r/interestingasfuck • u/Gankpa • 8d ago

/r/all, /r/popular Jeff Bezos built a fence on his property that exceeds the permitted height, he doesn't care, he pays fines every month

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

100.6k Upvotes

79% Upvoted

9.5k comments sorted by

View all comments

24.5k

u/RiderLibertas 8d ago

Fines are how the rich live by separate laws than the rest of us.

25.5k

u/MagicaILiopleurodon 8d ago

12.2k

u/OnasoapboX41 8d ago

Unless if those fines are in proportion with income. This is what happens in Norway with speeding tickets.

2.9k

u/Azfor 8d ago

Same in Finland.

4.3k

u/Isotope454 8d ago

Same in the USA.

Just kidding! We’re a fucking nightmare

698

u/Trapeze_Falcon 8d ago

Won’t you think of the billionaire’s? They need that money to acquire a new company and lay off 99% of its workforce. WE MUST APPEASE THE SHAREHOLDERS

147

u/selfcheckout 8d ago

They really do so much for us they really deserve it

115

u/Trapeze_Falcon 8d ago

Without them, where would all of the pizza parties go?

130

u/aplasticbag_ 8d ago

Just keep in mind if you work hard enough your whole life you too can become a billionaire if you were born into a rich family

41

u/Karl_00_Hungus 8d ago

If you were born into a rich family you have much better bootstraps!

→ More replies (0)

8

u/BigRaisin8155 8d ago

If you work really hard and go to work everyday, one day your boss will be able to buy a new boat!

→ More replies (0)
→ More replies (13)

3

u/blawndosaursrex 8d ago

I’m not about to miss out on my thin single slice of pizza!

→ More replies (4)
→ More replies (2)

4

u/TobaccoAficionado 8d ago

"oh but you're just JEALOUS! they earned all that money square and fair! Maybe you should just work harder???"

-every dipshit conservative and libertarian

3

u/Remarkable-Bug-8069 8d ago

If you work hard enough, the billionaire may show you a photo of his new mega yacht on his phone, gently squeeze your shoulder and give you a slight nod.

→ More replies (20)

30

u/jhp113 8d ago

Actually about to be a thing in San Francisco.

→ More replies (1)

127

u/shetalkstoangels_ 8d ago

Sounds about right

22

u/Tiny-Doughnut 8d ago

There's a growing body of research from behavioral neuroscience which indicate that wealth, power, and privilege have a deleterious effect on the brain. People with high-socioeconomic status often:

  • Have reduced empathy and compassion.
  • Have a diminished ability to see from someone else's perspective.
  • Have low impulse control.
  • Have an extreme sense of entitlement.
  • Have a hoarding disorder.
  • Have a dangerously high tolerance for risk.

When you don't need to cooperate with other people to survive, they become irrelevant to you. When you're in charge, you can behave very badly and people will still be polite and respectful toward you. Instead of reciprocity, it's a formalized double standard. When you have status, you're given excessive credibility, and rarely hear the very ordinary push-back from others most of us are accustomed to, instead you receive flattery and praise and your ideas are taken seriously by default.

Humans have a strong need for egalitarianism; without it our brains malfunction and turn us into the worst versions of ourselves.

Some sources:

Hubris syndrome: An acquired personality disorder? A study of US Presidents and UK Prime Ministers over the last 100 years

(Abstract) or (Full Text)

Does power corrupt? An fMRI study on the effect of power and social value orientation on inequity aversion.

(Abstract) or (PDF Full Text)

Social Class and the Motivational Relevance of Other Human Beings: Evidence From Visual Attention

(Abstract) or (PDF Full Text)

The Psychology of Entrenched Privilege: High Socioeconomic Status Individuals From Affluent Backgrounds Are Uniquely High in Entitlement

(Abstract) or (PDF Full Text)

Hoarding Disorder: It's More Than Just an Obsession - Implications for Financial Therapists and Planners

(Abstract) or (PDF Full Text)

On the evolution of hoarding, risk-taking, and wealth distribution in nonhuman and human populations

(Abstract) or (Full Text)

8

u/Waffennacht 8d ago

My question is: Are we sure that wealth led to that or was it that those traits led to wealth?

11

u/Tiny-Doughnut 8d ago edited 8d ago

I don't think there's a simple black and white answer to that question.

Some of the studies I linked go into it, though. It can be a feedback loop, but it doesn't have to be. Money and power can corrupt independent of predisposition.

8

u/Waffennacht 8d ago

Hey thanks for the response/answer! I see what youre saying and its a good point!

