# Billionaires, CEOs, "corporations", and capitalism- Are things really different, or is it propaganda? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 22, 2026, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073 "2026-10-22T18:34:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/261 "2026-10-30T21:14:29Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Who gets it afterwards? Make it a public (or heavily regulated private) utility. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/262 "2026-10-30T21:54:56Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > You haven’t _addressed any of the implications of a wealth tax_, you’ve just insisted that _Elon Musk delenda est_. I would _love_ to discuss the disastrous implications of a wealth tax, but that doesn’t seem to interest you. I also don’t discuss the evidence for the existence of leprechauns. I’d love to discuss the implications of a wealth tax, but you seem to be only insisting that they exist and they’re disastrous. > [@Babale](#): > > When the Democrats are in power again, he _absolutely_ can be touched. And I expect he will be. Except… it didn’t really happen the last time Democrats were in power, did it? > [@Babale](#): > > I’ve said repeatedly that I don’t think he should be allowed to do what he’s done with the algorithm. In effect you’re saying that you don’t like the thing he’s doing, but that’s not as important as the fact that nobody should ever touch the base of power that allows him to do it. The reason he’s not being stopped is that he has too much wealth and power. If you don’t want anyone to touch his wealth or power, you’re protecting his ability to run Twitter as he pleases, which leaves your position incoherent and insincere. > [@Babale](#): > > No, but declaring that you can’t have billionaires anymore would mean seizing Twitter from him, wouldn’t it? After all, it’s worth more than a billion, so he can’t be allowed to keep it. Who gets it afterwards? No need to obfuscate things with a bunch of hand-waving about “how on earth would it be sold”. What do owners of private companies normally do when they want to sell them? It was publicly traded once, it can be publicly traded again. It doesn’t need to be Twitter. Musk gets his wealth tax bill, he decides what he’s going to sell to meet his obligation. If indeed it is Twitter, then he does what every other business owner does when they want to sell a business. He can find a buyer, or he can take it public again and sell shares on the NYSE, and we go back to status quo ante. Twitter’s moderation was robust and effective when it was in public hands, until a singular white supremacist decided it needed to be a Nazi bar. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/263 "2026-10-30T22:10:38Z")
@Babale’s objections are not trivial. The devil IS in the details. Unless the standing assets of wealth such as real estate, stock and control of an ongoing business are to become nationalized, they would have to be liquidated in some fashion. That means someone with liquid capital would have to buy them; in which case why not tax that liquid capital in the first place? If they’re bought by trading other standing assets, that just postpones the problem. I think the sheer hatred of Musk is distorting this debate. I’m reminded of _Stalag 17_, when Holden’s character J.J. Sefton made himself so dispised that at the first suspicion that he was collaborating with the Germans, he was beaten and his trading goods confiscated. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/264 "2026-10-30T22:20:03Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > The devil IS in the details. > Unless the standing assets of wealth such as real estate, stock and control of an ongoing business are to become nationalized, they would have to be liquidated in some fashion. That means someone with liquid capital would have to buy them; in which case why not tax that liquid capital in the first place? Details matter, but much more complex issues have been legislated and regulated. Dwelling on the complexity is really just a backdoor argument that it shouldn’t be done at all. When I pay my property tax, it’s on me to figure out how to come up with the funds. If I don’t have it, I have to put the house on the market myself, but nobody tells me what to sell or how to go about it. The details matter, but this is not nearly as insurmountable as we’re pretending. > [@Lumpy](#): > > I think the sheer hatred of Musk is distorting this debate. We can’t talk about exactly _why_ billionaires are bad without pointing to the most egregious and dangerous examples of the same. Musk is the guy. And hopefully you’re not arguing that this is simply some kind of unthinking Musk derangement syndrome, rather than based on actual terrible stuff that he’s actually done. But regardless of how you feel about the things he’s done, whether they’re all that bad, it’s independent of the point that nobody should have that much power. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/265 "2026-10-30T22:36:39Z")
I couldn’t even begin to defend Musk except to say that summary execution by a lynch mob would be an extreme overreaction and confiscation of his businesses only somewhat less so. There are excellent reasons with historical examples why this sort of “justice” is always a bad thing in the long run. No one should have that much power? Perhaps, but the dream that somehow we’ll change the rules in a way that causes that predominence of power to simply wither away isn’t going to happen; realistically, his power could only be destroyed by a greater power, a badass getting gored to death by a bigger and stronger badass. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/266 "2026-10-30T22:39:35Z")
