this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2025
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[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 1 points 6 minutes ago

If we taxed the wealthy at 1950s rates we’d get it paid off quickly

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 9 points 5 hours ago

just fyi - the US national debt is $36 trillion. That's about $110 million per American. So hey folks, what say we all chip in and get that thing paid off!

But wait, we could just make the billionaires pay it! Sorry no, the combined net worth of all 900-ish billionaires in America is less than $7 trillion. That's how deep in debt this country is.

[–] TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world 2 points 5 hours ago

I still see on other social media on blaming everything and everyone on the growing debt, but not on taxing the rich.

[–] PalmTreeIsBestTree@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

They all ready get my taxes

[–] callouscomic@lemmy.zip -3 points 4 hours ago

The bottom half of US wage-earners pay net zero in federal income taxes. The top 10% pay the obscene majority of it.

What I mean is it's a safe bet that any random person whining about their federal tax dollars doesn't actually pay much in, if any.

[–] gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 17 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

How about give me all the fucking social security I paid over the course of my career first, instead of handing it to like 12 billionaires who definitely don’t need it?

[–] callouscomic@lemmy.zip 1 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

Current social security taxes go straight to current social security stuff. Its a paygo system. It used to be something like 15 wage earners per current social security recipient, but as of when I last read up on it, that was down to 3 to 1 and continuing to slide towards the red.

The first social security recipient paid in like $15 before retiring and then collected like $20k or something before dying.

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 5 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

I'm sorry are my taxes not enough? Try taking some from the billionaires you just gifted milkions in tax breaks..

[–] RatherBeMTB@sh.itjust.works 3 points 5 hours ago (1 children)

I don't even understand why someone with 100 million needs a billion or a milkion... There's no end to unchecked ambition.

[–] callouscomic@lemmy.zip 1 points 3 hours ago

It's not about the money. It's about status and control.

[–] JackbyDev@programming.dev 5 points 11 hours ago (1 children)
[–] the_crotch@sh.itjust.works 3 points 6 hours ago

I do, but only for good service

[–] donuts@lemmy.world 61 points 1 day ago (1 children)

As we tend to say in Europe, the US is a third-world country wearing a Gucci belt

[–] GargleBlaster@feddit.org 25 points 1 day ago (1 children)

A Gucci belt made in china

[–] actionjbone@sh.itjust.works 24 points 1 day ago

A Gocci belt made in China.

So, pay the government more money (socializing the losses) while the government funnels that same money in to executive pockets (privatizing the gains)??

[–] Switorik@lemmy.zip 39 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Don't we already do this with taxes? Why would anyone do this?

[–] cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 29 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You know those payment machines where you walk to a counter, order, and they ask for a tip?

That's what this is, but at a federal level.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago

Thats already a thing in taxes. There are a few programs you can donate directly to or just pay more to the general government fund. Which is fair enough, whether you're feeling generous or want to throw on a bit extra to cover your ass in case of math error or forgotten revenue that's a reasonable thing to offer though most won't.

But yeah the feds hitting you up for a few bucks on venmo would be bad enough if they hadn't just slashed taxes on the rich, raised them on the poor, ballooned the budget, ramped up tyranny, and slashed the things the government does that actually benefit people.

[–] cjoll4@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

People are donating out of the goodness of their hearts, of course. Clearly, relieving a teeny tiny drop in the massive ocean of public debt is a more worthy charitable cause than giving directly to organizations that provide clean water, education, or disaster relief.

[–] rainwall@piefed.social 7 points 20 hours ago

Not surprised Thiels/Musks paypal/venmo are onboard.

This is just an absurd attempt to derail arguments about fair taxation by waiving a red herring around about people being able to voluntarily increase their own taxes, as if asking for a fair system is the same as utterly destroying your own solvency.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago

Can I send them a request?

[–] tane69@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago

What’s the Venmo address so I can request money from it?