Guest Post by Simon Black
Herodes Atticus was born in the year 101 AD into a wealthy family in Greece, which at the time was part of the Roman Empire.
During Emperor Hadrian’s rule, Herodes petitioned for public funds to build a proper water system in the famed city of Troy.
When the water system cost more than double what Herodes had estimated, Hadrian expressed his displeasure.
But Herodes’ father wrote to Hadrian, saying “Do not, O Emperor, allow yourself to be irritated over such trifles. The amount spent in excess of 3,000,000 [drachmas] I am presenting to my son, and my son will present to the city.”
(3 million ancient Greek drachmas is roughly $11 million US dollars today.)
It was actually common practice at the time for wealthy citizens to take on public works projects using their own wealth. And Herodes continued the tradition.
He built aqueducts to bring clean water to the city of Olympia, and sponsored the construction of pools meant to heal the sick at Thermopylae. He built stadiums and theaters and threw feasts and festivals for the people, all at his own expense.
And for his contributions, Herodes was honored and praised.
The people celebrated him, and built a statue in his honor. He went down in history as one of the biggest philanthropists of his day.
Today, people in the completely tolerant and mostly peaceful Left, do the opposite— they shame and ridicule the wealthy for their contributions to society.
For example, last year when the CEO of Amazon Jeff Bezos pledged billions of dollars to improve the earth’s climate, an editorial in The Guardian asked: Why doesn’t Jeff Bezos pay more tax instead of launching a $10bn green fund?
The message was clear: no amount of philanthropy is good enough. It’s only acceptable if Bezos hands over his money to the government first, so that politicians can squander most of it on wasteful bureaucracy and corrupt self-dealing.
Ironically, Bezos was actually ready and willing to pay more taxes when he chose to build a second Amazon headquarters (‘HQ2’) in New York City.
HQ2 would have been a bonanza of tax revenue for New York.
But AOC and her merry band of Marxists were having none of that. Because Amazon’s HQ2 would have received a federal tax break, they poopoo’d the deal and chased Amazon out of town.
Goodbye 25,000 high-paying jobs. Goodbye $500 million per year in local tax revenue.
Now New York is facing a $15 billion budget deficit fueled in part by wealthy people and prominent businesses fleeing the state for more tax friendly places like Florida and Texas.
But rather than cut spending or give wealthy people incentive to stay, New York’s Emperor Cuomo wants to raise the state income tax on the wealthy to 10.86%, up from 8.82%.
Talk about a bad idea. According to IRS data and the Tax Foundation, the top 1% of income earners pay almost 40% of state and federal taxes.
Raising taxes will only chase away more of them.
But politicians deny this simple truth. They think they can raise taxes on the rich and there won’t be any consequences, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, for example, is back on her high horse, demanding a 2% annual wealth tax on rich Americans.
However, when a CNBC anchor asked Warren if she had concerns that the wealth tax would make Americans leave the country, Warren scoffed, saying:
“I’m sorry, there is no evidence that anyone is going to leave this country because of a [wealth tax]… you’re telling me that they would forfeit their American citizenship… and I’m just calling your bluff on that. I’m sorry that’s not going to happen.”
Really? No evidence?
What about the 6,000+ Americans who renounced their citizenship during the first nine months of 2020 (versus only roughly 2,000 Americans who renounced in all of 2019).
37,000 Americans have renounced since 2010, and the trend has been growing ever since around halfway through the Obama presidency.
There are 9 million American expats currently living overseas, and about 23% report seriously considering renouncing their American citizenship. Much of their reasoning is tax-related.
But Warren dismisses this evidence entirely.
To her, the 37,000 people who have already renounced their citizenship don’t exist, nor do the 23% of expats who are considering renouncing. It must be fake news.
She can’t possibly imagine a world where her decisions have a negative impact.
Her way of thinking is also quite instructive. Just look at what she’s saying— ‘we can do whatever we want to successful people, raise their taxes to whatever we want, and they’re just going to have to take it.’
