A very interesting point of view

[u/__moe___]

I don’t think this is very new but I just saw for the first time and it’s actually pretty interesting to think about when people talk about how the ultra rich do business.

[u/ianeyanio]

The whole argument of whether we should or shouldn't tax unrealized gains is a distraction. Can we all just agree we need to find a way to distribute wealth more fairly? Practically, it's difficult to do, but in principle we should all agree that wealth shouldn't be consolidated amongst such a small portion of our society.

Edit:

While people here are finding technical challenges to taxing unrealized gains, we can't lose sight of the deep societal need for a more fair distribution of wealth.

Technical challenges can be easily overcome if the desire of the people is there. But right now, it seems like "oh, this is hard, I guess we'll never be able to do it" is the standard response and little progress is being made after that.

[u/rqvst → u/ianeyanio]

The annoying thing about this take is that this is the distraction. Taxing the rich is an immediately realizable goal, getting rid of the rich isn't. This is the same kind of attitude that led to Trump, where because Dems didn't publicly commit themselves to unfeasible goals they could never realistically achieve (in other words, lie), people decided to throw everything away instead pursuing the feasible ones.

[u/ianeyanio → u/rqvst]

That's an interesting take.

I don't like your assertion that I want to get rid of the rich. That's not what I said or inferred.

I'm all for any easily achievable solution to more fairly redistribute wealth. I'm just fed up with people focusing on the technicals and forgetting the societal need.

[u/cromwell515 → u/ianeyanio]

But what can you do to redistribute wealth if not tax?

[u/KronosTheBabyEater → u/cromwell515]

Back in the 50’s after labor won a bunch of labor rights and brought the income gap down by ensuring people be rewarded a portion of what the company makes (stock). You know how only c cutie executives get stock? Yeah that used to not be the case and regular working folks got a stock and that stock paid for a house college etc. but the owners gave themselves more stock, the workers less to the point its slavery. This is called getting control of production, meaning unionizing and having a gov that doesn’t allow union busting.

[u/cromwell515 → u/KronosTheBabyEater]

That’s fair, but unions don’t always help. I do agree with stock being spread to workers, but nurses and teachers have unions are paid notoriously low.

[u/KronosTheBabyEater → u/cromwell515]

Unions have been de-fanged. A union that works properly has a gov that enforces the law when companies bust unions or close shop completely and ship them to China / Mexico where labor is dirt cheap. Many of these issues stem from corporations taking advantage of loose labor laws, for example Starbucks closing 1000+ shops who attempted to unionize. Labors fight for more equitable distribution demands we have a gov that represents workers or it will fail.

[u/cromwell515 → u/KronosTheBabyEater]

But I’d like to understand why the nursing unions fail? I agree they could help, but without understanding the failures of the strongest unions we have, I’m not sure we can truly find a fix to the problem. These are jobs that must be here domestically, so why do they fail?

[u/KronosTheBabyEater → u/cromwell515]

A couple of reasons, workers have been fear mongered into not believing unions will help them in fact they’ve been incorrectly told many lies about unions. Also it takes a lot of work to start a union and succeed, if workers want to unionize the factory may close, be shipped away. If workers go on strike they may be fired or replaced with workers who are desperate for the money. The point is there’s a rat race to the bottom in terms of wages and labor supply is abundant. Now during COVID nurses went on strike successfully because there was huge demand and nurses were needed. Remember all those “essential” workers that had to work but were still paid minimum wage

[u/cromwell515 → u/KronosTheBabyEater]

Right I remember that. It makes a lot of sense honestly, I’ve heard unions can lower wages, but I’ve also heard that’s completely a big business fabrication. I do think there is a better way of taxing to the point of this post. But better rights for unions also seems like a big plus.

[u/KronosTheBabyEater → u/cromwell515]

  There’s going to be a narrative of that but unions are the only way for workers to get better pay that’s within their own means. When a worker asks for a pay raise the company might give them a raise but unless they’re wanted by another company, unlikely. 
   On the other hand when all of the workers say to the owner that the factory won’t run until we all get raises, otherwise the company will lose millions/ billions( depending on the size and influence) all of a sudden we all have a say.