I want to throw out a bit of unexpected support for an idea that most of you probably think is insane: Donald Trump's proposal for "golden visas" costing $5M each. Remember, just because from it came from someone who is insane, does not actually mean the idea itself is insane. - ThreadSky

fredzannarbor.bsky.social • 64 days ago

I want to throw out a bit of unexpected support for an idea that most of you probably think is insane: Donald Trump's proposal for "golden visas" costing $5M each. Remember, just because from it came from someone who is insane, does not actually mean the idea itself is insane.

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jwschultz.bsky.social•64 days ago

Honestly, sure. Do the visas, kill the penny (and nickel), end daylight saving, go crazy. There was a month or so in 2017 where I thought he would do some actual populist stuff and meet no resistance and be president for life, and I decided it could be worth it if the stuff was good.

jwschultz.bsky.social•64 days ago

Kind of infuriating that Rs would fight any of these tooth and nail and Fox would run 40 hours a week of pro-penny coverage if a Dem did it, but sure, he can also do things that aren’t the worst.

fredzannarbor.bsky.social•63 days ago

#savethepenny

jwschultz.bsky.social•63 days ago

AI images of children sobbing because they can’t ride the horsey at Meijer

fredzannarbor.bsky.social•63 days ago

+1 for local knowledge

-1 for "AI images of something" locution, no credit unless you run the image

fredzannarbor.bsky.social•64 days ago

The reason is simple: amazingly (especially for an idea emanating from the mind of Donald Trump), the numbers work. If we (the USG) "sold" 7 million golden visas for $5M USD each, that would offset the national debt. 7 x 10^6 x 5 x 10^6 = 35 x 10^12, or 35 TRILLION. (The debt is around 36T).

fredzannarbor.bsky.social•64 days ago

Are there 7 million high-net-worth individuals in the world who might be willing to pay $5M for a "golden visa"?

Well, another way of asking the same thing is, "how much would it cost the US government to create $5M worth of 'features' that would justify that purchase?"

fredzannarbor.bsky.social•64 days ago

And fortunately, since the government makes and enforces the laws, and prints the money, the answer is "it probably wouldn't cost the government very much at all."

fredzannarbor.bsky.social•64 days ago

Let's try "free yacht parking in US ports for a million, Alex" and "deferred taxation on luxury goods for ten million, Ken". Let's try "government Wordle" and "IRS Prime".

fredzannarbor.bsky.social•64 days ago

Can the US accommodate an influx of 7 million wealthy people? Well, yes, we already generate hundreds of thousands of new millionaires every year. (cue research).

fredzannarbor.bsky.social•64 days ago

Would these wealthy people burn more in services than they bring in revenue? (cue tax research).

Would it be a giant disaster if these 7 million people make high-end housing more expensive for the current top 2%? well, not for me, it wouldn't....

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