Tony Phuah

2023-09-05 16:07:22

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

Morris Pearl, Chair of the Patriotic Millionaires and former Managing Director at BlackRock, said: “In recent decades, wealth inequality has skyrocketed around the world. The growing gap between rich and poor has destabilised the global economy, exacerbated the rise of extremist politics, and frayed the very fabric of our social order. As an ultra-wealthy person, representing an organisation of like-minded wealthy people, I am asking the G20 to tax us

Earth4All co-organises letter calling on the G20 to “tax the super-rich” - Earth4All

In an open letter to the G20, close to 300 millionaires, economists, and political representatives from almost all G20 countries call for a new international agreement on wealth taxes to “stop extreme wealth from corroding our collective future”.

wealth distribution sustainability

show all 4 comments

2023-09-05 16:09:10

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

the vested interests in maintaining the current system, including billionaires, the fossil fuel sector, big pharma, defense, and industrial agriculture will continue to fight to prevent the transformative changes needed. To overcome our societal addiction to the current system will require a broad consensus and movement of movements around the shared goal of sustainable wellbeing for humans and the rest of nature

System-shifting steps towards a new global economic system - Club of Rome

13 August 2023 -

2023-09-05 16:12:32

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

If the rich who have the most stakes don't want to rescue the environment that supports their rich, so be it

2023-09-05 16:13:52

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

"shrink dangerous levels of inequality while also allowing leaders to raise vital funds to tackle the multiple challenges facing our world"

Tax Extreme Wealth

G20 Leaders must tax extreme wealth

投對胎越來越重要

2023-09-04 10:00:46

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

如果你認爲現在財富分佈過于傾斜、社會不公平。那麼可以預期的是，之後財富分佈更加傾斜、有錢人的孩子即使做錯所有事也不比做對所有事的窮人家孩子差。隨着在財富分佈越來越傾斜的體制下受惠的老人紛紛死去，財產繼承潮的來臨，投對胎越來越重要。由于人的壽命，跨代財富轉移的影響有滯後(delay)的時間差，投對胎的差別將越來越明顯

time lags involved in building dynastic fortunes ... Inequality of income must precede growing inequality of wealth, since wealth is simply the cumulative excess of income over consumption.

So, given the current era of highly unequal incomes and social immobility, we can expect inheritance to play a much bigger role in explaining inequality for the generations now entering adulthood. That will include direct transfers of wealth, mainly via inheritances, as well as the effects of increasingly unequal access to education, early job opportunities and home ownership

The coming boom in inherited wealth • John Quiggin

Are we creating a society Jane Austen might recognise?

wealth distribution

show all 22 comments

2023-09-04 10:02:11

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

those born to families who lack the resources needed to give them a head start in life. More generally, it is likely to be economically and socially stagnant. A patrimonial society inevitably wastes much of its talent, instead putting its privileged children into positions of power and influence for which they may have little aptitude

2023-09-04 10:02:29

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

the proposal to tax the unrealised capital gains of assets passed on through inheritance, which would substantially reduce inherited inequality. Precisely for this reason, it is the object of vigorous attacks from lobbyists for the wealthy

2023-09-04 10:04:05

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/10/18/poor-kids-who-do-everything-right-dont-do-better-than-rich-kids-who-do-everything-wrong/

2023-09-04 10:12:01

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

The wealth of the very top grew even faster ... Wealth for dynastic families has grown significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic
...
Dynastically wealthy families wield a great deal of political power, and use it to further their interests

New Report: Silver Spoon Oligarchs: How America’s 50 Largest Inherited-Wealth Dynasties Accelerate Inequality - Institute for Policy Studies

Together 50 families hold about half of the wealth of the bottom half of all U.S.households, an estimated 65 million families, and their wealth grew at ten times the rate of ordinary families during the last 40 years.

power distribution

2023-09-04 10:14:24

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

the wealth by inheritance keeps growing

Infographic: Inherited Wealth Concentrates Among the Ultra-Rich

This chart show the cumulative expected wealth transfers until 2030, by would region and wealth tier (in billion U.S. dollars).

