Posts by neltnerb@mastodon.mit.edu
(DIR) Post #A6z5oEAUtR8IC92xVI by neltnerb@mastodon.mit.edu
2021-05-06T20:55:44Z
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@strypey In my city owners of a house that live in it pay substantially lower property taxes, but I have not heard of other tools in the toolbox. Making default property taxes high and offering discounts to residents is a very capitalist answer (whereas I think co-ops are better long term) but it is something at least. Doesn't seem to stop anyone from trying to buy houses to use as rental properties though, so clearly whatever it is isn't enough.
(DIR) Post #A7DsPP4cpHPGkDX1d2 by neltnerb@mastodon.mit.edu
2021-05-13T05:51:45Z
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@wyatwerp @strypey I guess then the most logical solution is to make renting a house unprofitable so that no one tries to do it. Of course, then you have to buy a house in order to live there, so the banks win anyway. The price might come down a little, but it seems like it can't come down that much. Maybe it would.In that way, if you rent a house out your pay for it comes from improving it and helping the people there rather than simply from buying it first.
(DIR) Post #A7JQxQfflG5DmE3Xvc by neltnerb@mastodon.mit.edu
2021-05-16T16:29:02Z
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@Eggfreckles wow, that's such a fancy, law-skirting way to say "no disablededs" oof.
(DIR) Post #A7b1KLRHM88gBsBE2a by neltnerb@mastodon.mit.edu
2021-05-24T06:10:06Z
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@dsfgs @clacke @strypey @wyatwerp Yet to be fair, all sales taxes are regressive to an extent. Maybe Australia does it well, but at least an income or property tax expects a higher percentage of income from high earners.There's no question that property taxes or income taxes are hard to word well enough to avoid the lawyers when it comes to "who" controls an inheritance.Of course, middle class people who have wealth but not enough to play tax games would be the actual losers.
(DIR) Post #A7b1KMKw1CesyUDfn6 by neltnerb@mastodon.mit.edu
2021-05-24T19:17:24Z
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@dsfgs @clacke @strypey @wyatwerp "there is no 10% GST on fresh food, and milk, bread, dairy, even minimally processed meats, sanitary items. ... Processed foods do attract the 10%."I read this as the government dictating how people should behave using a regressive tax (i.e. if a poor person wants to eat processed food it is a bigger burden than for a rich person).It is better to tax wealth and redistribute it without the state determining what poor people deserve to be able to afford.
(DIR) Post #A7bH5NwHNS8SroZKPw by neltnerb@mastodon.mit.edu
2021-05-25T07:02:04Z
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@strypey @dsfgs @clacke @wyatwerp Consider that a subsidy or reward for good behavior is actually not regressive whereas a tax is definitely regressive.Wealth or income gets taxed progressively and that is used to lower the cost of items that are proportionally a larger part of the budget of someone making little money.I realize that the state has an interest in promoting behaviors considered positive, but am keenly aware that the majority doesn't historically have great judgment.
(DIR) Post #A7habCDtXId5sJRxui by neltnerb@mastodon.mit.edu
2021-05-25T20:13:50Z
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@dsfgs @strypey @clacke @wyatwerp the difference to me is between taxing use of the commons versus taxing common behaviors in a regressive way when they can instead subsidize healthy choices.I understand the argument that if the state is providing health care it is fair to subsidize healthy behavior. I think eating meat isn't very healthy and can find doctors to agree, I bet a lot of people are glad I'm not making the rules...
(DIR) Post #A7habCp7IuP5jkrgvo by neltnerb@mastodon.mit.edu
2021-05-25T20:18:54Z
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@dsfgs @strypey @clacke @wyatwerp since there's a character limit it's hard to be super clear, but I mean that taxing things that use the commons captures the real price of whatever it is better. This is good.I think that for encouraging behaviors, subsidies paid for with progressive taxes makes more sense than a sales tax, for instance because I think things like meat and dairy would be taxed more under different leadership.
(DIR) Post #A7habDvBDqqd8qi31M by neltnerb@mastodon.mit.edu
2021-05-26T05:32:56Z
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@dsfgs @strypey @clacke @wyatwerp To be clear, I'm saying that any of these regressive sales taxes are worse than a progressive tax combined with a subsidy.I don't think that it should be more of a burden for a young poor family to eat how they like than a wealthy one, even if they make decisions that I don't agree with.I don't object to subsidies like, for instance, free vegetables. It's adding extra burden to force them to make choices I prefer that I dislike. Edge cases exist.
(DIR) Post #A7xpskAfe2IXvZK5se by neltnerb@mastodon.mit.edu
2021-06-05T04:16:09Z
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@MisakaMikoto @io https://forget.codl.fr/about/ 😅 (can't vouch for security but I figure this stuff is all public anyway)
(DIR) Post #ACbUFWFlQylqtzO2YC by neltnerb@mastodon.mit.edu
2021-10-21T22:51:05Z
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@mike That happened? I know it was created, I assumed it was ramping up slowly, not that it was already broken. I guess when this is my only social media I miss out on the realtime drama.
(DIR) Post #ACzglmeBeGteUIJVPk by neltnerb@mastodon.mit.edu
2021-11-02T14:08:33Z
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I remember as a kid seeing Mulder and Skully break into people's homes to perform warrantless searches basically every episode and the show treated it as heroic.It's so pervasive and has been going on so long that it's hard to even see.
(DIR) Post #ADOqJN0gQNmpdKEK8G by neltnerb@mastodon.mit.edu
2021-11-14T17:26:30Z
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(DIR) Post #ADjqpNjs8pZB5zIKie by neltnerb@mastodon.mit.edu
2021-11-24T21:27:34Z
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I saw this one today and I still love it.
(DIR) Post #ADjr3YhoAFCZA85b2O by neltnerb@mastodon.mit.edu
2021-11-24T21:35:38Z
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@piggo oh, or if you meant literally the direction it's left-right top-bottom
(DIR) Post #ADjr7qXjmpCNdvQJGq by neltnerb@mastodon.mit.edu
2021-11-24T21:35:00Z
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@piggo the comic is famously no longer on the internet, sadly. https://www.inputmag.com/culture/pictures-for-sad-children-webcomic-simone-veil-interviewI'm actually not sure if it's in a web archive, I haven't finished reading the interview yet.
(DIR) Post #AFenTr08nlqI3qYdjk by neltnerb@mastodon.mit.edu
2022-01-21T06:47:02Z
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@Rasp reverse butt?
(DIR) Post #AFenmc00nrm12ERSV6 by neltnerb@mastodon.mit.edu
2022-01-21T06:50:28Z
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@Rasp Looking closer, the knees seem to bend into the page? Maybe the butt is on the correct side.
(DIR) Post #AG0xGC1iKEpSttWgwy by neltnerb@mastodon.mit.edu
2022-01-31T23:20:22Z
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@ParadeGrotesque whoa. does architect mean "theoretical knowledge only" at this point? that's incredible.
(DIR) Post #AGoGDjQ4crtGS1v4JE by neltnerb@mastodon.mit.edu
2022-02-24T18:00:20Z
1 likes, 1 repeats
@seasharp it seems like the bulk of both major parties in the US cheer on police when they are suppressing a protest they personally oppose. So yes. =PLike... whatever tools the state uses against people you don't like will be used against you... you don't need to delve into ancient history to see the cops doing the same to your buddies. =/