2020 US Elections | Biden certified as President | Dems control Congress

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DOTA

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Who do you think owns companies? A lot of richest people on earth hold large shareholdings and thus have massive voting power. If they are displeased with their current affairs, they will push to have increased dividends to counter the tax values and also move their personal assets abroad. Personal assets also provide employment via cleaners and caretakers etc.

There is no doubt the rich will try and offset as much of the tax burden via other means as possible.

Companies may be influenced into automating more jobs or accelerating the automation of work processes, thereby reducing the number of jobs available. People don't see it, but it does happen.
Why aren't they already doing all these things? Do they only start wanting more money when taxation reaches a certain threshold?
 

Oly Francis

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Who do you think owns companies? A lot of richest people on earth hold large shareholdings and thus have massive voting power. If they are displeased with their current affairs, they will push to have increased dividends to counter the tax values and also move their personal assets abroad. Personal assets also provide employment via cleaners and caretakers etc.

There is no doubt the rich will try and offset as much of the tax burden via other means as possible.

Companies may be influenced into automating more jobs or accelerating the automation of work processes, thereby reducing the number of jobs available. People don't see it, but it does happen.

What you don't get is that super rich people DON'T re-distribute their companies' wealth anyway, so at least with high taxes the governement can. You fell for the trickle-down theory that was disproved a gazillion times, it just doesn't work.
 

Tom Van Persie

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You people are way too defensive. When did I say I think coronavirus doesn't exist? You're childish and absolutely impossible to talk to. You're acting like a fanboy.
What? I'm talking about Trump not listening to experts and spreading conspiracy theories. Not you.
 

Revan

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What else is he going to do? Wave his magic wand and make it disappear?

They don't think a vaccine is going to be ready until at least the spring, so what else can he do? The only way you can slow the transfer is through lockdown; there is no other way until a vaccine is ready. If people are allowed to go about their normals lives, how will that in any way change the rate of transmission?
Force people to drink hydroxychloroquine in a bleech cocktail.

I thought that Trump worshippers had all left. Like cockroaches, seems that there is always a surviving one.
 

Untd55

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So you think they should just carry on as they are with a thousand people a day dying from covid ?
Thank you for responding properly. No, I don't; I am in agreement with the lockdown, but there is no doubt a lot of people are going to lose their jobs, and the tax rate will not help matters at all. The idea of taxing the rich sounds good, but their scheming has no limits. So long as there is some viable way of reducing the impact, they will do it. Why would tax schemes be such a big thing, otherwise? Some of them are so complicated you would think 'stuff this', but they do it because they are greedy.

If they are willing to go those extents, they won't hesitate to put pressure on the board to cut costs or do it directly themselves. The best way to cut costs is well known to be through employment changes.

It is more in response to people who are talking about recent job losses, but this is going to be an issue for a long while.
 

Untd55

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Force people to drink hydroxychloroquine in a bleach cocktail.

I thought that Trump worshippers had all left. Like cockroaches, seems that there is always a surviving one.
Child...
 

adexkola

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Side note: a bit ironic that Lil pump, someone of Hispanic descent with a first gen Hispanic family, is supporting someone who has made his stance on immigrants clear. But then again elections show time and time again that turkeys do in fact vote for Christmas :lol:
They survived Thanksgiving so I get their optimism
 

Tarrou

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I'm pretty sure they're hedging because they also got burnt in 2016. The idea that they somehow have some insider information that no one else has is mental.
They do have knowledge of how much people have bet on each side, which is fairly significant

As you say though they'll be hedging a lot here to minimise risk, which is where the value lies in betting on Biden I think
 

Sara125

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Do you guys reckon that regardless of whichever way the results swing we’ll see the biggest racial tensions across America since the civil rights’ era? They’ve already started to board up establishments in certain states such as NY because riots are inevitable.
 

Kaos

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How do you stop them from cutting costs in their businesses or putting pressure on companies as shareholders to do so? You can't because that would be a dictatorship.

