Should Billionaires Even Exist?

[dblack]

Pretty much everyone looks at wealth inequality from the perspective of personal circumstances. And then they get preoccupied with who "deserves" to have more goodies. But beyond a few hundred thousand, that becomes irrelevant. What we're really talking about is economic power. And the question of whether there should be billionaires, is really the question of how we should distribute economic power in society. Should we do it freely, through the market, with our spending decisions? Or take a vote, and appoint our billionaires via government?

 

[Redfish]

Bezos alone could end homelessness in America, with a fraction of his wealth.

Bullshit.

He doesn’t because he’s a psychopath.

Obviously. The only two choices are "spend $20 billion to end homelessness" or "he's a psychopath".

That's the dumbest thing I've seen you post.

No. It’s totally factual

Is he the only psychopath who won't use their personal funds to end homelessness?
If I don't use some of my money, does that mean I'm a psychopath?

And why do you think it would only take $20 billion?

Read the article I linked. I didn’t come up with the $20 billion, silly.

You aren’t thinking, which is commonplace today.

I’m not suggesting government take his wealth. I’m stating he has the power and wealth to end homelessness, but he doesn’t. He isn’t the only one who could, silly. All the wealthiest people could do it.

Homeless people should quit doing drugs and get a job instead of asking people who don't do drugs and who work to change their diapers for them every day.

Easy for you to say. Why is it so many Americans don’t give a shit about the poor and downtrodden? Are they dumb *****?

funny that you say that, when two of the most liberal cities in the USA SFO and LA, have thousands of homeless living and shitting in the streets. Do the rulers of California give a shit about those people? apparently not.

 

[gipper]

No. It’s totally factual

Is he the only psychopath who won't use their personal funds to end homelessness?
If I don't use some of my money, does that mean I'm a psychopath?

And why do you think it would only take $20 billion?

Read the article I linked. I didn’t come up with the $20 billion, silly.

You aren’t thinking, which is commonplace today.

I’m not suggesting government take his wealth. I’m stating he has the power and wealth to end homelessness, but he doesn’t. He isn’t the only one who could, silly. All the wealthiest people could do it.

Homeless people should quit doing drugs and get a job instead of asking people who don't do drugs and who work to change their diapers for them every day.

Easy for you to say. Why is it so many Americans don’t give a shit about the poor and downtrodden? Are they dumb *****?

funny that you say that, when two of the most liberal cities in the USA SFO and LA, have thousands of homeless living and shitting in the streets. Do the rulers of California give a shit about those people? apparently not.

Oh brother. Not the binary thinker again.

 

[Redfish]

Pretty much everyone looks at wealth inequality from the perspective of personal circumstances. And they the get preoccupied with who "deserves" to have more goodies. But beyond a few hundred thousand, that becomes irrelevant. What we're really talking about is economic power. And the question of whether there should be billionaires, is really the question of how we should distribute economic power in society. Should we do it freely, through the market, with our spending decisions? Or take a vote, and appoint our billionaires via government?

economic power is usually earned, unless your name is Biden

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

No. It’s totally factual

Is he the only psychopath who won't use their personal funds to end homelessness?
If I don't use some of my money, does that mean I'm a psychopath?

And why do you think it would only take $20 billion?

Read the article I linked. I didn’t come up with the $20 billion, silly.

You aren’t thinking, which is commonplace today.

I’m not suggesting government take his wealth. I’m stating he has the power and wealth to end homelessness, but he doesn’t. He isn’t the only one who could, silly. All the wealthiest people could do it.

Homeless people should quit doing drugs and get a job instead of asking people who don't do drugs and who work to change their diapers for them every day.

Drugs are a part of it. But there are other issues too like mental illness and inability to get educated that keeps them out there.

Years ago my late Uncle told me about two homeless guys where he worked at. He said they were good workers, got along with everybody, reasonably smart, at least enough to hold a job and get it done, but they were homeless.

They got paid every Friday morning, and like clock work, the two homeless guys took their paychecks and headed down to the railroad tracks at lunch. He said he had no idea what they did with those paychecks. He also knew that between them, they easily made enough money to rent an apartment, but something was wrong with them that they didn't want to, and live out by the railroad tracks instead.

That is their issue. If they sow corruption they will reap corruption.

They need to check themselves in to Rehab. Probably Drug Addicts. Also many municipalities over tax their citizens, have too many regulations which make housing expensive. Again, throwing money at an UNJUST and Greedy Local Government does nothing for anyone. The Homeless only see 1\10th of that money while the Corrupt Officials siphon it off and distribute it to their friends and their staffs.

