
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When were these times of much lower taxes?

Well, I don't suppose Og the Caveman paid many back in, say, 20K BC.

And it depends on what is meant by "taxes". Are imposts included?
Tariffs? Fees? (One early Republican trick was to "reduce taxes" while
creating and increasing fees for services.) IOW, "No New Taxes" meant
"Plenty of New User Fees" in early, but typical, Republican
doubletalk.

Robert Graves wrote /Homer's Daughter/ based on the theory that the
Trojan War was actually caused because Troy was levying excessive
tariffs on merchants moving cargoes between the Med and the Black Sea.
Were those taxes?

and a large part of the reason there's more regulation is because
companies consistently do things like pouring toxic waste into streams
without it

Indeed. And this has nothing to with the "commons". This has to do
with externalizing costs so that somebody has to pay for them and not
the slimy business doing it. Because it enhances the dividends paid to
the stockholders. Or the owner's profits. Or both.
--
"Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"