[esarbe]

It would certainly help if the ultra wealthy and global corporations would just pay their fair share rather than use possible combination of barely-legal structures to avoid being taxed, bribe officials to create special exemptions, offload money to tax heavens and scare-monger about losing jobs whenever an actual tax increase is due.

The USA cannot even properly finance the IRS to go after the super wealthy tax cheats. Their bought-and-paid-for politicians would rather the IRS stick it to the little guys, ffs.

[pauldickwin]

The top 10% are paying over 71% of income taxes in the US. Who are you to say what their "fair share" is?

[janandonly]

No, The whole point is that 71% is not fair, it should be closer to 95%...

[kortilla]

Based on what? Why not just say 100% at that point?

[inter_netuser]

the powerful write the rules. always has been the case.

do you know of any societies that managed to sustain a dynamic where that's not the case?

I literally cannot think of any at all. Just some very brief temporary aberrations.

[esarbe]

Well, yes. Might makes right, no question there.

The question is how far the powerful are willing to push the system in order to maintain their relative status (relative to each other, not to 'us') and how much the disenfranchised are willing to take.

If the powerful are careless, an angry mob will spice up the game. But of course that's just opportunity for other powerful entities to advance their relative status.

[avianlyric]

Saying “the powerful write the rules” is pretty much tautological.

Of course the powerful write the rules. Most people access an individuals power based on their ability to make and break rules.