I have worked my whole life since I was 13. Any problems I had with money were caused by my own irresponsibility, and did not resolve themselves until I DECIDED to be Responsible.

The US has spent 23 Trillion on The Scam called THE WAR ON POVERTY. This is how people like Nancy Pelosi, and Maxine Waters and their Ilk get rich, and it needs to stop.

That's fine for the drug addicts as most of them made a mistake in the first place. However the homeless also include people who are mentally disturbed and have no ability to take care of themselves. I used to spend time downtown when things were slow, and the homeless would be wandering the street. Some of them would collect pop cans to try and make money. I always saved my pop cans and other metal products that got dumped in my trailer such as screws and bolts, and saved them for the homeless collectors. They were so appreciative of you giving them your garbage so they can turn it in for cash.

Talking with some of these people made me realize they had an IQ of 20. They could barely form sentences and for lack of a better word, completely stupid. They had no ability to work or learn.

When that lake Erie snow machine kicks up, it's brutal over here. I've seen them walking in the streets in blizzards, with their 20 year old coats stuffed with newspaper to try and keep warm with winds gusting at 25 mph. I can't help but to feel sorry for them.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Yes the elites love fools who think this

Ending homelessness does not carry a single one time cost. In other words, if you could spend $20 billion and end homelessness On one day, the next day there would be new homeless people. Like I said, lack of money is not the main cause of homelessness.

It seems the biggest cause of homelessness is Liberalism.
Proof- New York City and cities in California have the most homeless people.

The biggest causes of homelessness are mental illness and drug addiction and/or a combination of both.

Agreed and a billionaire with the ability to help them, should do so. I’m not suggesting they be forced to but if you could help these people, wouldn’t you?

I'm sure many of us would, but that's why we're not wealthy. People with money are usually obsessed with it. That's what drove them to being wealthy in the first place. After they made one million, they wanted two. After they made ten million, they wanted twenty. Can you imagine how much money one billion dollars is? There is no way to reasonably spend that kind of dough. But people who make that billion dollars want to turn it into two billion dollars even though there is no way to spend it. It's an obsession.

Hence, they are ******* psychopaths.

I wouldn't say that. I knew people who collect guitars. I knew one guy that had over 20 of them. He was always wheeling and dealing them. Other people are obsessed with guns or cars. They can't get enough of them. Money is no different. They view money as a scorecard of success. Like I said, there is no way they will ever need a tenth of what they have. People who have six billion dollars today are only focused on how to make it seven billion.

 

[The Original Tree]

Is he the only psychopath who won't use their personal funds to end homelessness?
If I don't use some of my money, does that mean I'm a psychopath?

And why do you think it would only take $20 billion?

Read the article I linked. I didn’t come up with the $20 billion, silly.

You aren’t thinking, which is commonplace today.

I’m not suggesting government take his wealth. I’m stating he has the power and wealth to end homelessness, but he doesn’t. He isn’t the only one who could, silly. All the wealthiest people could do it.

Homeless people should quit doing drugs and get a job instead of asking people who don't do drugs and who work to change their diapers for them every day.

Easy for you to say. Why is it so many Americans don’t give a shit about the poor and downtrodden? Are they dumb *****?

Off with your Head.

The Bible says to them who do not work, they shall not eat.

If you want to Help The POOR, help them out of your own Pocket. Do not rob me of my wealth and earnings, and give it to a overpaid Government Official to embezzle it and distribute it to his friends so that by the time it gets to an actual homeless person, The $100 you stole from me is whittled down to $1.

Wicked people such as you hide behind The HOMELESS, steal our money for yourselves and will Not get up off of their LAZY Asses to do anything for The Homeless Themselves.

If you have homeless and illegals in your city, it is because your city is mismanaging it's resources, and has unjust laws creating homelessness. Fix it yourself, and quit begging for money. Get up off of your Lazy Ass and DO SOMETHING yourself about it.

Good God you’re nuts.

In your deluded world, the weak and feeble minded should be executed.

"it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God".


Who said that?

Jesus said that, after telling a rich man to sell all that he had and give it to the poor, and you know why? Because The Man he was talking to, did not want to use his OWN money to help The Poor. He wanted someone else to do it. He wanted to be Seen with Jesus, but he did not want to make The Sacrifices Jesus made. He wanted someone else to pay for it. He was a Social Justice Warrior.

