The Off Topic Topic

[crazy canuck]

Why is the amoral existence of billionaires a data point on the topic of social mobility?

That is how Yi defined success.  So people are showing that even on that metric, he is wrong.

[Sheilbh]

I agree that there is some connection between movement from average to high income and entrepreneurship.  Whereas movement from low to high is going to be more about education and training (and using family connections to snag a government sinecure :p).

The family connections of someone from the lowest income quartile to get a government sinecure?

[Barrister]

I agree that there is some connection between movement from average to high income and entrepreneurship.  Whereas movement from low to high is going to be more about education and training (and using family connections to snag a government sinecure :p).

The family connections of someone from the lowest income quartile to get a government sinecure?

Since when is a government job a sinecure?  I work my ass off for the government...

[Jacob]

If the movement from low to high is about education and training (and connections), then it seems to me that it is very important to provide broad access to education and training (and connections, insofar as it's possible) for people in the lower wealth groups. Which takes us straight back to social welfare spending.

[Jacob]

Since when is a government job a sinecure?  I work my ass off for the government...

It's a common opinion, especially among conservatives (except conservative voting civil servants, of course).

[The Brain]

I agree that there is some connection between movement from average to high income and entrepreneurship.  Whereas movement from low to high is going to be more about education and training (and using family connections to snag a government sinecure :p).

The family connections of someone from the lowest income quartile to get a government sinecure?

Since when is a government job a sinecure?  I work my ass off for the government...

Why would a government sinecure mean a non-sinecure?

[DGuller]

Reasonably confident, but it's untestable, because this is one of those things that can have a billion confounding variables.

I only see two variables: level of welfare spending and % of self made rich people.  What other variables do you think apply?

I think it would be hard to find a Wiki article that gives us a definitive answer, but I offer as evidence the fact that the US has far more billionaires than Europe, and that the US has generated far more world dominating new companies than Europe.

I see plenty of variables, more than I can list.  For example, maybe Europe is more hostile to business in general for reasons that have little to do with social spending.  It may also be a question of preferences: maybe less Europeans want to be super rich, because it's not as necessary there in order to be secure in your future.  I also think US owes a lot of its recent success to California, and California isn't exactly the poster child for laissez faire.  In particular, the system of public universities is what helped spur the development of Silicon Valley.

[Admiral Yi]

I see plenty of variables, more than I can list.  For example, maybe Europe is more hostile to business in general for reasons that have little to do with social spending.  It may also be a question of preferences: maybe less Europeans want to be super rich, because it's not as necessary there in order to be secure in your future.  I also think US owes a lot of its recent success to California, and California isn't exactly the poster child for laissez faire.  In particular, the system of public universities is what helped spur the development of Silicon Valley.

Fair enough.

[crazy canuck]

I agree that there is some connection between movement from average to high income and entrepreneurship.  Whereas movement from low to high is going to be more about education and training (and using family connections to snag a government sinecure :p).

The family connections of someone from the lowest income quartile to get a government sinecure?

Of course.  It stands to reason that a poor person decided not use their connections to improve their situation and waited until their child, who grew up in poverty, was of an age to use it.

[Josquius]

Apparently this was shared by right wingers as anti-left meme:

[img]https://i.redd.i

Online overall reaction was, "That looks absolutely lovely. "

Right wingers are cat people or something?
That dude is living the dream.

[Admiral Yi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdsPvbSpB2Y

Will Ferrel Superbowl commercial for GM EV.

[Syt]

So the book I ordered in December has finally arrived. However, because it comes from the UK I now have to pay import VAT.

And because of that, the mail delivery didn't bring it to my door but instead left me a pick up note in the mailbox to pick it up on Monday. 

[Duque de Bragança]

As long as the carrier does not add fees of its own under the thin guise of import, paying VAT is business as usual.

[Syt]

Yes, but it wasn't the case when UK was still part of the common market. This package was held up for almost two weeks at customs.

My door mat from the US, meanwhile, arrived without issues and without import VAT.

Prices are roughly the same.

[Duque de Bragança]

Some backlog of the Dover Brexit/British strain mess in December/January I guess.
Under 22 € should be free of VAT until July 1st (hello UK tax-free islands). Over here, Amazon.com (US) has not been charging VAT for months, for some reason.