Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Dem Rep. Perfectly Shames Elon Musk After He Says Government 'Has a Monopoly on Violence'

Dem Rep. Perfectly Shames Elon Musk After He Says Government 'Has a Monopoly on Violence'
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call // Wall Street Journal

Billionaire Tesla Motors and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, usually makes headlines these days for trolling Twitter followers and opposing expanded taxes for the wealthy, especially in regards to a revitalized capital gains tax in which investments are taxed as they accrue wealth instead of when they are sold.

The latter is what Musk discussed in recent comments to the Wall Street Journal, where he painted increased taxes for wealthy corporations as "capital allocation" imposed by the state, rather than the corporations themselves.


Watch below.

Comparing the government to a corporation, Musk said:

"It does not make sense to take the job of capital allocation away from people with a demonstrated great skill in capital allocation and give it to an entity that has demonstrated very poor skill in capital allocation. Think of the government essentially as a corporation in the limit. The government is simply the biggest corporation, with a monopoly on violence and where you have no recourse."

While libertarians and conservatives hailed Musk's comments on social media, his sentiment got sharp pushback from Democrats, including from Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego of Arizona.

Gallego noted the entwinement of Musk's SpaceX with the U.S. defense budget, while laying bare Musk's true motive.

Gallego is right.

For years, Musk's enterprises have relied on government subsidies. As far back as 2015, his empire had collected nearly $5 billion in government subsidies. His companies have been awarded hundreds of millions in Pentagon contracts, including a $160 million contract earlier this year. As recently as April, SpaceX was also awarded a $2.9 billion contract from NASA.

People agreed with Gallego's indictment of Musk's greed.



But the Congressman was far from the only one to call out the multibillionaire.






Musk, whose net worth is nearly $300 billion, paid $70 thousand in income tax between 2015 and 2017 and zero in 2018.

More from People/elon-musk

Modern 'Conveniences' That Actually Make Life Harder

Making life simpler...

That is always the goal, right?

Keep ReadingShow less
Person holding cigarette
Luiz Rogério Nunes/Unsplash

One Night Stands That Turned Into A Total Nightmare

Ahh, the trials and tribulations of dating life.

On the one hand, it could be exciting and very promising. On the other hand, it could be a total disaster.

Keep ReadingShow less
Person's eyes glowing in the sunlight
Photo by Marina Vitale on Unsplash

People Who Clinically Died And Came Back To Life Share Their Experiences

We've all heard the questions about what happens when we die, whether there is life after death, and whether we really will walk through a tunnel of white light or not to get there.

But people who have had a near-death experience, in that they were declared clinically dead and were then resuscitated, might have the answers we're looking for, and their answers are quite peaceful.

Keep ReadingShow less
Owen Cooper; Elon Musk
Netflix; ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

'Adolescence' Creator Claps Back After Musk Promotes Conspiracy That Hit Netflix Series Is 'Anti-White'

Jack Thorne, the co-creator of Netflix series Adolescence, is speaking out after far-right influencers and Elon Musk promoted a conspiracy theory about the series.

In four parts, the series focuses on 13-year-old Jamie Miller, played by Owen Cooper, who is accused of the grisly murder of a teen girl.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elon Musk and Donald Trump
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Trump And Musk Fact-Checked After Touting Voter ID In Wisconsin As A 'Big Win'

President Donald Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk were widely mocked and fact-checked after they both took to social media to champion a voter ID requirement being approved by Wisconsin voters even though the state has actually required voter ID since 2011.

The two men grasped for positive news after liberal judge Susan Crawford won a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, successfully beating her Republican opponent Brad Schimel and ensuring that the nonpartisan court's narrow 4-3 liberal majority remains intact despite Musk's efforts to sway the race.

Keep ReadingShow less