He left Jesus and was sorrowful because he had much wealth. THEN Jesus made that statement.

Jesus did not however, Confiscate his Wealth, Throw him in a Gulag, and then Call for him to be Beheaded, like The Sanders Campaign asserts we must do with anyone that has a certain amount of wealth, and the cut off line starts with them excluding themselves from such things.

Just like EVERY LIBERAL EVER, they make a religion out of their causes and exclude themselves from the work that needs done to fix anything, and instead they create the problems then wash their hands and exclude themselves from being part of the solution.

This is why Jesus called such men White Washed Sepulchers, and said that They Devour Widow's Houses, and Place Burdens upon The People Which They Cannot Bear, yet, refuse to dirty their own hands in HELPING ANYONE, but instead love to make Big Speeches and Pray in Public to be seen of others, but inside them, they are full of filth and death.

SOCIAL JUSTICE WARRIORS.

 

[ChrisL]

Some people are millionaires or billionaires because they worked hard to get there. They started their own businesses and worked hard and long to get to where they are. That is what being American is all about. Finding your way and making your life the best you can. You have to have a novel idea and be able to sell it to people. You have to be motivated (incredibly motivated) and smart and successful and be able to market yourself and your ideas.

A lot of homeless people are homeless for a REASON. It's not just bad luck in a lot of cases. It is that lack of imagination, motivation, brain power, reasoning, logic, and ability.

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Read the article I linked. I didn’t come up with the $20 billion, silly.

You aren’t thinking, which is commonplace today.

I’m not suggesting government take his wealth. I’m stating he has the power and wealth to end homelessness, but he doesn’t. He isn’t the only one who could, silly. All the wealthiest people could do it.

Homeless people should quit doing drugs and get a job instead of asking people who don't do drugs and who work to change their diapers for them every day.

Easy for you to say. Why is it so many Americans don’t give a shit about the poor and downtrodden? Are they dumb *****?

Off with your Head.

The Bible says to them who do not work, they shall not eat.

If you want to Help The POOR, help them out of your own Pocket. Do not rob me of my wealth and earnings, and give it to a overpaid Government Official to embezzle it and distribute it to his friends so that by the time it gets to an actual homeless person, The $100 you stole from me is whittled down to $1.

Wicked people such as you hide behind The HOMELESS, steal our money for yourselves and will Not get up off of their LAZY Asses to do anything for The Homeless Themselves.

If you have homeless and illegals in your city, it is because your city is mismanaging it's resources, and has unjust laws creating homelessness. Fix it yourself, and quit begging for money. Get up off of your Lazy Ass and DO SOMETHING yourself about it.

Good God you’re nuts.

In your deluded world, the weak and feeble minded should be executed.

"it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God".


Who said that?

Jesus said that, and you know why? Because The Man he was talking to, did not want to use his OWN money to help The Poor. He wanted someone else to do it. He wanted to be Seen with Jesus, but he did not want to make The Sacrifices Jesus made. He wanted someone else to pay for it. He was a Social Justice Warrior.

He left Jesus and was sorrowful because he had much wealth. THEN Jesus made that statement.

Jesus did not however, Confiscate his Wealth, Throw him in a Gulag, and then Call for him to be Beheaded, like The Sanders Campaign asserts we must do with anyone that has a certain amount of wealth, and the cut off line starts with them excluding themselves from such things.

Just like EVERY LIBERAL EVER, they make a religion out of their causes and exclude themselves from the work that needs done to fix anything, and instead they create the problems then wash their hands and exclude themselves from being part of the solution.

Jesus never said wealth was bad. Wealth did separate people from God in his eyes. The more earthy things you possess, the less you care about God almighty. He was right in a way. As we acquire all these wonderful things in this country, more and more people are dropping out of religion, and we have more atheists than ever.

 

[ChrisL]

Homeless people should quit doing drugs and get a job instead of asking people who don't do drugs and who work to change their diapers for them every day.

Easy for you to say. Why is it so many Americans don’t give a shit about the poor and downtrodden? Are they dumb *****?

Off with your Head.

The Bible says to them who do not work, they shall not eat.

If you want to Help The POOR, help them out of your own Pocket. Do not rob me of my wealth and earnings, and give it to a overpaid Government Official to embezzle it and distribute it to his friends so that by the time it gets to an actual homeless person, The $100 you stole from me is whittled down to $1.