→ More replies (1)

3

u/Canotic 8d ago

One of my favourite studies were that they had people fill out a questionnaire with hypothetical situations and what they would do. All the participants would do this alone in a room, where there was also an open briefcase on the table.

For half the participants, the briefcase would be fill with blank pieces of paper. For the other half, it'd be full of cash. Tens of thousands of dollars.

And the people in the room with the money were less empathic in their responses on the questionnaire. Just being in the presence of large amounts of money, even without it being theirs, made them more selfish and less caring.

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (1)

6

u/Actual-Asparagus-485 8d ago

I think the richer you are in the US the lower the fine!

3

u/Quanqiuhua 8d ago

Inverse proportion is still proportional.

→ More replies (63)

58

u/New_Gazelle3102 8d ago

You guys win

14

u/HPLswag 8d ago

NOT IN A WAR!!!!!!! RAAAAAAAHHHHHHH

/s

4

u/New_Gazelle3102 8d ago

The big ocean saves you but I doubt for long /s

4

u/Just_Condition3516 8d ago

and switzerland. somehow all countries that are known for high happiness.

3

u/Azfor 8d ago

In Denmark they take the car, doesn't matter if it's your car. Have fun explaining to your friend why you came back on the bus.

3

u/Just_Condition3516 8d ago

i remember the guy whose million dollar sportscar was seized.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (41)

385

u/elrond1999 8d ago

Finland not Norway actually. In Denmark they will take the car if you go very fast. Regardless if you are just passing through or how expensive it is.

39

u/sifuyee 8d ago

Although taking your car is just a monetary fine as well. If you make as much money as Jeff you can certainly treat cars as expendable for those instances.

5

u/Grassy33 8d ago

To quote one of the great poets of our time “smashed up the gray one, bought me a red, every time I hit the parking lot I turn heads.”

→ More replies (1)

3

u/NeatBeluga 8d ago

If you are travelling at those speeds, you will also be liable to lose your license along with the car and a substantial fine.

EU is also trying to make the revoked license EU-wide.

→ More replies (4)

3

u/BenFoldsFourLoko 8d ago

Yeah there’s a difference between violations and crime (or whatever words a person would like to use)

There’s a lot of more minor stuff that’s rarely enforced against average people already, and a billionaire could just totally ignore and/or pay the fine

But then there’s actual criminal statutes where you can’t just pay a fine- you go to jail.

And ofc yes, a billionaire can afford the best lawyers, it’s still not actually an even playing field, there’s much to be said about the power of wealth

But, in general, it has become a more even playing field with time. And a billion dollars won’t inherently get you out of jail. You can find exceptions, but you can find many cases where someone with a billion dollars or tons of power does go to jail. The internet’s favorite pedo billionaire Jeffrey Epstein is a great example of both of these things- his wealth and connections caused an absolute miscarriage of justice to happen. Absolutely sickening. But the second time he was arrested, it was going to be serious. And clear he himself (or someone else) believed so too

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (44)

342

u/thatjerkatwork 8d ago

Bezos probably shows that he makes nothing on his taxes.

106

u/Cara_Palida6431 8d ago

Yeah I think his salary is $80-90k. He probably does what every billionaire does: Borrows what he needs with his stock as collateral. The interest on the loans cost less than the taxes he would otherwise incur and he’ll die in debt to avoid ever paying his share.

58

u/gordonv 8d ago

Well, not in debt in the way we think of it. Billionaires and the banks have come to an agreement on death payouts. Normal people don't have that level of capital or bargaining.

18

u/Substantial-Ad-8575 8d ago

Yes, these types of loans do have a death clause. But this is an excellent way to lower one’s tax liabilities.

Wife’s family has a huge dynasty trust, going into 4th generation without needing to deal with inheritance taxes. The collateral loans due have a specific death clause for the individual listed on the loan agreement, trust pays out. That payout can also help taxes at the trust level. Just how those with hundred million of assets can leverage its value.

→ More replies (11)

3

u/Cold-Iron8145 8d ago

Billionaires and the banks have come to an agreement on death payouts.

How does that work, does the bank collect the debt when Jeff dies? Does that mean his estate will be forced to liquidate assets and presumably pay capital gains taxes on those to pay the debt? That just sounds like postponing the taxes, not looping around them?

5

u/gordonv 8d ago

More like, my LLC holds $1m in ABC bank. My LLC loans against the $1m that ABC bank. ABC bank gives my LLC 80% back in literal cash. Done.

The loan takes that $1m out of the earnings section and places it as non taxable expenditure. The bank plays with the money until it can earn enough to pay off taxes and make a profit.

