Yes, indeed. When a new form of gov’t replaces an existing system, the events that take place immediately thereafter are certainly attributable to the new form of gov’t. Unless you think public safety and welfare falls outside the purview of the gov’t.

The point I’m trying to make here is that socialism/communism…

If you’re talking about 1930's era Catalunya you’ve got to be fucking kidding me...I had family, live and be killed, by those fantastic libertarians you’re talking about. The minute they took control, revenge killing ran rampant and many times it was not based on economic differences but simply if you were Catholic…

You really have to ask about Catalunya? Why don’t you take two seconds and google it for yourself. I’ll give you very current example: the ruling family of the political party there was busted for embezzling 500,000,000 euros (low estimate) from the Spanish gov’t. No construction was approved in his region unless he…

If you think Cuba is in anyway successful at achieving those things there’s no point in continuing this conversation. People who have never lived with socialist or communist societies always romanticize them...they are shit and lead to a society with less opportunity and freedoms. Every one of them - even Catalunya.

Yes, that seems to be going well:

My goals? Freedom, a high standard of living for as many people as possible while understanding that some will be left behind, and limited political corruption. Every single attempt at communism has failed at all three objectives.

This guy was a running back in the NFL? Boy, he looks a lot different than what I remember....

Are you seriously wanting communism? Can you name 1 time in history that it’s worked?

Why would they? Every once in a while they NEED a person like this to get the buzz going again. If they were smart, they would let him keep going but ask him not to reveal the patterns he’s figured out.

Well...it seems they have figured out a work around on that last part.

No, you didn’t...it’s just a part of the current system as it stands now so I always suggest it when people talk about taxes being raised on the wealthy. It wasn’t a rebuke on you by any means.

I’m not sure I’m arguing against your point....I’m just adding that I would like to see everyone pay some sort of income tax....even if it’s $10. On the consumption tax, I don’t generally like those because poorer people end up paying a disproportionately higher amount of taxes because they likely consume 100% (or…

I think your 50% figure would have to apply to incomes much higher than $500,000....in a lot places you can be making $500k and be just barely getting by with todays prices and tax rates. It would be a big blow to the economy.

This is exactly correct....and one of the reasons the bank bailouts have had little effect on the economy other than to make those who are rich even richer. If they had given those trillons directly to US citizens, those citizens would have deposited the money into their bank accounts - recapitalizing and saving the…

Because they believe that some day they will be up there in the 0.01% as well and don’t want the rules to be different when they get there. They have no idea that they will NEVER get there.

I think you have to tax everyone...everyone should feel the sting (even the bottom of the bottom) of having to pay taxes. Otherwise it’s just too easy to point at everyone else have them pay for it. I don’t care if it amounts to $10, it has to be SOMETHING.  

+1,000,000 - thank you for pointing out the how the Democrats do the exact same thing. They ALL do it because the are ALL corrupt as hell. It’s not just a republican thing and if you don’t put them both on notice that this is bullshit it will never stop.

Except that Catalunya is a part of another country, a fact they recognize only when it’s to their benefit, so the expectation should be immigrants learn the official language of the country, not a regional dialect. And in this case they treat Spaniards as if they are immigrants, which they are not because Catalunya is…

Lots of things actually...

Those kings, and their heirs, also did a LOT for Catalunya...they moved regional business centers from other parts of the country (like shipping from Sevilla) to Barcelona to pacify that part of the country and curry favor. And they’ve been asking for more and more ever since.