Everytime I see something new come out about him I wonder the same thing. Just what sort of person do you have to be in this life to like this guy? He’s such an obnoxious prick.
Elon Musk's epic bacon adventures
- Thread starter Eboue
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Everytime I see something new come out about him I wonder the same thing. Just what sort of person do you have to be in this life to like this guy? He’s such an obnoxious prick.
I know mate, I was being sarcastic (or at least trying). Point is, if he keeps getting elected, then obviously his constituents haven't rejected his policies, like it was suggested.
Well nobody said Tesla isn't successful so far. We're just saying he should pay his fair share of taxes and he is being an asshole with the shit he keeps doing on tweeter such as throwing tantrums about paying taxes.
Do you think it's right that Elon pays less taxes than the average american?
Do you honestly believe that congress will actually do what the majority of americans want them to do as opposed to accepting bribes from lobbyist groups to block any legislation that their benefactors don't want them to pass?
Jesus christ. This just keeps getting better and better.
Fair enough.
Another point to note is his ideas aren't exactly unpopular even across the nation, the biggest issue is that he does not know how to get his message across to a wider group of people.
Of course not. This is tech we want and need more of, fast, hence governments subsidizing it. He got rich/er off something/s we really, really need. If he's not paying the taxes he's supposed to, I'm sure the US tax office will have a word. Whether or not he should pay more taxes, I don't know. I hope he spends his fortune wisely. Asshole or not.
Well, why is not in the WH? He ran for President twice, he lost. Biden won on a centrist agenda, he should call the shots.
what do you call it when a bill authorises more spending without a tax increase, given that the US runs deficits? genuinely asking.
in my head, i would call that printing money. lots of people who believe in MMT say that, for example, the US can just do infrastructure or medicare for all without raising taxes, just by borrowing/printing. to me that sounds like dangerous BS because you're going to either default or face inflation.
otoh, bernie's infrastructure bill, at least at the start, had roughly equal taxation and new spending.
"republicans lost the WH they should all vote for biden's bills"
This is a thoughtful response, so I'll try to engage thoughtfully.
We are in an inflationary environment - the current CPI is 6.2%, which means the real inflation, the one felt at the pump, at the grocery store etc it's probably low double digits. Inflation is too much money chasing to few goods/services. On the supply side, we've got shortages in the production and delivery of goods and services - there's labor shortages, we are paying people not to work, ports are backed up - on the demand side we have an unprecedented monetary and fiscal expansion; $1.9T of Covid relief, $1.2T of infrastructure, Biden's been talking about another $2.2T of social welfare, Fed has been continuing to print money with QE since March 2020 (roughly $80B/mo TRSY purchases and $40B/month in MBS purchases or $1.5T a year since March 2020). Add it all up and tell me how we pay for it?
Total Public Debt
Debt-to-GDP ratio
Labor Shortage
Is what Bernie/AOC pushing for good for the country? It's good for their constituents, but not the country overall. Bernie's agenda failed at the presidential polls. The progressives agenda got killed in the midterms. In my opinion, all of this spending - regardless of labels, Dems/GOP/Progressive/Centrist - is reckless, unsustainable and it's going to wreck the economy. Washington needs to slow the printing machine, and end the disincentives for production and work.
Since this is the Elon thread - it's interesting he's selling so much stock. Is this the top?
I thought Bernie was a Democrat, having run as one - but maybe not...
I'm glad you're happy brother/sister
I thought in a democracy people who lose presidential elections but are still elected to other positions should defend what their constituents want, but maybe you're right, maybe they should just feck off.
Its definitely not the top. It could double over the next couple of years since he still hasn't yet released the Model 2, which will be a mass produced EV in the $25k range that he will drop probably next year. The Model 2 / Model 3 combo could do for Tesla what the iPhone did for Apple. At that point, he will have a firm grip on each of the budget, mid priced, and luxury EV market, as well as the charging infrastrcture to support them all.
Glad you mentioned MMT, because I find their policy recommendations insane. The elephant in the room is spiraling inflation and how to prevent it becoming a stagflation.
