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You know, the entire US economic system is so messed up and so is a lot of your views of it (and I mean on both sides, I also include myself in this since I often don't realize until I *really* think about it) but like. Let's start by talking about taxes. There was a post going around lately that was like

Anyways this is not true. You can deduct INTEREST on mortgage from your taxes. Not mortgage itself. And for renters, in 23 states you can do the same. It's meant to be an offset for property taxes, which, in case you didn't know, are INSANE. Like my family pays more taxes on our house and property then on THE ENTIRE REST OF OUT TAXES, and we're in the top tax bracket. They don't tax you nearly enough on your ACTUAL INCOME but tax you way to much on your property and stock. It's basically based on, if you sold everything right now, what would we then be able to tax you. It's not measuring how much you make on a year to year basis, it's measuring how much you managed to save up over a long period in order to buy your big household a home that has enough space for everyone. It's definitely possible with housing/property taxes for them to cost so much that you can no longer afford your house and land, that you reasonably worked and saved up for. That's kind of unfair. Especially if you bought it when housing was cheap, and since the value on such things has gone up, so have your taxes. You weren't spending an insane amount of money on it. But now it's worth about 1.1 million and you've gotta move out or pay taxes on that. That's a thing that happens.

And meanwhile, a mega rich person who loves the city and therefore doesn't bother with a lot of land is taxed less than the moderately well off person in the previous example.

So the tax system is messed up, people need to pay more based on their actual income and less based on their homes.

Oh another thing with taxes is you know how charitable donations are tax deductible? Yeah only to a certain amount, meaning that there is no incentive for rich people to donate the proper amount given their income. Yes, I think they should give regardless of whether they're going to be rewarded for it, but people who hoard THAT MUCH money are selfish, and they're not going to. My family is not even that rich (dad worth something in the 10s of millions) but the amount we give (no big deal for us) is ALREADY well above the amount you can deduct from taxes. And we don't mind, but the super rich? Do you think they're going to go out of their way to support causes with anything more than petty cash and not be rewarded for it? They're not.

Ultimately, they shouldn't have such extravagant amounts of money in the first place, since they didn't work for it. My dad, which I mentioned previously, works 10+ hours a day, often including weekends. That's real work. His field is high paid and he in particular is high paid since he's the only one who can do what he does, and he gets extra for INVENTING most of the things his companies are based on, which he, you know SPENDS TIME STUDYING AND WORKING ON AND CREATING. He's not making tons of money just by owning something. That's wrong. All that excess cash should be going to the people who actually do the work.

And I think for the most part everyone acknowledges this, but y'all talking about killing the 1% doesn't realize how broad the 1% is. That includes doctors, lawyers, high level computer scientists, that WORK for their living, and are not exploiting you. Who you're looking to target is the owners, the people who hoard billions or trillions of dollars in wealth. Do you even know how much a trillion is? Let's say you take a rich person worth about 10 million. Ok how much more does someone worth a trillion make? They make 100,000 times more. What can you afford these days with 10 million? A nice house, decent cars for the household members that drive, some land, the ability to not worry about medical bills and to pay for college, plus a bit extra to save or give to charity. How nice. A lot of people don't have that privilege. What about 1 trillion? There is not a house in existence that will make a dent in your finances. You could send your children to any college they want for their whole lives and not make a dent in your finances. You could buy companies on a whim with almost no consequence. It's not right. It's especially not right when other people have trouble paying for both rent and groceries.

If we redistributed the 8 richest people's wealth (the 8 of them have more money than the poorest HALF of the planet combined), you all could afford a home, food, a good education, and have a reasonable amount left over.

And this is why, even growing up rich, I'm such a communist. It is not a fever dream for us ALL to be able to live, comfortable, reasonable lives. The current wealth in the world redistributed, and suddenly everyone could live like I do. It isn't lessening the average person's quality of living. For the vast majority of us, communism done right is nothing but an upgrade. Yeah so a fistful of billionaires and trillionaires will be really upset. They'd still have enough to live comfortably and yet they're the ones who own so much they can effectively block any progress in this direction. It's pure selfishness.

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Bitcoin Sellers Lose Historic $7.3 Billion In Three Days of Pain

Everyone from short-term holders to mining companies have locked in huge losses as Bitcoin's price struggles to stay afloat.

It’s not clear if Bitcoin and the rest of the crypto market have bottomed out at this point. While Bitcoin's price has risen above the $20,000 level that many analysts warned as a key price support, there are growing concerns that many key institutional players in the wider crypto ecosystem are illiquid and teetering on the edge of insolvency. 

