https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/02/bernie-sanders-interview-chris-wallace-tax-rich
Envy is one of the deadly sins for a reason.
Quote:
The US government should confiscate 100% of any money that Americans make above $999m, the leftwing independent senator Bernie Sanders said late last week.
Quote:
"Are you basically saying that once you get to $999m that the government should confiscate all the rest?" Wallace asked the US senator from Vermont, who is an independent but caucuses with Democrats and has helped them attain their current slim majority in the upper congressional chamber.
"Yeah," Sanders replied. "You may disagree with me but, fine, I think people can make it on $999m. I think that they can survive just fine."
Wallace had earlier mentioned how the late Sam Walton could make the giant retail chain Walmart the largest single private employer in the US thanks to his family's net worth of about $225bn. Sanders countered that Walmart in many cases pays starvation wages to its 1.2 million employees despite how rich the Waltons are.
"Many of their workers are on Medicaid or food stamps," Sanders said, referring to forms of government assistance for which low-income Americans can qualify. "In other words, taxpayers are subsidizing the wealthiest family in the country. Do I think that's right? No, I don't."
Nonetheless, Sanders said his comments on the matter weren't a personal attack against the Waltons or other billionaires.
"It is an attack upon a system," Sanders said. "You can have a vibrant economy without [a few] people owning more wealth than the bottom half of American society" combined.
He added that if he were in charge: "If you make a whole lot of money, you're going to pay a whole lot of money."
Sanders's remarks are unlikely to ingratiate him with proponents of the US political right who already dismiss him as a communist. But they have never been a part of his base of supporters.
GFY Bernie and every young brainwashed dumbass that supports socialism. Socialism doesn't bring everyone up, it pulls everyone down, like live crabs in a boiling pot, except those in control. Do you socialists really believe that if what he's proposing ever came to fruition that the government would give it to you and make you rich? Besides, all the billionaires would just leave so jobs would be lost and no money for the government to steal. Also, it may start with billionaires but the threshold would eventually be lowered to hit the middle class, who can't just leave.Quote:
He also argues that "unfettered capitalism … destroys anything that gets in its way in the pursuit of profits", including the environment, democracy and human rights.
Envy is one of the deadly sins for a reason.
