Bernie Sanders says he wants to "redistribute wealth". But what does that really mean?

[whitehall]

It's an unpleasant fact of life that nobody has ever gotten rich as a result of the Marxist idea of "redistribution of wealth". Money is power and the stated intent of the socialists is to seize the power and use it for their own ends. The problem is that most socialists can't walk and chew gum at the same time so the corporate power they seize turns to junk, the people become equal only in their shared misery and only the socialist elites benefit until the system finally collapses.

 

[williepete]

What drove those traitors offshore are labor costs.

You bring up a good point here. On top of that, I'll add regulations, labor laws, jumping through hoops to avoid getting sued, union thugs--all the things that make starting and running a business onerous in the U.S.

Bernie Marcus, founder of Home Depot, has stated on several occasions that with today's hostile business environment, he couldn't start Home Depot--"an international company with 340,000 employees and 2,500 locations in the US alone."
Job Creators Network | Marcus: We Couldn’t Start Home Depot Today

So what's Bernie going to do to bring those companies and jobs back? Reduce government regulations that drove them away? Nope. He'll increase them. Raise wages? He would if he had the power. But would raising wages in the U.S. cause wages to rise to an equal level in China or India? Nope. Lower taxes? Ha! You kidding. He'll raise taxes as soon and as high as Congress will let him. So how is Bernie going to stop jobs from leaving or bring jobs back? He can't do it by making the hostile business environment more hostile.

But hey. All that free stuff sounds so good.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Done and did.
Which allowed me to retire at 46. I advocate you get off your ass and apply yourself and stop blaming others for your poor performance.

Oh I get it, when a republican is unemployed he's "retired", but when it's someone else he's a "moocher".

Now it all makes sense.

See the difference is I pay for my own shit as a retired person.
Liberals use my tax money to suck the welfare tit and call it retirement.
But to be honest I'll take my form of retirement...it pays way better.

Liberals? You mean your fellow conservatives and corporations you love to suck up to.

Plus no one believes you're retired because you're successful. At BEST you made a half-assed attempt to start a business, failed miserably and now claim to be retired while living off of your wife/girlfriend who I'm sure is the only one in your household who actually has a job.

The bitter tears of your failure....
You want to know the best thing about class warfare?
You're the only one who has to fight it.

Only one of us is the idiot who supports politicians and policies that actually go against our own best interest. Talk about failure.

Keep up the good fight there sparky...
Although you could use that time and energy to improve your place in life.
But I'm sure picketing outside the MickyD's will eventually pay off for you.

 

[g5000]

This is the latest installation of liberals and other socialists saying they want to "redistribute" the wealth in this country. But that implies that the wealth was "distributed" by someone to us all in the first place, and maybe that someone did a bad job and the liberal socialists think they can do it better.

But wealth was never "distributed" to any of us, except maybe by welfare clerks to various indigent persons. But the $100 that's in my wallet now, wasn't distributed to me by anyone. A guy with a car and I made an agreement: I'd tune up his car and fix a few things on it, and he'd pay me $100 to do it. I tuned it up, changed the oil, and replaced two squeaking belts that were badly worn. He's happy, now it starts easier, gets better gas mileage, and doesn't make weird sounds as he drives. He'd much rather have a car that drives like this, than have the $100; and I'd much rather have the $100 and don't mind getting my hands dirty to do something I do well.

Nobody "distributed" anything to either one of us. He and I made a deal, both of us gave the other something of value, both of us are happy with the outcome.

But if our modern liberal socialists had come along just then, they might have taken the guy's $100, and the guy couldn't have gotten me to fix his car. He'd still have a sh*tty-running car that sometimes wouldn't start, I'd be $100 poorer... which means my son would be walking 3 miles to school instead of riding the bike I was about to fix up for him. The liberal socialists want me to think that a better use was made of that $100, than we would have made of it... but when we asked them exactly what the money was used for, they can't answer the question.

People who talk about "redistributing" wealth, are lying. What they are doing, is taking something that was yours, that you earned, and telling you that (a) they know better how to use it than you do, and (b) this somehow makes it OK for them to take it from you, whether you like it or not.

These people aren't "redistributing" anything, because your money wasn't "distributed" to you in the first place. You EARNED it, and you got it because you DESERVED it, not because some uninvolved bureaucrat thought your having it would somehow be a good idea and so gave his blessing on you to receive it.

