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Failed to connect to MySQL: (1203) User howardkn already has more than 'max_user_connections' active connectionsPath: ...!eternal-september.org!feeder3.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: John B. Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech Subject: Re: Montana: "Let's make stupidity mandatory!" Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2025 09:01:19 +0700 Organization: A noiseless patient Spider Lines: 115 Message-ID: <09ejoj5tvqbt9d4n6l7ca3u099939m87t4@4ax.com> References: <7ORhP.796214$DYF8.668936@fx14.iad> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Injection-Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2025 03:01:23 +0100 (CET) Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="d92630a232e3121f67d3df1a65fdcd0e"; logging-data="3950593"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX18obBolq4N7xCaRTRAHA98IwV3uiEG/t0Q=" User-Agent: ForteAgent/7.10.32.1212 Cancel-Lock: sha1:Xrs9xDIlIBGMk0NCz/etlxe8xnk= Bytes: 5969 On Thu, 16 Jan 2025 08:25:04 -0600, AMuzi wrote: >On 1/16/2025 3:39 AM, Catrike Ryder wrote: >> On Wed, 15 Jan 2025 21:28:08 -0500, Frank Krygowski >> wrote: >> >>> On 1/15/2025 6:43 PM, AMuzi wrote: >>>> On 1/15/2025 5:24 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote: >>>>> On 1/15/2025 3:00 PM, AMuzi wrote: >>>>>> On 1/15/2025 1:02 PM, Shadow wrote: >>>>>>> On Wed, 15 Jan 2025 16:57:39 GMT, cyclintom >>>>>>> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> This is especially common among illegals here in California with these >>>>>>>> assholes laying on the horn even when yoyu're nowhere near them. >>>>>>> >>>>>>>     The only solution is to raise taxes the rich pay. Then you >>>>>>> could fund essential services like the police, and any unlawful >>>>>>> extraterrestrial will be promptly arrested for driving without a >>>>>>> license. And shuttled back to Mars or whatever. >>>>>>>     Problem solved. Plus there might even be some money left to >>>>>>> pay for medical services, education and your welfare checks. >>>>>>>     []'s >>>>>> >>>>>> Without regard to this argument per se, isn't your preferred solution >>>>>> to everything "Tax the rich" ? >>>>> >>>>> It's a good one. How much money do Musk, Bezos, etc. really need? For >>>>> what? >>>>> >>>> >>>> You've written that previously. >>>> >>>> I've noted previously that the top 10% of earners represent over half of >>>> income tax revenue: >>>> >>>> https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/MPowG/5/ >>>> >>>> In California where policy is closer to your tastes, the problem of >>>> collecting revenues shows the complex mix of factors: >>>> >>>> https://finance.yahoo.com/news/leaving-rich-americans-ditching- >>>> california-163000441.html >>>> >>>> Note in link, "Ultra-wealthy Californians, the top 1%, typically pay >>>> between 40-50% of the state’s personal income tax revenue." >>> >>> I'd say the solution is for the competing states to raise their upper >>> level tax rates. >>> >>>> I ask again, how much is enough? What's the limiting principle? >>> >>> How much personal wealth is enough? Why is there no limit? >> >> Wow! A limit on how much a person can have? and then what? A wealth >> tax? >> >>> I'm reminded about a parable about a poor widow contributing two tiny >>> coins, a trivial amount, but “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put >>> more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their >>> wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to >>> live on.” >> >> So she starved? WTF? Are you really OK with that? >> >> I am reminded of wealthy TV "preachers" enticing poor people to send >> them money, with "call this number and I'll pray for you." >> >> For what it's worth. I have no issues with religion itself, nor with >> the study and education of it, but doesn't it say somewhere in the >> Bible that you should go off by yourself to pray instead of having >> somebody in a robe and/or a collar stand you up, tell you to bow your >> head, and listen while he/she speaks for you? >> >> That never worked for me. >> >>> Taxing the wealthy and super-wealthy means they may have to put off >>> buying their hundredth bottle of Chateau Lafite Rothschild (whose taste >>> they probably can't reliably distinguish anyway). Taxing the poorer >>> people means they have to put off buying a can of soup. >>> >>> So let's emulate the tax structures of prosperous countries with far, >>> far less income disparity. I believe those policies contribute to much >>> better social services, much lower crime and unrest, better paved roads, >>> free medical care, etc. >> >> Thankfully, the plans for more collectivist policies in the USA got >> shot down pretty seriously last November. I don't know if the USA can >> ever move back toward individualism, but at least, the movement away >> from it got impaired. >> >> -- >> C'est bon >> Soloman > >Nice thought. > >But from what I see, individualism and small government have >been abandoned by both parties. We're seeing a large shift >on many _issues_ but not on reckless spending- it's just >going slightly elsewhere (not fully elsewhere). This shift >seems to be on a few specific practical points but both >parties have abandoned principle. As I've said, the best way to win an election is to say, "When elected I will give you...." (Or, I'll make America Great again :-) -- Cheers, John B.