06-03-26 carib
| DeSantis embraces tax-the-rich message on Florida property taxes |
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06-03-26 panasonic
| Tobin tax: Uncle Sam is partner at max. tax rate, why kill the golden goose? |
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06-03-26 panasonic
Carib, pdvsa flat (sadly).
I mean for exposure to short term hikes in oil. |
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06-03-26 panasonic
| Carib, indeed seems inevitable. |
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06-03-26 carib
| PS: if one wants to discourage automated daytrading.. a Tobin tax is more efficient than capital gain tax, I guess. |
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06-03-26 carib
| SNDK (sandisk) stock gained an amazing 4.700% over 12 months.. |
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06-03-26 carib
| .. and good for renewables! |
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06-03-26 carib
| $200 a barrel.. good for PDVsa, I guess.. |
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06-03-26 carib
| Panas: I remain all against high taxes, but I think it is reasonable to shift a significant share of taxes from high incomes to extra high wealth. |
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06-03-26 carib
Thanks Savo.
I would not support your tax or regulatory proposals, actually. |
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06-03-26 savo
carib... how would you "tax wealth coming from cheap borrowing"?
i do not know exactly... but some ideas come to mind.
a) There should not be any cheap or expensive borrowing.. there should only be rates set by the market and borrowing should take place at those rates without central bank intervention on the money markets.
b) I would like to see cheaper borrowing, if it exists, helping main street not inflating wall street
c) As a consequence I would not tax entrepreneurship and job creation.
d) Given that the Fed exists and will continue setting rates I would like tax very heavily financial speculation ie, secondary market gains consequence of negative real rates. I would not mind to see an 60% plus tax on realised equity gains. However as I would still like to see the stock market performing the task of joining borrowers and investors I would not tax gains made from primary investments. Meaning people should want to participate in the equity market to collect dividends over time.
e) Alternatively d) could be replaced by a heavy tax on the value of stocks purchased in the secondary market on the value of those stocks at the end of the fiscal year. This will create a tax on unrealised earnings...with which I am ok.
In the end what i do not want is to see wall street sucking up all the capital in the economy for financial speculation and I do not want to see hordes of people making a living out of day trading. |
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06-03-26 panasonic
"$200 per barrel"
How do you play it? tia. |
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06-03-26 panasonic
Carib, place it in future time not actual, the next generation.
i.e. EU killed all incentives to create and innovate, so many moved elsewhere.
Higher taxes don't translate in more prosperity (and Warren knows that).
Now with AI the move is even more simple (as the example of the youtuber movie with a fraction of humans involved). |
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06-03-26 carib
| The contrarian argument is: those 50.000 households.. own all the media, including social media, and have most of Congress in their pocket. |
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06-03-26 carib
Panas: the point is... out of the 50.000 US households with over 50MM in assets.. how many would leave the USA, renounce US citizenship, and pay exit tax in order to avoid a wealth tax?
I guess less than 1.000. |
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06-03-26 carib
Bob McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group and a former White House adviser, warned prices could reach $200 per barrel this summer unless the Strait of Hormuz — the crucial energy waterway in the Gulf closed by the war — was reopened to tanker traffic.
“You start to raise the risk of spillover into other sectors, the economy and financial system … it detonates fragilities in the broader economy and financial system,” McNally said.
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06-03-26 panasonic
"and to use the proceeds to give every US family a yearly voucher of 5.000$"
It's a very enticing proposal, especially in 3+ years when AI gains real speed. |
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06-03-26 CAC
Am Israel Jai
unnecessary war to please bloodthirsty NetanDracula... |
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06-03-26 panasonic
Carib, "but politically..."
Finally, we are in the same page ;-)
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06-03-26 carib
Panas: to be provocative..
imagine there was a proposal on the ballot to introduce a "wealth tax" on estates worth over 50 million $, and to use the proceeds to give every US family a yearly voucher of 5.000$ usable to pay for health insurance of medical costs.
How would you think the majority would vote? |
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06-03-26 carib
Panas: there is a political aspect, here.
- 236 million americans are eligible to vote for US president and congress,
- about 50.000 US households have assets in excess of 50MM$ (say 150.000 voters?) which is about 0,05% of eligible voters
- maybe 1 million americans seriously consider it likely they will ever own over 50 million in wealth (0,5% of eligible voters)
Economically, the idea might or might not make sense... but politically... |
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06-03-26 panasonic
Carib, good question, MSFT employs 228k workers globally, with substantial salaries, stock options, and (most) paid hefty taxes during the cycle.
