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No One Goes There Anymore

noonegoesthereanymore.blogspot.com

131–140 of 322 posts

Re: No One Goes There Anymore

#131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This doesn't make sense. If I decide to give more money to the government, nothing will change because my money is a drop in the bucket. If everyone gives more money, we can actually make things better. I am willing to pay more taxes if it actually helps, which is why I will only give more when we make everyone give more.

I will only give more when we make everyone give more If everyone took the same attitude towards energy consumption or pollution, we'd make no progress at all.

Isn't that already the case? :/

Only government legislation is working. It is people pushing for it, but they still mostly have the same mentality of "I will only do X when everyone does X".

Re: No One Goes There Anymore

#132

Genuine question: what is the point made in the post? I feel like I'm missing something.

“It’s too crowded”, the punchline to the Yogi Berra quote, is the point of the blog post. It is a sentiment that we can all now relate to due to COVID-19. Living with a genetic disorder that makes one susceptible to respiratory infections also reinforces the set of norms required to live with this virus in our society.

Re: No One Goes There Anymore

#133
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

* (Edit: Leaving original for traceability, but note my math was incorrect as per subsequent comment:) * Depends on where and depends how you're counting it. In Ontario, Canada, and I'm not an accountant so very approximately based on GoC website: At ~~$150k CAD you are at 29% federal + 12 % Provincial tax. On anything you buy though you get another 13% VAT So now we are at 54%, plus CPP and EI. Plus any other taxes…

As an Ontarian it is frustrating how the marginal tax rate has risen over 50% over the last decade, but ignorant people think things are the same as in the US. Of course capital gains on primary residences is taxed at 0% so it isn't really surprising that real estate and its financialization is Ontario's main industry.

Wouldn’t operating real estate as a financial market all involve secondary or fund-owned residences, and therefore be subject to capital gains tax?

Re: No One Goes There Anymore

#134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Few countries even in Europe will let your effective income tax rate reach 50% but this may be an effect of tax system structure more than anything else. Eg in the U.K. the max marginal income tax rate is 45% but that doesn’t count payroll taxes (employer or employee), which are called “national insurance”, or student loan “repayments” (9% of income above a threshold, though not super relevant to people in the top ba…

in the U.K. the max marginal income tax rate is 45% That's a big change from years ago, when it was 95% (hence "it's one for you, nineteen for me" in the Beatles' "Taxman").

That was 50 years ago. The top rate was 75% for income over £20k (something like £250k in todays money). Now how many people were in this category, or how they managed to avoid appearing to have that much income I don't know.

I think income tax was even higher during WW2, but that's pretty much a special case.

Re: No One Goes There Anymore

#135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was wondering this as well. I couldn't find the thesis and for a moment I wondered if this was posted as an example of an AI-generated post.

I read the whole thing and can’t figure it out either. Maybe there isn’t supposed to be a point. Just stream-of-consciousness words on a blog. Performance art? When the first thing someone tells me upon meeting me is that they have a medical condition, I think “uh oh, heeeere we go.” First of all, it’s none of my business. Second, why do you want me to know this? What am I supposed to do with that information? Is thi…

Was also similarly confused

Re: No One Goes There Anymore

#136

When I see about half my paycheck going to taxes it feels a bit rough. But then I think of stories like this, and how easily it could have been me with an illness requiring expensive medical treatment and possibly preventing me from working regular jobs. And so I pay my tax with pleasure, knowing that if something were to happen to me or my fellow citizen, at least there wouldn't be millions of dollars in hospital bi…

I pay 50% of my shitty income in taxes and then have to pay for health insurance on top of that because public health here is useless.

Public health is not a panacea, although I’m happy for the people who get a good deal out of it.

Re: No One Goes There Anymore

#137
I don't understand people who have serious hereditary medical conditions and have children. Yes, I know that "I just don't get it". Though I do have friends for whom serious illness in the family is the reason they don't have biological children.

I do find it a bit selfish to reject adopting a child (and thus presumably making that child's life better), instead of essentially saying "no, I only care about my own genes. If it's not from my body it's worthless".

I said I know people who chose to not have biological children for this reason. I also know people whose life is full of pain and suffering because they chose to reproduce their illness. One wanted multiple children, but after the first came with the illness they now know that caring for just that one (who will never not need help) is their full time job, so they can't have more.

And this in a country that actually greatly supports you. And it's not about the money.

Re: No One Goes There Anymore

#138

Genuine question: what is the point made in the post? I feel like I'm missing something.

“It’s too crowded”, the punchline to the Yogi Berra quote, is the point of the blog post. It is a sentiment that we can all now relate to due to COVID-19. Living with a genetic disorder that makes one susceptible to respiratory infections also reinforces the set of norms required to live with this virus in our society.

Nothing improves a joke more than explaining it, like the article did. :-)

Re: No One Goes There Anymore

#139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> when their combined wealth is in the trillions, and their assets keep growing. Because capital gains, ironically, do not apply to gains in capital assets. They have to "realize" the gains as "income", usually by selling the asset. So a millionaire (stockholder) can become a billionaire without ever paying a cent in capital gains tax. Only when they sell the stock is it subject to taxation. This allows them to pay…

Indeed. Wealth tax != Income tax. You can grow your wealth without virtually no taxable income. It's real wealth - you can buy houses and yachts with it - but you don't need to pay tax unless you choose to. In reality most money at this level is made by speculation, and speculation is spectacularly under-taxed. For example Forex trading in the City of London moves $6.6 trillion of money around, every single day. A To…

> For example Forex trading in the City of London moves $6.6 trillion of money around, every single day. A Tobin Tax of 0.1% on that would raise $2.5tn a year - which would almost instantly wipe out the UK's entire national debt.

Traders can just move money to other trading system, e.g. futures, or they can just stop trading and instantly gain $2.5T a year in saved taxes, which is equivalent of UK's entire national debt!

If you want to capture these $2.5T, you need to close borders and tax these traders physically, one by one, like Soviet Union, China, North Korea, etc.

Re: No One Goes There Anymore

#140

I don't understand people who have serious hereditary medical conditions and have children. Yes, I know that "I just don't get it". Though I do have friends for whom serious illness in the family is the reason they don't have biological children. I do find it a bit selfish to reject adopting a child (and thus presumably making that child's life better), instead of essentially saying "no, I only care about my own gene…

I'll quote Doreen from elsewhere in this thread:

> I didn't get a diagnosis until my kids were like 11 and 14, I think. I didn't have to think about that aspect, in part because my first child was the result of failed birth control.

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