"Redistributing" is the liberal socialists' way of implying you did NOT earn your money, and so it's not really yours. And pretending that his deciding what to use your money for, is the natural order of things. Not the idea that since you earned it, YOU should decide what to use it for. They're trying to get you away from that idea.

A man who jerks you into an alley, sticks a gun in your face, and demands you give him your money or he'll blast you, is doing the same thing those liberal socialists are. The only difference is, the guy with the gun is being more honest and straightforward about it. He's not pretending you owe him anything, and not trying to get you to believe that what he's doing is "moral", and not trying to fool you into thinking that your keeping your money is eeevil.

Next time one of our liberal socialists tells you he wants to "redistribute" the wealth, remember what he's really saying. And remember that in many ways you'd be better off with somebody sticking a gun in your face.

----------------------------------------------

Bernie Sanders: A "Little More Complicated" Than Just Taking Wealth From The Rich And Redistributing It

Bernie Sanders: A "Little More Complicated" Than Just Taking Wealth From The Rich And Redistributing It

Oct. 20, 2015

In an interview with Felix Salmon of Fusion, Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders explains how he would redistribute wealth back to the middle class. However, Sanders said it's "a little more complicated" than just taking wealth from the rich and redistributing it to the middle class. Sanders also proposed a wealth tax to help pay for his economic agenda.

"I think what’s happened is that there has been mass redistribution of wealth in this country for the last 30 years," Sanders said. "The problem is it’s gone from the middle class to the top one-tenth of 1%. And I think we have to redistribute it back to working families and the middle class so that they can have a decent standard of living."

I agree with the spirit of your post, but you are playing semantics with "redistribution". Everyone knows what it means.

 

[RDD_1210]

It's an unpleasant fact of life that nobody has ever gotten rich as a result of the Marxist idea of "redistribution of wealth". Money is power and the stated intent of the socialists is to seize the power and use it for their own ends. The problem is that most socialists can't walk and chew gum at the same time so the corporate power they seize turns to junk, the people become equal only in their shared misery and only the socialist elites benefit until the system finally collapses.

Yeah junk, except in EVERY single country that is doing it well. Name a country that you think is prospering. Just one. I promise you they have many of the 'socialist' policies that Sanders is advocating.

 

[RDD_1210]

Oh I get it, when a republican is unemployed he's "retired", but when it's someone else he's a "moocher".

Now it all makes sense.

See the difference is I pay for my own shit as a retired person.
Liberals use my tax money to suck the welfare tit and call it retirement.
But to be honest I'll take my form of retirement...it pays way better.

Liberals? You mean your fellow conservatives and corporations you love to suck up to.

Plus no one believes you're retired because you're successful. At BEST you made a half-assed attempt to start a business, failed miserably and now claim to be retired while living off of your wife/girlfriend who I'm sure is the only one in your household who actually has a job.

The bitter tears of your failure....
You want to know the best thing about class warfare?
You're the only one who has to fight it.

Only one of us is the idiot who supports politicians and policies that actually go against our own best interest. Talk about failure.

Keep up the good fight there sparky...
Although you could use that time and energy to improve your place in life.
But I'm sure picketing outside the MickyD's will eventually pay off for you.

This coming from the guy who is "retired".

LOL, thanks for the laugh turnip.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

It's an unpleasant fact of life that nobody has ever gotten rich as a result of the Marxist idea of "redistribution of wealth". Money is power and the stated intent of the socialists is to seize the power and use it for their own ends. The problem is that most socialists can't walk and chew gum at the same time so the corporate power they seize turns to junk, the people become equal only in their shared misery and only the socialist elites benefit until the system finally collapses.

Yeah junk, except in EVERY single country that is doing it well. Name a country that you think is prospering. Just one. I promise you they have many of the 'socialist' policies that Sanders is advocating.

You cant name any can you?
This sounds very much like the Tom Sawyer fence painting scheme.

 

[williepete]

You Bernistas want what other people have worked for. Those people don't feel the need to give it to you without a fight or at least a very good reason for them to voluntarily give you what they worked for. And there is the distasteful side of socialism that many of us find so disgusting. Socialism won't work without coercion. Capitalism works by cooperation.

Socialism states that you owe me something simply because I exist. Capitalism, by contrast, results in a sort of reality-forced altruism: I may not want to help you, I may dislike you, but if I don't give you a product or service you want, I will starve. Voluntary exchange is more moral than forced redistribution.
Ben Shapiro

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

See the difference is I pay for my own shit as a retired person.
Liberals use my tax money to suck the welfare tit and call it retirement.
But to be honest I'll take my form of retirement...it pays way better.