Next creator can write an app on a Spark Laptop with 10 lines of vibe code, Dublin or similar venue could fit his needs.
Side note:
Backrooms movie: Directed by 20-year-old YouTube creator Kane Parsons (known for his Cain Pixels channel), this A24 horror film based on his popular viral series opened with a staggering $81.5 million.
Taxes paid on those $81.5 million (after costs) are not enough? proposal is to tax the kid on his wealth, hmmm. |
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06-03-26 carib
Savo: how would you "tax wealth coming from cheap borrowing"?
by limiting the deduction of passive interest from taxable income?
By limiting admissible leverage?
How else? |
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06-03-26 carib
| SPAL: problem is right many things and decisions that makes little sense tend to prevail on alternatives that indeed make good sense.. |
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06-03-26 spal
all correct.. but do you expect wealth tax to be introduced in the USA before 2030?
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Some changes that tilt taxes towards capital as a factor make sense. To the extent that they get caught up in the hysterics of a debate on "wealth" taxes this will delay the inevitable. I think some changes around the edges are possible nonetheless by 2030. |
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06-03-26 carib
| PS: the concept of DOGE (department of government efficiency) was very good, but sadly proved to be short lived, a mere propaganda gimmick |
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06-03-26 carib
I might have a limited degree of understanding of the issue, but I fail to see why a "billionaire wealth tax" should discourage people from becoming wealth creators. I do not think for a second that Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, when college students, would have been pushed to forget about creating Microsoft and Apple by the thought that, if they eventually became billionaires.. they would have had to pay a 2% wealth tax.
I do understand, however, why most wealthy people deeply dislike wealth taxes, as much as current high earners deeply dislike to pay 60% or more of their income to the authorities in different kind of taxes.. |
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06-03-26 carib
| SPAL: all correct.. but do you expect wealth tax to be introduced in the USA before 2030? |
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06-03-26 Merlino
a system where labor is a depreciating asset
...................................
One can extrapolate this saying that ex wealthy people life is increasingly (satanically) cheap |
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06-03-26 Merlino
hard for me to believe that it's simply because that guy sold a little btc for the first time.
...............................
One likely explanation is that till yesterday at least they were selling most everything (BTC, Gold, Bonds, Stocks ex Tech, etc) to buy Tech stocks. Most USA & World Stock indexes are about same levels than in March 02
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06-03-26 savo
| to access cheap credit first |
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06-03-26 savo
pana... the companies of your "creators" are worth trillions because the Fed produces credit at negative real interest rates... The famous Cantillon effect
How do we deal with that?
I see two solutions:
1) let the market fix rates short and long
2) or, tax the wealth created from being able to cheap credit first.
In a world with 100% reserve banking... there would be no inflation and no Cantillon.
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06-03-26 savo
victor... currency have to serve as medium of exchange... store of value... and preferably both... btc does not tick any of the boxes
it was supported by a lunatic that had become buyer of last resort with money borrowed from other lunatics.
Crypto has a future as stable coins which inherently tokenize something.
BTC is tokenised nothing.
The US$ was in a way tokenised gold and did very well as such...the moment it became tokenised nothing... it collapsed 99% against real assets.
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06-03-26 spal
The current economic model creates a system where labor is a depreciating asset used to fund the state infrastructure, while capital is an accelerating, untaxed engine that consumes the available investable landscape.
The non-capital owner is not failing due to a lack of effort; they are being outpaced by a mathematical divergence where the price of entry into the capital class is rising far faster than the wages required to pay for it. |
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06-03-26 spal
... the marginal utility of labor-derived savings is crushed by the asset-price inflation driven by concentrated capital.
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This should be generally understood and should be something that people should state when opening their mouths on this subject.
Of course they will jump around on any other kind of diversion they can think of. |
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06-03-26 victor
savo, 66k btc..
hard for me to believe that it's simply because that guy sold a little btc for the first time.
he sold just a tiny amount.. herd mentality? |
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06-03-26 spal
Capital is hyper-mobile; it can flee to low-tax jurisdictions via corporate restructuring or offshore vehicles. Labor, however, is geographically bound.
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I am honestly tired of the people who argue for unfettered migration of their capital and their tax domicile. If this is their prime objective overall it clearly undermines labor in individual countries. It can not but do otherwise. They will argue that this if of course their prerogative. They have this merely and ultimately due to their wealth and nothing else. When this mentality is pushed ... it will lead to shove of one sort or another. Balance is needed. Extreme capitalism creates extremes. |
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06-03-26 spal
The facts are that the effective tax rate on labor has steadily risen whereas the effective tax rate on capital has fallen.