2023-09-04 10:15:59

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

遺產稅

Inheritance tax - Wikipedia

International tax law distinguishes between an estate tax and an inheritance tax. An inheritance tax is a tax paid by a person who inherits money or property of a person who has died, whereas an estate tax is a levy on the estate (money and property) of a person who has died.[1] However, this distinction is not always observed; for example, the...

2023-09-04 17:04:19

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

贈與稅

Gift tax - Wikipedia

In economics, a gift tax is the tax on money or property that one living person or corporate entity gives to another.[1] A gift tax is a type of transfer tax that is imposed when someone gives something of value to someone else. The transfer must be gratuitous or the receiving party must pay a lesser amount than the item's full value to be...

2023-09-04 17:04:54

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

財產移轉稅

Transfer tax - Wikipedia

A transfer tax is a tax on the passing of title to property from one person (or entity) to another. In a narrow legal sense, a transfer tax is essentially a transaction fee imposed on the transfer of title to property from one entity to another. This kind of tax is typically imposed where there is a legal requirement for registration of the...

2023-09-04 17:07:17

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

we don’t need more do-gooder billionaires that give to charity — we need fewer billionaires.

The problem isn’t really individuals making money. The problem is having an entire system that grows the wealth of billionaires at the expense of everything else we care about — including our democracy.

... Wealth is concentrating

The US would be better off with fewer billionaires | CNN Business

Many billionaires invest their fortunes in a way that only expands their own wealth and power, writes Chuck Collins, the director of the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies.

2023-09-04 17:11:34

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

去年遺贈稅收創新高！房產轉移「送」得很熱絡 6000億財富世代交接潮，台灣準備好了？ - 財訊

去年遺贈稅總稅收高達576億元，以稅率10%推估，等於1年有近6000億元規模的資產，正在進行世代移轉……

2023-09-04 17:12:26

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

有錢人利用台灣缺乏宗教團體財務透明的法律牟私利兼逃稅，美其名宗教自由，其實都是信仰錢財

2023-09-04 17:15:09

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

立法院

廢除遺贈稅吸引資金回流建設台灣

2023-09-04 17:17:02

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

馬英九的競選政見本來只說要將遺產稅免稅額及扣除額，提高到2600萬元，反而是謝長廷承諾要將免稅額提高到3000萬元，並將遺產稅最高邊際稅率由50% 降低到10%。但7月23日，工商協進會與劉兆玄早餐，要求將遺產稅先調降至20%，將來完全廢除。劉兆玄表示贊同

http://taiwansig.tw/index.php/政策報告/社會安全/630-遺贈稅調降事件 ─比較2000年與2008年兩次經濟風暴下的兩黨政策

2023-09-04 17:19:14

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

過去十幾年中華民國政府所推政策中最爛最爛的是哪個政策？我可以毫不猶豫地告訴你：就是在2008年將原本50%最高邊際稅率的遺產稅率，一舉降為10%。這個政策背後有太多太多的可疑之處

朱敬一教你一次讀懂《21世紀資本論》-風傳媒

1：資本集中的必然趨勢[啟動LINE推播]每日重大新聞通知法國皮凱提（ThomasPiketty）教授的新書CapitalintheTwentyFirstCentury（我暫譯為《廿一世紀資本論》）獲得《紐約時報》極佳書評，而諾貝爾經濟學獎得主克魯曼甚至誇讚，此書是今年甚或最近十

2023-09-04 17:20:26

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

遺產贈予稅當然可以課，但是資本家七、八十年行將入土才能被課一次遺產稅，且若生前安排得宜，就算課也可能課不到太多，對抑制資本累積效果還不夠。於是皮凱提遂主張：每年課「總資本持有稅」，例如每年1%或2%。這種資本持有稅就像是房屋稅、地價稅一樣，個人持有期間年年要繳，只是稅基不只是土地房屋，而是所有資產財富，包括股票、現金等等。皮凱提認為，既然資本報酬率動輒4%或5%，那麼抽個一趴兩趴稅資本家當然付得起，只是稍微減緩他們的資本累積速度而已……這些稅收他主張用於政府補助的教育與健保，而要透過健康改善與教育普及，去打破「富有資本家持續富有、貧窮底層持續貧窮」的社會不流動

