cross-posted from: https://kbin.earth/...
As data centers are shut down by angry mobs and AI surveillance cameras are ripped from their poles, the world’s tech billionaires and CEOs are waking up to the reality that the masses are, broadly speaking, not on board with their plan to automate the world with AI.
That’s one way “AI” is insidious because it’s a crutch for workers. If the system stops delivering, it’ll cry out like one of those “too big to fail” banksters and beg for bailout.
Didn't his daughter just buy an island or something? Not that secret.
I’m not.
We live in a society and enjoy or use services that benefit all. Schools, roads, infrastructure, etc. all need to be paid for. I have no problem paying for taxes to do my part, and have never had a desire to avoid that responsibility. I live in a society. It benefits me, and I pay back into it, just as everyone should.
I have a problem with the people who have the most to give not doing so. They’re leeching off society without giving back to it.
I can tell you grew up watching Mr Rodgers.
I mean that as a compliment by the way.
I did, him and Bob Ross. They’re both missed, and I hope their syndication can be a benefit to young people today. (Edit - though from what I’ve seen, the kids are alright. Certainly more compassionate and empathetic today than my cohort or generations before).
Not sure if the shows still air, but some is on YouTube, and I donate to PBS monthly just in case.
I feel like that should be taken as a compliment regardless of how it's meant
Dont down vote me to oblivion, but ive been told they (gov) dont need our taxes one bit. If they need money they print it. Taxation is a scam, basically, and the majority goes to war, right? Or used to.
Why is it I still in 2026 can't easily see where every single cent of my taxes goes? Why? Because it goes directly in government pockets is why.
"I've been told"
brilliant.
I won’t downvote, but whoever told you that was telling stories. Yes, money gets mishandled at times, and we’re currently in a period of absurd corruption, but overall governmental programs are very efficiently run compared to a lot of private sector since there’s zero need for profit.
The government is also essentially the largest negotiating body in the country for bulk rate bids.
If they need money they print it
Which is a leading cause of inflation. It’s very conservative financial behavior. Budgets need to be balanced. Republicans don’t bother and tend to leave the mess for whoever comes after. Democrats aren’t a ton better, but budgets are at least considered, and the only time we’ve ever had a surplus budget in my lifetime was under the democrats.
taxation removes money from the overall monetary supply. Central banks can't 'run out' of money and do not require that spending be 'matched' to a tax base. There is a practical limit on how much money can be printed, in terms of productive capacity but also inflationary pressure, but mostly the boomer narrative of 'fiscal responsibility' is there to discipline popular expectations about social services and public spending generally. The logic of austerity is a leash around the neck of the working class, working silently to condition them to interpret spending which benefits their class interests as being 'irresponsible'.
Well yes but printing it is a horrible idea cuz inflation.
That stuff has a name, and it's called MMT, modern monetary theory, and it's generally considered a bad idea.
Yes, the government can in principle just print money, but that has consequences, and they're not pretty. The understanding of the problems this was causing has been the historical reason for the independence of the central banks from the executive branches.
There is a branch of the left that doesn't like the idea that there are limits to public spending, but now that Trump is trying to take control of the Federal Reserve we just might find out how much of a bad idea it is to have the central bank under the executive.
The shortest version of why MMT is very dubious at best, is that if you print too much money you get inflation, and MMT proponents acknowledge this. You know how they suggest controlling inflation? By levying taxes. And there you go, taxes are back.
BTW the breakdown of how your tax dollars are spent is here: (at least if you're in the US, which it sounds like you are)
but ive been told they (gov) dont need our taxes one bit. If they need money they print it. Taxation is a scam, basically, and the majority goes to war, right?
you were told incorrectly.
Classic neolib playbook. Defund public services so much that they barely function, claim that the government can't do anything right and/or that public services are "net negative", then privatize everything and enshittify it even more while extracting as much value from people as possible.
Taxes are money collected by the government ensure that everyone has a basic standard of living and care, as well as essential services. Taxes are important. Don’t blame taxes just cause America can’t use tax money correctly.
Good taxes yes.
How about the taxes funding war and dumpys ballroom?
