In modern times, when rich people levy taxes against poor people to support their lavish lifestyles, they don't use government to do it. They use corporations. We call these private sector taxes "profits", and we have been effectively sold the lie that they are not only just, but beneficial to us, and necessary for our economic survival.
This movement from government-instituted taxes to corporate profiteering was a direct response to the people pushing the aristocracy out of government and attempting to implement democratic self-governance. Corporations are the new tools of oppression.
@hosford42 I would even go a step further. When walmart pay its employee wage so low they have to rely on snap, they are basically subventionned by the state, by tax paid by everyone. Double dipping in people pockets.
It's expensive to be poor. It's ironic but true. You get charges and fees for everything. Higher interest rates. Overdraft fees. Late fees. Having only enough to buy what you need right now instead of buying in bulk. Losing your job because you can't afford to get your car fixed. Losing your car because you don't have a job. Even your mental faculties are drained, as you are forced to continually eat low-nutrition foods, "sleep" in miserable conditions, and be exposed to toxins and lack of medical treatment. The lack of liquidity wipes you out. Life really does kick you while you're down.
You can't tell someone trapped in that vicious cycle to "just" get a job or "just" make responsible decisions. Sometimes, no amount of good decision-making can stop the vortex sucking them down. So the next time you are tempted to place moral judgment on someone who lives in poverty, think twice.
Signed, someone who has been both a Have and a Have-Not.
It's expensive to be poor. It's ironic but true. You get charges and fees for everything. Higher interest rates. Overdraft fees. Late fees. Having only enough to buy what you need right now instead of buying in bulk. Losing your job because you can't afford to get your car fixed. Losing your car because you don't have a job. Even your mental faculties are drained, as you are forced to continually eat low-nutrition foods, "sleep" in miserable conditions, and be exposed to toxins and lack of medical...
@hosford42 I still don't know how my parents did it. Working odd jobs plus finding the time to apply for government programs plus working in a community garden that was essential for putting healthy food on the table, and canning the excess so we'd still have healthy food in winter.
I only get a taste of it when I'm unemployed: suddenly my checking isn't free, I can't pay off my credit cards every month, no health care spending account, no tax breaks, deferring medical care “til later.” That's, like, nothing, comparatively.
@hosford42 I still don't know how my parents did it. Working odd jobs plus finding the time to apply for government programs plus working in a community garden that was essential for putting healthy food on the table, and canning the excess so we'd still have healthy food in winter.
I only get a taste of it when I'm unemployed: suddenly my checking isn't free, I can't pay off my credit cards every month, no health care spending account, no tax breaks, deferring medical care “til later.” That's, like,...
@hosford42 In case someone else wants it broken down for them, here's an episode of the Some More News podcast on why it's so expensive to be poor: https://youtu.be/oet62-F2Q9c
Gregory's Server
@hosford42 Thanks, Robert Bork. 😡 (Among many others, but particularly him.)
This movement from government-instituted taxes to corporate profiteering was a direct response to the people pushing the aristocracy out of government and attempting to implement democratic self-governance. Corporations are the new tools of oppression.
#NewAristocracy
@hosford42 I would even go a step further. When walmart pay its employee wage so low they have to rely on snap, they are basically subventionned by the state, by tax paid by everyone. Double dipping in people pockets.