2023-09-04 17:21:24

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

跨國資訊合作資本總歸戶

保護個資對每個人都同等重要。但是對我們勞動階級而言，在開曼群島既無紙上控股公司、在瑞士銀行也無鉅額秘密帳戶，所謂資產個資云云，跟我們有什麼關係？在台灣擔任公職要公佈財產，這對一窮二白的人而言根本無所謂，也只有家財萬貫的大有錢人，才害怕錢財露白。更何況，全球各國資產帳戶互通資訊，是為了避免大富豪逃稅；而要求逃稅大戶如實繳稅，目的是要以此收入多做一些所得重分配的褔利措施，天經地義。

此外，「公開互通財產帳資料」是只限於政府稅捐機關之間，而不是要向外人公開

2023-09-04 17:21:41

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

等到資本累積集中之弊更凸顯，等到大部分人民都理解到社會真的是「of 1%、for 1%、by 1%」的時候，人民才會同意全球資產持有稅。皮凱提的貢獻，大概就是「還沒有見到棺材就提醒大家帶手帕」

2023-09-04 17:25:34

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

Within a decade, however, the effect is reversed: inheritances increase wealth inequality since the different depletion rates widen the inequality in inherited wealth over time

How Do Inheritances Shape Wealth Inequality? Theory and Evidence from Sweden

Abstract. This article aims to measure and understand the role of inheritances in shaping wealth inequality. We use a quasi-experimental design and Swedish admi

2023-09-04 17:26:21

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

another way to think about the correlation: the more likely citizens attribute success to meritocratic factors instead of non-meritocratic factors (e.g., a person’s family wealth and connections), the less unequal a society

The paradox of inequality: income inequality and belief in meritocracy go hand in hand

rising inequality is legitimated by the popular belief that the income gap is meritocratically deserved: the more unequal a society, the more likely its citizens are to explain success in meritocratic terms, and the less important they deem nonmeritocratic factors such as a person’s family wealth and connections

2023-09-04 17:27:35

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

many downplay the intergenerational privilege associated with gifting by reporting extended family histories of working-class struggle, upward social mobility and meritocratic striving

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03085147.2021.1932353

2023-09-04 17:28:43

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

Inheritance fundamentally violates the meritocratic justice principle of society

Inheritance and equal opportunity – it is the family that matters :: Public Sector Economics

Inheritance fundamentally violates the meritocratic justice principle of society. Despite the high level of wealth concentration and the fact that few peop

2023-09-04 17:30:15

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

intergenerational transfers, such as inheritances and inter vivos gifts, play a significant role in underpinning wealth inequality. When inheritances and gifts exceed a certain threshold, the opportunities to accumulate more wealth are greatly expanded

Intergenerational transfers and wealth inequality

Wealth inequality can limit people’s ability to accumulate human capital, carry out business projects, or cope with major economic crises. Focusing on France, Spain, the UK, and the US, this column shows that intergenerational transfers, such as inheritances and inter vivos gifts, play a significant role in underpinning wealth inequality. When inheritances and gifts exceed a certain threshold, the opportunities to accumulate more wealth are greatly expanded.

2023-09-01 16:16:32

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

Debt measures typically ignore most assets – notably, the public sector’s real commercial assets – and some significant liabilities, including the present discounted value of public-sector pension entitlements

Public accounting for public accountability

only New Zealand uses the IPSAS [International Public Sector Accounting Standards] as the basis for its financial-management system...

economy

show all 12 comments

2023-09-01 16:16:55

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

governments often base their fiscal rules on narrow debt and deficit measures

the accounts produced by the public sector focus on short- and medium-term cash flows – the general government budget deficit is a prime example – and on a subset of the public sector’s contractual liabilities, typically its gross or net financial debt

2023-09-01 16:19:48

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

the value of land owned by the public sector. Property is usually the biggest single asset class in any economy, and governments tend to be the largest property owners, often by an overwhelming margin. Yet many governments report small (or even zero) property holdings; among those that do report land holdings, the average value is only about 25% of GDP.