The US government is bigger and stronger than Musk and should take that power away from him (as well as ensuring no one else can ever have that kind of power). ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/267 "2026-10-30T23:18:19Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Except… it didn’t really happen the last time Democrats were in power, did it? You mean… Before Elon bought Twitter, do you? > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > I also don’t discuss the evidence for the existence of leprechauns. I’d love to discuss the implications of a wealth tax, but you seem to be only insisting that they exist and they’re disastrous. The difference between leprechauns and the disastrous effects of a wealth tax is that the many European countries that previously had wealth taxes didn’t reveal them because of leprechauns. > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > In effect you’re saying that you don’t like the thing he’s doing, but that’s not as important as the fact that nobody should ever touch the base of power that allows him to do it. The reason he’s not being stopped is that he has too much wealth and power. If you don’t want anyone to touch his wealth or power, you’re protecting his ability to run Twitter as he pleases, which leaves your position incoherent and insincere. Does his wealth magic stop at the US border? And doesn’t work in California or any of the other states that are going after him or his businesses? > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > No need to obfuscate things with a bunch of hand-waving about “how on earth would it be sold”. What do owners of private companies normally do when they want to sell them? It was publicly traded once, it can be publicly traded again. That makes zero sense. What if someone buys a publicly traded company and grows it to the point where it is as dominant as Twitter is again? > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Musk gets his wealth tax bill, he decides what he’s going to sell to meet his obligation. I thought you said you wanted billionaires to not exist? As long as Musk owns Twitter, a company valued at multiple billions of dollars even after losing most of its value, he is a billionaire. Wouldn’t the tax bill that you are proposing be so high that he is left with less than one billion dollars? ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/268 "2026-10-30T23:50:54Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > You mean… Before Elon bought Twitter, do you? I meant what I said. Check the date of the Twitter acquisition and reconsider. > [@Babale](#): > > What if someone buys a publicly traded company and grows it to the point where it is as dominant as Twitter is again? Wealth tax! If the asset grows that large, then shares of it would need to be sold off to meet the tax obligation. This should result in less likelihood of any single person controlling it. I will say that the wealth tax isn’t a complete solution to that problem, nor is it intended to be. It puts some limits on the conditions that allow it to emerge in the first place, it prevents anyone from becoming so powerful that they are immune from regulation. > [@Babale](#): > > I thought you said you wanted billionaires to not exist? As long as Musk owns Twitter, a company valued at multiple billions of dollars even after losing most of its value, he is a billionaire. Wouldn’t the tax bill that you are proposing be so high that he is left with less than one billion dollars? No. I do stand behind “Billionaires should not exist”, but it’s a rhetorical statement of principle. I don’t expect a wealth tax to eliminate every existing billionaire overnight (some people do, but I don’t find it realistic). I would foresee something more like a tax assessed on the fraction of net worth exceeding, say, $500 million. Over time people who currently exceed that limit would gradually converge on it, and others would never exceed it in the first place. That’s not a fully fleshed policy idea, again it’s an aspirational and directional statement. Yes there will be nits to pick and details to nail down, but it’s nowhere near the most complicated problem that’s ever been legislated. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/269 "2026-10-30T23:53:46Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Perhaps, but the dream that somehow we’ll change the rules in a way that causes that predominence of power to simply wither away isn’t going to happen; realistically, his power could only be destroyed by a greater power, a badass getting gored to death by a bigger and stronger badass. He’s not a badass. He’s a jumped-up dweeb living in a fortress of paper that can easily be cut into whatever shape is required, if the political will exists. There is no real obstacle to solving the problem except that so many people bizarrely feel that the richest bully in the world is some put-upon victim that needs special rules and protection, that imposing any kind of accountability or regulation on him is no different from being lynched. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/270 "2026-10-31T00:29:27Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > I meant what I said. Check the date of the Twitter acquisition and reconsider. A few days before the midterms? I guess Biden had a couple of months after the purchase to act 🤣 > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Wealth tax! If the asset grows that large, then shares of it would need to be sold off to meet the tax obligation. This should result in less likelihood of any single person controlling it. …and you don’t see the obvious problem with that? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/271 "2026-10-31T00:40:44Z")
