@EJM77

The first country that becomes:

* Mono-ethnic
* Non-socialist
* Low red tape

Is going to dominate the world.

@amerika @EJM77 is japan red-taped government policy wise? prefectures seem to pass incredibly action-heavy laws all the time (e.g, curfews for students or that one that passed a law limiting phone usage time)

@amerika @EJM77 japan is an interesting case for me because the perennial problem they have with child rates (which most countries do really) is not due to some hikkikomori problem or race science or whatever opinion columnists have to say these days - it's that it's a neoliberal hellhole and people's economic rationale heavily disincentivises drowning yourself in the incredibly expense that having a child turns out to be

if governments want kids, the solution is dead easy, and it involves a *more* intervening government

@driftwood @EJM77

I disagree. Remove taxes and people spend more on their kids.

"Neoliberalism" is just the mixed economy. The socialist part wrecks normal life because of the high burden of supporting the subsidies.

Red tape is another issue, but high taxes grow government...

@amerika @EJM77 well....... remove taxes and people generally have more spending power, yes, but in a skewed manner: if you flatly cut taxes, the people who have less money are also the most affected by the loss of whatever those taxes funded, and the extra money they keep now still has other expenses that are more critical to cover than childcare. the people with high incomes weren't in need of those tax cuts already

the idea of increasing spending instead of cutting taxes is that it levels the playing field, so to speak - of course, another option is to make that tax rate cut proportional... that might work just as well, yes

@driftwood @EJM77

If you cut taxes, prices go down.

The poor can afford to live for less.

The spending is mostly a jobs program for bureaucrats.

@amerika @EJM77

>If you cut taxes, prices go down.

alternatively, profit margins go up :p

@driftwood @EJM77 @amerika That's the only thing that'll actually happen

@Abby @EJM77 @driftwood

Capitalism does one thing very well: raises quality and lowers costs through competition.

If that competition becomes too severe because of higher costs (taxes, unions, affirmative action, red tape, lawsuits) then companies expand margins by cutting corners.

Ever notice that most of our products are disposable junk these days?

@amerika @EJM77 @driftwood > Capitalism does one thing very well: concentrate wealth in the hands of very few while leading the wealth generators with a carrot
FTFY

@Abby @EJM77 @driftwood

Lower their cost of living, and they are less dependent on the carrot-stick cycle.

@amerika @EJM77 @driftwood You can't lower the cost of living by rewarding actions that raise it, or rewarding the people who made it so high in the first place.
They will take that tax break and shove it right into their pockets, *maybe* spending some to make it look like they care.
This isn't your unfettered perfect economic model, these people think of nothing but themselves and boosting their short-term income.

@Abby @EJM77 @driftwood

The actions that raise it are market distortions including grafted-in costs.

If Starbucks sells a coffee for $8 but a local shop sells the same coffee for $7, people are going to go to the local shop.

Self-interest is innate to all systems because it is part of humanity. We harness it with competition, and suppress it by not giving out free stuff for people to steal.