Re: Tariffs and bikes

On Sat, 5 Apr 2025 12:44:21 -0400, Frank Krygowski
<frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

On 4/5/2025 9:20 AM, AMuzi wrote:

On 4/4/2025 11:08 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:

On 4/4/2025 10:30 PM, AMuzi wrote:

On 4/4/2025 9:03 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:

On 4/4/2025 12:26 PM, AMuzi wrote:

>
You can have whatever opinion you like but not your own facts.

>
Heck, I thought it was fashionable to have "alternative facts" if
you don't like the look of normal ones! Wasn't that made clear
during Trump version 1?
>

USA has among the most steeply sloped tax regimes on earth, such
that the top 1% of earners pay roughly half of all income tax.
>
https://usafacts.org/articles/who-pays-the-most-income-tax/

>
The USA also has some of the highest income and wealth disparity of
developed nations. Granted, not as bad as many small 3rd world
countries - but I think we should not be striving to emulate those.
>
https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/issues/economic- justice/
income- and-wealth-inequality/
>
I'd say that means our tax structure is still insufficiently
progressive.
>
And what should we be trying to achieve anyway? ISTM our nation was
founded on the idea of doing away with a privileged class lording it
over those purportedly of less worth. Also the idea of everyone
(well, as long as their complexion wasn't too dark) getting an equal
shot at prosperity. If nothing else, those ideas, if implemented,
work toward keeping the masses content enough that they don't
literally rebel. Rebellions are messy, unpredictable, and bad for
bike shops.
>
We now have a new privileged class, one that can rake in millions
per year and pay lower rates than struggling middle Americans, in
part because of clever deductions. Remember Leona Helmsley? "Taxes
are for little people."
>
And of course, any money made over $170,000 per year is free of
Social Security duties. Because hey, one's third mega- mansion is
much more important than better food for the family making $50,000
per year. Why should the ultra- rich help to keep Social Security
afloat?
>
>

>
The 'disparity' is a myth in that it counts only taxable earnings,
ignoring that fully half the country pays no income tax.  Many of
those receive 'negative tax' payments and in fact dos very well on
relief, much better than many working people.

>
"The disparity is a myth"??  The GINI index for the U.S. is higher
(worse) than for Britain, Italy, France, Austria, Canada, Australia,
Ireland, Sweden, Albania, Croatia, etc. etc. etc. Yes, it's not as bad
as South Africa, Mexico, Venezuela, Columbia, but it's hardly a myth.
>

>
Regarding wealthy citizens, we do indeed have some inherited wealth
but almost all the top earners are self made ...

>
That's irrelevant. I was not restricting my comments to inherited
wealth. I'm basically saying that our current laws and tax structures
favor the wealthy and especially the very wealthy. That includes
corporations, for which it's not that unusual to pay next to zero
federal taxes. Tax shelters are available to those with tons of money.
Helmsley's "little people" have no access to that trickery.
>

Your snarky racism comment is ridiculous.

>
I said a big idea for the new nation of the U.S. was that everyone
should get an equal shot if their skin wasn't too dark. Did you
somehow forget that black slavery existed back then? Slaves did not
get an equal shot.
>
Yes, I know you (especially you!) can come up with anecdotes about
modern black guys who have gotten rich. But surely even you don't
think it's as likely for a young black guy to succeed as it is for a
young white guy.
>

There are 224 times more black millionaires in USA than the top 19
countries of Africa combined.
>
Go stick your racism somewhere else.

>
I was not comparing black Americans to black Africans. I was comparing
black Americans to white Americans. And in my original statement, I
was comparing those groups in 1776.
>
>

 
It simply is not true. Full stop. Not true.

>
It is not true that black Americans in 1776 suffered disadvantages
compared to white Americans? That is absolutely senseless.
>

'Income disparity' is a classic blatant example of 'garbage in, garbage
out.  By utterly ignoring our lavish transfer/benefits systems, the
appearance of poverty greatly exceeds poverty.
 
As with so many topics discussed here, one would do well to ask what is
counted and who is counting.

For readers who did not pursue my previous link, here's a shorter

simpler version:
 
https://www.cato.org/study/myth-american-income-inequality

>
:-) Ah yes, "one would do well to ask ... who is counting." So we should
ignore the countless American and world-wide economic institutions which
all accept recognized standards for inequality measurements, and rank
America's GINI index as being worse than all similar modern nations.
Instead we should pay attention to the outlier, the hyper-libertarian
Cato institute.
>

And regarding racism, why do legal immigrant Nigerians, being as dark or
darker than US citizens grouped as black, do so well here?

>
Yes, there are certainly cultural differences among various
sub-cultures. Japanese and Chinese tend to do better here by various
measurements than average white Americans. IIRC, white Jewish Americans
do better, on average, than other whites. That does not mean that racism
against American blacks is gone, and that blacks don't suffer from its
current and historical effects.
>
When I lived down south, I witnessed my black co-workers and later my
black students getting mocked behind their backs or to their faces. I
remember our two neighbors proudly going off to hear Lester Maddox
speak, telling us "He's going to put those niggers back in their place."
I can't believe those attitudes didn't lead to disadvantages for them.
>
One thing that I learned fairly recently: My father bought his first
house with help from the GI Bill. My wife and I did the same many years
later. Buying a home and having its value appreciate, as they generally
do, was an important contributor toward increasing family wealth. But
after WW2, black servicemen had much more trouble taking advantage of
the GI Bill. That put a great damper on black family's equity growth,
and the historic effects persist.
>

Or as my favorite black millionaire from humble roots often notes, "Hard
work wins."

>
It's more likely to "win" if you have good connections, good education,
access to capital, etc. and if you're not rejected for a job by being
the wrong color.

That last paragraph describes situations that are very uncommon in
todays USA, although the far left media would have you believe
otherwise.

--
C'est bon
Soloman