• SalmonTractor@discuss.tchncs.de
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    2 hours ago

    That company is just a middle man with no technology of their own. The sooner everyone realizes this, the sooner nobody buys anything from them. Even military people realize they’re a scam grift.

  • wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz
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    6 hours ago

    The CEO of a… checks notes… mass surveillance company named after a skrying orb used by an evil sorcerer in arguably the most famous fantasy series of all time… warns that a… wealth tax on billionaires (like himself)… would cause… mass surveillance…?

  • Smeagol666@crazypeople.online
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    5 hours ago

    Thanks for the fucking tip, Sauron.

    On another tangentially related topic, Smaug wouldn’t even be in the top ten richest beings if he and his stolen wealth were real.

  • AzuranAurora@piefed.ca
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    6 hours ago

    I, with a straight face, suggest we should fire the Palantir CEO out of a cannon off a tall cliff into the ocean. Preferably one with jagged rocks on the coastline.

    • nastronot@lemmy.zip
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      5 hours ago

      Whoa whoa whoa.

      We went through all this trouble making the CEO cannon. Let’s not stop at one.

  • kbal@fedia.io
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    9 hours ago

    I thought maybe he meant that taxing them would anger the billionaires and more mass surveillance is just what they do when they’re angry, but no. He just means surveillance of billionaire’s bank accounts. I’m not sure that really counts as “mass.”

    • nilloc@discuss.tchncs.de
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      8 hours ago

      Every time I deposit more than $600 cash I’m getting monitored. These fuckers have no clue how we live.

      • floofloof@lemmy.ca
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        6 hours ago

        In the 60 Minutes interview, when the interviewer reminded Trump his wealth had increased by $3 billion, Trump immediately shot back “Well, so did everyone’s.” I dont think they even remember that non-billionaires exist, and if they do they don’t consider it important.

      • 2ndDegreeOWO@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        And that’s just the mandated monitoring – it doesn’t include the monitoring that businesses and banks are doing for free, on their own.

        I hear rumors that many places are rolling out systems to record and track the serial number of every bill of cash that goes in or out, because they can sell that information to big data collectors who can use it to piece together a picture of where cash flows – previously the only flow of money they couldn’t completely monitor. And, of course, that big data is available to the government at any time, either by buying it or by getting a friendly judge to sign off on sweeping warrants.

    • fonix232@fedia.io
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      4 hours ago

      And monitored it should be.

      Once a person has enough wealth that affects, say, more than 50 “unaffiliated” (non-family member/dependant/immediate circle, not including employees) people’s lives, their finances should be as transparent as aquarium glass.

      • VAK@lemmy.world
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        2 hours ago

        Don’t complicate stuff, just treat wealth like income. In fact let’s change income tax to income and wealth tax. Same department, same operations.

          • VAK@lemmy.world
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            57 minutes ago

            Why? Average people haven’t hoarded sufficient wealth for taxing, so what’s the backfire

            • fonix232@fedia.io
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              29 minutes ago

              You didn’t specify that you wanted to tqx wealth above a given level… You just stated you want to roll income and wealth tax into one. That would apply to everyone…

              • VAK@lemmy.world
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                14 minutes ago

                Alrighty, here goes -

                Taxes on annual income -

                0 upto 1st quartile of the distribution

                5% on part 1st quartile to median

                10% on part median to 90%ile

                20% on part 90%ile to 99%ile

                40% on part 99%ile up

                Taxes each year on wealth -

                0 upto 50M USD

                1% on part 50M to 100M USD

                2% on part 100M to 200M USD

                3% on part 200M to 400M USD

                4% on part 400M to 800M USD

                5% on part 800M to 1.6B USD

                6%… Keep going, you get the pattern

      • jumping redditor [they/them]@sh.itjust.works
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        3 hours ago

        how would you define “affects people’s lives”? because hiring a yard work company and replacing your roof could potentially be contracting 50 people (it shouldn’t be more than 30 but I’ve seen the exact Mexican immigrants Trump probably hates working as a family in roofing where the entire family does the job all at once)

  • RedWeasel@lemmy.world
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    10 hours ago

    So Mass surveillance CEO say taking away their power will cause more of it? Makes sense /s

    • KeithD@lemmy.nz
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      2 hours ago

      Clearly he’s saying that he’s a lazy overpaid piece of crap who doesn’t do his job most days, but if he gets taxed more he’ll actually feel the need to do some work for a change. /s

    • Zephorah@discuss.online
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      9 hours ago

      It’s threat of punishment. There’s the money, and then there’s the rest of us. We’re at the point where the money doesn’t expect further pushback (with teeth) from us.

      • YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today
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        8 hours ago

        Which surfaces? If we’re talking nails on chalkboard then it’s all smiles. But a well greased main gear? May wanna push for a harsher threat.