Public commercial assets (assets that can generate an income if professionally managed) are also frequently underreported, or not reported at all. And what is reported is likely to be undervalued, because management is often far from professional

2023-09-01 16:23:32

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

Failing to account for these assets [fixed assets, financial assets, property assets, public commercial assets], and managing them unprofessionally, can cause lasting damage to the state’s ability to meet its obligations to current and future generations, including by undermining climate action

2023-09-01 16:25:09

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

Public-sector pension obligations average 40% of GDP. Eight of the 24 countries – including five G7 countries – recorded negative public-sector net worth for 2020-21

2023-09-01 16:26:36

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

producing conventional balance sheets that offer more reliable estimates of conventional net worth, which may well be negative. In order to manage assets and liabilities effectively, they must also produce comprehensive balance sheets (or intertemporal budget constraints), which include the present discounted value of anticipated future non-contractual revenue streams, such as taxes (implicit assets), and outlays, such as social security benefits (implicit liabilities).

This would show the government’s comprehensive net worth

2023-09-01 16:31:41

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

No one argues that we should not think about future generations. The real question is what current policies and fiscal commitments will better serve the interests of our children and grandchildren

Our debt to future generations - Taipei Times

Conservatives often make a big show of worrying about the debt burden that we are passing on to our children...

2023-09-01 16:32:06

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

reckless disregard for the consequences of their actions

2023-09-01 16:32:20

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

look at both sides of the balance sheet. What really matters is the difference between assets and liabilities. If debt increases, but assets rise even more, the country is better off — and so, too, are future generations. This is true whether one invests in infrastructure, education, research or technology. But even more important is natural capital

2023-09-01 16:33:22

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

"Environmental debt" is different. It is a burden that cannot be eliminated with the stroke of a bankruptcy judge’s pen. Damage done today might take decades to repair and require spending money that could have been used to enrich the country. By the same token, wise spending to protect and rehabilitate the environment — like investments to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions — would leave future generations better off even if financed by debt.

Suppose we could estimate the direct benefits of such investments — for example, the increased output (or the reduced costs of repairing damage caused by wildfires, hurricanes and other extreme weather events), and the value of improved health and longevity from reduced air pollution — in money terms. What rate of return should we demand?

...If we require a high rate of return (as former US president Donald Trump’s administration did when it set the bar at as much as 7 percent per year), there would be little investment in climate-change mitigation, and future generations would roast in a world where temperatures have increased by 3°C or more.

Given the inevitable consequences of inaction, investments in climate mitigation should be seen as a kind of insurance. The payoffs are highest when the effects of climate change are most adverse, and when the value of money is particularly high. The required returns on “insurance investments” ought to be lower than the safe real (inflation-adjusted) interest rate. That rate has actually been negative in recent years; but even taking a much longer-term perspective, it has been around 1 percent, plus or minus 0.5 percent. The appropriate “discount rate” therefore should be markedly lower than 7 percent, lower even than the 2.5 to 5 percent rate used by former US president Barack Obama’s administration, and possibly even negative

... what discount rate is required to achieve the internationally agreed goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 to 2°C. Allowing temperatures to rise permanently beyond this threshold poses unacceptable risks. The fires, hurricanes, floods, droughts, frosts and other disasters that we have been enduring are merely a preview of what this future would hold

2023-09-01 16:39:30

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

view the matter from the perspective of “future generations.” What value do we place on our children? ... If we value them as much as we value ourselves..., we must account for how damage done to the environment today would affect their well-being

2023-09-01 17:50:41

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

balanced budget multiplier: an increase in government spending will inject more demand into the economy than will be withdrawn by an equal increase in taxation, since some of the money taken by the tax would have been saved, not spent

Imagining a Keynesian revival

SALZBURG — In 2009, while the world economy was still reeling from the global financial crisis, Nobel laureate economist Robert Lucas observed that “everyone is a Keynesian in the foxhole”. The implication was that, when an economy is faced with a severe economic shock, conventional fiscal policy norms must take a backseat to stabilization.