America can’t use tax money correctly
It was mentioned in the message you replied to.
taxation and government spending are two different things
So how about we require the government to serve the people
And what are you doing to work towards this goal?
Yes, there’s interstate compacts starting to form around this sort of thing. They’ve been in the works for a while now.
A society without taxes is not a society I want to live in. What, I have to build my own roads? Or are they all going to be for-profit toll roads? Fuck that noise. I want a government whose job is to make a society I want to live in. We don't have that government, but once we do I will happily pay taxes to that government.
I'm up for a tax strike if it's sufficiently organized. We aren't going to accomplish shit going up against this system on our own.
If people want the benefits of society, they need to be paid for.
Life Pro-Tip: You definitely want the benefits of a functioning society.
The alternative is nasty, brutish, and short as a wiser person than us once said.
A functioning society needs a functioning government. A functioning government based on consent of the governed is a precondition of taxes being justified. Otherwise tax is theft.
This is exactly what they want. If no one pays taxes and we all get that back into our paychecks, the price of goods goes up by the same amount or more. The taxes are still paid, they just go straight to the shareholders instead of through the government. These billionaires don't pay their fair share now but they would love to pay nothing at all. 30% inflation doesn't affect them but it does make them richer. This is why they're floating the idea of zero income tax.
When they get really scared, they'll lash out harshly in an attempt to scare us back into compliance. Rather than back down, that's our cue to finish it, once and for all. None of this namby-pamby dragging it out for years. Decisive action is called for at that point, a lá Francais.
Every third Futurism headline because it gets clicks: "The AI industry is literally shitting its pants and collapsing; the enemy is simultaneously strong and weak. Sam Altman is actually having a panic attack right now."
It feels like this and some low-quality pop science reporting is all this content mill exists to do at this point.
Amazon executive chairman Jeff Bezos — whose net worth would take the average US worker 3.8 million years to earn on their own
Good way to put it into perspective
this news comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable
or
Personally I'm more of a classicalist, let's swap the guillotine for pouring gold down their gullets.
Yes I know that story is apocryphal and what really happened is that the person's fucked around with the severed head of Crassus but it's still solid imagery.
the weight of a golden crown is heavy.
Good. Remember, people having worker's rights and livable wages and a clean environment is a compromise. Eating the rich is what happens when you keep trying to make that compromise go away due to greed.
They need to understand that they keep their fortunes and their lives, at the pleasure of the people.
but that doesn't mean it's all in good faith.
It's never in good faith, they're billionaires.
You don't become a billionaire by being honest and true.
Not scared enough
PULL THE PLUG
These assholes aren't scared enough because they are still trying to build data centers all over the goddamn place, but it's just getting started, keep up the good work.
Hype Train choo choo... Sometimes I think this is all BS... Like traderturds are like "oh I could have a super power if I invest in this stock"... It is like they don't want you to forget about AI.... Chooo choooo. The billionares should be worried especilly when the start fucking with our food supply. Thats when we will see change.
The angry mob thing is so real. Treating AI as some nebulous thing that exists in cyberspace somehow devoid of anything real isn't how anything works. Data centers can burn. Sugar can be poured in your concrete, your shit can be smashed and if people get angry enough they will not stop at smashing only your shit.
no, they are not, not until we start burning down all thier shit
we will not be intimidated by Big Brother. Viva la revolucion
@lemmy.world
"We did it, Patrick! We made a technological breakthrough!"
A place for all those who loathe AI to discuss things, post articles, and ridicule the AI hype. Proud supporter of working people. And proud booer of SXSW 2024.
AI, in this case, refers to LLMs, GPT technology, and anything listed as "AI" meant to increase market valuations.
go to feed...
@lemmy.world
"We did it, Patrick! We made a technological breakthrough!"
A place for all those who loathe AI to discuss things, post articles, and ridicule the AI hype. Proud supporter of working people. And proud booer of SXSW 2024.
AI, in this case, refers to LLMs, GPT technology, and anything listed as "AI" meant to increase market valuations.
go to feed...
We're also not on board with their plans to keep evading taxes, or their plans to keep running secret private islands.
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