• GBU_28@lemm.ee
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    5 days ago

    Huh, my read of that was that he’s not calling people unwashed masses, himself.

    He’s describing a system of trillionaire kings and … Everyone else. Unwashed masses refers to the perspective of the wealthy in that situation.

  • Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works
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    5 days ago

    Man, rich people really think this way… Like, the wealthiest person I know is in my direct family, and this is how they talk every day.

    Nobody even brings it up, they can’t wait to shit on everyone that is less fortunate than them. The poorer someone is, the less they value them. It’s so frustrating - anytime I’m around them, I’m just constantly trying to steer the conversation to a safe place.

    • BonesOfTheMoon@lemmy.worldOP
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      5 days ago

      Sure they do. My SO’s ex boss was a multimillionaire who has a business that requires him to put money into it, as it’s a long term investment kind of thing, and you’d think people were pulling his teeth out he fussed so much. Then don’t have a business and sit on your ass all day and hoard your money. They’re the greediest people.

  • lightnsfw@reddthat.com
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    5 days ago

    Where the fuck do these people assholes think their “trillions of dollars” come from? People need to have money in order to spend it. If you put everyone out of work then theirs not going to be anything left for them to spend on your bullshit products and services.

    • ameancow@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      The average middle-class capitalist moron view of economics is when you get rich the government fires up it’s money machine and delivers you sacks of cash. The only thing keeping us all from getting our own sacks is momentary inconveniences and they too will be rich one day just as soon as they [fill in a thousand blanks.]

      A billionaire has deprived vast numbers of people of something. You do not hold onto a billion dollars in your hand without the knowledge that some… or most of that would have paid for medical procedures, some of that would have been baby formula, medicine, overdue rent payments, gas to get to work for a struggling family, heat and water bills and so on. But you have found ways to skim that money from enough people that few notice. Because you don’t miss something that was intercepted before it made it to you.

      You simply cannot ethically hoard money.

  • Redderthanmisty@lemmygrad.ml
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    6 days ago

    The problem I have with UBI is say I get a hundred bucks a week from it, there’s not a single thing stopping my landlord, or my utility companies, or local supermarkets, or anyone in this godforsaken system from just raising their prices to siphon it all away.

    We don’t need universal income, we need universal services. Garaunteed housing, food, public transport, healthcare, everything needed to sustain atleast a basic standard of living so we’re not constantly in fear of whether the last month of 70 hour work weeks is going to be enough to keep of the streets and keep food on the table.

    • Wes4Humanity@lemm.ee
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      5 days ago

      Tie it to inflation and end taxes on individuals… It makes no sense to distribute UBI and then tax it. Just tax the whole bill for society to the corporations. That incentivizes corporations to put pressure on each other to keep prices down and make products that last. There are definitely some industries that should be owned by the state though.

    • morrowind@lemmy.ml
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      6 days ago

      In theory, we live in a competitive market where entities can’t arbitrarily raise prices

  • fruitycoder@sh.itjust.works
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    6 days ago

    I mean he’s right. A system where ubi is just handed out to placate the unenpowered is a recipe for disaster.

    We NEED real power, including economic. Why would your vote matter if the military doesn’t need you, why would your purchasing power matter if you don’t produce anything, etc. People may have intrinsic worth but intrinsic worth doesn’t the levers of power pull.

    • howrar@lemmy.ca
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      5 days ago

      Do you think that’s possible to achieve? If all necessary labour can be accomplished by AI, where would this power come from?

  • nephs@lemmygrad.ml
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    6 days ago

    From each according to their abilities, to each according to their needs.

    • Karl Marx, 1875, Critique of the Gotha Programme.