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Socialist

17 (33.3%)

Green

8 (15.7%)

Peace and Freedom

2 (3.9%)

Democratic

1 (2%)

Transhumanist

11 (21.6%)

Libertarian

8 (15.7%)

Republican

2 (3.9%)

Constitution

2 (3.9%)

Total Members Voted: 50

[Scelly9]

If it doesn't effect possessions, then it's a bit pointless, some people would still be very, very advantaged over others.

[misko27]

I'd use the button, but out of sheer selfish motivation. I'd plot for days, weeks, months, of how to best abuse it. I'd test it out in third world countries. I'd see how the land speculation could work, the abuses, the investments, the triumphs and failures and who made off well. I'd see the societal changes that occur. If necessary I'd wait, putting myself more so in a position to abuse. Then, after planning for a while, I'd press it. Using what I learned, I'd take massive advantage, and gain immense wealth and then power.

I would press the button first thing every morning.  Some shit would go down, but it would be figured out before long.  I don't buy into the notion that without a handful of people wielding power over everyone else that nothing can get done.  In fact, I think we'd accomplish more, because we'd be doing things that are actually important to us, instead of things that are important only to the powerful.

Of course, other means of developing hierarchy would still be around, since this button only effects fiat currency, but it would still be nice to topple the million mile high ladder we have currently built upon that pretext.

Youl realize money is not the only thing binding the world right? The Richest Senator is not the most powerful one, although he has the same legal power. Influence, can be bought, but only if you want it.
SalmonGod's plan:

• Equalize US economy
• ???
• Peace

My plan?

• Step 1: Go to a high wealth country with a small population. Or maybe the US, or maybe both.
• Step 2: I'd do as mentioned and funnel money elsewhere each time, continually draining money away from the country until I had amassed a great and massive fortune.
• Step 3: I'd "equalize" some small country whose new average wealth is far lesser then my own, and use the money and resulting chaos to dominate all economic movement until I essentially run the country,
• Step 4: I'd continue, forcibly equalizing and monopolizing progressively larger countries, money being moved each time, continuing to siphon it away as in Step 2
• Step 5: Eventually, I'd amass so much money I'm leaps and bounds above the world average, and capable of ruling world economy. At this point, go to each country and equalize, moving my money each time, until every person in the world was now immeasurably poorer then I (though most likely still better off by comparison).
• Step 6: Use fortune to crush all opposition, forging wealth and power to point I can bully even the entire International Community. Monopolize everything.
• Step 7: Demand control of World or threaten New Dark age, immediately cutting off all power and control to every sector of the planet, detonating all the factories, sending thugs out to burn and slaughter, and bringing Chaos to the land and death to the leaders. Partially follow through if some need persuading.
• Step 8: Found New world Order, rule absolutely.

And the best part? I don't have any limits. I can keep going, at any step, for as long as I need. If I make a mistake, it'd be trivial to start again, even at the previous one. I could be at complete ruin, and with the push of a button I'm back. No one, anywhere would ever know what or how I accomplish what I do. As long as Currency can be moved through international borders, and physical value (such factories) remain in my hands, I can work, steadily, to becoming a complete Monopolist. No one, no matter how rich, how entrenched, could ever hope to stop me. Imagine, going to say, Switzerland, Or Cyprus, and equalizing there? Suddenly rich locals (and me), and the rich and powerful owners of offshore bank accounts suddenly powerless. Man, Nothing on God's earth could stop me. Only age, and with my wealth, how trivial! No, I'd bring a new age.

In Conclusion, Enslaving the world with Selective Equality, and proving someone will always find a way with a good enough tool.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

I see this ending with people with resources jumping ship FAST, and poor people flocking to the country. Assuming people realize what has happened, anyway. If it affects the whole WORLD on the other hand...

Well, you could always walk the Earth, pressing the button inside the boarders of every country you can reach. And being that it is just a red plastic button, it would be unlikely that you'd be caught.

[Baffler]

@misko
Wouldn't people get a bit suspicious that money is being redistributed all over the place, yet somehow there's this one guy who keeps benefiting massively? Then someone who is smart and ruthless enough to figure out the connection (or just watches you long enough) assassinates you and takes it for himself, plunging the world into chaos along the way. Unless you plan to destroy the button if there's any risk of losing it. Or maybe you just don't care what happens after your hypothetical demise.

