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Intrigued

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Clarissa

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Cutting corporate tax rates from 35 to 20% is a massive bet on the nation-state. It’s the first real action in defense of the nation-state model. For the first time since last November, I’m intrigued. I don’t think it will work, unfortunately. I don’t think anything will work at this point. But it’s interesting to see there’s a non-military effort to keep it going and beat the odds. 

Once again, I would love beyond what words could describe to hear what my side is proposing as an alternative. Ditch nation-state? Try to preserve it? How? Instead, there’s nothing but the entirely vacuous prattle about graduate students and inheritances. I’m as resentful towards folks who get to inherit as the next person but none of this addresses the burning issue of the times. And we have all seen what happens to political candidates who go, “What globalization? I haven’t heard.”

10 responses to “Intrigued”

  1. Shakti Avatar
    Shakti

    Cutting corporate tax rates from 35 to 20% is a massive bet on the nation-state. It’s the first real action in defense of the nation-state mode

    Ok, how do you see this an action in defense of the nation-state model? Because I do not see how it connects. The reasoning behind such tax breaks is that the corporations will come and stay and provide good quality jobs for the people surrounding the headquarters.
    However it does nothing for the spirit of the nation state. In that sense different municipalities giving tax breaks to major league sports does more than this for the nation state because it encourages attachment to a particular place and also there are many displays of local pride. In addition, the professional leagues get DoD money to perform patriotic displays. Also by this measure, funding the US Olympics sports teams does more. Funding the space program did more. [Is Elon Musk carrying what passes for space R&D now? lol]

    If Amazon decides to put new headquarters out in say…Pittsburgh, people will still credit Amazon with providing for them rather than the city of Pittsburgh for providing tax breaks and winning the bid. (The details of this bid are secret… apparently.)
    <ahref=”http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20171129/OPINION/171129902/chicagos-amazon-hq2-bid-will-cost-taxpayers-too-much”>Say Chicago wins the bid. They’ve offered to exempt property taxes and to exempt them from paying payroll taxes. Should Chicago win the bid, the people who work for Amazon will credit it with jobs and turn around and complain about Chicago’s infrastructure sucking. They will not be any more loyal to Chicago itself. And these new companies only hire a fraction of the people these old manufacturers did.

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    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      There is no nation-state without capital tying itself at least a tiny little bit to the land. The way things are these days, capital needs a lot of incentives to do that. So everyone who wants to have at least some remnants of nation-state tries to give those incentives.

      Nation-state is way past trying to elicit feelings of patriotism through sports and Olympics. Right now it all hinges on whether there is any chance of bridging the gap between the highly mobile and the immobile.

      So it doesn’t matter whom people will credit if Amazon comes to ST LOUIS. The main thing is that those who could easily leave might actually stay there. And it will no longer be the dying city folks with no options.

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      1. Shakti Avatar
        Shakti

        The main thing is that those who could easily leave might actually stay there. And it will no longer be the dying city folks with no options.
        This assumes a multiplier effect that might not be there with these new corporations.
        How long will this capital tie itself to the land? And honestly with these corporate rates you should see a one to one rate between the states with the lowest corporate tax rates and the number of corporate headquarters.

        Wyoming, Nevada and South Dakota should have way more corporate headquarters than they do.

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        1. Z Avatar
          Z

          Cutting corporate tax rates has never helped Louisiana.

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          1. Clarissa Avatar
            Clarissa

            That’s why I’m saying I don’t think it will work. But at least here somebody is saying that there’s a problem and something needs to be done.

            Nobody else is doing it.

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        2. Clarissa Avatar
          Clarissa

          Nobody is preventing the opponents from noticing the problem and proposing their own way to address it. But I’m not seeing anyone even try.

          Trump gave a speech in Missouri today. I listened to the entire thing. And I understand both why it resonates people with here and why it so angers the highly mobile people on the coasts.

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          1. Demotrash Avatar
            Demotrash

            Link to the speech?

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            1. Clarissa Avatar
              Clarissa

              I watched it on TV. I was sick in bed with no energy for anything else.

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              1. Demotrash Avatar
                Demotrash

                In that case I’ll just Google it, shouldn’t be too hard to find.

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            2. Dreidel Avatar
              Dreidel

              Google “Trump speech today.” You’ll get dozens of website listings to playback the video.

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A conservative literary critic and college professor

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