The government owes me!!!

@independentone inequality should be a reason for something.

@Roundandroundwego I do believe everyone should have the chance for education and to succeed or fail on their own.
I don't think money will end the racism in this country though.

@independentone only universal entitlements can do that. So never ever, ever! No entitlements!

@independentone California wasn't officially a slave state, but they did have slavery. The government knew it was going on, but because they didn't want to be seen as a slave state, they didn't do anything to stop it. California also had segregation.

@BohemianBabe Then what's next, paying reparations to the Chinese who built the railroads? How about the Japanese who were interred during WWII? Or maybe the Irish or Italians who also weren't accepted in this country to begin with. The list goes on and on.

@independentone Well I'm a Socialist, I think we should have reparations for the entire working-class in the form of actual systemic change. The fact that the list goes on and on just shows how bad Capitalism is.
Side note, Japanese-Americans actually were given reparations for the imprisonment during WWII.

@BohemianBabe What changes would you like to see, to help the working class?

@independentone Universal basic income, a $17 minimum wage, free public transportation, expand the ACA, and the government should only subsidies co-ops. I'm also open to making health care completely free.

@BohemianBabe I agree with most of that, not sure about the $17 minimum wage though, won't that just raise the cost of food and other necessities?
Who is going to pay for the free health care though? I agree, I also would like to see a better system, but good doctors cost money and it has to come from somewhere.

@independentone Raising the minimum wage doesn't really cause inflation. It usually causes a slight increase in prices, but only once. Plus it usually results in more small businesses staying in business, which means the demand for products is spread out.
Wealth inequality in America is so bad right now that we could tax billionaires to pay for a massive expansion of the ACA, and the people we taxed would still be rich.

@BohemianBabe I have no problem taxing the billionaires at the normal rate, but forcing them to pay for everyones health care is just plain wrong. Most of the billionaires worked very hard for their fortunes. There must be a better system than just "taxing the rich"

@independentone
Virtually every billionaire was born into the upper-class. We also have a system that gives subsidies to billionaires, plus so many loopholes that the rich are actually paying less taxes than the workers. Elon Musk is a terrible businessman while Donald Trump is legit mentally challenged. But because they were born into the upper-class, they're given subsidies for new projects and when those projects failed, they're simply bailed out and then given more subsidies.
But this is Capitalism. The upper-class is basically treated like a master race that the government must take care of at the expense of everyone else.

@BohemianBabe capitalism isn't a human right.

@independentone very few billionaires worked hard for their wealth.



Here's a fact. When we as a nation were at our most propsperous, most distributed, leading in a manufacturing and technology development. We were taxing the shit out of the rich at a rate of 90% over 3 million dollars. The rich atill existed, they still had mansions and yachts. Everyone was winning.


Taxing the rich doesn't stifle productiona and development.... it encourages it.

@MethDozer I was thinking of Gates, Bezos, Steve Jobs, Hewlett and Packard, who started in their garage and other mostly tech giants.
Sure a lot of it is generational wealth, but that wealth was originally created by hard work and a good idea.