: and in my scenario, those who wish to dwell within our shores shall find their annual wealth accumulations limited to 5 mil. Is that really so hard to live with?Try it and find out - do you really want to see what happens? Modern communications and travel mean that what the local Baron does to 'his' people is something people can refuse by voting with their feet.
: Civil servants are not after power, at least not in general. Believe it or not, they take jobs in the public sector out of a desire to serve others
And you're implying naivete on my part? Having blind faith is government is just as dangerous, probably more, as having paranoid fear of them.
: -- while also making a good living.
Thats closer to it. By the way - if some one joins the civil 'service' in order to make people use more public transport by altering rules and regulations then what do you think he is employing? Power maybe? I won't tar the whole group though - thats correct. Most of them are just 'doing a job' to meet their own goals without much thought as to any larger scheme of which they are part.
: While you indeed might be right, I find it hard to believe that just because J. Moneybags III decides to cut and run rather than live a life a poverty on only $5 million/year, someone less, er, greedy wouldn't step in to fill the void. There's plenty of money -- let's spread it around, eh?
I'm saying that 'plenty of money' would turn into less and less money after a couple of years under your proposal. How you gonna spread whats no longer there? Youve already accepted that if you change th rules people are just going to carry on happily producing the same wealth as before.
: Love is a many splendored thing. Love SONGS are silly.
Thats true!
: I think you'd find it is a bad idea. If people wanted tax money for goodies then the best thing to do is to completely unleash earning power and just steal a cut, rather than regulate everything.
: I'm open to alternatives to the max wage. How about a progressive income tax, with the top bracket at 90%?
Same essential effect. They just go to country X where its only 40% and they dont bother for their extra million, coz its only worth $100k to them (hence $1m effort makes $100k result - doesnt motivate enough). Low rates and simple unrestricting rules are best if you want max tax revenue. Get a smaller proportion of an astronomical amount rather than nearly all of not much.
None.