Raising rates might do the trick. The weighted average maturity for US debt is 65 months (just over 5 yrs), which means that debt has to get rolled over soon. Raise rates to combat inflation and the cost of servicing debt will take a huge chunk of the Federal Budget very soon. I've read estimates that depending where rates rise to, servicing the debt would take up to 30% of the Federal Budget. Right now is something like 2%. If only Yellen and her MMT pals agreed to lengthen the maturity of government debt before interest rates rise we wouldn't be in such a pickle.
Increase revenue through taxation is another way - whether it's through higher taxes on corporations and/or citizens. Federal corporate tax rate is 21%, adding state tax rates you're looking at anywhere from 21-30%. France by comparison is at 26.5%, Germany is 15% (if my memory is correct; though there may be a solidarity surcharge). Point being the corporate rate is relatively high, there's not much juice to squeeze there. Big corporations can and will leave. Increase tax revenue from the people, that's going to be very popular and political suicide for anyone trying it (I'm not talking selective billionaire tax, I'm talking raising rates on the middle class).
Cutting spending is yet another way and we've seen where gov't spending is highest like defense, healthcare and education where costs spiral out of control. Don't see it happening though, especially with lots of politicians advocating increasing spending.
Or we could start a war - that usually stimulates the economy and WWII famously got us out of the Depression era funk...
I looked at this and thought "hmm, might be worth jumping on that sweet Tesla gravy train", realised shares at a grand a pop, felt sick, and searched for NIO instead.
He's a Senator from Vermont, a state where cows outnumber people. His constituents are 200,000 farmers and rich New Yorkers who buy a second home in Burlington. The country is 320 million people.
Look, I respect Bernie and I think he's the most trustworthy and upright person in Congress. I would have voted for him in the general election in 2016 or 2020. The fact of the matter is Biden won. On a centrist agenda. So he gets to govern on that agenda.
US is a winner takes all country, it's a different system than most European countries with proportional votes and coalitions and what not.
feck it, I've been sitting on this plane for 4 hours time to land and do some real work...
Without wanting to open an economic can of worms, just a quick point about the theory behind MMT.
You won't default (unless you consciously choose to) because you print the currency your debt is denominated in.
You won't get hyperinflation because firstly it's pretty hard to cause hyperinflation unless you're actively trying to, and secondly, the money you're printing is generating new economic activity (e.g. Green New deal, new jobs, more tax take etc), so you don't get too much money chasing too few products.
...or so the theory goes, anyway.
Vanguard and Blackrock for most part do passive indexing. So if the value of a company increases they have to buy more of that stock.
I think that Tesla’s stocks are massively overpriced though. But it is nothing new, these things happen all the time until they get corrected.
That channel
Celebrity worship to new levels.
Paying attention to the content, not the content provider
This guy is off his meds:
NASA has spent $360 Billion on its program and didn't have a way to go to space... until SpaceX came along and did it for $12B after profits.
That's a slightly weird way to phrase it, because Musk isn't actually a rocket scientist in any way. He might know more about space exploration, but running a space exploration company filled with rocket scientists doesn't make him an expert on rocket science.
In any case, there are some obvious concerns with privatizing space exploration and colonization.
In any case, there are some obvious concerns with privatizing space exploration and colonization.
the shoes!
Paying attention to the content and not the provider I think they look amazingly bad.
I swear I had a pair of Nike like them when I was a teenager.
Paying attention to the content, not the content provider
This guy is off his meds:
NASA has spent $360 Billion on its program and didn't have a way to go to space... until SpaceX came along and did it for $12B after profits.
Bernie is like a broken record. In general, doing the opposite of what he says tends to be a good policy.
If he was eligible I have no doubt he'd be running for president. Clearly has the ego for it.
Pulp Fiction remake looks underwhelming
Fcuking hell. This may be the dumbest thing I’ve ever read. Have you met any other humans?
Edit : Just saw this was from 2017. My statement remains. Apologies for quoting a younger you though.
Wow, really @UnrelatedPsuedo Out of all the horseshit you've read in your entire lifespan that particular sentence was the dumbest you've ever read? Hyperbole much.
That's what hyperbole is, though?
President of Mars... he just needs to dig enough tunnels that he can fill with remote controlled monkeys who will vote for him
He hasn't retracted it and still is a musk fan boy so no apology necessary
Tunnels, what an innovator. If only we had thought of tunnels!