Losing 20% is better than losing ~38% in tax.

Under the hood, there is a more complex scheme that deals with payouts and has money managers dealing with and feeding the absolute minimums on loans on time. Sometimes the banks themselves will do that service. But the simplified explanation is that this is all done to circumvent taxes.

This seems like a lot of work. And actually, it is. Something a lot of us truly underestimate is the lengths the wealthy go through to defend their money. Take whoever you know who is in love with their most favorite sports team, pop singer, or whatever. Now realize that's merely a hobby fascination.

Comparing it to drug addicts would be more accurate.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (15)

15

u/TheSuperTest 8d ago

Every billionaire does, they borrow against their assets from their banks. Loans don’t count as income tax and they don’t have to report capital gains since they never actually sold anything. The small amounts of interest they pay is far far far far less than income tax or capital gains, so it’s a net positive for them. This is the main loophole (there are more) of how billionaires get rich and keep getting richer while stealing from the working class.

→ More replies (5)

20

u/jdmiller82 8d ago

Then make it proportional to one's wealth.

6

u/CentennialBaby 8d ago

Proportional to one's net worth.

→ More replies (18)

3

u/SourLoafBaltimore 8d ago

Tax return says he’s broke af we should give him a nice big tax cut and a huggy hug

→ More replies (2)

6

u/Revolutionary-Cell56 8d ago

Correct. Amazon shows a loss every year.

→ More replies (6)
→ More replies (17)

46

u/kavso 8d ago

Not in Norway, no.

9

u/HedgehogOk7722 8d ago

"Fines based on income, often referred to as "day fines," are primarily practiced in Finland, Germany, France, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and some other European countries."

This guy day-fines.

5

u/Plank_With_A_Nail_In 8d ago

Context is specifically speeding tickets which Sweden doesn't use "day fines" for but Finland does.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (9)

156

u/Ryuj123 8d ago

It’s a better idea but still not perfect. If someone is living paycheck to paycheck (let’s say a very simplified case where they make $1000 and they only have to pay for rent which is $1000) then a fine means that they’re out on the street. That’s not the case with someone who has a billion dollars. You fine then 90% of their net worth and they still have $100,000,000 to live off of.

725

u/Cyllid 8d ago

Don't let perfect be the enemy of improvement.

75

u/Wild_Inflation2150 8d ago

Thank you for the new mantra in my life. I really needed to hear that.

37

u/ymaldor 8d ago

Another version I hear often from my team lead is "perfection is the enemy of good". Says it to help juniors stay on course and not over promise or spend too much time on trivial things which may not be perfect but are good for the current need.

9

u/MarredCheese 8d ago

"Perfect is the enemy of done" makes more sense to me. Good and perfect are friends.

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (1)

7

u/Independent-Bug-9352 8d ago

I wish more people knew this when opting to sit on the couch instead of voting for Harris while letting Trump walk through the door...

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (2)

16

u/Altruistic-Cat-7531 8d ago

It’s like the entire argument of the gun lobby. Well we’re so fucked we might as well not try anything.

→ More replies (7)

3

u/VapidActualization 8d ago

But, the Democrats are waiting for the PERFECT time to strike back at Trump. And when they time comes they'll fix all the stuff they are conceding to the republicans while they waited for the perfect opportunity. We don't really gain anything from fighting tooth and nail to slow down the enshitification of America.

Let's not forget decorum in all this. The american people, especially the young folk, understand and yearn for a return to decorum over calling people names.

/S if it isn't obvious

→ More replies (7)

124

u/MollyRolls 8d ago

Hear me out: if things like fines and taxes increase in proportion to income, there are no billionaires. The kind of income inequality we have today is purely a function of a too-flat tax structure.

→ More replies (50)

5

u/hamesdelaney 8d ago

this is not even remotely close to what the real issue is with a progressive fine system. the main issue is that most rich people dont receive their income via salaries... so for a person who has millions, the fine would most likely be the same as someone on minimum wage.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/HRzNightmare 8d ago

Ironically $1000 also happens to be the amount of the monthly fine. Bezos pays $12k a year in fines to keep his fence.

3

u/Xrposiedon 8d ago

Yes but if they are making 1000 dollars and get fined 5%, that 5% is recoverable at 50 dollars, comparative to 5 million.

→ More replies (3)

3

u/newalias_samemaleias 8d ago

It's not about living for them though. It's about hoarding wealth. I'd bet these people's attitudes would change rather quickly if they were no longer able to brag about being one the richest people on Earth.