That’s pretty scary.
And this trend is only going to continue as the Bolsheviks think of new ways to punish successful people.
Because, for them, it’s not just about the tax revenue. It’s about shame and ridicule.
AOC tells her Twitter following, for example, that wealthy people “don’t MAKE a billion dollars. They TAKE a billion dollars.”
She thinks earning money from willing customers is theft. But the government taking money by force is righteous. THAT MAKES PERFECT SENSE!
These people are totally clueless… and yet they’re the ones in charge. Nothing we do will change that fact.
But what does make a difference is taking rational, legal steps to distance yourself from their insanity.
Tax is a great example. No matter what crazy legislation these politicians pass, almost EVERYONE still has completely legitimate ways to reduce their tax bills.
For example, you can take advantage of retirement plan tax incentives; and it’s hard to imagine anyone would be worse off paying less tax and having more money set aside for retirement.
Or someone could take advantage of Opportunity Zones, captive insurance companies, or the incredible incentives in Puerto Rico (and US Virgin Islands).
Point is- there are plenty of options. But you have to educate yourself and take action… because Elizabeth Warren and AOC certainly won’t find the deductions for you.
It is my sincere desire to provide readers of this site with the best unbiased information available, and a forum where it can be discussed openly, as our Founders intended. But it is not easy nor inexpensive to do so, especially when those who wish to prevent us from making the truth known, attack us without mercy on all fronts on a daily basis. So each time you visit the site, I would ask that you consider the value that you receive and have received from The Burning Platform and the community of which you are a vital part. I can't do it all alone, and I need your help and support to keep it alive. Please consider contributing an amount commensurate to the value that you receive from this site and community, or even by becoming a sustaining supporter through periodic contributions. [Burning Platform LLC - PO Box 1520 Kulpsville, PA 19443] or Paypal
-----------------------------------------------------
To donate via Stripe, click here.
-----------------------------------------------------
Use promo code ILMF2, and save up to 66% on all MyPillow purchases. (The Burning Platform benefits when you use this promo code.)
I can no longer in good conscience raise the rally cry of free enterprise regarding these modern robber barons and their support of every debauchery known to man. Tax em to death for starters.
It would certainly seem the truly elite are against us. I too, do not care what happens to them sans tax.
Bezos so called “Green Foundation” was probably one more way for him to start a boondoggle that he could hide his money in tax free and find a way to raise carbon taxes for the ordinary people. I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him.
EVERY “foundation” run by the super wealthy (ie. Rockefeller, Ford, etc.) is NOTHING more than a way to ensure massive income for their children and their friends while hiding massive wealthy from taxation. And while I do not begrudge anyone for hiding everything they can from the criminal and wasteful government, none of these folks got most of that wealth without bigger exploitation and government largesse.
Not true at all. They also use those foundations to amass power and influence over the non-wealthy.
“Behind every great fortune lies a great crime.”
Not completely true… but true enough.
In our day and age, the man who spends a billion dollars of his own money to do good is seen as a showoff rich bastard, but the useless fuck who steals a billion from folks against their will and spends it on something that does questionable good, is seen as a hero and generally gets re-elected. To that end however, there are NO super wealthy folks who got that way without exploiting the power and violence of the government to their own benefit. There may be plenty among the sort of rich who got there completely on their own, but none of the super wealthy…..sorry.
There has been the greatest transfer of wealth from the majority to a minute connected minority thanks to the Big Club Circle Jerk Of Wall Street To K-Street To Capitol Street and the debt accumulated is piled upon the backs of the majority that were tossed under bus over the last 40 plus years !
3 individuals control more wealth than 160 million Americans so fuck crony capitalists and there bull shit excuses .
As for those surrendering their American citizenship , don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out ! Oh stay gone for good !
Our income is $1400 monthly and we left the US……and the door didn’t hit us in the ass. And we will stay gone for good, thank you.
I want to go but where?
A simple life, could be on a boat, or in a RV.
One first has to learn to live without the desire of just having so much stuff.
