this post was submitted on 17 May 2026
733 points (97.2% liked)

Progressive Politics

4616 readers
1100 users here now

Welcome to Progressive Politics! A place for news updates and political discussion from a left perspective. Conservatives and centrists are welcome just try and keep it civil :)

(Sidebar still a work in progress post recommendations if you have them such as reading lists)

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] OhStopYellingAtMe@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago
[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 5 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

Only 5%? Mine is approaching 30% and I can't afford shit.

Also sending out checks is fucking stupid. Just lower our taxes.

[–] itslilith@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

It's 5% of wealth, not income. But still, anything short of 100% will not stop the parasites. But its a nice gesture, if nothing else

[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 0 points 1 hour ago

But its a nice gesture, if nothing else

Not particularly. 5% is nothing to them.

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 15 points 4 hours ago

No. I never agree with anyone using engagement bait titles.

[–] ContactClosure@lemmus.org 2 points 2 hours ago

5%?! How about 50%, for starters.

[–] glimse@lemmy.world 5 points 3 hours ago

It's so crazy to me that people eat stuff like this up. Pages like this make BANK slapping some text on a bunch of image while adding absolutely nothing to the conversation.

Everything they make exists not to make a difference but to drive page views to their stupid accounts. It's so, so transparent.

And in this house, we hate all ads

[–] SabinStargem@lemmy.today 2 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago)

No. It doesn't go far enough.

After a certain point, both personal and corporate wealth should be 100% taxed, with loopholes closed and massive penalties imposed on any who previously exploited them. Government critters should solely live on salaries, unable to buy or sell stocks, nor receive 'gifts'.

[–] HrabiaVulpes@europe.pub 8 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Polish government decided to send check to all parents as a way to promote having kids.

You know what happened? All the products needed by young kids suddenly rose in price. Sending checks to americans will do the same - all necessities will just become expensive exactly by amount of money they got.

Want to change the world? Tax the debt machine (5 or 10% of every transaction involving stocks and obligations, including using them as a loan security) and treat companies like people (as in - tax them on income, not on profit).

[–] krisevol@lemmus.org 3 points 4 hours ago (3 children)

It's supply and demand, if your raise the demand of course the products cost more. What did they expect?

[–] HrabiaVulpes@europe.pub 1 points 36 minutes ago

There was no increase to amount of kids conceived after the "financial help" was redistributed. Prices of child necessities grew after the funding was passed, before first money reached the parents.

[–] WaxRhetorical@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

If supply is, for example, 10.000 units a day, and demand rises from 5.000 to 8.000, there is no reason why the price should increase, other than corporate greed.

[–] plyth@feddit.org 1 points 3 hours ago

Things only cost more if the people pay more. With spending discipline, people could have had actually more. Most things are industrially produced. Supply likely was no bottleneck and the increased demand could have been matched.

The implication is that people already own everything that they can buy. Wage increases only increase inflation. Fighting for higher wages only increases the prices.

[–] BeardededSquidward@lemmy.blahaj.zone 13 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

No, it should be 10% at least.

[–] FlyingCircus@lemmy.world 3 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

We could tax a billionaire 95% of their wealth, and they would still have more money than you or I could reasonably spend in a lifetime.

Oh yeah, I'm a big proponent of no more billionaires. But it appears to a lot of average people smaller amounts are more palpable because they think they'll ever be that rich.

[–] boaratio@lemmy.world 11 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

I have the same amount of power to make this happen as Bernie Sanders has.

[–] whoisearth@lemmy.ca 3 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

I hate using this term because I don't think he's stupid but the phrase is "useful idiot"

If you think of the machine that is politics he serves a purpose. Allowing him to vocalize this message essentially is a pressure release valve. His existence and beliefs although not wrong are keeping more aggressive views at bay. He's basically keeping a segment of the population docile by making them think "he speaks for me. I don't have to do anything"

Hate to say it but AOC as well. They're part of the machinery. They are not disruptors at all.

[–] kiagam@lemmy.world 2 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Americans need him but more agressive

[–] whoisearth@lemmy.ca 3 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Disagree. Mamdami is a good example. They just need someone new and fresh without baggage. You go back far enough you will find inconsistencies in any politician. A fresh face benefits all.

Why America only wants geriatrics is beyond me.

[–] Skyrmir@lemmy.world 4 points 4 hours ago

They don't want geriatrics, but being an incumbent comes with a massive fund raising and name recognition boost. Making it a huge accomplishment to break into the debate. AOC was a major upset for a reason when she took office. That was not a small accomplishment.

[–] vegafjord@slrpnk.net 5 points 7 hours ago

Sounds affordable.

[–] PieMePlenty@lemmy.world 11 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago) (4 children)

I don't know.. why is medical care so expensive in the first place? Why are teachers wages so low? Why is there such a huge wealth disparity?
Seems like these are systematic problems which need to be solved with a full system restructuring rather than throwing money at it. Not to dunk on Bernie, but If I were American, I'd be hoping for more concrete solutions.
5% tax sounds nice (imo, its no where near nice enough lol) but what are we taxing here exactly? Billionaires don't actually have any money. There's a systematic problem to solve right there.. how can people be filthy rich, yet have no actual money to tax?

Like this, a very 'American idea' to me is 'student loan forgiveness'. You borrow money from a bank (for profit institution), you pay it to get educated at a university (for profit institution) and get the loan forgiven by the government (tax payers). Systematic problem. Just make universities public and they get funded by the tax payers directly.

Feels like a band aid on a dismembered limb imo..

[–] Karjalan@lemmy.world 8 points 8 hours ago

I get your misgivings but... Changing it for the better has gotta start somewhere.

Even this idea is way too "progressive" to have any chance of coming to pass

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] MeowerMisfit817@lemmy.world 7 points 8 hours ago

The fact they had to ask says a lot.

[–] some_guy 2 points 6 hours ago

But that would be unfair to 938 people who unfairly got rich on the backs of the working class! Think of the poor billionaires!

/I have to point it out because sometimes people can't tell when it's text on the internet. It's sarcasm.

[–] melsaskca@lemmy.ca 2 points 6 hours ago

Find everyone who disagrees with this and send 'em on a one-way SpaceX trip to Mars. BOOM! Earth now has peace, with plenty of warmth, food and security for everyone.

[–] anon_8675309@lemmy.world 3 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Tax them how?

It’s complicated but depending on how they’re taxed you might not get shit out of them.

[–] whoisearth@lemmy.ca 3 points 7 hours ago (3 children)

IMHO it's a global problem and American exceptionalism won't solve it.

Billionaires in general need to cease to exist. Bloodshed is coming mark my words.

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›