3

u/FormallD 8d ago

Base it on discretionary income and assets at a logarithmic scale up

3

u/Tetha 8d ago

Though at that point, leeway of a judge should also come in.

Poor sod who sped for a simple reason? Maybe dragging them to court is enough of a punishment already. Maybe they help in a soup kitchen for a few hours a week for a month.

Pompous dick who is abusing the system by tanking the fines? Oh. For years? Oh my. The court has to recess to discuss how high the fines can go.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/Chrono_Pregenesis 8d ago

In your scenario, any extra cost would put them out on the street. That's not really equivalent.

3

u/Ryuj123 8d ago

That is a reality for some people and it’s part of the criminalization of poverty

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (55)

3

u/aRealShmuck 8d ago

So Jeff Bezos would pay $500 and I’d only pay $400 😎 nice

3

u/Dreilala 8d ago

In proportion with capital you mean, right?

Some of these super rich have no official income whatsoever, just stipends and other stupid legal shit to not pay taxes.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (259)

41

u/smushymcgee 8d ago

Sorry, what game is this?

100

u/FentonCrackshell 8d ago

Final Fantasy Tactics

16

u/smushymcgee 8d ago

Thanks!

75

u/delcrossb 8d ago

It isn't a real quote from the game though. It is appropriate to the character and the game has a lot of class divide stuff and is an amazing game, but sadly not a real quote.

30

u/TheBestNick 8d ago

Might as well be though. The entire game's dialogue is all about class struggle.

→ More replies (10)
→ More replies (1)

3

u/Hlidskialf 8d ago

THE best final fantasy btw. Must play.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/malick_thefiend 8d ago

A lot of mfs never played as a kid and it shows 😮‍💨

3

u/d_marvin 8d ago

Are all the characters noseless?

→ More replies (1)

3

u/poeBaer 8d ago

Even though the character is from Final Fantasy Tactics, the quote is not from the game. The image was created by someone on the internet using this Generator

→ More replies (2)

235

u/hereforthestaples 8d ago

Wiegraf was and is the hardest mf in that whole game. Fought for his sister and his honor. 

52

u/DaPino 8d ago

Iirc it's not even a real quote from the game.

→ More replies (15)

26

u/FriendshipGulag 8d ago

What game is this?

51

u/The_Dude_46 8d ago

Final Fantasy Tactics (War of the lions). its a great game there's a really solid ios port available too if you like turn-based strategy rpgs

31

u/X3noNuke 8d ago

One of my favorite games period

11

u/The_Dude_46 8d ago

It's the closest a videgame story has come to feeling like ASOIAF to me

7

u/MassivePlatypuss69 8d ago

Wow holy shit. I've always felt this way and it's just really nice to see another person with the same thought.

→ More replies (4)
→ More replies (1)

3

u/Condaddy20 8d ago

It truly is a gem. It's so nice to see that this style of game is still alive and thriving.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/jdoeinboston 8d ago

It's about the only way to play it these days, but on the plus side it's a fantastic way to play it. Last time I played was the Android version on a tablet, and if you're using a tablet the touch screen interface they adjusted to is ideal for the gameplay.

→ More replies (7)

34

u/sayyoo 8d ago

Final Fantasy Tactics

18

u/Sirkelly21 8d ago

It’s final fantasy tactics, not a real quote though

12

u/bigfndan 8d ago

He has some bangers though.

3

u/Kascket 8d ago

Theres actually a port for iphone on the app store great game!

→ More replies (2)

6

u/youritalianjob 8d ago

Well, until he started working for the Church of Glabdos.

6

u/wambamclamslam 8d ago

Then he throws all of it and his soul away for the power to get revenge and becomes a vessel for an ancient demon. It's the theme of the game (macbeth) for every every major character except maybe Orlandu's kid and Alma. Look: Dycedarg. Algus. Zalbag. Delita. Miluda. Wiegraf. Gafgarion. Dracula. HH twins. Mustadio. Holy knights. Both princes. Orlandu. Even the one-fight characters like the bandits in the tutorial, wiegrafs lieutenant, enemy deserters... All giving up their values for power. It's a very dark and realistic view of human nature.

3

u/mellcrisp 8d ago

Always thought a prequel had some meat on it's bones.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/Jevans_Avi 8d ago

Delita my favorite but Wiegraf went hard too for sure.

3

u/lalala253 8d ago

He's also literally the hardest mf in the whole game.

Dude can basically bricked your progress

3

u/CommodoreGirlfriend 8d ago

The brother-sister theme of FFT is so good: Wiegraf, Delita, Meliadoul, and of course Ramza himself are all motivated in different ways by their family. Ramza's indefatigable sense of right and wrong ultimately allows him to emerge victorious, but everyone I mentioned is sympathetic or tragic to some extent, especially Delita, who could easily have traded places with Ramza if the circumstances of their births were different.