Capital is concentrated and in far fewer hands. The concentration of it is factual and is an outcome of the mechanics of how capitalism works. Capital gets concentrated.
The majority of people have no capital at all really. Their chances of getting some are lessened by the mathematical virtue of its concentration. As something concentrates it is harder at the margin to accumulate except where it has already concentrated.
Because capital inherently replicates and concentrates faster than labor can accumulate wealth, this shifting tax policy accelerates a feedback loop that mathematically marginalizes the wealth-building capacity of the non-capital-owning majority.
And so here we are ... if you allow logic rather then rhetoric or polemic to prevail.
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06-03-26 panasonic
Carib, if you ask why me so pessimistic, just bcz the job market of "high earners" will suffer dramatic changes from AI.
How would you fill that gap?
We must take in consideration that wealth tax may scare the next wave of creators, aka next wealthy people can reside outside developed countries, tricky future for those expecting help via wealth transfer, no?
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06-03-26 carib
Panas: I agree on both counts.
1) above 50MM, inflation indexed, sounds "fair".. but once you open that gate, the taxing appetite of politicians might lower the barrier at will, as long as 90% of voters in unaffected;
2) proceeds should be used to reduce taxation of income, not to increase spending.
That said, a "Warren tax" could generate annual revenue of around 500/750 billion $, in my opinion, which is not "peanuts". (2-3% of GDP) |
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06-03-26 panasonic
Carib, what starts at 50 goes down to 30 then 20...
If me was 90 years old, my foot.
That said, the important question where she got grilled is how much money that tax represents? all billions made by billionaires were already taxed in the making.
In summary, why not keep the billionaires generating billions and audit massive fraud in medicare for example, she starts babbling. |
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06-03-26 carib
| Panas: what would be the consequence for your family of the E.Warren wealth tax (2% over 50MM$ estate value)? |
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06-03-26 panasonic
| She got grilled in CNBC, but the proposal is gaining traction. |
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06-03-26 panasonic
| Elizabeth Warren, wealth tax now! |
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06-03-26 savo
unnecessary war to please bloodthirsty NetanDracula...
‘Late last night, the invading U.S. military targeted an Iranian oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz with a hellfire missile, damaging the engine room.
In response to this aggression and violation of the regulations of the Strait of Hormuz, the IRGC targeted an enemy Zionist-American ship, the ‘Panaya’, with missiles.
In a renewed aggression, the American enemy also targeted an IRGC communications on Qeshm Island.
In response to this aggression, its airbase and its helicopter base stationed in one of the countries in the region (Kuwait), as well as the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, were subjected to an attack by missiles and drones of the IRGC Aerospace Force.
We warned previously that in the event of aggression, the response would be different and harsher, and we have acted accordingly. These responses should serve as a lesson.
We reaffirm that undermining the security of the Strait of Hormuz will cost the invading U.S. military a heavy price.’ |
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06-02-26 panasonic
| Carib, agree with you 100%...New Yorkers and/or Californians would probably be attracted to such proposals. |
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06-02-26 carib
Panas: as far as I remember, Bernie is a "democratic socialist", caucusing with the democrats in the Senate, but essentially controlling 1 vote in 100.
Little risk there.. unless Trump hears the idea, and finds that getting 50% of all AI corps for himself for free.. might be a genial idea..
;-) |
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06-02-26 panasonic
Pilly, that's the problem, his proposal is to expropriate 50% of shares, and Gov. control the board of those companies.
Given he is a Chinese agent, under his "model", all would be regulated at our side and leave doors wide open to Chinese supremacy. |
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06-02-26 carib
Venezuela has retained Hogan Lovells US LLP as legal counsel for what is expected to be one of the largest sovereign debt restructurings in decades.
The hiring — made public in a filing published by the Justice Department’s Foreign Agents Registration Act unit on Tuesday — comes less than a month after the government announced it was starting the process to rework an estimated $170 billion of debt that’s been in default since 2017.
The law firm, which has headquarters in Washington and London, said in an email that it has a long history of working with the country and was hired to for both the restructuring and to provide assistance on government relations in the US. Both the Venezuelan administration, particularly the finance ministry, and the nation’s embassy in the US are listed as clients in the filings.