[Lagslayer]

I gotta ask. Of the people that chose option 1, how many of you are just doing it to cheat the system and make yourself super rich?

[misko27]

@misko
Wouldn't people get a bit suspicious that money is being redistributed all over the place, yet somehow there's this one guy who keeps benefiting massively? Then someone who is smart and ruthless enough to figure out the connection (or just watches you long enough) assassinates you and takes it for himself, plunging the world into chaos along the way. Unless you plan to destroy the button if there's any risk of losing it. Or maybe you just don't care what happens after your hypothetical demise.

Well first, I hope to be rich enough to afford bodyguards, and a lot of them. I will have a lot of money that point you know. I need not actually do much beyond the necessary globe-trotting after all. Second,

The button's effects cannot be traced back to you by any method currently available to humanity, and to anybody else it just looks like a red plastic button.

Always think ahead.

I gotta ask. Of the people that chose option 1, how many of you are just doing it to cheat the system and make yourself super rich?

*raises hand*

[Xantalos]

My plan is simple: study button until I can duplicate it. Copy it a million or so times. Place these copies all around the world, hooked up to autoclickers for computer mice.
Turn them on and watch.

[Descan]

How does it decide who's wealth belongs to which country? Is it nationality? If they live in the border? Have property in the border? ARE in the border at the moment of pressing, regardless of where they come from?

And is it all their wealth or wealth tied into the nations system? A lot of the worlds riches (like a third?) are tied up in offshore banks, just sitting there. Wouldn't really do much if it doesn't affect that cash, too.

[Lectorog]

My plan is simple: study button until I can duplicate it. Copy it a million or so times. Place these copies all around the world, hooked up to autoclickers for computer mice.
Turn them on and watch.

Nobody alive today has the skill to even begin trying to reverse-engineer the button's technology.

I take that to include you.

I don't see currency retaining its value after the use of the button, especially after repeated/regular use, yet its users seem to think it will work exactly as before.

[Xantalos]

My plan is simple: study button until I can duplicate it. Copy it a million or so times. Place these copies all around the world, hooked up to autoclickers for computer mice.
Turn them on and watch.

Nobody alive today has the skill to even begin trying to reverse-engineer the button's technology.

I take that to include you.

I don't see currency retaining its value after the use of the button, especially after repeated/regular use, yet its users seem to think it will work exactly as before.

But that's why I wanted to copy it in the first place and set it on autopress all over the world! If every currency constantly distributes itself, that means that you'd never have to pay for anything because any money you paid would instantly be given back to you. Everyone would have infinite money, but no money because then the system wouldn't work.

[AlleeCat]

so the button makes it so every man, woman and child (and anyone in between) in the country has the same amount of money? what about married couples who share their assets? Do they get the same amount or twice as much because it's two people? What about 8 year olds? Will we have 8 year olds running around with thousands of dollars? Some of these things don't make sense.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Not the same amount. A similar amount. Enough that the GINI coefficient will go below .05 (currently, no nation has this equitable of a wealth distribution). People without the ability to legally hold traditional assets are not counted (thus, children are not).

Essentially, it is a "Everybody is now middle class, if all the money was distributed evenly" button. One's previous status still has merit, though. For example, Bill Gates would still be one of the richest people around, but the gap of his wealth from everyone else would be vastly reduced.

[FearfulJesuit]

This sounds like the plot of a badly-written leftist fantasy. I'm not sure whether or not I'd want to press it. .05 is a really low Gini index, low enough that I think it would have bad effects on the economy. Maybe .20 would be better.

For that matter, too, I don't think a coefficient of .05 is really possible. Within a few months, even, it would shoot up into the tens, maybe the 20s, as money starts shuffling hands (better skilled workers will end up richer no matter what you do). You can keep the button, but it would be a terrible idea to make its existence known or use it as a threat; everyone with upper-middle-class skills or above will leave en masse à la John Galt. Essentially, repeated and widely-known use of such a button represents a tax rate far over 100% on income above the median. There's a reason we don't tax all somebody's income at the same bracket!

[MetalSlimeHunt]

This sounds like the plot of a badly-written leftist fantasy.

That's uncreative leftist aliens for you.

[frostshotgg]

I'd press the button. I'd press it in every single country. And I'd laugh when society collapsed because everything is based around worthless paper instead of actual valuable resources. Stupidity gets punished. Stupidity on a global scale gets punished on a global scale.