In the aftermath of crypto lender Celsius Network freezing withdrawals on its platform, as well as other firms either facing insolvency or liquidity concerns, two major crypto lenders have been offered credit lifelines to prevent meltdowns that might further spark crypto panics. Crypto lender Voyager Digital announced a deal with Alameda Research last week, a trading firm created by crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried, that would provide credit "intended to be used to safeguard customer assets in light of current market volatility and only if such use is needed." On Tuesday, Crypto lender BlockFi chief executive Zac Prince revealed the company secured "a $250M revolving credit facility providing us with access to capital that further bolsters our balance sheet and platform strength” with FTX—Bankman-Fried’s crypto exchange.

Drop in Crypto Prices Cools Overheated Market and Funding Rates

The recent 4% drop in the price of cryptocurrencies, particularly bitcoin, has had a positive impact on the crypto perpetual futures market. Perpetuals are futures contracts with no expiry, and their funding rates help align their prices with the index price. Over the past week, funding rates for major cryptocurrencies reached high levels, indicating an overheated leveraged market. However, the drop in prices has normalized the funding rates and cooled the market down.

The decrease in funding rates, along with the decline in open interest in crypto futures contracts, suggests that overleveraged traders have been shaken out of the market. Funding rates become burdensome when market momentum stalls, leading overleveraged traders to exit their positions. This market correction has created a more stable and sustainable environment for the crypto futures market as it heads towards the end of the year.

This article provides insights into the recent drop in crypto prices and its impact on funding rates. The cooling of the crypto perpetual futures market is seen as a positive development, as it signals a healthier and less overheated market environment. Traders who were heavily leveraged have exited the market, and funding rates have returned to more manageable levels. This stability and normalization pave the way for a steady ascent in the market as the year comes to a close.

Read the original article here #Bitcoin #cryptocurrency #futures #trading

What is the bitcoin cryptocurrency blockchain, and how does it work?

Bitcoin is a groundbreaking digital currency that operates on a decentralized, peer-to-peer network. Established in 2009, it was created by an anonymous figure or group known as Satoshi Nakamoto. Unlike regular currencies, Bitcoin does not rely on any government or banking institution for its operation but instead relies on a blockchain, a public ledger that records all Bitcoin transactions. Bitcoin has revolutionized the way money is exchanged and is becoming increasingly popular and widely accepted.

Bitcoin is an extremely valuable digital asset due to its limited supply of 21 million coins. This scarcity makes it a desirable asset for transactions and investments, as its value is likely to increase over time. Additionally, cryptocurrency is decentralized and secure, making it a reliable form of currency.

How Does Bitcoin Cryptocurrency Work?

Bitcoin is a decentralized cryptocurrency that uses advanced cryptography and algorithms to secure transactions and regulate the creation of new units. All transactions are recorded and verified on the blockchain, ensuring that the transactions are immutable and irreversible. By eliminating the need for intermediaries such as banks, Bitcoin provides a secure and reliable way to transfer value with minimal fees and low processing times.

Fintech valuations are tanking

Asset manager Schroders has cut the value of its stake in financial "superapp" Revolut by 46%. What are the implications?

Some of Europe’s top fintech firms are starting to crumble as investors question their true valuation. Asset manager Schroders has cut the value of its stake in financial “superapp” Revolut by 46%, according to a filing on April 17 that threatens Revolut’s title as the UK’s most valuable fintech. The writedown suggests the London-headquartered firm is now valued at about $17.7bn (£14.2bn), which is substantially less than the $33bn it was valued at in a funding round last July. Revolut has been criticised for the late filing of accounts, EU regulatory breaches and corporate culture. It has also been waiting two years for regulators to approve its UK banking license. Schroders has also marked down its stake in Atom Bank by 31%. Meanwhile, Allianz is selling its stake in struggling fintech N26 at a heavily-reduced price, according to the Financial Times, while buy-now-pay-later firm Klarna has seen its valuation tumble from $45.6bn to $6.7bn.

MicroStrategy Buys An Additional 16,130 Bitcoin For $593 Million

MicroStrategy, a leading business intelligence and software company, has continued its steadfast commitment to Bitcoin by purchasing an additional 16,130 BTC at a total cost of $593.3 million, Founder & Chairman Michael Saylor announced today. The purchase came as Bitcoin’s price has been experiencing upward momentum, reaching a recent yearly high of over $38,300. The company initially entered…

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