Taxing them heavily will only result in damaging those at the bottom of the pyramid; you need to realise this.

Ahh yes, the myth of trickle down economics.
 

UnrelatedPsuedo

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Pulling out of the Paris agreement and the WHO is definitely a negative - the Iran deal i'm not too fussed by. The Iranians aren't the angels they like to make out to be. They're actively supporting terrorist elements in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine. They've got this shia cresent dream of a reign of influence and they're using militant groups allied to them to get it. Iran with access to modern weapons and a flourishing economy would only be emboldened to do more of the same.

I feel sorry for the people of Iran. If Trump had any sense he'd figure out a balance. Military sanctions, sanctions on government accounts and accounts associated with the leadership and Republican Guard - but open up to trade, tourism, education, research. Iran is full of bright people, they are isolated and deprived, it's driving them into the arms of the Ayatollahs. The regime doesn't reflect Iran.
You’ve said you’re not too bothered by the Iran policy shift.

Then gone on to point out how it will have a far bigger near-term impact than your other two points.

I love Iran. It’s a beautiful country. Their people are great. But Trump has helped drive attitudes and temperatures inside the country against Americans. He galvanises their governments position and makes Iran a larger threat to global peace.

Can’t quite work out your math here.
 

Kaos

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Exactly. Worked a treat for Spain.
New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea....

Mind you, a successful lockdown also relies on not having a population filled with copious amounts of idiots and lunatics, which the US unfortunately isn't short of.
 

Revan

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Why aren't they already doing all these things? Do they only start wanting more money when taxation reaches a certain threshold?
Rich people are nice. When they don't get taxed and earn 10 billion dollars per year, they treat their workers nicely. Put tax them heavily (profits under 5 billion), and they will start firing everyone. I mean, if Biden starts taxing Jeff Bezos, so he'll be worth only 150 billion instead of 200 billion, I am pretty sure that he is gonna fire all the workers in Amazon's warehouses. The company would still be fine, after all, those workers are there not cause Amazon needs them, but cause Bezos is not taxed enough, so he can spare some money for those filthy peasants. A man needs his money after all.
 

UnrelatedPsuedo

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I think people are going to be in for a shock if Biden wins. His policies will wreck the US economy.

One, America will be going into lockdown once he wins. They have to because this has been a fundamental part of his campaign. This will damage the economy; a lot of job losses to come.

Two, he wants to hit the wealthy with a 67% wealth tax. These taxes will just be fed down the pyramid in the form of job losses and pay freezes.

Unfortunately, I think a lot of people are going to lose their jobs once this is over.
This is The kind of thought that, pre-Internet, would go through some kind of vetting process. You’d have tried to learn about the mechanics of your position. Challenge it, revise it, then rework it.

It’s such an ill-informed opening line. Followed by an incorrect conclusion.
 

Kentonio

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How do you stop them from cutting costs in their businesses or putting pressure on companies as shareholders to do so? You can't because that would be a dictatorship.
If they want to cut costs, then they're welcome to cut costs. What you're ignoring is that they've ALREADY done this as much as possible, which is exactly why the working class are struggling the way they are. The corporate approach has been to cut costs to a minimum, maximize profit and ensure that profit is directed upwards. Typically for those obsessed with accumulating money, it's a stupid, short sighted approach because the people making up the bulk of the workers are also the people those companies generally rely on to buy their products. By reducing their disposable income, they also reduce their ability to purchase the very products they make.

Over and over again people pushing the argument you're making ignore the elephant in the room. The power doesn't lie with corporations, the power lies with the market, and the market is controlled by the country and by the people who live in it. This whole concept that you have to kiss the suppliers ass is laughable when you actually spend a little time thinking about it. So some big corporation is going to close up and run away abroad? So fecking what? Do free market forces just vanish suddenly? You don't think there'll be a dozen other companies all racing to fill that newly available gap in the market?