Wicked people such as you hide behind The HOMELESS, steal our money for yourselves and will Not get up off of their LAZY Asses to do anything for The Homeless Themselves.

If you have homeless and illegals in your city, it is because your city is mismanaging it's resources, and has unjust laws creating homelessness. Fix it yourself, and quit begging for money. Get up off of your Lazy Ass and DO SOMETHING yourself about it.

Good God you’re nuts.

In your deluded world, the weak and feeble minded should be executed.

"it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God".


Who said that?

Jesus said that, and you know why? Because The Man he was talking to, did not want to use his OWN money to help The Poor. He wanted someone else to do it. He wanted to be Seen with Jesus, but he did not want to make The Sacrifices Jesus made. He wanted someone else to pay for it. He was a Social Justice Warrior.

He left Jesus and was sorrowful because he had much wealth. THEN Jesus made that statement.

Jesus did not however, Confiscate his Wealth, Throw him in a Gulag, and then Call for him to be Beheaded, like The Sanders Campaign asserts we must do with anyone that has a certain amount of wealth, and the cut off line starts with them excluding themselves from such things.

Just like EVERY LIBERAL EVER, they make a religion out of their causes and exclude themselves from the work that needs done to fix anything, and instead they create the problems then wash their hands and exclude themselves from being part of the solution.

Jesus never said wealth was bad. Wealth did separate people from God in his eyes. The more earthy things you possess, the less you care about God almighty. He was right in a way. As we acquire all these wonderful things in this country, more and more people are dropping out of religion, and we have more atheists than ever.

Worshipping the almighty dollar isn't just for the rich though, obviously. Do you think God would look upon people who have "wealth envy" favorably? I don't. The term "don't covet thy neighbor" comes to mind.

 

[The Original Tree]

Homeless people should quit doing drugs and get a job instead of asking people who don't do drugs and who work to change their diapers for them every day.

Easy for you to say. Why is it so many Americans don’t give a shit about the poor and downtrodden? Are they dumb *****?

Off with your Head.

The Bible says to them who do not work, they shall not eat.

If you want to Help The POOR, help them out of your own Pocket. Do not rob me of my wealth and earnings, and give it to a overpaid Government Official to embezzle it and distribute it to his friends so that by the time it gets to an actual homeless person, The $100 you stole from me is whittled down to $1.

Wicked people such as you hide behind The HOMELESS, steal our money for yourselves and will Not get up off of their LAZY Asses to do anything for The Homeless Themselves.

If you have homeless and illegals in your city, it is because your city is mismanaging it's resources, and has unjust laws creating homelessness. Fix it yourself, and quit begging for money. Get up off of your Lazy Ass and DO SOMETHING yourself about it.

Good God you’re nuts.

In your deluded world, the weak and feeble minded should be executed.

"it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God".


Who said that?

Jesus said that, and you know why? Because The Man he was talking to, did not want to use his OWN money to help The Poor. He wanted someone else to do it. He wanted to be Seen with Jesus, but he did not want to make The Sacrifices Jesus made. He wanted someone else to pay for it. He was a Social Justice Warrior.

He left Jesus and was sorrowful because he had much wealth. THEN Jesus made that statement.

Jesus did not however, Confiscate his Wealth, Throw him in a Gulag, and then Call for him to be Beheaded, like The Sanders Campaign asserts we must do with anyone that has a certain amount of wealth, and the cut off line starts with them excluding themselves from such things.

Just like EVERY LIBERAL EVER, they make a religion out of their causes and exclude themselves from the work that needs done to fix anything, and instead they create the problems then wash their hands and exclude themselves from being part of the solution.

Jesus never said wealth was bad. Wealth did separate people from God in his eyes. The more earthy things you possess, the less you care about God almighty. He was right in a way. As we acquire all these wonderful things in this country, more and more people are dropping out of religion, and we have more atheists than ever.

Joseph of Arimathea was Wealthy and Jesus counted him as a Friend.

Jesus only said not to make a God of Money. Not to Covet it or take it from others unjustly. Not to defraud others of their money, nor steal it. Yet this is what Liberals work for and strive for every day. Their entire platform is based on The Sin of Covetousness.

God also gives Godly People Great Wealth because they are able to do more good with it than anyone else, including Governments.