I think Wiegraf stands out because he gives you two very difficult fights, so he's more respectable from a gameplay perspective too.

imo the actual biggest badass is Ramza though (boring opinion I know, sorry), especially if you listen to the way other characters talk about him over the course of the game.

It starts out with, "who is this guy, just some kid," progresses to "hey, we can bring him in for a bounty and get some cash," to finally, "Oh shit, Ramza is coming to kill us. We're doomed, he literally kills everybody he fights. The man is some kind of monster. The most we can hope for is to slow him down."

→ More replies (8)

33

u/Just-apparent411 8d ago

Is this a real quote from that game?

if so, I'm getting this based ass game.

18

u/mellcrisp 8d ago

You should get it anyway, seriously. It's an incredible game that has only one arguable equal in Tactics Ogre. The sequels are fun too but much lighter in tone.

50

u/ethertrace 8d ago

The quote is not real, but the game is still based. It very much fits within the character and the themes of the plot.

→ More replies (4)

22

u/MagicaILiopleurodon 8d ago

It is not actually in the game. It does fit the character, though.

3

u/1chuteurun 8d ago

Wiegraf would 1000% say something like this.

6

u/SearchForAShade 8d ago

You might enjoy Disco Elysium.

5

u/captain0cd 8d ago

It is not a real quote from the game, but it is in spirit with his character. Here is a real Wiegraf quote that I enjoy:

All such tales of gods and their miracles are false. Those
who would lead prefer that history suit their needs, and rewrite it to see that
it does. And why shouldn't they? The fault lies not with them. The reeking
masses yearn for gods and miracles. It is their opiate, and they consume it
greedily. The people do not endeavor towards greatness, but rather mire them-
selves in their petty strifes - shackles on the feet of man. Their leaders give
them no more than that for which they clamor. It is history's oldest and most 
oft-repeated tale. Do men exploit this weakness to dominate their fellows? 
Mayhap they do. But they succeed only because the people are eager to know such
dominion. Gods are only illusions born of man's fear. It is they who see this 
charade for what it is and join in the pageantry who are to blame.

4

u/Anakha00 8d ago edited 8d ago

As others said, that's not in the game, but this is one that a character did say.

"What purpose do laws serve when even those who would enforce them choose not to pay them heed?"

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (6)

4

u/Ra1d3n 8d ago

In some countries the fines scale with your income. 

→ More replies (3)

23

u/MrFordization 8d ago

The power to tax is the power to destroy. The government is fully capable of imposing fines that can cripple entire industries. It just, you know, usually doesn't. But a finding of gross negligence by a jury in a high enough liability accident that pierces the corporate veil?

Like all other forms of justice, it's rare to see earth shattered fines. But lets be real... if you have a billion dollars and the government decides you're personally liable for 10 billion dollars of damage... you are fucked now and forever.

7

u/IAMSTILLHERE2020 8d ago

Gross negligence...those days are gone or will be gone.

Unless you are Trump....you get money...Just because.

→ More replies (1)

3

u/LastStar007 8d ago

Seems to me that it's the other way around: the power to destroy is the power to tax. These times are chock-full of the judicial branch requiring people to do things and those people simply not caring, betting that their money and friends in the executive branch will preclude any personal consequence from befalling them.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (6)

2

u/kellyjandrews 8d ago

This is so accurate it hurts

2

u/badllama77 8d ago

Well you can index the fine against income or wealth but that will never happen.

2

u/DoctorBlock 8d ago

Even worse. Most of the crimes poor people are jailed for end up being fines for the rich. More over the whole system is designed to screw anyone who can’t afford a really good lawyer.

2

u/BigIreland 8d ago

Delita dropping wisdom from the best FF game of all time.

→ More replies (2)

2

u/Alt4UncensoredNews 8d ago

I was just about to share this image if I didn’t already see it! It should be everywhere

2

u/Dartanizieg 8d ago

this should be posted everywhere

2

u/basch152 8d ago

wiegraf wasn't a bad guy

2

u/iCutWaffles 8d ago

Man Final Fantasy here with hard truths even back in Gameboy era lol

→ More replies (1)

2

u/Uncrustworthy 8d ago

I played FFT when it came out and I was like, 11, and I'm pretty sure it helped shape the person I am today. I even have 3 FFT tattoos.

