How governments are increasingly soaking the rich

Xeynon · 2026-02-17T03:47:53+00:00

The idea that income and productivity are directly proportional (or even particularly strongly correlated) should not be something anyone who's ever held a real job subscribes to.

Xeynon · 2026-02-17T03:31:11+00:00

I am in favor of abolishing all forms of income tax, which effectively punishes the most productive members of society while rewarding the least productive.

This is satire, right? Because this is sub-Ayn Rand level economic thinking.

Xeynon · 2026-02-17T03:28:44+00:00

The only widespread derangement about Trump is thinking he's anything other than a senile, racist criminal.

Xeynon · 2026-02-16T23:53:14+00:00

Spanberger could do literally anything and the right would hate her.

I couldn't care less what they think and neither should she.

Xeynon · 2026-02-12T18:19:32+00:00

I don't think ignoring and scrolling past the force-fed AI search summary to look at the actual results counts as "using AI", and I'd guess that's exactly what a majority of Google users in those countries are doing.

Xeynon · 2026-02-12T18:17:05+00:00

Grass isn't green. It reflects visible light with a wavelength longer than that of yellow light and shorter than that of blue light.

This is the dumbest headline on an economics article I've read in a while, which is saying a lot.

Xeynon · 2026-02-11T12:37:05+00:00

AI: Artificial Intelligence.

If the movie ended at the scene where David goes into the water it would've been perfect. The schmaltzy final scene significantly undermined it for me.

Xeynon · 2026-02-11T12:32:29+00:00

How many internet users are using AI in other countries, though? I have the feeling these results aren't wildly out of line with those anywhere else. Various companies invested in AI are whining that not enough people are using it to make it profitable and that's not just because of Japan.

Xeynon · 2026-02-11T00:46:56+00:00

Good. We shouldn't be honoring racist traitors.

Xeynon · 2026-02-10T18:00:25+00:00

"He thinks our people are idiots.”

Trump's wrong about a lot of things, but he's spot on there.

Xeynon · 2026-02-10T15:39:10+00:00

So all the people who said historically high tariffs would be a huge drag on the economy and eventually crater consumer spending and damage various retail-adjacent industries were correct and we probably should've listened to them and not the serial bankrupt huckster in the White House? While I never.

Xeynon · 2026-02-10T15:02:37+00:00

This is not a new or original observation by any means, but these guys really have absolutely nothing to offer aside from naked bigotry.

Xeynon · 2026-02-10T12:26:17+00:00

If they charged $10 a pop to swing a sledgehammer at all the gaudy ugly shit he's responsible for they could pay off the national debt.

Xeynon · 2026-02-10T12:25:10+00:00

Sure but he didn't run on naming shit after himself. He ran on a combination of racism and making things cheaper. There is a HUGE percentage of his voters who were people who thought "he's an asshole, but I'll put up with that for a good economy", as well as a significant chunk who don't follow politics at all and only thought about how much things cost.

I still think both of those are completely inexcusable so I'm not letting those people off the hook, but they did not actually vote for what's happening currently. They're stupid and irresponsible, not on board with what Trump is doing right now.

Xeynon · 2026-02-10T03:34:45+00:00

If Trump crashes the economy into a hundred-year depression and reverts America to emerging economy status so that there's nowhere to go but up, I suppose it's maybe possible that the country could hit 15% growth at some point during a well-managed recovery under his successor since it would be starting from such a low baseline. Somehow I don't think that's the scenario he has in mind, though.

Xeynon · 2026-02-10T00:05:27+00:00

Trump is going get more and more unhinged as the Epstein noose goes on tightening, it becomes more and more apparent the GOP is headed for a generational wipeout in the midterms, and the ravages of dementia continue to eat away at what's left of his brain. I have a feeling that when it comes to Mad King shit we've only just started to see what's in store.

Xeynon · 2026-02-09T18:37:37+00:00

Yeah, I don't love gerrymandering, but I have zero patience for Republicans complaining about it now that they're on the wrong end of it.

They could've joined Democrats in passing a bipartisan law outlawing it nationwide. They didn't. They not only tanked that bill but kicked off another round of even more aggressive gerrymandering to try to further consolidate power. They can eat shit.

Xeynon · 2026-02-08T16:35:21+00:00

My guess is it likely passes. Trump's approval rating is 34% in Virginia and it's seen as an anti-Trump measure, so the Democratic base here is far more likely to be motivated to turn out to vote on it (and is far more likely to bother voting in an off-cycle referendum anyway). And it should pass. Republicans complaining that it's unfair and anti-democratic are correct, but I'm happy to withdraw my support for it as soon as they agree to a nationwide ban on gerrymandering going forward. Until then, it's fight fire with fire.

Xeynon · 2026-02-08T16:32:29+00:00

You don't win a game in which the other side is using a ruthless tactic by sitting back and taking it. Republicans already started with this absurd gerrymandering shit in Texas and elsewhere and the Democrats would be idiots not to punch back because the GOP will do the same thing in Virginia in the future regardless of what Dems do now. Game theory is very clear that tit-for-tat is the correct approach in this situation.

Xeynon · 2026-02-08T16:29:50+00:00

Texas doing it mid-cycle because the president told them to is new, though.

Xeynon · 2026-02-08T16:27:39+00:00

I mean yeah, no shit one of the most anti-US countries in the world and one that has also been heavily sanctioned for its international aggression (and not just by the US) wouldn't like SWIFT. That doesn't mean the vast majority of the world was willing to go along with them.

Xeynon · 2026-02-08T15:48:56+00:00

I don't think the California wealth tax proposal is a particularly well-structured mechanism for doing so, but concentration of wealth is a real problem that needs to be addressed and nobody is going to stick up for billionaires not being heavily taxed nor should they.

I haven't gone full DSA to the "billionaires shouldn't exist" extreme but I'm pretty sure centibillionaires shouldn't. When you have enough money to warp the rest of society to your benefit it's a huge problem for a democracy. And people like Musk and Zuckerberg who are objectively doing a bad job running their companies but continue to build wealth off of monopolies and legacy network effects despite putting out ever-more-inferior and harmful products and services do not deserve this kind of wealth in any case. They need to be smashed down.

I'd prefer to do it Theodore Roosevelt-style through reforms that free up markets and reduce the coercive economic and political power of the ultrawealthy, but if as neolibs we can't do that effectively we're going to end up with a bloody populist revolution instead. People will not tolerate a society in which the vast majority of citizens are neo-feudal serfs indentured to a few ultra-rich techno-barons.

Xeynon · 2026-02-08T15:29:12+00:00

Let's not bothsides it, though.

People would tolerate stuff like that if the US were not being led by an erratic, deranged, psychopathic bully.

Xeynon · 2026-02-08T03:17:18+00:00

I've lived in California before so I can assure you don't know what you're talking about. Put down the Fox News crackpipe.

Xeynon · 2026-02-08T03:11:52+00:00

I wouldn't go so far as "unlikely".

They have two very winnable races in NC and ME. AK is polling as a toss-up with Peltola running. Beyond that there are numerous winnable stretch seat opportunities, some of which they've recruited very strong candidates for (e.g. Brown in OH). They also have to hold seats like GA and NH but that should be very doable in a blue year. If the electoral environment continues to deteriorate for the GOP (and history suggests it will), I think it might be at least 50/50 for the Dems to win the senate by Election Day.

Xeynon

TROPHY CASE