Steve Randy Waldman
@interfluidity.com
Text: Because we can't bring ourselves to call a dollar of increased purchasing power "income," it escapes income taxes, payroll taxes, and even taxes on capital gains - which can be deferred without limit. Changing this would require a system that taxes some fraction of accrued unrealized gains annually, raising the basis accordingly - with a very large exemption so it doesn't apply to ordinary investors. One might tax stock buybacks at the corporate level as a "deemed dividend." Alternatively, an "imputed return" might be applied to asset holdings above some very large threshold. One wouldn't pay any imputed tax if the securities lose value in a given year, and would receive credit against capital gains taxes on whatever amounts were previously paid on the imputed returns. Approaches like these would have two objectives - the most important being to eliminate the striking bias that taxes a dollar of wage and salary income at far higher combined rates than the same dollar obtained as investment income (particularly at extremely high wealth tiers), and it would address one of the largest forms of tax escape - the ability of multi-billionaires to defer taxes forever, financing their consumption simply by borrowing against their asset holdings. For now, none of this is anywhere on the political menu.
Steve Randy Waldman
@interfluidity.com
despite the bitter cold these are people who have no cool to lose.
Steve Randy Waldman
@interfluidity.com
we've developed a tool that supersedes and renders obsolete the guillotine. it's called taxation. we've never quite had the courage to deploy it as indicated.
Steve Randy Waldman
@interfluidity.com
Abolish ICE. If you want to enforce current immigration law, fine employers.
Steve Randy Waldman
@interfluidity.com
Impeach. Convict. Remove. Prosecute. Rinse. Repeat.
Steve Randy Waldman
@interfluidity.com
“after all of those whom i resent have been crushed, i swear to you the world will be peaceful and good.”
Steve Randy Waldman
@interfluidity.com
very few administrations have resolved as many serious crises they created in such a short period of time.
Steve Randy Waldman
@interfluidity.com
perhaps it's too early to say, but i am heartened by the prospect of peace between the United States and NATO.
Steve Randy Waldman
@interfluidity.com
they mocked him for an apology tour that never happened, but whoever’s next better do a big one.
Steve Randy Waldman
@interfluidity.com
i like to sign up for expensive classes so i can have the pleasure of skipping school again.
Steve Randy Waldman
@interfluidity.com
i know everybody hates GenAI but it's a capable sycophant if it could generate a metaverse for Donald Trump in which every peace price goes to him and all of his tariffs make the economy "hot" and combat operations yield fast, lethal victories everybody cheers on televisions, mightn't he go there?
Steve Randy Waldman
@interfluidity.com
(I worry the MAGAists would delight in using this as a wedge between "real Americans" and stereotypes of the kind of people who book getaways in Paris. That's not to say the EU shouldn't! They have cause regardless of US domestic politics. But I'm not sure it would be too effective.)
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Steve Randy Waldman
@interfluidity.com
Steve Randy Waldman
@interfluidity.com
look we all prefer the normative state but defunding the prerogative state polls terribly.
Steve Randy Waldman
@interfluidity.com
throwing over the table is simultaneously an act of performative aggression and a way of forfeiting the game.
Steve Randy Waldman
@interfluidity.com
he’s still a lame duck. he manufactures crisis after crisis to distract from that but he’s the lamest fucking duck.
Steve Randy Waldman
@interfluidity.com
Impeach. Convict. Remove. Rinse. Repeat.
Steve Randy Waldman
@interfluidity.com
will Europe actually get their shit together building EU-based replacements for US big tech internet platforms?
Steve Randy Waldman
@interfluidity.com
90 deals (circumventing the United States) in 90 days.
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