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Microsoft CEO sells half his stock, weeks before WA state implements gains tax

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Re: Microsoft CEO sells half his stock, weeks before WA state implements gains tax

#11

Post by tiernano »

ren_engineer wrote: post #4
mountainriver wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good point, it is rarely talked about how we increase efficiency. I wish there was a better way to inject free market competition into the government. Government contracts seem to also favor inefficiency and poor implementation. Something I’ve been thinking on lately, if anyone has resources on this I would love to read them.

>I wish there was a better way to inject free market competition into the government it's called immigration, people move to states/nations with the best functioning governments if they are allowed free movement. Historically voting with your feet has been the best way to change government. See Illinois and it's massive budget shortfall due to people leaving the state also look at the Soviet Union which needed border…

> See Illinois and it's massive budget shortfall due to people leaving the state

Does this really make them think of changing stuff, or will they just increase taxes and try get more money? I mean, most governments will do the latter before fixing the issue (they don't want to admit the issue is with them...)

[NOTE] not a US citizen, so cant don't know much about US politics

Re: Microsoft CEO sells half his stock, weeks before WA state implements gains tax

#12

Post by d22 »

systemvoltage wrote: post #2

I predict that people will leave Washington State in droves. Not because of the tax increase, but because the amount of taxes you pay goes into never ending government pit of inefficiency and incompetency. I’m down with paying more taxes but in return I want no homelessness, no chadzone, less crime, better roads, straight forward education (math is racist apparently), spotless streets, safety, eradication of poverty,…

What's chadzone?

Re: Microsoft CEO sells half his stock, weeks before WA state implements gains tax

#13

Post by GDC7 »

systemvoltage wrote: post #5
mountainriver wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good point, it is rarely talked about how we increase efficiency. I wish there was a better way to inject free market competition into the government. Government contracts seem to also favor inefficiency and poor implementation. Something I’ve been thinking on lately, if anyone has resources on this I would love to read them.

Journalists should be holding governments accountable. Just the way Carreyrou (WSJ) single handedly brought down Theranos, I want journalists to go after government corruption and high impact inefficiencies. Notice how NYTimes and the like are not interested in actual journalism of this sorts. Government is a de facto monopoly and we need 10x more eyes on it than anyone else. There needs to be mechanisms for firing b…

You keep dreaming.

A journalist is a regular citizen who can write. They are motivated by hatred, that's why Cuomo, Trump and Elizabeth Holmes a juicy targets, but the inefficiency of the beurocracy and the government waste are not something they are interested in.

Journalists also throw tantrums when they analyze a high profile person and find nothing on them.

Journalists , like cops, judges etc. are not proactive , unlike engineers, their enemy is not a problem, but it's always another person.

Their dream is basically them publishing a hit piece which would bring somebody big down, that's how they picture themselves, that's what they visualize when they are asked to define success.

From there they try to go backwards trying to see what they have to do to make it happen.

Re: Microsoft CEO sells half his stock, weeks before WA state implements gains tax

#14

Post by mikestew »

systemvoltage wrote: post #2

I predict that people will leave Washington State in droves. Not because of the tax increase, but because the amount of taxes you pay goes into never ending government pit of inefficiency and incompetency. I’m down with paying more taxes but in return I want no homelessness, no chadzone, less crime, better roads, straight forward education (math is racist apparently), spotless streets, safety, eradication of poverty,…

Not because of the tax increase, but because the amount of taxes you pay goes into never ending government pit of inefficiency and incompetency.

From my POV, having lived here for 20 years, WA residents used to get a reasonable deal on their taxes. Sure, they were high from the perspective of this Midwestern boy, but the ferries ran on time and shit got done. I do not feel that's the case anymore (well, the ferries are probably still timely).

I was just asking my wife the other day, "I don't mind high gas taxes per se, but for having some of the highest fuel taxes in the country, why is this highly-trafficked road such a piece of shit? They haven't paved it since we moved here." As one example; but where the hell is that money going? We don't even have hard winters to tear the roads up. Why are four-banger compact cars running practically open exhaust and rattling windows? Don't we do inspections anymore? Or have cops that pull people over for such things? Speaking of which, in Redmond I'm kind of surprised when I see a cop driving around anymore.