2023-09-01 17:50:51

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

economic shocks of the past two decades were not freak occurrences but rather the product of a profoundly flawed and corrupt system

2023-08-24 09:28:57

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

升學主義的來源，正是臺灣與東亞諸國所賴以經濟起飛的瀰漫全社會的無止境勤儉精神
……
這種勤儉精神的成分之一是無限制的工作投入。不只是低收入的勞工小販願意長時加班，逾時營業。連極高所得的名醫們也不惜觸法犯規，下班後不辭勞累在自家看診增加財富。

勤儉精神的成分之二是延後消費，延後享受。東亞國家的人民並非不知如何奢侈誇示，享受財富。但通常會先勒緊褲帶，一家人克勤克儉到累積了令人心安的足夠資產後才開始放心享受辛勞的果實。

以前半生的辛苦換取後半生的安逸，這是東亞各國共通的經濟思維
……
一分耕耘，一分收穫。勤能補拙。工作如此，準備考試當然也如此。如果把課本讀五次能考七十分，讀二十次能考八十五分，讀一百次能考九十分，很明顯的，學習的邊際效用是降低了。但是既然閒著也是閒著，為什麼不多讀它幾十次、幾百次，增加一分算一分呢？於是不論日夜，不論週末暑假，只要一息尚存，你就專心準備考試吧。無止境勤儉精神的勤就表現在這無休止的投入準備考試科目上。

…儉就是「暫時」壓抑無益於考試的一切活動與享受。既然入學考試不考體育音樂，那為什麼要「浪費」時間上體育？為什麼不將音樂課挪來加強數學？喜歡看課外書？等考上大學再看吧！看報紙聽新聞關心世界大事？等考上大學再關心吧！想郊遊烤肉跳舞？等考上大學自然由你玩四年！於是所有與入學考試無立即相關的知識追求，人生關懷，個人興趣，乃至休閒娛樂，都在升學（以及它所代表的終身前途）考量下被暫時棄置一旁。暫緩不急的享受，這就是儉

惡性升學競爭的根源是我們社會過度勤勉向上（至少就教育與升學而言）的精神

[PDF]https://sociology.ntpu.edu.tw/uploadFiles/file/20160428/20160428170319_79615.pdf

不過就好

2023-08-24 09:30:27

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

東亞文化中根深蒂固的勤儉精神。極端勤勞，也極端節儉。拼命賺錢，延後消費，到了可稱之為集體自我剝削的程度。後果是高額儲蓄，快速資本累積，快速成長。但這局勢稱羡的東亞經濟奇績背後，卻是惡劣的生活品質。環境保護、居住品質、文化教養等，都被視為不急之務，一切等賺夠了錢再慢慢彌補

