this post was submitted on 21 Mar 2024
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Antiwork
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We talk about the end of paid work being mandatory for survival.
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Part of the problem is defining "rich people".
To someone making $30K, $40K, $50K? Rich is $300K, $400K, $500K.
To someone who is legit rich? Multi-millions to billions rich? There's no daylight between $500K and 50K. We're all "the help" as far as they're concerned.
And, yeah, their wealth allows them to operate on a different level the rest of us just can't comprehend.
There are a few good books on the topic that everyone should read:
Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich--and Cheat Everybody Else
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/291700/perfectly-legal-by-david-cay-johnston/
Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill)
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/300246/free-lunch-by-david-cay-johnston/9781591842484/
The Fine Print: How Big Companies Use “Plain English” to Rob You Blind
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/305192/the-fine-print-by-david-cay-johnston/9781591846536/
I don't know, I can comprehend it just fine.
Yeah, the bit about people not being able to understand is an overly condescending way to phrase it, and is a cop-out. But we also see people at large completely missing the issue by trying to project their own experiences with The System onto the ultra wealthy.
Like, the number of times I've seen people astronomical income tax rates to deal with billionaires highlights both a misunderstanding of what income taxes actually tax, and how the economic elite generate their wealth.
No one is out there calling for a tax on unrealized capital gains, for instance. And while some people are lobbying for a wealth tax, the tax rates proposed are very small, which makes reactionaries quick to reject them.
It's not that we plebs cannot understand, it's that most of us just straight up do not understand, and choose to ignore that fact.