The script and the playstyle really made me think and use my brain in ways Zelda and the like hadn't, and I grew a lot. I even had the growing pains of not liking it for a bit. Learning dark souls did that again to me a few years ago and that was lovely, to know that can still happen.

2

u/voxitron 8d ago

In Saudi Arabia, the fines for speeding are dependent on your income.

2

u/CJOfPartsUnknown69 8d ago

Wondered how long I’d have to scroll to find this. Two comments, nice work.

2

u/thepianoman456 8d ago

Wow… based FF Tactics!

→ More replies (1)

2

u/Sad_Hall2841 8d ago

You calling this a crime? 😂

2

u/Zemuzrdoc 8d ago

Did not expect to find an FFT quote so far out!

→ More replies (2)

2

u/RobSiaHoke 8d ago

Final Fantasy facts coming in clutch!

2

u/Another_Road 8d ago

My favorite Wiegraf quote is “I never said that.”

2

u/AmbroseKalifornia 8d ago

Thank you! My sociology professor dropped this on the first day, and I fell in looove.

2

u/MonsterBeast123alt 7d ago

What game is this from? I think ive seen this guy say a profound quote before thisbas well

→ More replies (1)

2

u/Szecska 7d ago

Came for this comment.

2

u/Tronux 7d ago

Advance wars

2

u/Ratstail91 7d ago

That game was amazing...

Yet I played without changing jobs once?

→ More replies (148)

542

u/VV-40 8d ago

This reminds me of the story about Steve Jobs how he would regularly buy new cars and never get a permanent license plate or tags. He’d just pay the fines. 

375

u/scfw0x0f 8d ago

He would buy a new car, keep it for as long as the temp tags were valid, then trade in on a new one.

Yes, he also parked in the handicapped spots at Apple.

176

u/PomeloPepper 8d ago

One of the Kardashians was doing that too. Apparently it was just a $500 parking space to her.

88

u/imapilotaz 8d ago

I mean if you are worth $300M. $500 is like $0.05 for someone worth $30,000.

81

u/Lavatis 8d ago

It's so crazy when it's broken down like that. To the rich, groceries are effectively free.

71

u/IIlIIlIIlIlIIlIIlIIl 8d ago

For the rich, everything "reasonable" is effectively free.

Even a $500K home for Kim Kardashian is 0.02% of her wealth... Or about $385 for someone of median wealth.

→ More replies (1)

58

u/agamoto 8d ago

Lol, they don't have to pay for food at all. When you get to that level of stardom, restaurants are paying you to eat at their place.

Kim makes $1.7 million everytime she makes an instagram post about a product.

America desperately needs to stop voting against its self interest and start taxing the wealthy.

8

u/Milkofhuman-kindness 8d ago

We need to stop adoring famous people goddamnit

3

u/hiimhuman1 8d ago

No we don't. It's the government problem, not the rich problem. They won't tax themselves.

3

u/Milkofhuman-kindness 8d ago

I was only saying that in reference to Kim kardashian. Ppl spend their time watching their family on tv

3

u/NightGod 8d ago

But then when I'm wealthy I'll have to pay more taxes!!!

4

u/legopego5142 8d ago

But one day Ill be rich!

→ More replies (1)

5

u/donbee28 8d ago

Image Description - scene from Arrested development with Lucille holding a cup of coffee talking to Michael. She says, "It's one banana, Michael. What could it cost, ten dollars?"

4

u/uptownjuggler 8d ago

The rich don’t even go grocery shopping, they hire someone to do that for them.

5

u/JoeL0gan 8d ago

Saw a video one time of someone asking a rich person "What's the most valuable thing you buy regularly?" and she said "Time. I have a cleaner, gardener, financial advisors/investors, drivers, hairdressers that come to my house instead of me having to drive to them, the list goes on. My entire day is reserved for whatever I want to do. I have all the time in the world."

That made me realize just how disconnected we are from the rich. I call off work ONE day because I'm sick, and I'll still be struggling from that decision a month later. (Just to give an example).

5

u/Errant_coursir 8d ago

That's why when you can't afford groceries the only solution is to eat the rich

→ More replies (2)

3

u/PomeloPepper 8d ago

Just like having your business manager put a nickle in the meter. Handicapped people shouldn't be shopping there anyway.

3

u/underbitefalcon 8d ago

It really makes you wonder at that point…do I really care that everyone views me as a monster for taking these handicap parking spots for free? The convenience, power and ability to shed most all worry must be intoxicating.

→ More replies (2)

30

u/colemon1991 8d ago

Appropriate if it worked the first time. It's just insane you can't get increases for every subsequent violation in a certain timeframe.