Blah, blah, blah, no one outside of WA cares and those that live here know what I'm on about, so I'll cut it short. I'm with parent: I'll gladly pay taxes, they buy civilization. But lately I don't feel I'm getting as much civilization for my tax dollar as I used to, not even close.

Re: Microsoft CEO sells half his stock, weeks before WA state implements gains tax

#15

Post by travbrack »

d22 wrote: post #12
systemvoltage wrote: post #2

I predict that people will leave Washington State in droves. Not because of the tax increase, but because the amount of taxes you pay goes into never ending government pit of inefficiency and incompetency. I’m down with paying more taxes but in return I want no homelessness, no chadzone, less crime, better roads, straight forward education (math is racist apparently), spotless streets, safety, eradication of poverty,…

What's chadzone?

Pretty sure they're referencing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol_Hill_Occupied_Protest

Re: Microsoft CEO sells half his stock, weeks before WA state implements gains tax

#16

Post by [deleted] »

systemvoltage wrote: post #2

I predict that people will leave Washington State in droves. Not because of the tax increase, but because the amount of taxes you pay goes into never ending government pit of inefficiency and incompetency. I’m down with paying more taxes but in return I want no homelessness, no chadzone, less crime, better roads, straight forward education (math is racist apparently), spotless streets, safety, eradication of poverty,…

[deleted]

Re: Microsoft CEO sells half his stock, weeks before WA state implements gains tax

#18

Post by ttymck »

JoeyBananas wrote: post #17

Capital gains tax is a bad idea because it hurts businesses. It takes money out of the economy and puts it into the government where it is spent less efficiently.

I'm sure your argument is deeper, but what you have written could be said about any tax, no? Is there something unique about capital gains tax in particular?

Re: Microsoft CEO sells half his stock, weeks before WA state implements gains tax

#19

Post by toast0 »

mikestew wrote: post #14
systemvoltage wrote: post #2

I predict that people will leave Washington State in droves. Not because of the tax increase, but because the amount of taxes you pay goes into never ending government pit of inefficiency and incompetency. I’m down with paying more taxes but in return I want no homelessness, no chadzone, less crime, better roads, straight forward education (math is racist apparently), spotless streets, safety, eradication of poverty,…

Not because of the tax increase, but because the amount of taxes you pay goes into never ending government pit of inefficiency and incompetency. From my POV, having lived here for 20 years, WA residents used to get a reasonable deal on their taxes. Sure, they were high from the perspective of this Midwestern boy, but the ferries ran on time and shit got done. I do not feel that's the case anymore (well, the ferries a…

> well, the ferries are probably still timely

Someone isn't on the wsdot ferry email list (anymore?). Most of the lines are currently running single boat service, or only announcing both boats will be running in the morning. I don't personally count it as being on time if you're doing half the normal number of sailings, but those are mostly on time.

I'll give a pass for the regular delays on friday afternoon and sunday evening though. As far as I know, those delays are like clockwork, and we're stuck with them. (Maybe when coleman dock construction finishes, the super peak times will run more smoothly, but I'm ok with just pretending the ferry doesn't run during those times, cause I don't want to be there)

Re: Microsoft CEO sells half his stock, weeks before WA state implements gains tax

#20

Post by waz0wski »

ren_engineer wrote: post #4
mountainriver wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good point, it is rarely talked about how we increase efficiency. I wish there was a better way to inject free market competition into the government. Government contracts seem to also favor inefficiency and poor implementation. Something I’ve been thinking on lately, if anyone has resources on this I would love to read them.

>I wish there was a better way to inject free market competition into the government it's called immigration, people move to states/nations with the best functioning governments if they are allowed free movement. Historically voting with your feet has been the best way to change government. See Illinois and it's massive budget shortfall due to people leaving the state also look at the Soviet Union which needed border…

In my cynical view within the US, it's often more like locusts destroying their environment and moving on e.g. the Californian exodus to other western states that is negatively regarded by most people born & raised in those states.

People vote for crap politicians and policies that lead to issues noted in the OP, then go somewhere else and do it again - watching it first-hand in my state over the past decade.

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