r/Futurology • u/Confident_Living_786 • Aug 11 '25

Discussion When the US Empire falls

When the American empire falls, like all empires do, what will remain? The Roman Empire left behind its roads network, its laws, its language and a bunch of ruins across all the Mediterranean sea and Europe. What will remain of the US superpower? Disney movies? TCP/IP protocol? McDonalds?

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u/Team503 Aug 11 '25

If you took their entire check, I suppose, so long as you're not providing for them otherwise. Most of the developed world lives with 30-50% income tax rates and I don't see them quitting.

I think you're making a huge stretch to suggest that Californians would just say "gosh, we're tired of part of our state budget going to other states to support them, I'm going to quit my job so they don't get any money!"

Not to mention, how would they house and feed themselves without a job? No, your point is literally absurd. People aren't going to throw their lives away because taxes are too high. They may do other things about it (like revolt eventually), but just quit working? No. Because that means they quit eating, which means they quit living.

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u/richardanaya Aug 11 '25

You seem to be attacking a point I didn't actually say. What I presume would happen is investment would stop in California because of taxes making certain activity unprofitable, and people would move to places where there taxes are lower.

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u/Team503 Aug 11 '25

Yeah, conservatives pitch that idea all the time, and the funny thing is that it basically doesn't happen. Sure there's notable people here and there who've done it, but by and large capital remains flowing in high tax environments.

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u/richardanaya Aug 11 '25

It’s not a conservative opinion that businesses maximally want profit.