The only time it becomes a real issue is if you start taxing companies to the point where their business is actually unprofitable, but given that those corporations are making vast profits that is really not something we need to be worrying about right now.
 

Revan

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New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea....

Mind you, a successful lockdown also relies on not having a population filled with copious amounts of idiots and lunatics, which the US unfortunately isn't short of.
The US is in the top 10 for mortality per capita. Two of those countries ahead of them are microstates like San Marino and Andorra. From the remaining 7, the only developed countries are Spain and Belgium. New York or Chicago or LA has more resources than Belgium, and Spain's GDP is almost 20 times lower than the US' (but the population size is only 8 times smaller). They also have a significantly higher population density.

In other words, Trump utterly fecked up in every possible way when it came to pandemic handling. Pretty much everyone else did better.
 

Wibble

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I think people are going to be in for a shock if Biden wins. His policies will wreck the US economy.

One, America will be going into lockdown once he wins. They have to because this has been a fundamental part of his campaign. This will damage the economy; a lot of job losses to come.

Two, he wants to hit the wealthy with a 67% wealth tax. These taxes will just be fed down the pyramid in the form of job losses and pay freezes.

Unfortunately, I think a lot of people are going to lose their jobs once this is over.
Except nobody on less that $400k pa will pay more tax and the 67% tax thing is made up it would seem as a 2.6% marginal rate increase for the very wealthiest is what is proposed.

https://www.snopes.com/collections/about-that-biden-tax-plan-meme/

And Biden didn't say he would lockdown the whole country much less made it a fundamental part of his campaign.

https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-biden-shutdown-vaccine-idUSKBN2762TF

I'm sure he would want a better and more consistent response with some restrictions but that is hardly controversial after the dangerously incompetent approach of the current administration.

So it sounds to me like you have been drinking g the Trump coolaid and believing him when he told you it was vintage French champagne.
 
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Tom Van Persie

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If this is true then Biden has a very solid lead over Trump. Clinton had around a 100k vote lead going into 2016 election day.

 

UnrelatedPsuedo

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Who do you think owns companies? A lot of richest people on earth hold large shareholdings and thus have massive voting power. If they are displeased with their current affairs, they will push to have increased dividends to counter the tax values and also move their personal assets abroad. Personal assets also provide employment via cleaners and caretakers etc.

There is no doubt the rich will try and offset as much of the tax burden via other means as possible.

Companies may be influenced into automating more jobs or accelerating the automation of work processes, thereby reducing the number of jobs available. People don't see it, but it does happen.
You’re right. Maybe if we give them more money they’ll start sharing a larger percentage with everyone.

In a very very ugly shorthand manner;

- Raise taxes on those with the ability to pay.
- Those companies will shrink to fit, to a degree.
- Other smaller businesses will fill the gaps this creates.

If 10% of Walmart’s closed, towns that lost a Walmart would see a resurgence of smaller stores that provided the same service.
 

fishfingers15

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YESHHHHH, We'll GOOO for it.
I'm a religiously conservative person, but I don't like to mix that in my politics too much. The wider middle east area is being held back by the Saudi's and the Iranian regime. Unfortunately until the oil runs out there is no getting rid of the Saudi's, at least i can't invisage a way. But if Iran can get rid of the Ayatollahs it will massively help stability and peace and the region. I also think it would help isolate the Saudi's and curb their influence. Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq are all neighbours of Iran and all states which would benefit massively from a free Iran. Iran has the potential to become a developed country overnight if these crippling sanctions were targeted and not widespread. I don't think external regime change can happen in Iran, but opening the world back up to Iran would empower the moderate forces and weaken the Ayatollahs. I think the change could then come from within.

Unfortunately i'm not sure if Trump is the man for that. Then again neither are the democrats.
I've read previously that you want the Pakistani government based on Islam. Apologies if it was someone else
 

Wibble

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I mean, I don't want to get in the way of your Fox News talking points, but literally every piece of research into this subject suggests you're wrong.

