this post was submitted on 27 Jul 2026
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A Boring Dystopia

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[–] MrVilliam@sh.itjust.works 150 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

They're all fine with redistribution of wealth, but only in one direction.

[–] Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com 72 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] gandalf_der_12te@feddit.org 34 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] green_link@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago

nah, evaporation will rain down at some point. this wealth transfer only goes up

[–] gandalf_der_12te@feddit.org 28 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

"there's class war alright, but it's our class, the owning class, that is waging war, and we're winning". -- some rich person a few years ago

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[–] atopi@piefed.blahaj.zone 4 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Isnt everyone fine with redistribution of wealth in only one direction?

Some want it downwards, some want it upwards, some want it all thrown into the sun

[–] MrVilliam@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 weeks ago

Yes, but some won't acknowledge that it's already happening (upwards), and they'll criticize the general concept as taking money away from people who earned it. I will tell you that I worked harder for near minimum wage than I do now for above median wage. The people benefiting from the status quo tend to demonize any threat of changing the status quo, and the language used is intentional in order to frame an argument that assumes that their preferred system is the default and normal one.

[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 weeks ago

One of the main criticisms against environmental taxes is that they're regressive. Many of us support those in addition to wealth taxes, so we're in favor of redistribution both to and from the poor. Although perhaps then we could argue we're transferring wealth into the future.

[–] roofuskit@lemmy.world 73 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

This is called wealth transfer, conservatives only like it when it goes from the bottom to the top.

[–] Bieren@lemmy.today 19 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

If there is one conservatives know about, its bottom and tops.

[–] roofuskit@lemmy.world 17 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

They just lost a huge amount of institutional knowledge.

[–] FistingEnthusiast@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

And the world is a better place for it

[–] cRazi_man@europe.pub 51 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

People in USA: so are your import tariffs gone now? Have tariff related price increases gone back down? Or have businesses just decided to keep that free money too?

That's the fun part: the ratchet only goes one way. Another fun part? We're doing more tarrifs!

[–] nanometer1625@thelemmy.club 34 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)

It's actually even worse than just taxpayers paying businesses: Since the US doesn't have the tax revenue to pay the businesses, it will need to take out more debt to pay them. So the taxpayers will not only pay the businesses, but they will also pay interest. (That is, if you believe that the US will be able to stabilize its debt before defaulting. At the rate we're going, with the looter class taking US government funds, the US will end up defaulting before taxpayers have a chance to pay down the debt. To be clear, a default would be far more painful than the austerity required to stabilize the debt.)

[–] StupidBrotherInLaw@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Forgive me for not understanding as I'm not from the US, but what happened to the funds from the collected tariffs?

[–] InputZero@lemmy.world 12 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

They go to Trump's sovereign wealth fund which he uses to give his allies cushy government contracts.

[–] StupidBrotherInLaw@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Do you have a source where I could read more about this? I tried looking all of this up and the only articles I found contradict the original comment about taking loans to repay tariffs and that putting tariff revenue into a sovereign wealth fund was proposed but never happened.

Edit: further reading shows neither is factual.

[–] village604@adultswim.fan 9 points 2 weeks ago

Probably spent on ICE

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[–] jpreston2005@lemmy.world 29 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Actually it's worse! Because the current US secretary of Commerce, Howard Luttnick, and his sons went around to companies most impacted by the illegal tariffs, and said that they'd pay them a small amount of money now, for the rights to the full tariff refund later. Basically betting that the tariffs would be ruled illegal, and that there would be massive refunds issued. So they bought up the rights to millions of refunds, for pennies on the dollar, effectively leveraging their insider knowledge of the issue, in one of less blatant instances of corruption within this administration.

[–] ArmchairAce1944@discuss.online 4 points 2 weeks ago

This is some street level thuggery. I am not surprised at all.

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[–] Jake_Farm@sopuli.xyz 23 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

That was the plan all along.

[–] iknewitwhenisawit@fedinsfw.app 8 points 2 weeks ago

I think that Occam's razor tells us that this was just another inept attempt to end-run around democracy that failed.

The payout to capital is the silver lining, not the plan, from the administration's viewpoint.

[–] AbsolutelyNotAVelociraptor@piefed.social 20 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

To be fair, he said "you'll get tired of winning". What he didn't specify is who were included in that "you".

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[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 18 points 2 weeks ago (7 children)

All of these corporate fines, where the citizens get screwed, but the government gets all the money, needs to be handled differently.

We need to start an "America First Fund" (irony intended) for these sorts of fines, which will be the seed money to fund our wish list of social programs, starting with Medicare 4 All. As we collect fines, settlements, confiscations, etc. from Sociopathic Oligarchs and their corporations, it should go into the America First Fund, to finance a better life for all American citizens.

[–] stopdropandprole@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

fines

fund social programs

I think this is just called "taxes" in a functional society.

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[–] curiousaur@reddthat.com 17 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

It's been a big slow robbery the whole time.

[–] Shindo66@lemmy.world 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I've had some conversations with some pretty generationaly wealthy people, the underlying sentiment is, if you aren't going to call us out on the stock market literally there to enrich the wealthy and steal the wages, then we are just going to keep pushing the envelope.

[–] NottaLottaOcelot@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I think you’re right. I keep hearing about how the stock market bubble will burst, but I can’t help but think that a) billionaires will use a lot of power to resist that and b) if it does, they’ll buy up all the leftovers for cheap and leave the little guy with the true loss

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[–] FistingEnthusiast@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

"Always has been" pic

[–] lizzzy@feddit.uk 13 points 2 weeks ago (6 children)

How do you stop this crap. That money could have paid for universal healthcare many times over.

Rob the poor to pay the rich USA mentality

[–] NikkiDimes@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It starts with g and it rhymes with ruillotines

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[–] UnspecificGravity@piefed.social 10 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

You would be amazed how many taxes work exactly like this.

(hint: its most of them).

[–] RFKJrsBrainworm@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 weeks ago

That's because a tariff is a fancy way to say "tax raise"

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[–] SnarkoPolo@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

The biglyest winning! So much YUGE win! In fact, many men, big burly men, have said "Sir, Sir! Please Sir, take more money from us to make business richer, so we can be in debt for your fantastic plans!" They said it while literally crying, believe me.

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[–] KulunkelBoom@lemmus.org 10 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Hell yeah... all that "tarrif money" from the first go-arounds is in trump's pocket. You don't think HE'S going to pay for his criminal act, do you?

Get the fuck out of here !!! You crazy person you.

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[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 8 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

But we drove unemployment down because the businesses and oligarchs got all the extra money right? righhhht?

:aniken/padme meme:

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[–] jaemo@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 weeks ago

Glad you're enjoying it America. Facisim is a super active sport, be careful not to tyranny ligament!

[–] Hueristic_Autistic@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Ted Dansons Voice: Woah woah woah, we weren't promised to be Charlie Sheen-Grade winners.

[–] Themosthighstrange@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)

I see a whole bunch of charlie sheens in my trailer park but it usually involves lower grade drugs and lower grade women and shit ton of fox news

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[–] psycho_driver@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

And we're doing it all over again.

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[–] MutantTailThing@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

I PAID THE TARRIFS.

But I did not vote for import fees.

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