Well said, but the actions of the bad is creating the environment that they ALL GET TO LIVE IN. Maybe the Billionaires who have done it right should have help police the bad, pointed out the injustices, why now are we supposed to feel sorry for the folks who could of helped stop the bad.
Yes, It's not the numbers, it's the method. Producing and earning a fair return is moral and should be protected. Taking by exploiting others is the opposite. What to do about it? Avoid is all I know for sure.
All the things you say the left "will" do, are already being done right now by the right. So, ignore the devil eating you right now, while warning about the devil that might eat you in the future.
There sure are statists on both sides of that particular spectrum. Just the left thinks collectivist and accepts force as a valid means to accomplish aims and the cronyism is a direct byproduct, while the right claims to support Constitutional limits on government coercion, but then supports all sorts of interventions in the economy, and plays the crony game as a wink-wink-nod-nod. Leftist morality itself is not consistent with peaceful coexistence, whereas the actual actions of people on the right who are in positions of power are inconsistent with good morality. Rather frustrating if the only choices are that right left spectrum. A spectum that I prefer is Statist <---> Individualist. Fascist/Socialist/Communist/Authoritarian/Dictator all on the left. Libertarian/Anarchocapitalist on the right.. Mainstream Democratic and Republican politicians in the US are both on the left side of that more coherent spectrum.
Regardless of whether a billionaire's behavior is considered "good" or "bad", one thing remains true: There is practically no (healthy) way one can "consume" a billion dollars in wealth. Practically speaking, the only rational reason to accumulate, and continue to commandeer, billions is to control big things -- industries, governments, peoples -- against their otherwise organic will, by whatever means enabled by that wealth.
But don't get me wrong, I have far *less* love for the mind-f*ckery of most collectivists. No matter what, the Iron Law of Oligarchy rules. A pox on all the psychopaths among them.
How about Elon who has doesn't seem as interested in controlling people, but rather in controlling nature (to be able to live on Mars).. SpaceX to get there, Tesla for solar power on Mars and to get around in machines, and robots to do dangerous work. Neuralink to control the robots. Boring Company to build tunnels that they'll live in on Mars. Starlink for communication on Mars.. All built here because they are useful here, but all serve Mars colonization. Still crony of course. Maybe not as bad a crony.
The industrial age has the ability to produce the basics of life in abundance.
The political capital that philanthropy used to gain the owners of capital has been adopted by the political class as state welfare entitlements. This enables and uses the villain narrative to marginalise owners of capital. It is a destructive social dynamic.
The problem is not ownership of capital per se, it's the level of concentration of ownership of capital along with the levels of psychopathy within that concentration.
I have no problem calling out villains no matter which way they they do it, because actual villainy happens everywhere. There are neither ideological causes nor solutions.
Well said, but the actions of the bad is creating the environment that they ALL GET TO LIVE IN. Maybe the Billionaires who have done it right should have help police the bad, pointed out the injustices, why now are we supposed to feel sorry for the folks who could of helped stop the bad.
"The fiercest billionaire-haters are the democratic socialists. They think in terms of groups."
Funny.
Next time you'll tell me there's such a thing as an economy.
Yes, It's not the numbers, it's the method. Producing and earning a fair return is moral and should be protected. Taking by exploiting others is the opposite. What to do about it? Avoid is all I know for sure.
All the things you say the left "will" do, are already being done right now by the right. So, ignore the devil eating you right now, while warning about the devil that might eat you in the future.
There sure are statists on both sides of that particular spectrum. Just the left thinks collectivist and accepts force as a valid means to accomplish aims and the cronyism is a direct byproduct, while the right claims to support Constitutional limits on government coercion, but then supports all sorts of interventions in the economy, and plays the crony game as a wink-wink-nod-nod. Leftist morality itself is not consistent with peaceful coexistence, whereas the actual actions of people on the right who are in positions of power are inconsistent with good morality. Rather frustrating if the only choices are that right left spectrum. A spectum that I prefer is Statist <---> Individualist. Fascist/Socialist/Communist/Authoritarian/Dictator all on the left. Libertarian/Anarchocapitalist on the right.. Mainstream Democratic and Republican politicians in the US are both on the left side of that more coherent spectrum.
This meme says it all:
The Right Enemy vs. The Wrong Enemy:
https://danieljmitchell.wordpress.com/2016/02/14/the-right-kind-of-class-warfare-workers-vs-looters/
Regardless of whether a billionaire's behavior is considered "good" or "bad", one thing remains true: There is practically no (healthy) way one can "consume" a billion dollars in wealth. Practically speaking, the only rational reason to accumulate, and continue to commandeer, billions is to control big things -- industries, governments, peoples -- against their otherwise organic will, by whatever means enabled by that wealth.
But don't get me wrong, I have far *less* love for the mind-f*ckery of most collectivists. No matter what, the Iron Law of Oligarchy rules. A pox on all the psychopaths among them.
How about Elon who has doesn't seem as interested in controlling people, but rather in controlling nature (to be able to live on Mars).. SpaceX to get there, Tesla for solar power on Mars and to get around in machines, and robots to do dangerous work. Neuralink to control the robots. Boring Company to build tunnels that they'll live in on Mars. Starlink for communication on Mars.. All built here because they are useful here, but all serve Mars colonization. Still crony of course. Maybe not as bad a crony.
The industrial age has the ability to produce the basics of life in abundance.
The political capital that philanthropy used to gain the owners of capital has been adopted by the political class as state welfare entitlements. This enables and uses the villain narrative to marginalise owners of capital. It is a destructive social dynamic.
The problem is not ownership of capital per se, it's the level of concentration of ownership of capital along with the levels of psychopathy within that concentration.
I have no problem calling out villains no matter which way they they do it, because actual villainy happens everywhere. There are neither ideological causes nor solutions.
The balance is missing though.
Number of welfare programs and entitlements v private philanthropists.
The state is winning the PR game. This leads to a totalitarian structure where real power belongs to the state and a few notional fig-leaf adjacents.