~~ 黃樹仁《心牢：農地農用意識形態與臺灣城鄉發展》

2023-08-22 17:10:35

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

美國的起源是清教徒尋找自由土地，其個人主義的「個人」，有信仰約束，自有分寸。現在，信仰淡薄，個人主義淪於自私。

~~ 許倬雲《美國六十年滄桑：一個華人的見聞》

wealth distribution community happiness

show all 9 comments

2023-08-22 17:12:18

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

獨立精神也顯示了個人主義代表的自由觀念，及其過度發揮後，因而出現的人情冷漠，與趨利忘義的嚴重弊端

不過就好

2023-08-22 17:14:22

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

大量資金已經用來炒作非生產事業

2023-08-22 17:15:57

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

中產階層和他們原本是雇主群的富豪們之間，原本關係相當密切，現在由於富豪遷移他處……富豪們與他們中產階層僱員之間，也彼此脫了節

2023-08-22 17:18:47

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

新出現的社會階層化，在這二十年來，遂與過去不同了。過去的富人、中產、貧寒三級區隔，其間生活方式與意識形態的差異，沒有今天各階層之間的距離，如此遙遠……

2023-08-22 17:19:53

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

貧富差異的程度加大，各階層之間彼此異化，已經無法逆轉

2023-08-22 17:20:44

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

一旦情況改變，整個地區，全部遭災……已經衰敗無法重振

2023-08-22 17:21:42

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

中年人，也就常常是沒有可以傾訴自己情緒，分享成敗的伴侶

2023-08-22 17:22:21

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

當人與人之間，只能以「利」相處時，人間不會再有人類情感

2023-08-22 17:22:42

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

「我可以爲所欲爲，因爲我是勝者。」這個現象

2023-08-22 08:31:33

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

跨國企業菁英與超級富豪階層也順勢取得了無以倫比的政治權力，他們可以凌駕政府、支配社會遊戲規則，並一步步的支解立意在保護弱勢群體、勞工與中產階級權益的經濟管制措施與社會保障體系。他們排斥任何限制其行動自由與資本回報的全球治理或監管機制，他們可以影響美國法律與國際規則，也可以左右國際貨幣基金與美國聯邦儲備理事會的觀點與政策

~~ 朱雲漢序文，許倬雲《美國六十年滄桑：一個華人的見聞》

wealth distribution power distribution

show all 8 comments

2023-08-22 08:33:07

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

在華爾街推波助瀾之下，從1980年代末期開始美國帶頭進行大幅金融鬆綁，拆除金融防火牆，全面開放衍生性金融產品，並壓迫各國家全面解除跨國資本流動管制與放棄政府對匯率市場干預，其結果是大量資金湧入外匯與商品期貨交易套利，投機交易凌駕真實避險需求，熱錢在世界各地興風作浪，製造了一波波的金錢遊戲、資產泡沫與金融危機

2023-08-22 08:33:23

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

金融自由化…驅使金融資本全面流向投機性的虛擬經濟，不但給所有國家帶來難以承受的系統性金融風險，也對實體經濟造成巨大的扭曲與干擾

2023-08-22 08:34:10

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

國家機構逐漸喪失扭轉資本主義下所得分配趨向兩極化的能力，也逐漸失去維護弱勢團體享有社會晉升公平機會與保障勞動市場參與者基本權益的能力，更失去節制巨型跨國企業濫用市場壟斷權力的能力。因此民主作為「國家層次」的政治體制日漸成為一個空殼子，既無法維護公民的福祉，也無力滿足公民的政策需求，使其合法性基礎受到嚴重侵蝕

2023-08-22 08:35:35

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

美國政治最大的難題是政黨與政治菁英都被少數利益集團綁架。軍工企業集團、網路科技集團、華爾街投資機構與大銀行、跨國能源企業、大型媒體集團、製藥與醫療集團等主要利益集團的代理人盤據了國會兩院的各個常設委員會。這些利益集團的還可以驅動大律師事務所、大會計公司、信用評等機構，與倚靠企業主捐贈的東西兩岸大小智庫幫他們出謀獻計並引導輿論。這導致過去三十年美國的產業結構愈來愈集中化，強者恆強，大者恆大，壟斷與獨占資本橫行。這也必然導致嚴重的腐敗與尋租。這些占據寡頭與獨占地位的巨型企業可以靠壓制競爭者而攫取超額利潤，他們的高獲利模式主要並非源於創新與效率，而是靠其市場壟斷地位以及左右法律與政府政策的政治影響力，讓其可以併購同行、濫用智慧財產權保護與法律訴訟，或享受合法避稅與超額租稅補貼

2023-08-22 08:38:53

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

社會分裂與政治敗壞

2023-08-22 08:39:35

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

全球化的紅利與風險之分配嚴重不均

2023-08-22 08:41:03

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

主流政治人物紛紛失去這批選民的信任，因為這些熟面孔不是已經被利益集團徹底綁架，就是面對經濟與社會難題束手無策，選民寧可寄希望於毫無從政經驗的新手

2023-08-22 08:44:49

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

新自由主義思維頌揚個人自由，但也同時獎勵自私、自利與貪婪，並鼓勵對物質欲望無止境的追求。美國富裕階層的所得稅率在發達國家中是最低的，而且跨國企業都盡可能將利潤隱藏在國外租稅天堂，他們自私自利到連最基本的社會義務都設法擺脫

2023-08-17 10:10:38

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

A family is a system for living and raising children.