Liberals? You mean your fellow conservatives and corporations you love to suck up to.

Plus no one believes you're retired because you're successful. At BEST you made a half-assed attempt to start a business, failed miserably and now claim to be retired while living off of your wife/girlfriend who I'm sure is the only one in your household who actually has a job.

The bitter tears of your failure....
You want to know the best thing about class warfare?
You're the only one who has to fight it.

Only one of us is the idiot who supports politicians and policies that actually go against our own best interest. Talk about failure.

Keep up the good fight there sparky...
Although you could use that time and energy to improve your place in life.
But I'm sure picketing outside the MickyD's will eventually pay off for you.

This coming from the guy who is "retired".

LOL, thanks for the laugh turnip.

Here ya go sparky..since you seem confused.
Although with the high likely hood of you never needing to utter the word I can see where the confusion lies.

re·tired
rəˈtī(ə)rd/
adjective

1. 1.
   having left one's job and ceased to work.
   "a retired teacher"
   synonyms: former, ex-, past, in retirement, superannuated More
   
   
   
   
2. 2.
   
   

 

[g5000]

There is naked redistribution and then there is covert redistribution. I am opposed to both. When I oppose naked redistribution, some people have expressed surprise at my conservatism.

When I oppose covert distribution, I am accused of being a liberal.

So I must be doing something right.

But the truth is, both causes are conservative causes. In both types of redistribution (naked and covert), the middle class is robbed blind.

Naked redistribution is raising taxes to pay for "free" puppies for hookers.

Covert redistribution is much more complicated, but usually results in money being redistributed UP the food chain.

The government spends X amount of dollars each year. For the purposes of covert redistribution, it doesn't matter how much X is. This fact is lost on those who refuse to acknowledge the problem. There are people who get lost in the value of X.

"If we just bring X down, then all our problems will be solved!"

Nope. That might solve the problem of naked redistribution, but it won't make a dent in covert redistribution. It will not eliminate deficits.

X is how much money we need. If we all had to pay an equal amount to meet X, great.

But what if I let some people pay less than their share? That would mean everyone else would have to pay more in order to meet X. Or I would have to borrow the money from somewhere.

And that is exactly what is happening. People earning identical incomes are paying radically different amounts of taxes.

Some people are being given money back for exhibiting behaviors the government wants. It never once occurs to them this giveback comes at the expense of others. They are too busy howling about naked redistribution, completely oblivious they are also part of the problem by way of covert redistribution. "I get to keep my own money I earned! What's wrong with that, commie!"

They steadfastly refuse to see they pay less of their money while someone else has to make up the difference.

Covert redistribution. Someone is given a gift at someone else's expense.

 

[dblack]

If y'all can explain why there are mega-corporations that pay little or no taxes, while you the middle class pay your fair share, it will all become clear to you.

Exactly. That's what made me a Libertarian.

 

[RDD_1210]

It's an unpleasant fact of life that nobody has ever gotten rich as a result of the Marxist idea of "redistribution of wealth". Money is power and the stated intent of the socialists is to seize the power and use it for their own ends. The problem is that most socialists can't walk and chew gum at the same time so the corporate power they seize turns to junk, the people become equal only in their shared misery and only the socialist elites benefit until the system finally collapses.

Yeah junk, except in EVERY single country that is doing it well. Name a country that you think is prospering. Just one. I promise you they have many of the 'socialist' policies that Sanders is advocating.

You cant name any can you?
This sounds very much like the Tom Sawyer fence painting scheme.

I can name plenty. I asked you your opinion on what country you feel is doing well and prospering.

 

[RDD_1210]

Liberals? You mean your fellow conservatives and corporations you love to suck up to.

Plus no one believes you're retired because you're successful. At BEST you made a half-assed attempt to start a business, failed miserably and now claim to be retired while living off of your wife/girlfriend who I'm sure is the only one in your household who actually has a job.

The bitter tears of your failure....
You want to know the best thing about class warfare?
You're the only one who has to fight it.

Only one of us is the idiot who supports politicians and policies that actually go against our own best interest. Talk about failure.

Keep up the good fight there sparky...
Although you could use that time and energy to improve your place in life.
But I'm sure picketing outside the MickyD's will eventually pay off for you.