Actually I was channeling this old post of mine (YouTube embed updated) > [@Buffalo vs. rhino, or badass vs. bigger badass](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buffalo-vs-rhino-or-badass-vs-bigger-badass/641854/10): > > Update: let’s try new link. [[Buffalo Rhino Fight in Africa (Very rare sighting)] ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjE6X4lbto0) ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/272 "2026-10-31T00:47:55Z")
Anyways, all this talk about Elon Musk’s money is a bit of a distraction, isn’t it? We agree that the problem isn’t Musk’s net worth in and of itself but what he uses his control of a platform like Twitter to do, right? So what do we do if we bust up Twitter, make it a publicly traded company, and this publicly company decides to continue operating the way it is now? I assume the answer isn’t “it’s Ok If it’s not a billionaire doing it”, right? ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/273 "2026-10-31T00:54:48Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > We agree that the problem isn’t Musk’s net worth in and of itself but what he uses his control of a platform like Twitter to do, right? No. My problem is the concentration of capital. No single person (natural or incorporated) should be holding so much. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/274 "2026-10-31T01:29:01Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > A few days before the midterms? I guess Biden had a couple of months after the purchase to act The executive branch of course doesn’t need Congress’s approval to exercise its regulatory and investigative authority. And Dems did control the Senate which does have investigative and oversight power. They had a lot of levers they could’ve used. But again, to zoom out from the tendentious quibbling, the overarching point is that Musk has never faced any real scrutiny from the federal authorities who are tasked with the oversight of things like antitrust, securities fraud, contractor accountability, and so forth. Nobody wants to touch him, partly because they’re afraid of the blowback, partly because everybody’s got a finger in his pie. > [@Babale](#): > > …and you don’t see the obvious problem with that? Do you? I think if you did, you’d have mentioned it rather than playing coy about it. > [@Babale](#): > > We agree that the problem isn’t Musk’s net worth in and of itself but what he uses his control of a platform like Twitter to do, right? No. This is the argument that you want to have. What it actually is, is _one example_ of the type of excesses that arise from excessive concentrations of wealth and power. It’s a salient one, and worth fixing, but the real problem is that anyone can accumulate enough power to do things like that. > [@Babale](#): > > So what do we do if we bust up Twitter, make it a publicly traded company, and this publicly company decides to continue operating the way it is now? I assume the answer isn’t “it’s Ok If it’s not a billionaire doing it”, right? What if aliens landed and decided they’re going to let North Korea run the world government? Who knows. The answer is that we set the conditions for the kind of society we want to live in, and deal with exceptions/eventualities as they arise. Nothing in politics or governance can ever be 100% predicted with entirety, and insisting on this is just a weaselly back-door way to oppose the underlying principle that no individual person should have that much power over the rest of us. We know you have no problem with wealthy people having massive unaccounted power over your life. Just say that instead of pretending like it’s harder than solving quantum gravity. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/275 "2026-10-31T01:44:33Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > > [@Babale](#): > > > > …and you don’t see the obvious problem with that? > > Do you? I think if you did, you’d have mentioned it rather than playing coy about it. It creates an extremely weird incentive structure where companies want to grow up to a certain arbitrary limit. > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > The answer is that we set the conditions for the kind of society we want to live in, and deal with exceptions/eventualities as they arise. On that, we agree. For example, I don’t want to live in the sort of society where the government can decide that you’re doing too well and it’s time to knock you down a peg, which is why I’m opposed to your ridiculous confiscatory scheme. I’d much rather live in a society where, if you behave unacceptably, we go after you for that unacceptable behavior. Which is why I want to prosecute Musk, not abolish the concept of billionaires. And it’s pretty rich that you’re telling me that regulating Musk is an unrealistic pipe dream while pitching massive wealth redistribution as the alternative. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/276 "2026-10-31T02:00:09Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > It creates an extremely weird incentive structure where companies want to grow up to a certain arbitrary limit. I see. “Weird”. Seems like a matter of taste, unless you want to develop a little further why that’s a problem, because I actually don’t see that this situation necessarily follows, and I’m not sure why anyone should care if it does. > [@Babale](#): > > On that, we agree. For example, I don’t want to live in the sort of society where the government can decide that you’re doing too well and it’s time to knock you down a peg, which is why I’m opposed to your ridiculous confiscatory scheme. See? It’s not that hard to just say you’re fine with the status quo, there’s no need to pretend it’s some unsolvable Byzantine problem. > [@Babale](#): > > I’d much rather live in a society where, if you behave unacceptably, we go after you for that unacceptable behavior And yet you don’t seem able to look around you and see that this isn’t happening, and process the reasons _why_ it’s not happening. Why do you think the US government never seems to get around to holding Musk (and people like him) to task? > [@Babale](#): > > And it’s pretty rich that you’re telling me that regulating Musk is an unrealistic pipe dream while pitching massive wealth redistribution as the alternative. To be clear, I’m saying if we happen to get a political window to act, we should do _both_ of those things. And more. What I’m saying is that it may be moot because it may already be too late. But it may not be. It shouldn’t stop us from naming the problem or talking about remedies. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/277 "2026-10-31T02:22:34Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > See? It’s not that hard to just say you’re fine with the status quo, there’s no need to pretend it’s some unsolvable Byzantine problem. I am not pretending it’s an unsolvable Byzantine problem. I’m the one advocating for a simple solution - regulations. You’re the one calling for a radical reformation of our entire economic system based on populist slogans and little else. > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > And yet you don’t seem able to look around you and see that this isn’t happening, and process the reasons _why_ it’s not happening. Why do you think the US government never seems to get around to holding Musk (and people like him) to task? I see him being held to task all over the place in European countries that don’t follow your bizarre model. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/278 "2026-10-31T02:25:48Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > > [@msmith537](#): > > > > Why do the largest corporations consist of online marketplaces for selling stuff, social media, streaming services, technology to power these things, maybe an odd energy or healthcare company? > > Because corporations don’t make money by providing goods or services any more, they make money from investments. The economy today mostly consists of rich people giving other people’s money to even richer people, with actual consumers being kept almost completely out of the loop. Technically the largest companies (Nvidia, Google, Apple, Broadcom, Microsoft, etc) make money by getting you to stare at a screen for hours. But I think there is some truth to what you said. There is this entire class of rich people and aspiring rich people who don’t really produce anything or add value - Ivy League MBAs, lawyers, private equity, investment bankers, hedge funds, management consultants, venture capitalists and the ecosystem of businesses that support them. The just seem to create these structures designed to funnel wealth from the working and middle classes through a corporate theater of granting each other lucrative contracts for business busywork. “just tax them” doesn’t work because they are an inherent part of that structure and their jobs are incentivized to perpetuate their class. > [@Irishman](#): > > Targeting the ultra wealthy can be done without taxing them into poverty. Didn’t New York City create a 5th home tax or something? Something about of you own five private homes you get an extra tax? That’s not a business rental property, but these ultra wealthy people that own houses or luxury condos in multiple cities. A “Pied-à-Terre Tax” on homes worth over $5 million that aren’t your primary residence as I recall. Plus I think NYC already also has a property tax. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/279 "2026-10-31T12:11:31Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > When I pay my property tax, it’s on me to figure out how to come up with the funds. If I don’t have it, I have to put the house on the market myself, but nobody tells me what to sell or how to go about it. The details matter, but this is not nearly as insurmountable as we’re pretending. And it’s peculiar that billionaires paying a tax is an insurmountable problem but the houses of the poor being sold by the state to pay back property taxes are, or were, a regular feature in your local newspaper. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2026, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073/280 "2026-10-31T12:54:34Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > There is this entire class of rich people and aspiring rich people who don’t really produce anything or add value I can understand where rioters in, e.g., France are coming from that want to burn it all down. What I do not see being advocated clearly are forthcoming solutions, probably because so many people are > [@msmith537](#): > > an inherent part of that structure and their jobs are incentivized to perpetuate their class. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billionaires-ceos-corporations-and-capitalism-are-things-really-different-or-is-it-propaganda/1034073.md?page=15)