To paraphrase the inventor of 'trickle-down economics': the existence (and huge increase!) of the lower class is proof that trickle-down economics do not work.
It is the bullshit that trickles down.
 

Vooon

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Trump's use of YMCA at his rallies is very confusing.

Does it mean that he's dumb as a rock and doesn't understand what the song actually is about, or is he sending a signal to the gays that he actually loves and admires them very bigly and also wants to hook up with men at his local YMCA? Or maybe he refers to his use of the song to troll his assumingly above average homofobe fans when he claims that no-one has ever done more for the LGTB community than him?

I really don't get it.
 

SirAF

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If this is true then Biden has a very solid lead over Trump. Clinton had around a 100k vote lead going into 2016 election day.

In other words, if that is a correct-ish estimate then Trump would have to make up 600k votes on the day. Doesn't seem very likely?
 

Wibble

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What else is he going to do? Wave his magic wand and make it disappear?

They don't think a vaccine is going to be ready until at least the spring, so what else can he do? The only way you can slow the transfer is through lockdown; there is no other way until a vaccine is ready. If people are allowed to go about their normals lives, how will that in any way change the rate of transmission?
Because there is nothing between doing nothing and Wuhan style lockdown? Good to know.
 

SirAF

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Trump's use of YMCA at his rallies is very confusing.

Does it mean that he's dumb as a rock and doesn't understand what the song actually is about, or is he sending a signal to the gays that he actually loves and admires them very bigly and also wants to hook up with men at his local YMCA? Or maybe he refers to his use of the song to troll his assumingly above average homofobe fans when he claims that no-one has ever done more for the LGTB community than him?

I really don't get it.
It's similar to using CCR's Fortunate Son :lol: He/they are clueless about the message.
 

Kaos

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If they want to cut costs, then they're welcome to cut costs. What you're ignoring is that they've ALREADY done this as much as possible, which is exactly why the working class are struggling the way they are. The corporate approach has been to cut costs to a minimum, maximize profit and ensure that profit is directed upwards. Typically for those obsessed with accumulating money, it's a stupid, short sighted approach because the people making up the bulk of the workers are also the people those companies generally rely on to buy their products. By reducing their disposable income, they also reduce their ability to purchase the very products they make.

Over and over again people pushing the argument you're making ignore the elephant in the room. The power doesn't lie with corporations, the power lies with the market, and the market is controlled by the country and by the people who live in it. This whole concept that you have to kiss the suppliers ass is laughable when you actually spend a little time thinking about it. So some big corporation is going to close up and run away abroad? So fecking what? Do free market forces just vanish suddenly? You don't think there'll be a dozen other companies all racing to fill that newly available gap in the market?

The only time it becomes a real issue is if you start taxing companies to the point where their business is actually unprofitable, but given that those corporations are making vast profits that is really not something we need to be worrying about right now.
This is the key point, the likes of Amazon aren't going to go out of business because of tax rises, they'll still be the same filthy rich conglomerate continuing to monopolise their segment, while still garnering astronomical profits. Bezos will still be the richest man on the earth by a long shot. If it does dent the big corporations' strangehold over the markets then that should surely be seen as a good thing anyway. Monopolies are never healthy for any economy, developed or otherwise.
 

Sky1981

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Trickle down economics works, the theory isn't flawed.

What's flawed is that the US manufactures chose to trickle their wealth somewhere else, everywhere else but the US. In order for jobs to go back to US the whole Marginal Cost have to be lower than their foreign competitors.

So all those rich people tax cut aren't doing the poor naught, but a free incentive for the rich.
 

UnrelatedPsuedo

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Some comic relief...

Until today I had no idea why the polling site 538 was named. Never cares enough to google it either.

The Jeb link a few pages back gave me an embarrassing lightbulb moment.

FML
 
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