this post was submitted on 11 Feb 2024
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What I meant by stock buy backs as a way of generating revanue was more that it’s a way to take revanue and pass it on the shareholder without using dividends, which are what the corporate tax is on. The way I worded it was really poor.
I don’t think the current generation of retirees are screwing over younger generations maliciously, they just haven’t critically examined the whole economic system and don’t seem to get that the current system is incredibly unsustainable, they just want the money they were promised. They are so insulated from the decision making process that they don’t understand the reality of what they’re demanding.
I'd say it's not even really their place to be "examining the whole economic system." Each individual is just a regular Joe who put in their time at a job over their life and would now like to reap the rewards of their effort in retirement. It bothers me when people insult other people simply for being caught up in a systemic issue that's beyond their control.
The solutions for systemic problems need to be systemic as well. If we as a society don't want to see housing move over to an exclusively rent-based system then we'll need to address it through things like zoning changes and other legal reforms. When people oppose those things by voting against them, then we can start to apportion blame around.
I totally agree, systemic problems require systemic solutions. If a system is failing “just being better” is never a solution.
My point is that failure here is in the economic system that encourages this kind of detachment. That the retirement system is built around accumulating value and investing into capital to pay for retirement later, makes these kinds of situations inevitable.
Indeed. This is definitely Hanlon’s razor on their part. Though, still, this is a failing of humans - to recognize the impact their actions impose on others.