~~ Jay W. Forrester "Principles of Systems"

System Dynamics

2023-08-17 10:15:20

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

Management is a system of people for allocating resources and regulating the activity

2023-08-17 10:22:03

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

In a primitive society, the existing systems were those arising in nature and their characteristics were accepted as divinely given and as being beyond man's comprehension or control. Man simply adjusted himself to the natural systems around him and to the family and tribal social systems which are created by gradual evolution rather than by design. Man adapted to systems without feeling compelled to understand them.

2023-08-17 12:50:23

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

laws serves as a guide to permissible behavior
......
But no one knows the entire legal code as set down in the statute books. Instead, a guiding moral structure conveying the fundamental nature of right and wrong helps us to estimate approximately what the law must be.

—"不過（度/份）就好, it's fine as long as not over-" is the basic structure of ethics

不過就好

from culture-blind to culture-conscious society

2023-08-15 12:54:02

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

文化翻譯

Yih-Ren Lin - More than「八尺門的辯護人」...

More than「八尺門的辯護人」
從上週開始，我就被戲劇「八尺門的辯護人」深深吸引。主要的原因不是戲劇的場景就在我家附近的八尺門地區，而是此劇連結多元社會議題的能力，將司法正義，移工，原漢以及漁業經濟發展議題的關切透過戲劇的方式表達出來，真是引人入勝。...

culture

2023-08-15 12:55:36

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

科學與人文：「必讀」的紀爾茲觀點

國內所謂的「科技與人文的對話」，幾乎都是外行人的連篇鬼話，無助於溝通，反而平添彼此的誤解與刻板印象。關鍵在於：對話雙方沒有任何人真的認真跨越藩籬，去深刻地認識另一岸的文化與精髓。即便是英國 C. P. Snow 著名的演講 " The Two Cultures "...

2023-08-15 12:57:16

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

納人的訪婚與峇里島的鬥雞：表象與意義

原出處《論文寫作完全求生手冊》的〈附錄二、文化人類學的兩難〉討論紀爾茲（Clifford Geertz）的代表作〈厚描：朝向文化的詮釋理論〉，並以他的〈深層遊戲：關於巴厘島鬥雞的記述〉為例進一步闡述他的論點。《論文寫作完全求生手冊》原本企圖將每...

2023-08-15 11:46:53

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

The [stakeholders] need to understand, accept, and have confidence in the results before they will advocate implementation. They must attach a sufficient priority to the problems being addressed to justify the time and attention, the disruption, and the risks inherent in attempting to implement the results. In other words, there must be a significant [stakeholder] commitment

~~ Henry Birdseye Weil (1980) "The Evolution of an Approach for Achieving Implemented Results from System Dynamics Projects"

System Dynamics

2023-08-15 11:48:35

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

The policy-makers ... are strongly influenced by their constituents and rivals, as well as by their advisors. If the political environment is not right, implementation will not take place, even though officials may agree privately that the recommendations are "theoretically correct." The same holds true in a private corporation. Management can accept your recommendations and direct that they be implemented, but resistance at lower levels or in parallel groups can easily defeat implementation

2023-08-11 14:52:23

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

我認為人應該都有「普通對話」的能力，彼此傾聽與分享，進而懂得如何「深刻對話」，在對話中彼此感到「深刻」、「療癒」或者「有啟發」，那麼在討論彼此觀點、期待與行為時，方能懂得表達與接納。若無一點兒深刻對話的能力，往往討論常陷入對立，這是目前社會常見的現象