 

[The Original Tree]

Some people are millionaires or billionaires because they worked hard to get there. They started their own businesses and worked hard and long to get to where they are. That is what being American is all about. Finding your way and making your life the best you can. You have to have a novel idea and be able to sell it to people. You have to be motivated (incredibly motivated) and smart and successful and be able to market yourself and your ideas.

A lot of homeless people are homeless for a REASON. It's not just bad luck in a lot of cases. It is that lack of imagination, motivation, brain power, reasoning, logic, and ability.

Jesus also told The Disciples that once he had left for Heaven in The Transfiguration, that when he was with them they did not need a purse or a sword, but once He was gone that they should get a purse, and if they had no sword to sell their cloak and buy one.

God is not opposed to Wealth and Money. He is opposed to Coveting it, and putting the acquiring of it above all other virtue, and above God.

God is also not opposed to Self Defense.

 

[Bruce_T_Laney]

You know what’s not cool anymore? Billionaires.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Elizabeth Warren believe some Americans have too much money, and they’re not alone.

Their very existence is now the subject of political debate, sparked most recently by tax-the-rich proposals from two prominent politicians.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) proposed placing a 2 percent tax on wealth over $50 million and 3 percent on assets over $1 billion. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said she wants to increase the marginal tax rate on those earning more than $10 million a year.

Their ideas went viral, starting a mainstream conversation about inequality and wealth.

This kind of talk has always existed among a certain group of hard-core progressives and left-leaning economists, but heading into next year’s presidential election, the idea that the super-rich should pay their fair share is gaining real momentum.

Marshall Steinbaum, a research director at the left-leaning Roosevelt Institute, has advocated taxing the rich at higher rates for years. “We do not need billionaires,” Steinbaum told HuffPost. “The economy’s done better without billionaires in the past.”

For Steinbaum, higher taxes on the wealthy would mean freeing up more money for everyone else. If you think of the economy as a pie, right now, billionaires are getting just about all of it, while we’re all left splitting just one slice.

If you raise taxes on the richest, their incentive to grab at every morsel declines. The theory is they’ll fight a little less hard to depress everyone else’s wages if they know that every extra million is going to get taxed away. A high-paid CEO has less incentive to keep workers’ wages low so he can get a bigger payday.

Billionaires were once a rare breed. In the past few decades, as the U.S. has slashed tax rates, their numbers have exploded, far outpacing inflation.

Since 2008, the number of billionaires in the world has doubled, according to a report published last week by the anti-poverty nonprofit Oxfam. In just the last year, billionaires raked in an astonishing $2.5 billion each day.

In 1982, the first year Forbes debuted its list of the 400 richest Americans, there were about a dozen billionaires. The richest man in the U.S. back then was an 85-year-old shipping magnate with an estimated worth of $2 billion, or $5.2 billion in today’s dollars.

"We do not need billionaires. The economy’s done better without billionaires in the past."
--Marshall Steinbaum, Roosevelt Institute​

Nowadays, Forbes’ list is entirely billionaires. The richest is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, worth $160 billion.

More: Should Billionaires Even Exist?

I agree! Billionaires aren't cool anymore! The playing field is tilted like the Titanic before it went down. There is no logical reason for so few to have so much. What do you think?

The first actual Billionaire was John D. Rockefeller, but Billionaires are only cool when they vote Democrat, right little one trick pony?

 

[The Original Tree]

You know what’s not cool anymore? Billionaires.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Elizabeth Warren believe some Americans have too much money, and they’re not alone.

Their very existence is now the subject of political debate, sparked most recently by tax-the-rich proposals from two prominent politicians.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) proposed placing a 2 percent tax on wealth over $50 million and 3 percent on assets over $1 billion. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said she wants to increase the marginal tax rate on those earning more than $10 million a year.

Their ideas went viral, starting a mainstream conversation about inequality and wealth.

This kind of talk has always existed among a certain group of hard-core progressives and left-leaning economists, but heading into next year’s presidential election, the idea that the super-rich should pay their fair share is gaining real momentum.

Marshall Steinbaum, a research director at the left-leaning Roosevelt Institute, has advocated taxing the rich at higher rates for years. “We do not need billionaires,” Steinbaum told HuffPost. “The economy’s done better without billionaires in the past.”

For Steinbaum, higher taxes on the wealthy would mean freeing up more money for everyone else. If you think of the economy as a pie, right now, billionaires are getting just about all of it, while we’re all left splitting just one slice.

If you raise taxes on the richest, their incentive to grab at every morsel declines. The theory is they’ll fight a little less hard to depress everyone else’s wages if they know that every extra million is going to get taxed away. A high-paid CEO has less incentive to keep workers’ wages low so he can get a bigger payday.

