this post was submitted on 29 Jul 2023
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You can make exactly $600 per year off your personal property before you run afoul of tax laws in the USA.
Thats sad(
There its ~25k$ IIRC. (Although doesn't count net profit, just all money you recive)
But there's huge gray market here, and I'm sure US has it too
Tax evasion is like pornography. Everybody takes part in it, but you're never supposed to get caught. Walking that tightrope perfectly will lead you straight to the White House.
I guess US just sucks if you want some independence in your life...
But back to my original point, without a state and violence what would stop me from owning that property and making money/accumulateing capital with it? (Although I personally think that just trade is free market and not capitalism, but I'm not sure about your view on this)
Also as a fun anecdote: our government used taxpayers money to put ads asking people to "get out of gray" and pay taxes 🤣 That's how big gray market here
There's nothing to stop you, which is why communities grow into hierarchies. Those hierarchies eventually destroy communities and start using scapegoats to excuse their own corruption and failure. As long as people accept these lies, the scapegoating turns into genocide. There is an alternate ending though, and that's for enough people to become aware of societal injustice to establish a community that's larger than the hierarchies, and force reallocation of resources to create an egalitarian society. That's why conservatives, all of whom are invested in the scapegoating tactics, are anti-woke.
I guess that makes sense. Although usually when it comes to achieving such grand goals through education, people might reject some parts of the teaching. Which might result in blaming this "irrationality" on some group, which would be later genocided.
Not saying that will happen just saying that we have to keep it in mind and act more like Makhno for example. He was ready to accept democratic vote even if people decided to go back to imperialism.
I wonder how much different today's world would be if they weren't crushed by soviets...
I feel like these conversations also fight the ideas of the inherent impurity of the systems. Capitalism on its own just doesn't exist because its beneficial for govt to collect from the masses and provide some degree of common good such as infrastructure.
On the flip are the communists who believe they can completely throw out all of the ideas of capitalism and competition. It gets hard to even make the point of the "market place of ideas" where people are competing within a controlled system for things like the prestige of the best idea that outcompetes the rest. There have to be drivers for action and money is simply the easiest carrot.