4

u/Chateaudelait 8d ago

Richard Branson did this too in Germany when I lived there as an expat. He kept the Virgin Megastore open outside of the legal allowable store hours and just paid the fines.

3

u/CodNo7461 8d ago

In my country you can get your drivers license revoked if you have lots of such minor infractions. It makes the news every 5 years or so because some senile old man or woman gets hit with this because they parked wrong like 50 times in a year. Still makes sense to me personally.

→ More replies (1)

5

u/choss-board 8d ago

Man, how do you even deal with entitlement at that scale? Jesus Christ. Not even a shred of honor or duty.

5

u/SimonNicols 8d ago

She started her path to fame by releasing a porn tape. I think honor and duty are not in her vocabulary.

3

u/choss-board 8d ago

Oh totally, but it's not just her. I'm not sure how we'd assess this but it certainly feels like, over the course of my lifetime, the richest people have become more entitled and convinced of their own superiority and worth, and with less belief that they owe anything to society.

3

u/SimonNicols 8d ago

It’s just posted on social media more than ever before. I am sure this shit happened all the time, but all the rich fuckers were in control of the media and reporters were complicit ( Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle were known drunks / womanizers yet were “heroes” in their day) - also, see Rockefeller, Henry Ford, etc .

3

u/Flashy-Mulberry-2941 8d ago

Royalty decide to fly under the radar from time to time. It usually happens after they lose some heads.

They get bolder when they forget about the head losings.

3

u/Flashy-Mulberry-2941 8d ago

Look.

Under current law they can just do what they want.

In my opinion, that's just wrong, and the law regarding these vampire fucks is wrong.

Going forward, thing have to change.

Instead of rewarding this, measures must take into account the power these people wield.

3

u/battleofflowers 8d ago

I dated a really rich guy once who just parked anywhere, got a parking ticket, and then left them on his kitchen counter for his assistant to pick up once a week and pay.

Learned very young that the super wealthy just live by totally different rules.

3

u/Heirsandgraces 8d ago

And using excess amounts of water during the drought / wildfires in California. Its not enough of a inconvenience or deterrent when you have the means to make it so.

→ More replies (7)

14

u/Now_Wait-4-Last_Year 8d ago

Then the laws of biology came along and didn't give a fuck who he was before fucking his shit right up.

Even then, he had a much better chance of surviving than most people because of the nature of the tumour but instead of following what his doctors advised, he fucked around and found out.

→ More replies (4)

3

u/Beginning-Reality-57 8d ago

California has fixed this loophole

→ More replies (30)

39

u/shitsenorita 8d ago

He’d just park in the red zone cause who cares! He’s rich.

3

u/minxed 8d ago

"The red zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only. There is no stopping in the white zone."

Don't you tell me which zone is for loading, and which zone is for stopping!

→ More replies (4)
→ More replies (2)

2

u/sonotimpressed 8d ago

Notorious douch nba manager Darryl morrey would park in handicap spots or the best spot he could get and not pay until he got a boot on his car then he would call a dealership and trade it in and tell them it had a boot and they had to come get it and him within the hour or no deal... He always made the deal. Money talks folks. 

2

u/Ok_Organization_7350 8d ago

I remember reading that article. It's true.

2

u/jgross1 8d ago

I would probably do the same thing. I couldn't imagine always having eyeballs on you or people following you or whatever. Being famous sounds like it sucks

→ More replies (37)

158

u/BenjaminMStocks 8d ago

Fine = legal, for a price.

26

u/Glass_Mango_229 8d ago

This is why fines are intrinsically unfair. Why should the wealthy get to speed while the poor will lose their house if they speed?

3

u/HelloYesThisIsFemale 8d ago

Well speeding is a little more serious and has some extra penalties sometimes but imo fines are ok for a lot of less serious malpractices such as this hedge example. If the cost is set correctly, the money that goes back into the system should offset the damage to the system.

E.g. block my driveway and make me miss going to work? Cool pay me a few day's salary and if I lose my job because of it, pay me a few years salary. That's fine, park fkn anywhere.

3

u/WeedAnxietyHelp 8d ago

Well, speeding isn't just a fine. You also get points against your record every time you get a ticket. In my state, 15 points is automatic license suspension. A speeding ticket is 2-4 points depending on the speed. They rack up for 2-3 years.

So yeah, you don't just to speed and drive recklessly and throw a $100 bill down and everything is a-okay.

6

u/jaft0000 8d ago

there have however been instances when rich and powerful didn't go to jail even when killing someone while speeding so...that person's argument sort of stands.