Legal services include consulting in the “assessment, development, or preparation of debt restructuring options, proposals and supporting materials,” according to the documents. The firm will also provide the Venezuelan embassy in DC with advice on “legislative, regulatory, and public policy activities” in the bilateral relationship between Caracas and Washington.
Norm Coleman, a former US Senator from Minnesota who was a member of the Foreign Relations Committee before joining Hogan Lovells in 2011, represents the Venezuelan embassy for the firm, according to the documents. The disclosed contract shows a retainer of $100,000 a month.
Hogan Lovells was previously hired by Venezuela’s US embassy in 2014 to provide lobbying services in Washington.
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06-02-26 pillz
Senator Bernie Sanders proposed the "American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act" to create a federally managed fund owned by the American public.
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it looks like one must sell everything .. if Sanders want to buy now :-)) |
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06-02-26 panasonic
| Savo, yes...fomo yolo :-) |
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06-02-26 spal
| Savo ... certainly some momentum chasing. |
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06-02-26 savo
| pana.. spal... crazy world... money going into photonic stocks.. none of which make any money. |
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06-02-26 carib
Outgoing Mossad chief Barnea urges Israel to topple wounded Iranian regime
If in the past, Barnea's promise seemed to be to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, this was an additional time that he doubled or even tripled down on regime change for Iran. |
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06-02-26 spal
Frontera - update:
Frontera Energy’s June 1, 2026, announcement transitions the company from a volatile, capital-intensive exploration and production (E&P) outfit into a clean, structural infrastructure monopoly.
By shedding its Colombian oil assets to Parex, management has executed a masterful "sum-of-the-parts" unlocking event. This strategy aligns the company perfectly with Colombia's long-term sovereign energy and logistical vulnerabilities.
1. The Strategic Architecture of the LNG Terminal
The centerpiece of this transformation is the Puerto Bahía LNG regasification project, which addresses a critical structural mismatch in the Colombian economy.
Colombia's Gas Deficit & Ecopetrol's Motivation: Colombia is staring down a massive domestic natural gas shortage expected to bite hard by late 2026/2027. Relying purely on dwindling domestic onshore fields is no longer an option. Ecopetrol, as the state-backed oil company, is highly motivated to secure import capacity to maintain industrial supply and keep gas-fired power plants online.
The "Take-or-Pay" Moat: Frontera states they are advancing an exclusive joint venture agreement with Ecopetrol. Infrastructure funds prize take-or-pay capacity contracts because they insulate revenues from commodity price fluctuations. Ecopetrol pays for the regasification capacity whether they push gas through the terminal or not.
The FSRU Advantage: Securing an option for a ~500 MMcfd Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU) ensures rapid deployment by 2027, avoiding the multi-year delays and environmental hurdles of onshore builds. It positions Puerto Bahía as the primary gateway for Colombian gas imports.
2. Multi-Asset Synergy: Gasco, Tolling, and Power Gen
Frontera’s port operations extend beyond a single asset, functioning as a tightly integrated midstream ecosystem.
The Gasco Layer: The partnership with Gasco on the existing LPG infrastructure delivers a reliable baseline cash flow ($10–$15 million in EBITDA). This project serves as a proven blueprint for the larger LNG buildout, derisking Frontera's execution track record for institutional investors.
The On-Site Power Generation Catalyst: The announcement references potential entry into **gas-fired power production** via a facility right at the port. This strategy is highly effective because it introduces an immediate, captive "anchor tenant" for the LNG terminal's gas. Power generation located at the deepwater port eliminates pipeline transit costs and allows Frontera to capture margins across both the fuel import and power sale stages.
3. Logistical Backstops: RoRo, Storage, and the ODL Pipeline
The broader portfolio provides an insulated, highly resilient infrastructure baseline.
Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo) Momentum: Puerto Bahía remains Colombia’s premier hub for automotive and heavy machinery imports. As supply chains normalize and regional automotive trade expands, this unencumbered segment acts as a high-margin cash flow generator requiring very low maintenance CapEx.
Strategic Oil Reserve Capacity: Puerto Bahía features a substantial Liquid Bulk Terminal with 3.33 million barrels of storage capacity. In an era of volatile crude flows and shifting global supply networks, this deepwater storage footprint positions Frontera to offer strategic storage or blending operations to international trading desks.
The Oleoducto de los Llanos Orientales (ODL) Anchor: Frontera's 35% stake in the ODL pipeline is a highly valuable asset. This pipeline transports a significant portion of Colombia's heavy crude. It operates under long-term regulated tolling agreements, providing a durable cash flow foundation that underpins the parent company’s dividend capacity.
