I would like someone to ask the ultra-rich exactly why...

[3catwoman3]

...they need yet another tax cut. They already have more money than they could possibly spend in multiple lifetimes.

- Do you not have have a big enough house or enough big enough houses?
- Do you not have enough Jaguars, Maseratis, Lamboghinis or whatevers?
- Do you not have enough bespoke clothing or obscenely large diamonds?
- Do you not have a big enough yacht?
- Can you not travel wherever you want, whenever you want, and stay as long as you like?
- Is there a sports team, or media outlet, or a politician that you are prevented from owning?

- Is there anything that you cannot have or cannot do right now that having more money would allow you to have or do, and, if so, exactly what is that?

[NewHendoLib]

1. It is a sickness they have.

[magicarpet]

3. Compulsive consumption.....

[LaMouffette]

2. They know that soon, because of global warming or WWIII, the Earth will soon be uninhabitable, so they need the money

to buy a seat on Musk Melon's SpaceX so that when the shit hits the fan, they can haul ass to Mars, where they can set about destroying THAT planet as well.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

6. If the Earth becomes uninhabitable,

SpaceX will be meaningless.

Actually getting to Mars or establishing some kind of colony there is decades away. Decades. It's not the kind of thing where the technology is in place and all they need is a bunch of billionaires to pay a whole lot of money and hooray! They're on their way to Mars.

Nope. Colonizing Mars will be vastly more difficult than colonizing the New World was. For one thing, once Europeans got to North America, killing animals to eat, harvesting fruits and vegetables, planting crops, all of these were relatively easy and very familiar to Europeans. Mars, we are extremely sure, does not have harvest-able plants or animals in place. Every single thing we will need to survive, will need to be brought with us. So it's not even remotely like, you want to move from (I'm making this up) North Carolina to Oregon. Or from Wisconsin to Florida. Those are somewhat extreme examples of the kinds of moves people make. They are all doable.

But from Earth to Mars? The essential problem is that people who blithely suggest we can easily colonize Mars just don't read enough science fiction. Those of us in the s-f world truly understand how weird and wonderful even Mars is, compared to Earth. No need to get more exotic than that. Just start actually making the kinds of things and infrastructure we will need off this planet.

The sad reality is that we humans will never be able to leave this planet. We're stuck here, and are sadly destroying it even as we speak.

[Retrograde]

10. Colonists on Earth

from the earliest Homo sapiens to more recent times - also had plentiful access to breathable air, and mostly to water. Humans trying to colonize Mars will have to bring enough of those resources to sustain them on their long trip to the planet, and for however long it takes for them to get a colony established - if ever.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

4. While I am a long way from being ultra rich,

I am very aware that the more someone has, the more they want.

An interesting aside. I have just sold my home in Santa Fe, and was looking at the difference between my original purchase price in 2008, and what I'm getting for it now. I'd managed to totally forget that I was actually allowed a profit, before any excess profit would result in taxes.

Lucky me, my sale price minus purchase price is vastly below a taxable amount. Lucky me. I'll be walking away with enough money that I will be more than comfortable the rest of my life. Once again, lucky me.

[vapor2]

5. PURE GREED

[Skittles]

7. they NEVER have enough fucking money

*NEVER*

[Blue Full Moon]

8. It's their god

[Meowmee]

9. They would probably say they create jobs etc. and that bs line

It seems it's never enough for them. Most of that stuff is way overpriced and also way overpriced real estate etc. They could easily be taxed at a higher rate and it would pay for many of the programs needed, and they would still be fabulously wealthy. It seems they can't be completely happy even with so much.

[Yavin4]

11. Your question was asked and answered in the great film, "Chinatown".

Jake Gittes: How much you worth?
Noah Cross: I have no idea. How much do you want?
Jake Gittes: I just want to know. What you're worth over 10 million?
Noah Cross: Oh my, yes.
Jake Gitte: Well, why are you doing it how much better can you eat? What can you buy that
you can't already afford?
Noah Cross: The future Mr Gittes! The future!

They want the future. They're buying the future. Your future. Our future. They want their kids to rule over your kids like monarchs. They don't want their wealth taxed. They don't want their power regulated. They want to lord over us so that they can do whatever they want to us.