Billionaires were once a rare breed. In the past few decades, as the U.S. has slashed tax rates, their numbers have exploded, far outpacing inflation.

Since 2008, the number of billionaires in the world has doubled, according to a report published last week by the anti-poverty nonprofit Oxfam. In just the last year, billionaires raked in an astonishing $2.5 billion each day.

In 1982, the first year Forbes debuted its list of the 400 richest Americans, there were about a dozen billionaires. The richest man in the U.S. back then was an 85-year-old shipping magnate with an estimated worth of $2 billion, or $5.2 billion in today’s dollars.

"We do not need billionaires. The economy’s done better without billionaires in the past."
--Marshall Steinbaum, Roosevelt Institute​

Nowadays, Forbes’ list is entirely billionaires. The richest is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, worth $160 billion.

More: Should Billionaires Even Exist?

I agree! Billionaires aren't cool anymore! The playing field is tilted like the Titanic before it went down. There is no logical reason for so few to have so much. What do you think?

The first actual Billionaire was John D. Rockefeller, but Billionaires are only cool when they vote Democrat, right little one trick pony?

Rockefeller built so many Schools and Libraries with his money and never took a dime of tax dollars to do it.

 

[Bruce_T_Laney]

You know what’s not cool anymore? Billionaires.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Elizabeth Warren believe some Americans have too much money, and they’re not alone.

Their very existence is now the subject of political debate, sparked most recently by tax-the-rich proposals from two prominent politicians.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) proposed placing a 2 percent tax on wealth over $50 million and 3 percent on assets over $1 billion. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said she wants to increase the marginal tax rate on those earning more than $10 million a year.

Their ideas went viral, starting a mainstream conversation about inequality and wealth.

This kind of talk has always existed among a certain group of hard-core progressives and left-leaning economists, but heading into next year’s presidential election, the idea that the super-rich should pay their fair share is gaining real momentum.

Marshall Steinbaum, a research director at the left-leaning Roosevelt Institute, has advocated taxing the rich at higher rates for years. “We do not need billionaires,” Steinbaum told HuffPost. “The economy’s done better without billionaires in the past.”

For Steinbaum, higher taxes on the wealthy would mean freeing up more money for everyone else. If you think of the economy as a pie, right now, billionaires are getting just about all of it, while we’re all left splitting just one slice.

If you raise taxes on the richest, their incentive to grab at every morsel declines. The theory is they’ll fight a little less hard to depress everyone else’s wages if they know that every extra million is going to get taxed away. A high-paid CEO has less incentive to keep workers’ wages low so he can get a bigger payday.

Billionaires were once a rare breed. In the past few decades, as the U.S. has slashed tax rates, their numbers have exploded, far outpacing inflation.

Since 2008, the number of billionaires in the world has doubled, according to a report published last week by the anti-poverty nonprofit Oxfam. In just the last year, billionaires raked in an astonishing $2.5 billion each day.

In 1982, the first year Forbes debuted its list of the 400 richest Americans, there were about a dozen billionaires. The richest man in the U.S. back then was an 85-year-old shipping magnate with an estimated worth of $2 billion, or $5.2 billion in today’s dollars.

"We do not need billionaires. The economy’s done better without billionaires in the past."
--Marshall Steinbaum, Roosevelt Institute​

Nowadays, Forbes’ list is entirely billionaires. The richest is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, worth $160 billion.

More: Should Billionaires Even Exist?

I agree! Billionaires aren't cool anymore! The playing field is tilted like the Titanic before it went down. There is no logical reason for so few to have so much. What do you think?

The first actual Billionaire was John D. Rockefeller, but Billionaires are only cool when they vote Democrat, right little one trick pony?

Rockefeller built so many Schools and Libraries with his money and never took a dime of tax dollars to do it.

That is the issue with the left they have no idea about the History of this country or the fact a Billionaire has been around since Rockefeller time...

If I am correct the possible net worth of anyone that were a direct descendant of the Tzar of Russia would be a Trillionaire in today standard, so could you imagine the OP if that were able to happen?

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

Easy for you to say. Why is it so many Americans don’t give a shit about the poor and downtrodden? Are they dumb *****?

Off with your Head.

The Bible says to them who do not work, they shall not eat.

