Comments by "Xyz Same" (@xyzsame4081) on "JRE Clips"
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The major scientific discoveriers were made often by amateurs (rich idle people). The idea sof the enlightenment paved the way for science as well. And before that Martin Luther - they challenged the absolute power of the church and their interpretation of truth (Luther challenged the Catholic church), the enlightenment did challenged religion and aristorcracy.
Then it was possible to pose questions about society and also about nature in a standardized way and they could try to find verifyable answers.
Some of that popped already up in the Renaissance when a few (aspiring) doctors of medicine (then a study of 2 years) dared to examine if the claims of Greek philosophers 2000 years ago were correct.
They came in the crosshairs with the Catholic church over that (first: the ban on autopsies and second) also that the church oddly enough had sometimes postitions on questions of medicine and anatomy).
Daring to challenge wanting to verify was driven by curiosity and maybe by a desire for fame, it could be dangerous, and they were not in it for money.
War drove technological development (the winnin gof metals, the Romans were good in military technology, the Greek city states had their run - that could decide over the fate of nation. Firearms of course.
The military is the STATE - versus the motivation of individuals - although greed plays a role).
The U.S. military = government massively subsidized a lot of basic research electronics for decades, the internet, also pharma, .Touch screens, a lot of the smartphone technology - when the government had covered the basics and found something the private for-profit companies (good donors!) got their hands on it and ran with it.
Streets and highways for cars were built by governments. W/o them cars would have been less attractive for private users especially within the cities. (Interstate highway system). People travelled long distance by railway (even rich people did that around and before 1900).
(U.S. automobile producers undermined railway, there was a lawsuit in the 1970s about the conspiracy in the 1940s or 50s).
In order to promote electricty use (for lighting) the cities provided infrastructure ....
The love of knowledge is responsible for a lot of research (especially in the early days when it did not need as much equipment).
Also the military - not that it needed to be the military. It just so happens that for THAT the budgets always can be found and not - or not even close to that extent - for life affirming research.
Guttenberg likely was not motivated that much by money - and capitalism wasn't a thing then - they had feudalism then.
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In a general sense Rogan is realistic enough to see that you need taxes for a modern society (and he seems to care somewhat about fellow Americans and the country). Right now the tax revenue is ofen NOT put to good use. Do you know what mass incarceration costs ? Or NOT having publicly funded institutions for mentally ill people ? The regime changed wars ?
Mentally ill people land on the streets or in prison if they are low income and do not have a family that helps them out.
If a person is somewhat erratic it is VERY easy to get into conflict with police on the U.S. It is not like they would show some compassion and have a level headed approach. The common sense to discern between trouble makers and persons that simple do not have the self control (and through no fault of their own). To take it easy on those who already have a hard time.
Having "resisted arrest" a few times can send a person down the drain. Badly. In other nations they would land in care homes, on the psychatric station in a hospital, in monitored housing, in employment schemes for light work. There would be social workers. AND: the judges - if it gets that far - would usually show some common sense, the whole system is not eager to ship them off to the prison as soon as possible.
In the U.S. the mentally ill are kept in the prison system. That is a cruel and expensive practice.
Then there are the constant wars and regime changes on behalf of the U.S. oligarchs, ...
The U.S. spend double per person on healthcare (and most of these other weatlhy nations have a much older population). Spending means what government, employers and citizens/employees spend. All that is spent in the country divided by all people.
Companies and employees pay MUCH less in single payer system - to keep the burden of the mandatory payroll tax light government must subsidize that. So that the same good coverage for all is possible (= savings because it is so streamlined, it also means that hospitals always will be paid, no chasing after money, the public insurance agency pays on time). citizens pay the modest payroll tax and that's it. Dependent family members are automatically (and w/o extra costs !) included. ONLY the income determines how much you pay (think 3,8 % payroll tax, and a yearly cap of 2,200 USD and employer must match that).
The governments do generously subsidize so that companies and citizens get such a good deal - but they still pay less subsidies per person than the U.S. does. (Not that much of a mystery: if you only pay half all involved parties can save).
If more tax revenue would be raised to transform society (think Climate change and related investments) it would be on the federal level (income tax).
But people still can swallow on the individual level, if they calculate the tax. (the trick is not to think too much on the individual level and to keeep the eyes on the big picture. Joe Rogan does really well financially, even with higher taxes. You can also be in general for goods being manufactured in an ethical manner, but then you see the price difference. And then you have to tell yourself that you just pay the higher price 'cause ethics.
I think that kind of conflict is normal. Humans oscillate between being selfish and being generous. It is in our DNA to treat our peers well and to be generous - but that works in small tribes where people know each other, live with each other for life and depend on each other. Was like that for hundreds of thousands of years.
Our instincts do not prepare us for being generous in more abstract, anonymous settings.
Rogan can have a wonderful life with higher tax. and pat himself on the shoulder once per day how he supports his fellow Americans.
Always assuming the U.S. gets government Of By and For the People sometime.
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