this post was submitted on 04 Oct 2025
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Here is a short list of shit going on in Gotham at any given time, not including the wide array of psychopaths and supervillains doing shit at any given time:
That is not shit proper taxation is going to resolve. You can't protected bike lane away the zombie controlling Illuminati.
Fixing contaminants to the water supply is absolutely something proper taxes should be able to solve.
Key word, Should. If taxes actually went where people say it does, it might. And even then, it'd also take a lot of funding outside of just taxes, not to mention someone to actually start doing stuff about with all that funding. Also note on that list is rampant corruption and criminal syndicates mingling with the government.
I think you underestimate the power of actual taxes, say if we taxed billionaires and corporations.
Or you may be arguing, as Marx did in Das Kapital that democracy and self-government are incompatible with capitalism. With some qualifications, I'd agree.
I am absolutely arguing that. The rich in actual mid-to-south New York and elsewhere aren't actually taxed, why would the rich in Gotham be?
Well in the case of Bruce Wayne, as an allegedly ethical billionaire, he'd pay his fair share of taxes wouldn't he? Or he'd spend that money dressing as a bat and punching poor people.
I think the Batman fiction depends on the notion of ethically rich. Heck, even the bible challenges the notion over fifteen centuries ago. 🐪🪡💰
ETA: TBF variations of Robin Hood are aristocracy, as was the Scarlet Pimpernel, and I think Zorro was as well. So Bats is not the first rich superhero by far.
If taxes actually went into a big pile of money we set on fire, they would still solve the pollution problem. The pollution solution is to internalize its external cost.
I mean two of those are pretty clearly regulation issues. Maybe if the city's Regulatory Agencies weren't so strapped for cash they'd be more able to address pollution and water safety issues. Also you can always build a new Asylum elsewhere but apparently they don't have the funds for that I guess? It's amazing have Bruce Wayne doesn't use his philanthropy to build one, almost like he likes them being crazy so he has someone to beat up.
See point 5.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Enterprises#Wayne_Foundation
A massive mafia presence (which is true for every city in the US, only the mafia lobbies the state reps) is something that can also be managed better with a more robust public works project by the government. We don't even have to beat them up, just seize their assets when they're caught doing crime.
Sadly, actual solutions to real world problems are not as exciting as a flying man who punches things.
Your link did not address what I said so I'm not sure why you sent it to me. As for the fifth point no I don't think that addresses it.
In that case, Dr. Strange or whoever should be sealing the hell-mouths. Batman face-punching the victims of all these effects is not helping.
I grew up during the smog-alert era of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, exerting myself, walking home uphill from school (yes, the had to walk in snow from school story except in my case, it was smog and it was true). No number of batmen or tough-on-crime judges were going to fix that, and heck even the limited smog regulations on cars we have today do enough. (Though switching to unleaded gasoline certainly helped generations after mine by lessening the damage). Only public transit and tighter regs on cars is going to help that.
Don't justify Batman's fists by saying there are extenuating pollution circumstances. The rogues gallery are the results of what comes down to poor urban planning and a superfluous layer of white-collar crime. If Batman was going after Pfizer and the Sacklers or Du Pont Chemical and PFOA manufacturers or all the private equity firms, then he'd be a hero. Otherwise, he's a crazy rich dude who beats up on poor people and has writers who won't think the problem through.
I think the US has just outgrown the Batman fantasy. I'd hope so, at least.
May as well ask why Mr. Fantastic doesn't cure cancer, or other super geniuses don't ensure no one ever goes hungry again. We both know the answer: Because the comic would end. Thinking about this shit too hard causes it all to fall apart. The ol' Superman was a transitional energy source idea. Beyond that, if we're applying the lens of "Just tax him properly" we can't also apply the lens of "Just call Superman to eye laser the joker dummy." Gotta pick a lane here.
Wayne has. Foundations in both parents names. Hires ex-cons on the regular. Wacky super criminals aren't typically interested in profitability, Joker isn't looking to make millions and retire. He's criminally insane.
I don't understand what people don't get about Batman villains being legitimately insane. You can't just give Two-Face affordable housing and access to a food bank and expect him to become a model citizen
You can give quality, comprehensive health care, including mental health. You can actually aim for rehabilitative services rather than retribution.
Again, this is fictional writing. Twoface would just kill them in a way that would get batman mad. I'm sure we all know what happened to the last psychiatrist who tried to help the joker...
What makes you think the Wayne Foundation doesn't provide mental health support and rehabilitative services? If you think the Joker just needs therapy, then you severely misunderstand the basic premise of the franchise
“Decent people shouldn’t live here. They’d be happier someplace else”