Originally posted by GreenBicMan
reply to post by greenorbs
I agree..
But I can also see a sit. where
1. They will flaunt it, in your face, either b/c they have become sloppy or careless, b/c they know they own you, and its part of the game
But this is the only situation where I see it being nefarious, and you all could be right, but I am guessing you are not b/c of the 2 reasons I have
listed..
Although, yes, I agree its not a reason to stop looking for info
Right on, the more people become aware via the web, the less they can control the meme that they are in control.
To your point about sloppiness vs. carelessness, I would tend to favor the carelessness argument, because they feel they have passed a tipping point
such that their control will never end -- rather it will be passed as a legacy from generation to genaration.
In Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America, that is the case: the power is concentrated in a few families in each country, and they select
leaders. The structure of the systems in those countries allows the dynasties to maintain strength.
In the U.S., however, we have the estate tax, which purportedly whittles away at dynasties from generation to generation (and that is the purpose of
the estate tax). This allegedly causes the power of a U.S. family to wane. However, if they enter the political arena and become a political dynasty
(e.g., the Kennedys, the Rockefellers, the Clintons, if/when Chelsea runs) things change. The political elite work hand in hand with the U.S. elite,
and the laws are shifting so that the wealthy ruling families will be able to maintain influence through the generations.
Moreover, some argue that the estate tax acts as a disincentive for growing businesses:
The point here is not to denigrate wealth, but to make sure everyone understands that if you have enough money you can hire accountants and
attorneys who will keep the money in the family, perhaps by making the family's primary business a charitable foundation. The main effect of the
estate tax is not to spread wealth – a questionable role for government in the first place – but to hinder the creation of additional wealth. It
does so by forcing many Americans, especially small business owners, to take evasive action to limit their assets so Washington doesn't confiscate
their lifetime earnings when they die.
link
I think we are at a critical juncture with the shift to socialism with heavy taxes on accumulating wealth acting as a block to people being motivated
to create wealth in the first place. What they decide to do with the death tax will be interesting here in the U.S.
For those in other countries, how is the death tax handled?