Google cofounder Sergey Brin has spent $102 million to fight California’s proposed billionaire tax—he could owe $13 billion if he loses

[u/Logical_Welder3467]

https://fortune.com/article/how-much-has-google-cofounder-sergey-brin-spent-to-oppose-california-billionaire-tax-102-million-owe-13-billion-if-loses/

[u/PretzelsRule23]

"It's a big club and you're not in it." George Carlin

I would love to watch a Carlin routine today.

I think a good voting strategy is to vote against whatever the billionaires are supporting.

[u/sselkiess → u/PretzelsRule23]

I feel like it’s a small club. There’s plenty of well off people, rich people, and very rich people.

But there’s few people that have the money to affect policy. Those are the people that we should be wary of. No one individual should have the ability to make that kind of impact. And no one in that position has ever been altruistic enough to justify the damage they have done to get there.

[u/Tirras → u/sselkiess]

Once you're bringing your little gang of oligarchs on trips to foreign leaders, it's pretty clear they aren't normal citizens anymore simply due to the wealth they've accumulated.

[u/QuinnWynns → u/sselkiess]

But there’s few people that have the money to affect policy.

Wasn't there an article that came out a couple years back that politicians were being bought out/bribed for just a few thousand bucks?

[u/Dave5876 → u/QuinnWynns]

There's many ways to exchange money we'll never know about

[u/livestrong2109 → u/PretzelsRule23]

He would be way to jaded by now. His whole thing was that he'd jump on stage drop truth bombs at a certain cadence and you would laugh. I've come to realize he wasn't really telling jokes.

[u/BackgroundMeeting857 → u/PretzelsRule23]

I watch some of his old stuff today and man it feels like he just time traveled for his routines...

[u/Dave5876 → u/BackgroundMeeting857]

His material feels timeless because america has always been an oligarchy

[u/joeschmoe999 → u/PretzelsRule23]

Glad I got to see George Carlin perform before he passed away.

[u/Snow-Ball-486 → u/[deleted]]

the "club" Carlin talked about is the people who own the politicians, not a comedian who sold tickets. he never pretended to be a regular guy, he spent years digging out of IRS debt, and he never asked anyone for votes or power. and even if he were rich, that doesn't make what he said wrong.

whatever you think of Trump, he sought power. Carlin spent his career telling you not to hand it to anyone.

[u/PretzelsRule23 → u/[deleted]]

If you can't tell the difference between

1) a guy who was talented at what he did and made some money and enjoyed it VS 2) someone that is trying to control your life by actually writing the laws, paying politicians to pass those laws and thereby tilting the entire playing field in their favor while actively harming everyone else - which billionaires and large corporate CEOs are doing

then I don't think you can understand what this conversation is about.

[u/derderppolo → u/PretzelsRule23]

Carlin would probably get cancelled by Redditors if he were to do a routine today.

[u/KangaBro → u/PretzelsRule23]

Here’s one courtesy of Chatgpt.

“The Government: Now With Premium Corruption”
You ever notice how government corruption has gotten more sophisticated?
It used to be simple.
Some guy takes a suitcase full of cash.
“Here’s $50,000. Approve my building.”
That was corruption you could understand.
Now?
Now the guy takes the $50,000, puts it into a consulting company, hires his wife, gives himself a board position, donates to a charity, gets appointed to a government advisory panel, and three years later—
he’s explaining to you on television that there is absolutely no conflict of interest.
No conflict of interest!
There’s so much interest in the conflict, the conflict needs its own fucking accountant.
And politicians have developed this beautiful new language.
They don’t lie anymore.
They provide alternative facts.
They don’t steal public money.
They misallocate resources.
They don’t serve corporations.
They engage with industry stakeholders.
And they don’t screw you.
Oh no.
They implement necessary economic adjustments.
Which is government-speak for:
“We’re going to take your money and give it to somebody who already has a helicopter.”
And the funniest part is they keep telling us:
“We work for you.”
Really?
Because I’ve never had a boss who spent six months campaigning for my vote, promised me a pay rise, borrowed my car, sold my house, gave my neighbour the keys—
—and then told me I should be grateful because the economy is doing well.
Government is basically the only employer where the employees can say:
“Don’t worry, we’re auditing ourselves.”
Oh, good.
That’s reassuring.
That’s like finding out the fox has been appointed head of the chicken accounting department.
And every few years they come back and say:
“We need your support.”
No.
What you need is my support.
What I need is an itemised receipt.
“Where did my taxes go?”
“Well, $4 billion went toward a strategic initiative.”
What initiative?
“We can’t tell you.”
Why?
“National security.”
Bullshit.
If national security can protect a $4 billion expenditure from public scrutiny, apparently national security is just a very expensive curtain.
And somehow we’re expected to believe that all these people—
who spend their entire careers learning how to manipulate voters—
will suddenly become completely honest when they get into power.
That’s adorable.
That’s like putting a professional pickpocket in charge of the wallet and saying:
“We chose him because he has excellent hand skills.”
The real scam isn’t that politicians are corrupt.
The real scam is convincing ordinary people that corruption is something that happens over there, to other countries, under other governments.
Meanwhile, every democracy has invented increasingly elaborate ways to say:
“Please don’t look behind that curtain.”
And we’re standing there going:
“Okay.”
Because we’re busy arguing with each other about whether the curtain is red or blue.

[u/PretzelsRule23 → u/KangaBro]

I could totally hear that in Carlin's voice. I hate to say it but Chat GPT did a pretty good job there.