4. Institutional Validation: Why the Market is Wrong (For Now)
At a post-dividend stub price of roughly $5.00 net, the public market is fundamentally mispricing this asset.
The market currently values Frontera as a legacy E&P stock. However, its infrastructure baseline of $110–$120 million in adjusted EBITDA is backed by long-term pipeline tolling, take-or-pay port contracts, and tier-one corporate counterparties like Ecopetrol.
Why This Targets Private Equity & Infrastructure Funds
Global infrastructure allocations (like Brookfield, Macquarie, or regional LatAm private equity funds) seek long-term, inflation-linked cash flows with high barriers to entry. Puerto Bahía cannot be easily replicated due to its deepwater marine concession and direct connection to national pipeline networks.
Once the "due-bill" trading period settles after the June 24 capital distribution, Frontera will emerge as a debt-free midstream pure-play. As the company reports clean, high-margin quarterly results without E&P capital expenditures, institutional re-rating should shift the multiple toward infrastructure averages, unlocking significant upside from current levels.
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06-02-26 panasonic
"Hemos tomado 1.000 millones de dólares en criptomonedas de Irán"
Maduro is the bird singing in NY, Veni used same vaults. |
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06-02-26 panasonic
Senator Bernie Sanders proposed the "American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act" to create a federally managed fund owned by the American public.
It aims to capture the economic value of artificial intelligence and share the profits with everyday citizens.
Key Details of the Proposal
The Equity Transfer: The legislation proposes a one-time transfer of 50 percent of stock from major AI companies (such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI) to the federal government.Public Ownership & Governance: Instead of a cash tax, the government would hold voting shares and secure equal board representation at these companies.
Direct Payouts: Revenue generated by the fund would flow directly to Americans as cash payments. Any long-term growth would eventually help fund broader public goods like housing, education, and healthcare.
The Core Argument
Sanders argues that AI models are trained on the accumulated knowledge, journalism, art, and labor of millions of Americans, typically without permission or compensation.
Because the technology is derived from collective human output, he asserts that the wealth it generates should be shared collectively rather than concentrated among a few tech executives.
Modeled Concepts
Sanders points to existing, successful sovereign wealth models as inspiration, specifically citing Norway's Government Pension Fund and the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend, which both distribute resource-based wealth to citizens.
He also highlighted that similar concepts have been previously floated by AI industry leaders like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic, who have independently suggested public or national wealth funds tied to AI growth |
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06-02-26 savo
victor... unless DT starts buying with public money... i think there is no floor for btc now that saylor turned seller and btc mining companies are becoming data centers with DT's sons.
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06-02-26 victor
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06-02-26 victor
in which Trump at one point yelled at Netanyahu, “What the f*** are you doing?”
:-))
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Trump tells Netanyahu he kept him out of jail, should be grateful on tense call - report
One source summarized part of Trump’s comments as “everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this,” said the report by Axios.
US President Trump accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being the reason for global hatred of Israel in an angry call on Monday, Axios reported.
Earlier on Monday, Iran had threatened to stop negotiating with the US due to Israel’s action in Lebanon, prompting the call in which Trump at one point yelled at Netanyahu, “What the f*** are you doing?”
According to one US official, Trump felt that Netanyahu was reacting disproportionally to Hezbollah’s attacks on Israel. He objected to Israel destroying buildings to take out a single Hezbollah commander, and Israel’s threats against Beirut, Axios wrote.
Another source summarized part of Trump’s comments as “everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this,” according to Axios.
Trump also accused Netanyahu of being ungrateful, with the source saying Trump claimed the prime minister would have been in prison if not for him.
Attacks on Beirut canceled
While Netanyahu released a statement after the call that Israel’s position “remains the same,” a US official told Axios that Trump had actually “steamrolled” Netanyahu.
"Bibi said, 'OK, OK, just make sure everything is taken care of,'" Axios quoted the official as saying.
Another official said that this was one of Trump’s worst calls with Netanyahu since the start of his second term.
After the call, Trump announced that Netanyahu had “turned his Troops around,” after he asked him “not to go into a major raid of Beirut,” in a post on Truth Social.
In another post, Trump wrote that talks were continuing “at a rapid pace” with Iran.
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06-02-26 amateur
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06-02-26 amateur
Dont lose your sleep about the AI bubble bursting. Everything will be fine.
Peter Thiel is movimg to Argentina. |
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