~~ 李崇建、甘耀明《對話的力量：以一致性的溝通，化解內在冰山》

psychology

show all 13 comments

2023-08-11 14:52:55

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

對話的要素，並不是講究策略，而是一個觀念脈絡，也是一個真誠的心法……
對話不是「策略」，而是一個本然的脈絡……
教養不是策略，而是真誠的互動

2023-08-11 14:53:55

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

要開啟真正的對話，對話雙方的姿態都應該是平等的

~~ 葉丙成《推薦序》

2023-08-11 14:54:35

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

先願意不帶任何價值判斷的聽[對方]說話，我們才有機會跟[對方]建立起信任關係。有了信任關係，我們也才有機會真正開啟雙向溝通的通道；進而讓[對方]敞開心胸說出

2023-08-11 14:55:03

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

逐漸意識到自己的責任，意識到自己所選擇的方式，是不是他真正想要的？這就是一種覺知的對話
……
釐清他想要的生活，讓他為自己負責，而不是成為一名受害者

2023-08-11 14:55:29

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

秩序的維持，是可以透過對話來進行

2023-08-11 14:56:00

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

有些父母常說，不了解孩子。但觀察父母的對話，他們不是想了解孩子，只是希望孩子乖乖順從，照著父母的意思罷了

2023-08-11 14:56:18

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

發自真誠的覺知，對於成長自權威年代的人，並不是一件容易的事
……
「求生存」的能量，是一種從「恐懼」激發的能量，雖然令人長大，但是生命殘留著匱乏感的陰影……過去，傳統的主流社會中，父母總是教導我們以「匱乏感」作為動力，希望子女更上進，用「你做得不夠好」、「你擁有得不夠多，包括物質和能力、特質」來驅使你更努力、更認真。久而久之，作為孩子的我們，就得到一個結論「我不夠好」，甚至是「我永遠不夠好」的結論。雖然促使人行動中有一股「求生存」的能量，卻也產生巨大問題：「我必須永遠感覺匱乏」，這成為一種習慣，成為一輩子擺脫不掉的感覺。因為永遠感覺不夠，我才會努力往前，否則就會怠惰而一事無成，這是一種「恐懼」的驅動……另一種模式提供「滿足感」，就現有的條件感覺到富足、有能力，面對問題與挑戰時，可以更有「安全感」、更有自信運用自己的能力和資源，面對眼前的問題和挑戰…一股探索、冒險的成長動力，嘗試去發展自己，帶著一種好奇、興奮的心情，看看自己可以創造出什麼或發展出什麼，也擁有創造的能力

2023-08-11 14:59:21

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

一般人的對話，常常卡在情緒裡，雙方以情緒對抗，談不上彼此了解了。因為忽略了對話的精神，未覺察要先妥善自己的情緒，而且以單向的灌輸、命令、指責、解釋、說教、迂迴，甚至運用策略說服，這都不是對話，因為對話是雙向的

2023-08-11 14:59:44

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

對話的目的，在於坦誠的認識自我，也能夠了解對方，讓雙方的内在更加連接

2023-08-11 15:00:02

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

「腦補」是指在頭腦內對事件的描述，自行進行補充、構成或完整想像，偏向自我的主觀意識。然後將事件的留白處填滿，這需要個人的想像，或定見

2023-08-11 15:00:21

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

不是去看問題，而是看人的困難，若只是看問題，會將人問題化。若是看見人的困難，就會看到人的資源，看到人的力量，行為不是一個人的全部，轉化與溝通就有了可能

2023-08-11 15:01:14

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

我關切的目標是人？或者是問題？「彼此」是否產生對話了。若對話展開了，便對人有了關心、欣賞與好奇，好奇人的選擇，以及人在處境裡的狀況
……
關心生命本身
……
生命與生命的交流

2023-08-15 13:02:48

Tony Phuah

tony@hub.hubzilla.de

面對壓力，要如何放鬆？……壓力的成因，來自妳看待事情的態度，看待自己的態度，這與成長背景有關