First Australia and now the US... the idea of taxing UNREALIZED gains seems almost laughably stupid and short sighted. If you penalize people for investing by making it functionally punative to do so, what exactly do you expect will happen when your financial system is pretty much built on investments? 

Does anyone actually think this through? 

 Of course they do. Destruction is the point.  

 Do you actually think that most politicians have more mental power, insight, or understanding of delayed gratification than a five year old?