> “I want to work to ensure Californians know the importance of investment and entrepreneurship to our state’s current and future economy,” Tan wrote.
I know a dog whistle when i see one, didn't have to read much further but did anyway.
Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan launches dark-money group to influence CA politics
121–130 of 362 posts
Re: Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan launches dark-money group to influence CA politics
#122I think rich people have too much influence, I probably agree with Garry Tan on a lot but we need to get money out of politics. Let’s face it we’re all meant to get one vote but rich people spend money on this stuff so that they manipulate what and who can be voted for. I do think that if this current system is the result of democracy + the internet we need to seriously reconsider how democracy works because it’s cur…
I agree with you, in spirit, but I think the true issue lies elsewhere.
Rich people can spend money to influence elections, yes, but how can they do it? through political donations, super-pacs and bribes. Bribes are already illegal. political donations and super-pacs can give politicians the juice they need to get their messaging out, but getting the message across isn't enough to win an election. The people need to vote. Billionaires can spend as much money as they want to support candidates, but a billionaire still only has one vote to cast.
My point is, billionaires can pay for all the political campaigns in the world, but the electorate gets the final say. It's up to us to A) run for office and B) vote for the best candidate (but tell that to the 64% turnout in the 2024 presidential election)
Re: Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan launches dark-money group to influence CA politics
#123It won't work. The Trump admin has so thoroughly betrayed its voters that independent voters no longer want anything to do with billionaires like the all-in people lying to them for 4 years before an election. You had your chance, it is gone now.
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Re: Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan launches dark-money group to influence CA politics
#124He is probably going after Ro Khanna, who comes across as a pretty decent rep (he and Massie got the Epstein files released): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ro_Khanna Based on this warning from Garry to Ro re: wealth tax https://finviz.com/news/277038/y-combinators-garry-tan-warns... So this appears to be all about the wealth tax and taken down anyone who supports it. AIPAC is also mad at Ro so it seems that Garry Tan…
Which would be hilarious if it weren’t so infuriating. All they can talk about is how they’re all going to leave the state if it happens, but then are more than willing to try to spend more stopping it than they would just contributing their fair share in taxes. Don’t like it? Great, leave - but stop trying to buy elections.
YC is always talking about how important SF is (due to hand waiving reasons like "innovation environment," I would find it highly ironic if a wealth tax was all it took to get top YC people to abandon the state.
Re: Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan launches dark-money group to influence CA politics
#125He is probably going after Ro Khanna, who comes across as a pretty decent rep (he and Massie got the Epstein files released): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ro_Khanna Based on this warning from Garry to Ro re: wealth tax https://finviz.com/news/277038/y-combinators-garry-tan-warns... So this appears to be all about the wealth tax and taken down anyone who supports it. AIPAC is also mad at Ro so it seems that Garry Tan…
A wealth tax is a great idea if your goal is to make everyone a whole lot poorer especially in the longer term, and not very much otherwise. It's pretty much saying that you want pure populist envy to be the priority, over and to the detriment of long-term prosperity.
Re: Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan launches dark-money group to influence CA politics
#126Re: Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan launches dark-money group to influence CA politics
#127Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wish we had direct voting on important decisions
This has proven to be a disaster in practice. See also: California.
Wrong.
It has actually been scientifically proven otherwise in crowd theory : with the right setup, the crowd is more effective to take a good decision that the top1 best decision maker.
Exemple : a crowd playing chess may beat the top1 chess player, even though the crowd individually cannot beat him.
Re: Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan launches dark-money group to influence CA politics
#128Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wish we had direct voting on important decisions
Hell no, California has this and it’s a catastrophe. Prop 13 is one of the worst policies enacted by a democratic polity in the 20th century, and has been wrecking the state for decades.
Prop 13 is a nothingburger. Median homeownership period in california vs nationally is only like 2 years longer. It shouldn't be affecting costs that much in other words since median property is back to market rate every 15 years or so.
And what costs are we talking about anyhow? Tax shortfalls for local government? Decades later that has been rectified through other taxes and funding mechanisms and we still get new roads and schools in california. Housing costs increasing? I would say the fact that cities today are zoned within a few percentage points of present population levels (vs zoned for 10x present population levels pre 1970) is the actual source of that sucking sound from the chest.
Re: Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan launches dark-money group to influence CA politics
#129Earlier quoted context omitted.
Politics is about deciding who gets to exercise power and what they get to do with it. Politics detached from power is just pointless squabbling.
It's not, since voluntary transactions can happen as a result of said squabbling without resorting to the violence of 'power.' Maybe we need more of that and less of ramming decisions down the throats of the powerless.
Not really a solution for large-scale collective action problems.
Re: Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan launches dark-money group to influence CA politics
#130Setting aside the merits of this, complaining about big money in politics while your site proudly displays a Twitter link is a bit of a face-palm.