If you want to Help The POOR, help them out of your own Pocket. Do not rob me of my wealth and earnings, and give it to a overpaid Government Official to embezzle it and distribute it to his friends so that by the time it gets to an actual homeless person, The $100 you stole from me is whittled down to $1.

Wicked people such as you hide behind The HOMELESS, steal our money for yourselves and will Not get up off of their LAZY Asses to do anything for The Homeless Themselves.

If you have homeless and illegals in your city, it is because your city is mismanaging it's resources, and has unjust laws creating homelessness. Fix it yourself, and quit begging for money. Get up off of your Lazy Ass and DO SOMETHING yourself about it.

Good God you’re nuts.

In your deluded world, the weak and feeble minded should be executed.

"it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God".


Who said that?

Jesus said that, and you know why? Because The Man he was talking to, did not want to use his OWN money to help The Poor. He wanted someone else to do it. He wanted to be Seen with Jesus, but he did not want to make The Sacrifices Jesus made. He wanted someone else to pay for it. He was a Social Justice Warrior.

He left Jesus and was sorrowful because he had much wealth. THEN Jesus made that statement.

Jesus did not however, Confiscate his Wealth, Throw him in a Gulag, and then Call for him to be Beheaded, like The Sanders Campaign asserts we must do with anyone that has a certain amount of wealth, and the cut off line starts with them excluding themselves from such things.

Just like EVERY LIBERAL EVER, they make a religion out of their causes and exclude themselves from the work that needs done to fix anything, and instead they create the problems then wash their hands and exclude themselves from being part of the solution.

Jesus never said wealth was bad. Wealth did separate people from God in his eyes. The more earthy things you possess, the less you care about God almighty. He was right in a way. As we acquire all these wonderful things in this country, more and more people are dropping out of religion, and we have more atheists than ever.

Worshipping the almighty dollar isn't just for the rich though, obviously. Do you think God would look upon people who have "wealth envy" favorably? I don't. The term "don't covet thy neighbor" comes to mind.

I think that's guided by the Big Ten. What's the difference whether you take money from somebody else, or elect a person to do it for you? It's theft either way. By voting for that person, you are still complicit and should have to answer to God for it.

 

[Godboy]

You know what’s not cool anymore? Billionaires.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Elizabeth Warren believe some Americans have too much money, and they’re not alone.

Their very existence is now the subject of political debate, sparked most recently by tax-the-rich proposals from two prominent politicians.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) proposed placing a 2 percent tax on wealth over $50 million and 3 percent on assets over $1 billion. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said she wants to increase the marginal tax rate on those earning more than $10 million a year.

Their ideas went viral, starting a mainstream conversation about inequality and wealth.

This kind of talk has always existed among a certain group of hard-core progressives and left-leaning economists, but heading into next year’s presidential election, the idea that the super-rich should pay their fair share is gaining real momentum.

Marshall Steinbaum, a research director at the left-leaning Roosevelt Institute, has advocated taxing the rich at higher rates for years. “We do not need billionaires,” Steinbaum told HuffPost. “The economy’s done better without billionaires in the past.”

For Steinbaum, higher taxes on the wealthy would mean freeing up more money for everyone else. If you think of the economy as a pie, right now, billionaires are getting just about all of it, while we’re all left splitting just one slice.

If you raise taxes on the richest, their incentive to grab at every morsel declines. The theory is they’ll fight a little less hard to depress everyone else’s wages if they know that every extra million is going to get taxed away. A high-paid CEO has less incentive to keep workers’ wages low so he can get a bigger payday.

Billionaires were once a rare breed. In the past few decades, as the U.S. has slashed tax rates, their numbers have exploded, far outpacing inflation.

Since 2008, the number of billionaires in the world has doubled, according to a report published last week by the anti-poverty nonprofit Oxfam. In just the last year, billionaires raked in an astonishing $2.5 billion each day.

In 1982, the first year Forbes debuted its list of the 400 richest Americans, there were about a dozen billionaires. The richest man in the U.S. back then was an 85-year-old shipping magnate with an estimated worth of $2 billion, or $5.2 billion in today’s dollars.

"We do not need billionaires. The economy’s done better without billionaires in the past."
--Marshall Steinbaum, Roosevelt Institute​

Nowadays, Forbes’ list is entirely billionaires. The richest is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, worth $160 billion.

More: Should Billionaires Even Exist?

I agree! Billionaires aren't cool anymore! The playing field is tilted like the Titanic before it went down. There is no logical reason for so few to have so much. What do you think?

