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by simpaticoder 301 days ago
Wouldn't it be nice if individuals decided at the start of their career how much money was "enough" for them, and made a pledge to retire once they hit that number. Then society can give them an "I won!" hat or gold card or something, and the next guy can take the role. In this way all enterprises become an engine pulling new hires off the street, and emitting independently wealthy people to go and enjoy their lives.

But instead we have a tiny minority of people who control more and more capital. This has well-known and terrible consequences for society from almost every angle. What I don't understand is why the .1% don't want to step aside and let someone else have a turn. It's funny that our bodies have stomachs, so we know when we've eaten "enough". But money doesn't get stored in the body.
3 comments
sidewndr46 301 days ago
You'd have to have some guarantee that the government would never alter the amount of inflation they create for that to be reasonable
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charlie0 301 days ago
No one can guarantee that but if you place your dollars into assets, those assets will inflate.
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Uvix 301 days ago
Except when they don't, like Japan's stock market from 1989-2024.
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charlie0 301 days ago
Japan has had relatively low inflation until recently.
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sidewndr46 300 days ago
Then you have a bunch of assets, not money.
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toomuchtodo 301 days ago
The drive to become that wealthy and powerful does not turn off. It’s a similar failure mode as a meth addict stripping a substation for copper. Neither persona can help themselves.

> It's funny that our bodies have stomachs, so we know when we've eaten "enough".

Humorously on topic, GLP-1s patch the reward center in your brain and say “enough is enough.” If only there was a similar protocol for wealth and power.

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jordanb 301 days ago
I think there's a strong case for having maximum wealth above which you'll just get a 100% tax.

All the billionaires are equal parts clearly miserable people, and also terrifying and psychopathic. I assume they didn't start out that way, but there's also probably a personality that just has a need to run up the score.

I think if capitalism had a kill screen, that you get to and then you have to go do something else for a while, both the billionaires and the rest of us would all be happier and healthier.

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