Live data from Hacker News

Why a $154B CEO just endorsed stripping most Americans of voting rights

fortune.com

71–80 of 378 posts

Re: Why a $154B CEO just endorsed stripping most Americans of voting rights

#71
post #39

Fascinating to see how many tech people, as soon as they get rich, turn to extreme. Name them all - they mostly all are very active on X, and each new tweet pushes the limits of what was previously deemed unacceptable. I'm rich, so my opinion must be more important, right?

Well, they did /something/ right ...

[deleted]

Re: Why a $154B CEO just endorsed stripping most Americans of voting rights

#72
50% of Americans think taxes are too high, the other 50% think taxes need to be higher so they’ll get a larger refund.

It’s not a sustainable system. A better solution would be to change tax law so a “payer” can’t receive a larger refund than what they paid. No more credits, only deductions.

Re: Why a $154B CEO just endorsed stripping most Americans of voting rights

#73
post #37

Fascinating to see how many tech people, as soon as they get rich, turn to extreme. Name them all - they mostly all are very active on X, and each new tweet pushes the limits of what was previously deemed unacceptable. I'm rich, so my opinion must be more important, right?

They were always capable of these thoughts, money just gave them access to actions as well. Money didn’t turn them extreme IMO, maybe more fearful about losing it.

Money would've allowed them to act any time. But no, this is because of the shifting tide, enabled by an openly elitist government that doesn't give a shit about the layman.

Remember how a few years back, all these billionaires and corporations were all talking about DEI and taking the knee and George Floyd, and (insincerely) shoving it all down everyone's throats?

It just became socially more acceptable for them to show their true colors.

Re: Why a $154B CEO just endorsed stripping most Americans of voting rights

#74

> one that would strip voting rights from anyone who pays no income tax It could be an interesting thought experiment to consider the second and third order consequences, even if, from first principles this is a non-starter in a democratic society. First off all, what percent of people do not pay any taxes on income? What portion of them are poor vs. hedge fund managers or other super wealthy people who have structur…

Almost any system that limits participation in democracy will be abused to disenfranchise people that those in power do not want to give a voice.

So you're coming at this from the wrong end. The goal is explicitly to keep the poors from having a voice in politics. The exact policy and enforcement of the system will reflect that. Unintended consequences, like the rich being disenfranchised would not occur.

Re: Why a $154B CEO just endorsed stripping most Americans of voting rights

#77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The sociopath part is what allows one to do what it takes to get ultra rich in the first place. Other than Gates, not one comes to mind who gives anything to charity, for example (yes, I’m sure one or two exists).

basal take, completely incorrect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_charitabl... the US is the most charitable country on earth as a percentage of GDP. There is so much philanthropy that the finance industry is building new businesses just to serve it https://fintech.global/2026/04/29/the-philtech-revolution-wh...

What if extreme charity is merely sociopathic status signaling?

Re: Why a $154B CEO just endorsed stripping most Americans of voting rights

#78

Fascinating to see how many tech people, as soon as they get rich, turn to extreme. Name them all - they mostly all are very active on X, and each new tweet pushes the limits of what was previously deemed unacceptable. I'm rich, so my opinion must be more important, right?

Who is going to say what is and isn't acceptable? You?

I certainly get to say what is and isn’t acceptable for me. I also don’t get to say what is and isn’t acceptable for others. Don’t understand why your tone is so accusatory.

Re: Why a $154B CEO just endorsed stripping most Americans of voting rights

#79
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a structural problem in our socio-technical system. You can't separate money and government, because "corruption" to some degree is the default state. Yes there are exceptions, but the opposite if the bad apple concept. You have to get lucky to find the good apples. Which means there is some structural insufficiency in the concept of money and government.

> It's a structural problem in our socio-technical system. it has always been like this, has it not? almost by definition the more resources you have the more power you have. this is how the universe works.

Yes but there are degrees of it and right now we're pivoting towards that power being centralized with the rich once more.

Once upon a time only landowners were able to vote. Eventually that changed as the powerful realized that it was in their interest to share power, because they are vastly outnumbered and can have their riches taken away from them. It feels like we're getting closer and closer to today's rich classes having to learn that lesson again.

Post reply on HN