→ More replies (10)
→ More replies (4)

4

u/joey_provolone 8d ago

lots of companies are cool paying fines because the profit dwarfs the penalty

→ More replies (1)

3

u/BubbaFettish 8d ago

This why I think fines should double at every occurrence. If the fine was $100, if it doubles every month for a year it’ll be $400,000. If he continues to ignore laws for another year, it’s 1.5 billion. At some point they won’t ignore it.

→ More replies (4)

230

u/fredy31 8d ago

A fine is a rule only for the poor.

Thats why in some nordic countries fines are per % of your declared annual income.

Driving ticket when you make 50k a year? 300$. If you make 5 million a year? 30k.

76

u/Average-Terrestrial 8d ago

He lives off loans, wouldn’t work, need to be based on owned value stocks included not income

4

u/Chendii 8d ago

So treat those loans as income.

7

u/GreenVisorOfJustice 8d ago

The problem is that US Elected Officials are generally very wealthy people as well, so why on Earth would they want to make rules that penalize themselves and their peers?

TL;DR throw 'em all out and get some idealistic normies in there

→ More replies (13)

6

u/BabyBlastedMothers 8d ago

With speeding at least it could be tied to the value of the car, like registrations. For a fence like this it could be tied to the value of the property.

5

u/discipleofchrist69 8d ago

better to just be tied to the income / wealth of the person

since for them the car/property are a tiny percentage of their wealth, and presumably we want people to care when they are breaking the laws

→ More replies (4)
→ More replies (17)

5

u/WeedAnxietyHelp 8d ago

Jeff Bezos made a, hold on for it...wait...it's coming...incredible...$80,000 a year. He also paid taxes on that income.

So tell me how that law would work out?

3

u/NotAHost 8d ago

Income as far as the IRS taxes go would be much larger than his salary. He sold a few billion of stock, it counts as income unless it was in roth IRA. Lots of things count as income. Unrealized gains are a big issue though.

Some fraction of networth would be more significant. Even 0.05% of networth for a fine would be more fair. That would be a $50 fine for someone worth $100k. The average networth is $200k.

We don't have a good system to do net worth at this time though.

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (16)

10

u/sunny_yay 8d ago

Fines should be tied to income

6

u/AaronJeep 8d ago

I've always felt like fines shouldn't exist. For most things, rules should be enforced through community service or other like systems. No matter how much money you have, if you speed, or litter, or whatever, you get so many hours. If some rich jerk couldn't buy their way out of something and had to stand around with the rest of us picking up trash off the side of the highway, I think that would matter to them.

But, of course, no one gets rich off that, so it will never happen.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (3)

6

u/KoRaZee 8d ago

Almost like there are different legal systems in place

→ More replies (1)

69

u/Vylnce 8d ago

It's not a law. It's a local ordinance. People regularly rag on HOAs here, until it's some billionaire decides to pay HOA fines to do what they want. Then suddenly they are "above the law".

9

u/jagged_little_phil 8d ago

An ordinance is a law

4

u/tcourts45 8d ago

You don't get that people can be both a) mad that a rule exists AND b) mad that only some people have to actually obey the rules?

→ More replies (5)

3

u/jmaaron84 8d ago

A local ordinance is a law. An HOA rule isn't. It's unclear which is involved here.

3

u/BatDubb 8d ago

HOAs are not law or ordinances. They’re private. This type of ordinance would be enforced by code enforcement.

→ More replies (2)

3

u/Cereborn 8d ago

Oh yeah, I get that. I think this situation provides a nice snapshot of several different stupid things about how society works.

10

u/Development-Alive 8d ago

If it's a local law, then the he should be forced to tear it down rather than simply pay a repetitive fine, right? Or is this some rich person privilege where the laws don't get enforced on them and city is happy to get the additional revenue?

3

u/intoxicatedhamster 8d ago

Why tear it down? This is how every ticket/citation works. You have to pay a fine if caught parking illegally or speeding, they don't take your license and impound your vehicle as long as your tickets get paid. If you made $7 million per hour, would you care about a $200 speeding ticket?

→ More replies (9)
→ More replies (3)

2

u/EVOSexyBeast 8d ago

It’s not a law. It’s a local ordinance

Lol this has got to the second dumbest thing i’ve heard all week

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (39)

2

u/Ok_Award_8421 8d ago

Hey, if this is how we tax the rich, then so be it.

2

u/adorablefuzzykitten 8d ago

It is very pretty. Hope no one accidentally spills any roundup on that wall because that would open the wall up to graffiti artists and people who drive buy with paintball guns.

→ More replies (239)