I have a friend on Facebook who thinks like a RWNJ but tries to sound reasonable. Here's something

[Rustynaerduwell]

he wrote:

"I am not particularly an advocate for billionaires. I am however, a staunch believer that if one can become a billionaire, what right do we have to take what's theirs to make it ours? That's like saying we should allow anyone to forcibly help themselves to our things because we have more than they do. Really? How many are going to allow this?

Do I wish I had what they have? Do I feel they have too much? Do I wish they would share the wealth? Yes to all these questions. But, in the end, it's theirs, not ours. Sometimes, logic and common sense helps in looking at things the correct way rather than try to forcibly take from someone that they have every right to possess."

He has a job with a modest income. He drives a rusted car with a lot of mileage. He sometimes struggle to make ends meet meet. He thinks he a free thinker. He's brainwashed.

[Downtown Hound]

1. The bottom line is nobody becomes a billionaire on their own

And while there might be a few exceptions to this statement (like J.K. Rowling or Steven Spielberg), for the most part you will find hundreds if not thousands of underpaid people who got screwed over in the process of making somebody else a billionaire. It's not about taking from somebody else. It's about sharing the wealth that many people created, not just one.

[marylandblue]

10. The price of anything is a negotiation among owners, workers, customers and government

Basically it amounts to who gets to keep what portion of the value of an item. The implicit assumption we make is that all players have equal power. But if that assumption does not hold, one group can keep more value by force rather than negotiation. We have more income inequality today than we did 50 years ago, not because Bezos worked so much harder than Hewlett and Packard, but because owners have gained power at the expense of other parties, particularly workers and government. Taxation is a way of correcting the power imbalance.

[Downtown Hound]

14. What a pile of shit

When the alternative is you starve or live on the streets, then yes, you are forced to work. And when you work your ass off but still can't afford a quality life, then you are nothing more than a slave

And fuck Jeff Bezos. His warehouse workers are little more than slaves. If he had to work so hard then he should empathize with them more and pay them a living wage.

If he's the best example you got, then you epically lose.

[leftieNanner]

7. These billionaires also had the help of The Commons

in their accumulation of wealth. Amazon uses roads, bridges, and educated work force, electricity, police, fire, etc. etc. etc. These things are all paid for with taxes. So we aren't "taking" away what belongs to them, we are asking for them to pay their fair share for the continued use of The Commons.

[ZZenith]

2. Meh. We all have stupid friends.

The trick is not to infect other conversations with their idiocy.

[virgogal]

15. I wouldn't call him stupid, he just has a different opinion than most.

[ZZenith]

16. I would.

Anyone who is thinking like a RWNJ is simply not using their noggin.

[Leith]

3. Nobody is taking what belongs to billionaires

I have seen help wanted ads for jobs that require a Bachelor degree, Master's degree preferred - and the pay is $35,000 annual. THAT is taking from people unfairly.

Trickle down is the most vicious con perpetrated on the US worker.

[Bluesaph]

4. People like this make me sick!

They frame the argument in the way they’ve been brainwashed to think of it. By his reasoning all taxation should be abolished.

[PeeJ52]

5. Get off Facebook, too many people like that on there. It will rot your brain.

I tried it twice. The longest I could stay on was about 6 weeks before my right wing "friends" started threatening to do me harm. Hell, I'm 66! I'm too old for that crap. You can't explain things to them anyway. They won't listen to reason or facts.

[Fresh_Start]

8. I think we should let the millionaires and billionaires pay the entire cost

of the military, department of state, banking system, transportation system.

If you are poor or middle class, how much do you have invested overseas
If you are poor or middle class, how many times do you fly
If you are poor or middle class, how much do you use fancy financial vehicles or need oversight of financial reporting....

If you are poor or middle class, what do you think your odds of getting leading edge medical care is.

if we paid for defense of the our country instead of our rich classes financial investments, we would be in a lot fewer overseas conflicts and have fewer enemies.

[Takket]

9. if it is wrong to take "what is theirs"

then why the hell does the government get to take what is mine?

[ProudLib72]

11. I would like to quote from Teddy Roosevelt's SOTU speech in 1906

The National Government has long derived its chief revenue from a tariff on imports and from an internal or excise tax. In addition to these there is every reason why, when next our system of taxation is revised, the National Government should impose a graduated inheritance tax, and, if possible, a graduated income tax. The man of great wealth owes a peculiar obligation to the State, because he derives special advantages from the mere existence of government. Not only should he recognize this obligation in the way he leads his daily life and in the way he earns and spends his money, but it should also be recognized by the way in which he pays for the protection the State gives him. On the one hand, it is desirable that he should assume his full and proper share of the burden of taxation; on the other hand, it is quite as necessary that in this kind of taxation, where the men who vote the tax pay but little of it, there should be clear recognition of the danger of inaugurating any such system save in a spirit of entire justice and moderation. Whenever we, as a people, undertake to remodel our taxation system along the lines suggested, we must make it clear beyond peradventure that our aim is to distribute the burden of supporting the Government more equitably than at present; that we intend to treat rich man and poor man on a basis of absolute equality, and that we regard it as equally fatal to true democracy to do or permit injustice to the one as to do or permit injustice to the other.

http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/presidents/theodore-roosevelt/state-of-the-union-1906.php

Please feel free to pass this on to your "friend" of diminished brain capacity.

[treestar]

12. Like two year old, mine, mine!

They use the infrastructure more. The government protects property, and it costs a lot more to protect their more extensive property. They could not make the billions if we didn't buy their crap. They owe it to us.

We don't know what risks they took. And if they did lose everything, they get a tax break there too.

There is no way they could have worked "harder." There are 24 hours in a day for everybody. Some of them may have been "smarter." But we don't know what advantages they had there, either.

[lunatica]

13. Well why is it OK to take some of my money then?

The holes in his argument have holes in them.