> I don't think people who earn more should pay a higher percentage of their taxes, mainly for the reasons you list.
And I assume you mean that extends to gains on housing as well.
Sorry if it seemed I was implying that, I considered putting some comment in noting the fact that whenever these things are being discussed (anything involving behavior of groups....so basically politics in general), it is literally not possible to know who belongs to what group.
Reality is now so complex, I'm starting to wonder if it may be possible that democracy, at least in its current form and with its current constituents in their current form, is literally incapable of handling the world the scientists and indutrialists have built. I think it is perfectly plausible that a benevolent, authoritarian dictatorship is the only thing that has a chance of getting things right. Not that this isn't fixable, necessarily, but I suspect it would require us to spend a considerable amount of time investing the same effort we've put into developing science, technology, industry, supply chains, etc into understanding how individuals and societies work, and modify our institutions and methodologies accordingly (once again, something an authoritarian state doesn't have to bother with).
Everyone seems to think and behave as if we know well enough how they work, but I highly doubt this is the case based on the rapidly increasingly amount of inequality, emotional polarization, and outright bizarre and chaotic behavior that can easily be observed in Western democratic societies. And very few powerful, influential, or even simply intelligent people seem the slightest bit curious(!) about why people are increasingly behaving this way....rather, most of what I hear is Group X is "just wrong" and needs to be educated on how it is, and then the problem will be solved. To that I say, good luck expecting shallow thinking like this to solve multiple interrelated problems in the most complex systems in existence.
It seems to me there is some saying like ~"before man can learn humility, first he must be destroyed", but can't recall the exact words.
And I assume you mean that extends to gains on housing as well.
Sorry if it seemed I was implying that, I considered putting some comment in noting the fact that whenever these things are being discussed (anything involving behavior of groups....so basically politics in general), it is literally not possible to know who belongs to what group.
Reality is now so complex, I'm starting to wonder if it may be possible that democracy, at least in its current form and with its current constituents in their current form, is literally incapable of handling the world the scientists and indutrialists have built. I think it is perfectly plausible that a benevolent, authoritarian dictatorship is the only thing that has a chance of getting things right. Not that this isn't fixable, necessarily, but I suspect it would require us to spend a considerable amount of time investing the same effort we've put into developing science, technology, industry, supply chains, etc into understanding how individuals and societies work, and modify our institutions and methodologies accordingly (once again, something an authoritarian state doesn't have to bother with).
Everyone seems to think and behave as if we know well enough how they work, but I highly doubt this is the case based on the rapidly increasingly amount of inequality, emotional polarization, and outright bizarre and chaotic behavior that can easily be observed in Western democratic societies. And very few powerful, influential, or even simply intelligent people seem the slightest bit curious(!) about why people are increasingly behaving this way....rather, most of what I hear is Group X is "just wrong" and needs to be educated on how it is, and then the problem will be solved. To that I say, good luck expecting shallow thinking like this to solve multiple interrelated problems in the most complex systems in existence.
It seems to me there is some saying like ~"before man can learn humility, first he must be destroyed", but can't recall the exact words.