Which it does not. Need proof? Come to HK I take you around the city and show you the most expensive property pieces in the world (by cost per sft) and then let's check how happy they look like. I guess you are the opposite end of the spectrum so yes money makes happy to a certain degree when you have none. Life is pretty shitty at the absolute bottom (which is why we should urgently raise minimum wages) and life is pretty dull and boring at the absolute top as well.
The Wealth Detective Who Finds the Hidden Money of the Super Rich
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I can show you many poor people who are pretty much happy with their lives and all the possessions they've got.
Whatever my taxes, I don't want some govt communists to demonize rich people b/c they are as important for the country as anyone else. Everybody should have equal rights regardless of their income or wealth under the law.... But taxes are already near zero for your bracket
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Mostly right. But plenty of harm in raising taxes or 42% bracket= greed is harmful to a gov also , maybe thats why some like the idea of greedy gov being harmed.
User fees work much better, like on ammo. And even worse than gov being harmed by greed of hi taxes; the more taxes they collect, the more they try to control everything. If any want to move into Caracas, fine with me. Inflation rate projection of !0,000,000% ,2019. NOT a prediction but looks likely.
, That was my point, you nut. Money above a certain threshold does not in itself provide happiness.
No, actually not every profession and wealth level provide the same utility to a country and its people. Why do you think many leading nations have immigration laws where they explicitly favor certain professions over others and why do many countries welcome only very few wealthy via investor visa categories vs other need based professions? Because wealth itself has a very limited utility in most societies. What value does a wealthy private equity investor add to a country who through carried interest hardly pays a penny taxes? Close to zero value. How about a plumber or a nurse? As long as you don't think but only drink the capitalist coolaid you will never understand this rather simple concept
I think a lot of Americans are completely brainwashed in thinking that the richer someone is the more he or she must be admired or respected. That is not a surprise given that America is a country of immigrants and that a large share of immigrants, aside wealthy Jews who escaped the holocaust with their possessions early enough and more recently techies, came to America dirt poor and where there were very few laws initially that guided people to a principled life but rather contributed to the worship of money. Forget an ethical and moral set of principles that valued human decency and respect and care for each other but instead individualistic money hoarding. Obviously those immigrants, who came from cultures where there was a stringent moral code, passed on moral and ethical values to their descendants. But there were plenty from regions where the rule of the jungle prevailed and hence a large share of Americans live by the rule of the jungle today, too. I am therefore not surprised that it is even a strict taboo in Christian circles to talk about money or giving and tithing, except in a prosperity gospel setting where the giving is tied to the expectation of a many fold return. Left leaning crowds hate to admit it but there are races and cultures today in America where the only rules of the day are life and death and money, and other cultures and races that pursue much higher non monetary goals in life.
I do not care where you see yourself in this picture and it is irrelevant. What is relevant, however, is that the wealthy in America today are by large majority not paying their fair share but rather use their wealth to gain unfair advantages, whether through bribary or corruption or lobbying or admission cheating or insider trading or settling with prosecutors in exchange for monetary fines without admitting or denying wrongdoing when there was actually proven wrongdoing at play. Tax loopholes are not removed because the law was designed and is written and interpreted by the wealthy and their wealthy lawyers. Commit egregious corporate fraud, be soldiers and intentionally kill innocent lives, commit insider trading in the amounts of hundreds of millions, run elaborate ponzis, and one rarely goes to prison with lengthy sentences. But smoke a joint and you get incarcerated. Drink an alcoholic beverage on the beach and you get into big trouble and onto watch lists. It's a system that is rigged in favor of the wealthy and those who fight wars for those with special corporate and geo-political interests. Opposite in Japan, a system designed to protect the small guy, powerful auto ceos are kept under arrest for prolonged amounts of time and are lead into the court rooms in sheckles. Tell me now, is the average Japanese or average American happier in their life pursuits? I think we can safely conclude that it is the average Japanese. The answers to the reason why it is so are there when you decide to open your eyes and dig a little deeper.
I think a lot of Americans are completely brainwashed in thinking that the richer someone is the more he or she must be admired or respected. That is not a surprise given that America is a country of immigrants and that a large share of immigrants, aside wealthy Jews who escaped the holocaust with their possessions early enough and more recently techies, came to America dirt poor and where there were very few laws initially that guided people to a principled life but rather contributed to the worship of money. Forget an ethical and moral set of principles that valued human decency and respect and care for each other but instead individualistic money hoarding. Obviously those immigrants, who came from cultures where there was a stringent moral code, passed on moral and ethical values to their descendants. But there were plenty from regions where the rule of the jungle prevailed and hence a large share of Americans live by the rule of the jungle today, too. I am therefore not surprised that it is even a strict taboo in Christian circles to talk about money or giving and tithing, except in a prosperity gospel setting where the giving is tied to the expectation of a many fold return. Left leaning crowds hate to admit it but there are races and cultures today in America where the only rules of the day are life and death and money, and other cultures and races that pursue much higher non monetary goals in life.
I do not care where you see yourself in this picture and it is irrelevant. What is relevant, however, is that the wealthy in America today are by large majority not paying their fair share but rather use their wealth to gain unfair advantages, whether through bribary or corruption or lobbying or admission cheating or insider trading or settling with prosecutors in exchange for monetary fines without admitting or denying wrongdoing when there was actually proven wrongdoing at play. Tax loopholes are not removed because the law was designed and is written and interpreted by the wealthy and their wealthy lawyers. Commit egregious corporate fraud, be soldiers and intentionally kill innocent lives, commit insider trading in the amounts of hundreds of millions, run elaborate ponzis, and one rarely goes to prison with lengthy sentences. But smoke a joint and you get incarcerated. Drink an alcoholic beverage on the beach and you get into big trouble and onto watch lists. It's a system that is rigged in favor of the wealthy and those who fight wars for those with special corporate and geo-political interests. Opposite in Japan, a system designed to protect the small guy, powerful auto ceos are kept under arrest for prolonged amounts of time and are lead into the court rooms in sheckles. Tell me now, is the average Japanese or average American happier in their life pursuits? I think we can safely conclude that it is the average Japanese. The answers to the reason why it is so are there when you decide to open your eyes and dig a little deeper.
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How much money is enough to be happy? What would you do if unsatisfied with your income?
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Money never makes happy. Money above a rather minimum threshold prevents cronic unhappiness but that's it. Happiness can only be successfully pursued via other means. Money also never buys true self confidence. Someone who lacks self confidence and wraps him/herself into brand watches/shoes/handbags/... still lacks self confidence. Confidence and other human characteristics are properties that need to be nurtured from within.
Certain groups of people will never understand it, unfortunately.
Certain groups of people will never understand it, unfortunately.
"minimum threshold that prevents cronic unhappiness" means different things to different people. For some people taxes are a legalized robbery which negatively affects their incentive to work and/or their personal freedoms. What does 90% tax on your income mean for you?
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