This coming from the guy who is "retired".

LOL, thanks for the laugh turnip.

Here ya go sparky..since you seem confused.
Although with the high likely hood of you never needing to utter the word I can see where the confusion lies.

re·tired
rəˈtī(ə)rd/
adjective

1. 1.
   having left one's job and ceased to work.
   "a retired teacher"
   synonyms: former, ex-, past, in retirement, superannuated More
   
   
   
   
2. 2.
   

I know what retired means. You aren't retired. You're unemployed and a hypocrite. Look up those terms chief.

 

[Slyhunter]

It's an unpleasant fact of life that nobody has ever gotten rich as a result of the Marxist idea of "redistribution of wealth". Money is power and the stated intent of the socialists is to seize the power and use it for their own ends. The problem is that most socialists can't walk and chew gum at the same time so the corporate power they seize turns to junk, the people become equal only in their shared misery and only the socialist elites benefit until the system finally collapses.

Yeah junk, except in EVERY single country that is doing it well. Name a country that you think is prospering. Just one. I promise you they have many of the 'socialist' policies that Sanders is advocating.

Hong Kong, Belize, Singapore, Japan.

 

[Slyhunter]

Liberals? You mean your fellow conservatives and corporations you love to suck up to.

Plus no one believes you're retired because you're successful. At BEST you made a half-assed attempt to start a business, failed miserably and now claim to be retired while living off of your wife/girlfriend who I'm sure is the only one in your household who actually has a job.

The bitter tears of your failure....
You want to know the best thing about class warfare?
You're the only one who has to fight it.

Only one of us is the idiot who supports politicians and policies that actually go against our own best interest. Talk about failure.

Keep up the good fight there sparky...
Although you could use that time and energy to improve your place in life.
But I'm sure picketing outside the MickyD's will eventually pay off for you.

This coming from the guy who is "retired".

LOL, thanks for the laugh turnip.

Here ya go sparky..since you seem confused.
Although with the high likely hood of you never needing to utter the word I can see where the confusion lies.

re·tired
rəˈtī(ə)rd/
adjective

1. 1.
   having left one's job and ceased to work.
   "a retired teacher"
   synonyms: former, ex-, past, in retirement, superannuated More
   
   
   
   
2. 2.
   

Bernie is going to tax wealth not just income so say bye bye to your 401k.

 

[Billy000]

Bernie, please recognize that federal taxes don't "pay for" things. Thanks.

Are you kidding me?

 

[Votto]

Bernie is a classic live in mom's basement economic illiterate.

I hear he wants to turn the Post office into a bank, but the only way that would work is if you turned the Banks into a Post Office.

It........could........work!!!!!!!

 

[Votto]

The bitter tears of your failure....
You want to know the best thing about class warfare?
You're the only one who has to fight it.

Only one of us is the idiot who supports politicians and policies that actually go against our own best interest. Talk about failure.

Keep up the good fight there sparky...
Although you could use that time and energy to improve your place in life.
But I'm sure picketing outside the MickyD's will eventually pay off for you.

This coming from the guy who is "retired".

LOL, thanks for the laugh turnip.

Here ya go sparky..since you seem confused.
Although with the high likely hood of you never needing to utter the word I can see where the confusion lies.

re·tired
rəˈtī(ə)rd/
adjective

1. 1.
   having left one's job and ceased to work.
   "a retired teacher"
   synonyms: former, ex-, past, in retirement, superannuated More
   
   
   
   
2. 2.

Bernie is going to tax wealth not just income so say bye bye to your 401k.

With ballooning debt it was only a matter of time.

Soon after that, they will begin to retract entitlements like Greece.

 

[g5000]

Bernie is a classic live in mom's basement economic illiterate.

I hear he wants to turn the Post office into a bank, but the only way that would work is if you turned the Banks into a Post Office.

It........could........work!!!!!!!

There are several countries whose postal services provide banking services. Including the US for many decades.

They have proven to be very profitable. Germany's was so profitable, it was bought out by their biggest bank.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Bernie is a classic live in mom's basement economic illiterate.

I hear he wants to turn the Post office into a bank, but the only way that would work is if you turned the Banks into a Post Office.

It........could........work!!!!!!!

There are several countries whose postal services provide banking services. Including the US for many decades.

They have proven to be very profitable. Germany's was so profitable, it was bought out by their biggest bank.

Do the customers at these banks in low-income neighborhoods have to show some form of photo ID?