Do you even realize that moderates think you people are ******* crazy when you say dumb shit like this?

 

[OKTexas]

Bezos alone could end homelessness in America, with a fraction of his wealth. He doesn’t because he’s a psychopath.

Resolve to End Homelessness in 2013
To many, homelessness is an impossible problem—too unwieldy and expensive. But ending homelessness has a price tag, just like those gizmos purporting to shed pounds and gym memberships. According to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, it would cost $20 billion to end homelessness. That’s less than half of what we spend each year on weight loss and self-improvement.
Resolve to End Homelessness in 2013 - Center for American Progress

Bezos couldn’t end homelessness with all his money. Lack of Money is not most homeless peoples’ issue. It’s either drugs, alcohol, or mental problems.

It’s kinda like you. If you had all the money in the world, you’d still be stupid.

Or just stupidity ,laziness ,or entitlement mentality.

Yes the elites love fools who think this

Ending homelessness does not carry a single one time cost. In other words, if you could spend $20 billion and end homelessness On one day, the next day there would be new homeless people. Like I said, lack of money is not the main cause of homelessness.

It seems the biggest cause of homelessness is Liberalism.
Proof- New York City and cities in California have the most homeless people.

Of course not. Do you have any idea how much wealth the billionaires have?

What the hell difference does that make, they have no more obligation as a citizen of this country than you.

.

 

[ChrisL]

Bezos couldn’t end homelessness with all his money. Lack of Money is not most homeless peoples’ issue. It’s either drugs, alcohol, or mental problems.

It’s kinda like you. If you had all the money in the world, you’d still be stupid.

Or just stupidity ,laziness ,or entitlement mentality.

Yes the elites love fools who think this

Ending homelessness does not carry a single one time cost. In other words, if you could spend $20 billion and end homelessness On one day, the next day there would be new homeless people. Like I said, lack of money is not the main cause of homelessness.

It seems the biggest cause of homelessness is Liberalism.
Proof- New York City and cities in California have the most homeless people.

Of course not. Do you have any idea how much wealth the billionaires have?

What the hell difference does that make, they have no more obligation as a citizen of this country than you.

.

Well, we do know. They have billions, hence the term "billionaires."

 

[gipper]

Easy for you to say. Why is it so many Americans don’t give a shit about the poor and downtrodden? Are they dumb *****?

Off with your Head.

The Bible says to them who do not work, they shall not eat.

If you want to Help The POOR, help them out of your own Pocket. Do not rob me of my wealth and earnings, and give it to a overpaid Government Official to embezzle it and distribute it to his friends so that by the time it gets to an actual homeless person, The $100 you stole from me is whittled down to $1.

Wicked people such as you hide behind The HOMELESS, steal our money for yourselves and will Not get up off of their LAZY Asses to do anything for The Homeless Themselves.

If you have homeless and illegals in your city, it is because your city is mismanaging it's resources, and has unjust laws creating homelessness. Fix it yourself, and quit begging for money. Get up off of your Lazy Ass and DO SOMETHING yourself about it.

Good God you’re nuts.

In your deluded world, the weak and feeble minded should be executed.

"it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God".


Who said that?

Jesus said that, and you know why? Because The Man he was talking to, did not want to use his OWN money to help The Poor. He wanted someone else to do it. He wanted to be Seen with Jesus, but he did not want to make The Sacrifices Jesus made. He wanted someone else to pay for it. He was a Social Justice Warrior.

He left Jesus and was sorrowful because he had much wealth. THEN Jesus made that statement.

Jesus did not however, Confiscate his Wealth, Throw him in a Gulag, and then Call for him to be Beheaded, like The Sanders Campaign asserts we must do with anyone that has a certain amount of wealth, and the cut off line starts with them excluding themselves from such things.

Just like EVERY LIBERAL EVER, they make a religion out of their causes and exclude themselves from the work that needs done to fix anything, and instead they create the problems then wash their hands and exclude themselves from being part of the solution.

Jesus never said wealth was bad. Wealth did separate people from God in his eyes. The more earthy things you possess, the less you care about God almighty. He was right in a way. As we acquire all these wonderful things in this country, more and more people are dropping out of religion, and we have more atheists than ever.

Worshipping the almighty dollar isn't just for the rich though, obviously. Do you think God would look upon people who have "wealth envy" favorably? I don't. The term "don't covet thy neighbor" comes to mind.

Who has wealth envy? You?