Why does anyone need to have a two thousand squarefoot house, a new car and a truck, a big flatscreen that takes up a whole wall to watch crap that is nothing but vanity.
I live the simple life now. City is getting closer more houses popping up. I live organic and grow organic food. I have no pension or retirement fund. I live debt free, but here in amerika our money is debt so you can never stop shoveling cash to the criminals.
The fake property ownership is my problem (taxed for life!), not to mention that most of my country neighbors just moved here to make noise! They are clueless about country life and community.
Understand what you saying. In the same situation but fortunately live down on a flood plain that has been flooded out during two fairly recent hurricanes, my property doen’t flood, but you can not get in or out for a week or so. What has happened is that no one is allowed to rebuild, so it has become deserted so kind of quiet. I call it a farm (and it is to a degree)so taxes are very reasonable.
I think I woud go the nomad life style before moving to another Country. Many people are doing this, basically disappearing from the tax rolls, plenty of free docking or nice campground type RV places. I had an older guy helping me a bit that lived in one near-by, just about everybody in there are the new nomads. Nothing homeless about them, just enjoy getting by on as little as possible and enjoying it. Of course they have skills that can make them the money they need, and good attitudes.
We will just hang in there and try to hold on. I have 5 dependents and they are why I am still here. I own land overseas now. Just not sure which cartel is better USSA or Asia.
my social security is $1,100 per month.
two places i know of. they are next to each other.
if you like rain, Northern Patagonia, Chile. the lake district.
if you want it dryer, Nothern Patagonia, Argentina. El Bolson.
Chile has a more intrusive bureaucracy. more of a clash between the communists and the capitalists. for a while now, they have been playing nice. wages are low. to get a job you need good Spanish language skills. really only good if you have a pension that pays in USD. not many Americans.
Argentina, pretty similar, except bureaucracy is more Byzantine. if you are just retired there, they pretty much just leave you alone. no smog laws. vehicles over 20 years old, no annual taxes. car insurance is cheap. labor is cheap. imports are expensive. vehicles are expensive. Argentina grows most of what it needs for a good life. inflation is high because of the currency exchange rates. if you have a pension in USD,
you are golden. ATM rates are high. around 10% for foreign exchange rates. less if you have a peso account.
Argentine wine, as low as USD $1. really good wine, $2.
That’s your best today’s example you can come up with??
The stupidity of the author is breathtaking.
“The message was clear: no amount of philanthropy is good enough. It’s only acceptable if Bezos hands over his money to the government first, ”
What is the message when government hands over money to Bezos first ?
Taxpayer Subsidies to Amazon now Exceed $3.7 Billion
The $3.7 billion figure is conservative and is not complete.
https://www.goodjobsfirst.org/blog/taxpayer-subsidies-amazon-now-exceed-37-billion
I don’t mind people making money or being rich. I’m not going to cry for the uber wealthy who look at us like cattle and push censoring opinions that don’t match their own.
This is so completely true. Gere in canukistan the minister of finance was on a zoom meeting talking about taxation, obviously as shes a marxist working for lil potato justeen trudope. She was ‘brainstorming’ ideas of how to unlock wealth from people, you know the types, the ones who own homes. She was looking to introduce a yearly tax on every home to ‘unlock’ that potential and redistribute the wealth… to themselves obviously. She also gave an open invitation for others to submit ideas on how to unlock even more of this unethical holding of wealth.
The communists want it all and they are not about to stop trying to take it all.
Its a war… and they will do anything to win… anything
I’m sorry but I do not care about the rich, they are siding with the big government and have been siding with it for decades. They are partially a reason why we are where we are. Instead of using their billions to support free society they use it to censor, to racially divide us and to then leave the country when the country is in dire needs.
If they have to leave it’s their choice. I won’t cry for them to stay, but I won’t feel bad that the legislation is finally biting them in the ass, as it was a predictable outcome. If they didn’t see it it’s their fault. They can build their own country if they don’t like what has this country, with their approval, become.