[extropy-chat] Bloodless Redistribution of Wealth(wasSingulartarians)

[spike]

> bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of The Avantguardian
> Subject: RE: [extropy-chat] Bloodless Redistribution of
> Wealth(wasSingulartarians)
> 
> 
> 
> --- spike <spike66 at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
> > Do tell!  ...

> 
> The idea is similar to that of vanity license plates.

Avant, I like this idea.  We should be able to figure
out some way to prevent counterfeiting.  This idea is
better than the lottery in many ways.  

Regarding your other paragraphs, you might be
better off posting the original idea as a stand-alone,
perhaps just one paragraph.  Reason: the other material
demonstrates wealth-as-a-fixed-sum assumption.  For
instance:

> ...people with multiple mansions, yachts, private jets,
> and luxury cars continue to amass personal wealth at
> the expense of the poor because they are sadistic and
> enjoy watching people suffer? I think not.

I think not as well, for wealth is not amassed at the
expense of the poor.  Rather, wealth is amassed to the
benefit of the poor, even if indirectly.  If someone buys
mansions, yachts and private jets, someone is paid
to build them, so those people are no longer poor, so
these buy cheaper stuff which is also made and sold by 
people who are no longer poor as a result.  Everyone
wins.

Wealth creates wealth.  Large piles of wealth in
the hands of an individual creates larger piles
of wealth.  Wealth in the hands of government, well
I'll let you decide if that is a harm or a 
benefit.  Perhaps both.

>... So if money is subject to the law of diminishing
> marginal utility... The Avantguardian

In some ways, wealth is subject to the law of
inverse diminishing utility, or rather advancing
marginal utility.  If you have a ton of it, you
can set up factories that create enormous economies
of scale.

We sometimes lose sight of this because we do not
realize how cheap consumer goods have become.  Consider
for instance your car.  Go out and really look at the
machine.  Especially if you ever do mechanical work on
it, you will see how remarkably sophisticated is that
device.  Yet they are routinely sold for a couple 
months gross salary for a prole.  Used and out-of-
fashion but still functional cars can be bought for
a week's salary.  A decent computer can be had for
a day's pay.  Why?  Because enormous piles of
wealth have been amassed, by individuals and by
corporate sale of stock.  Unimaginable wealth has
been created out of dirt.

Friends, I offer you a message of great rejoicing!  We 
are rich as all hell, so damn wealthy we *don't even realize 
how well-off we are.*  Even our poor have hamburger and
cell phones.  Do ponder this, early and often.

President Reagan's efforts to explain this trickle-down
economy was met mostly with ridicule (voodoo
economy etc) but the man was absolutely right.  To
get any economy moving, we must encourage wild 
self-indulgent spending by the people who have it.  Your 
notion of vanity money might help do this.

spike