Is the Dilbert creator, Scott Adams, the most important public intellectual of our time?

Yes, I want 75% of Dilbert's earnings to go to the government.

OP, you need to understand that this guy is deep into the shit for the red pills he is dosing out to his readers. Liberals are not going to forget this once Hillary is elected. He is toast. Read the one on bullying.

He's my new hero....very will put!

He certainly is smarter than the people running things. Whether that makes him an "intellectual" is a matter of opinion.

I think the more important intellectuals are likely private ones.

He makes a good point that for personal safety reasons many people can't publicly support Trump.

Only the Privacy of the Ballot Box can decide the matter.

If "fairness is an argument for idiots and children", why require every single person to pay taxes? Why don't we just arbitrarily pick out 10,000 Americans and require them to pay a 100 percent effective tax rate?

Besides, the argument in favor of estate tax is that it's among the least distortionary forms of taxation. People (usually) won't alter their present consumption patterns in anticipation of a post-death tax. Even if some do, it will have a far less adverse impact on the economy than a sales tax, or an income tax.

I love Dilbert, and respect Scott Adams, but what you quoted is one of the stupidest things I've ever read. It sounds like something an idiotic loudmouth at a community college would spout when put on the spot in an economics lecture.

Estate tax (death tax) is a simple way to subvert the family and replace it by government. Of course, USA culture has already degenerated the family unit a lot by itself, but every bit helps.

An Econ Major wrote:

Besides, the argument in favor of estate tax is that it's among the least distortionary forms of taxation. People (usually) won't alter their present consumption patterns in anticipation of a post-death tax. Even if some do, it will have a far less adverse impact on the economy than a sales tax, or an income tax.

Maybe when you graduate and get a little older, you will learn that the desire to leave something behind is actually a very large motivator, particularly for very senior high-productivity workers who could easily retire but instead selflessly continue to contribute to the economy.

An Econ Major wrote:

If "fairness is an argument for idiots and children", why require every single person to pay taxes? Why don't we just arbitrarily pick out 10,000 Americans and require them to pay a 100 percent effective tax rate?

I honestly hope you aren't an econ major, because you should be able to answer that question.

And we don't require every single person to pay taxes. Like Romney pointed out, almost half don't.

fdsdfsDad wrote:

And we don't require every single person to pay taxes. Like Romney pointed out, almost half don't.

Actually they pay negative taxes.

fdsdfsDad wrote:

An Econ Major wrote:

If "fairness is an argument for idiots and children", why require every single person to pay taxes? Why don't we just arbitrarily pick out 10,000 Americans and require them to pay a 100 percent effective tax rate?

I honestly hope you aren't an econ major, because you should be able to answer that question.

And we don't require every single person to pay taxes. Like Romney pointed out, almost half don't.

Does that half include Donald Trump?

Tyrone ReXXXing wrote:

Does that half include Donald Trump?

Seems to.

Scott Adams is also the greatest artist of our time.

Now that Bob Dylan has won the Nobel prize, Scott Adam's great work with Dilbert will get the attention it deserves from the Nobel awards committee.

Lazy fare wrote:

The fact that so many people absolutely loathe him seems to be a good indication that he is saying important things that nobody wants to hear.

"You can argue whether an estate tax is fair or unfair, but fairness is an argument for idiots and children. Fairness isn’t an objective quality of the universe. I oppose the estate tax because I was born to modest means and worked 7-days a week for most of my life to be in my current position. (I’m working today, Sunday, as per usual.) And I don’t want to give 75% of my earnings to the government. (Would you?)"

http://blog.dilbert.com/post/150919416661/why-i-switched-my-endorsement-from-clinton-to

This guy has a point. Taxes like he is complaining about will (and do) just anger and embitter the self made modestly wealthy people who can't get around them and the people who really need to be taxed are the one's who have the means and motivation to circumvent them in general. Fairness may not be an objective quality of the universe but human cleverness can design social structures and incentives and prohibitions that are effective when they take human nature into consideration.

catbert wrote:

Scott Adams is also the greatest artist of our time.

Now that Bob Dylan has won the Nobel prize, Scott Adam's great work with Dilbert will get the attention it deserves from the Nobel awards committee.

Sorry, Bill Watterson is at the very front of that line.

Tyrone ReXXXing wrote:

Does that half include Donald Trump?

If Donald Trump paid negative taxes, then yes. Why did you ask this? You really couldn't figure this out on your own?

Souped American wrote:

An Econ Major wrote:

Besides, the argument in favor of estate tax is that it's among the least distortionary forms of taxation. People (usually) won't alter their present consumption patterns in anticipation of a post-death tax. Even if some do, it will have a far less adverse impact on the economy than a sales tax, or an income tax.

Maybe when you graduate and get a little older, you will learn that the desire to leave something behind is actually a very large motivator, particularly for very senior high-productivity workers who could easily retire but instead selflessly continue to contribute to the economy.

I was just about to ask if he was trolling.

Lazy fare wrote:

The fact that so many people absolutely loathe him seems to be a good indication that he is saying important things that nobody wants to hear.

"You can argue whether an estate tax is fair or unfair, but fairness is an argument for idiots and children. Fairness isn’t an objective quality of the universe. I oppose the estate tax because I was born to modest means and worked 7-days a week for most of my life to be in my current position. (I’m working today, Sunday, as per usual.) And I don’t want to give 75% of my earnings to the government. (Would you?)"

http://blog.dilbert.com/post/150919416661/why-i-switched-my-endorsement-from-clinton-to

I'd like to see any calculation that show an effective tax rate of 75% on earnings. If he's paying that much he's an idiot. I call serious BS on that one.

Look, Dilbert is amusing. Don't confuse writing a comic strip, even an amusing one, with intellectualism. I can name half a dozen strips with higher intellectual value than that. The guy who named Watterson is spot on. Calvin and Hobbes operated on a different level than Dilbert.