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The problem is that globalisation has created a race to the bottom.  Increased marginal tax rates, taxes on speculators etc. will only succeed in driving money to Singapore or the Cayman Islands.   What is required is a global response - an embryonic global governance, but that is the very thing the neo-cons have worked so hard to destroy.  Extreme wealth requires extreme privilege to create and sustain it, and so long as poverty and or corruption is endemic in the world, there will always be states willing to pay the price.

Vote McCain for war without gain
by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot dotty communists) on Fri Sep 26th, 2008 at 06:18:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I'm with you on global governance, but at the same time there aren't many places left for the money to go. There isn't another east Asia laying about filled with a decently educated and regimented populace ready to run a million factories at 1/10th the cost of the Western world.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Fri Sep 26th, 2008 at 01:46:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
The money doesn't necessarily go for productive purposes anywhere - but for conspicuous consumption by the idle rich with large Swiss bank accounts etc.  When you have a few millions you are more worried about losing them than making more.  That is part of the Anglo disease problem - the rich get richer and offshore their wealth.  If that money was used to fund better housing, health care, education etc. - the wealth (and jobs) and welfare would stay within the country and have a far higher marginal impact on people's welfare than another (larger) yacht.

Vote McCain for war without gain
by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot dotty communists) on Fri Sep 26th, 2008 at 02:22:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]
ah, you said "money," not "jobs." I read your comment completely wrong.

you are the media you consume.

by MillMan (millguy at gmail) on Fri Sep 26th, 2008 at 02:29:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Money doesn't matter. Stuff matters. It may well be that money can be moved to Singapore before the tax-man gets to it, but a lot of Stuff can't be. Think factories, shipyards, refineries, natural resources and so on. If you control the industry and the resources and the other guy controls a lot of paper money, you win.

Witness the re-bound of the Mercosur economies after they enacted sane economic policies. Far from being crippled by capital flight, they are now more stable and prosperous than when they were taking orders from the IMF.

And if (as it looks like) the Americans will need to do a complete overhaul of their currency before the fat lady sings, that would be an excellent time to institute some constraints on capital mobility - after all, you'd have to redeem your old dollars in US banks. Sure, they'll lose some € and Yen in the process, but we're hardly talking Argentina 3.0.

- Jake

If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Sat Sep 27th, 2008 at 10:53:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Nut you could be taking the end of the $ as the world reserve currency and a lot of the hidden benefits that has historically conveyed to the US

Vote McCain for war without gain
by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot dotty communists) on Sun Sep 28th, 2008 at 12:36:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
To me, that looks like a done deal whatever happens.

- Jake

If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Mon Sep 29th, 2008 at 01:26:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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