SCALES OF JUSTICE

Because that's what your dazzling life is?

For reference this is a 10/10

At least we know you were already stocked up with tissues by the pallet before the store shelves got empty. The amount you must use, what a crybaby.

Chosanwan, hey? Yeah that's them. But I would have preferred the answer from Kylie. There's no chance you accidentally just dropped it .

The cat's out of the bag now so I'll confirm it's chosanwan

I don't really care who it was though, it was just funny lol

Do you find it funny because it was so moronic. Or because the content was compelling?

Oh definitely moronic. Like staring into a gaping abyss

Some day we'll look back on all this Trump-inspired nonsense and laugh at how any of it seemed normal

Phew! I was holding my breath to see what your answer was to that.

The writer, in a braindead, meth rapid psycho Christian way, actually did make some genuinely funny comments. But the laughing at kind not laughing with.

Yes, the world has gone crazy. Like look at Timber's comments always about leftists. It's like he's got a dry fetish. I think he's jealous KylieFan.

So intimidating. Ever see that Family Guy where they all keep vomiting.

Actually a PirateSaavy meme later that day made me laugh even harder

Classic fairytales from the underbelly of right-wing fantasyland

Hard work is great and all: but conservatives are all too quick to label victims of circumstance as "lazy." And that's no more clear than in the case of victims of Coronavirus.

Here are the PirateSaavy memes from yesterday I'm talking about, the second of which actually made me lol:

imgflip.com/i/3szo5l
imgflip.com/i/3szofm

I think even someone like you would agree these flaming hot takes on Coronavirus aren't worth the pixels they're displayed on

But it is all part and parcel of the overarching, readily digestible conservative uber-narrative of hardworking vs. lazy, moral vs. immoral, worthy vs. unworthy.

It seems conservatives are always to be found in the hardworking/moral/worthy column, while Democrats, liberals, and losers in this economy are automatically tallied in the lazy/immoral/unworthy column. (Which is why I love to talk about rich and successful Democrats, the existence of which is difficult to account for under this mindset. Mind blown!)

However, most issues are more complicated than that.

Especially an issue like Coronavirus, which economists predict will cause 1+ million job losses this month alone (yikes!) and 3+ million if this causes a full-blown recession.

Those who might lose their jobs over a situation entirely out of their control: Lazy? Irresponsible? Just looking for handouts?

Not to mention how many hard-working folks' 401(k)s -- a reliable signifier of worth/privilege/morality! -- have been blown to smithereens over this?

lol

As for me: I've actually offered a back-story, you haven't

It makes no difference to me what you think about it

Can you stop saying you'll learn it's giving me a headache.

Can I put you down in the orange slice then? (You'd be in good company!)

Pie chart title amended for your convenience

Still trying to figure out where exactly to place you

Is taxation theft or not?

Is taxation theft or not?

Genuinely curious

This is an interesting piece. Who wrote it?

lol

This is pretty much the textbook opposite of what real Leftists think

And also the textbook opposite of what most wealthy people, at least those who had to earn their wealth, believe. There's plenty to go around, right? Nothing about me maximizing my earning potential prevents any other poor person (yes, I used to be poor...) from pulling themselves out of poverty, right?

"Nothing about me maximizing my earning potential prevents any other poor person (yes, I used to be poor...) from pulling themselves out of poverty, right?"

In theory, no. In practice, yes.

Upper-Middle and Upper-class folks use their political influence to implement policies that preserve their privilege. One way is in creating dysfunctional property markets designed to restrict housing supply with the goal of securing ever-rising property values for homeowners. Another is in elite college admissions which is stacked in many ways in favor of the children of wealthy donors and alumni. Another is in supporting entitlements that massively favor old people (Medicare, Social Security) and slashing benefits intended to help poor people. The last one I'll mention that has been going on for a real long time (but probably accelerating) is selective mating: wealthy people marrying other wealthy people.

Add all this up, and socioeconomic mobility in this country is at an all-time low. Even "Socialist" Europe does better than us on this metric.

https://inequality.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/Pathways-SOTU-2016-Economic-Mobility-3.pdf

So you're saying when I was dirt poor, juggling credit card payments (the ones that weren't cancelled), dodging bill collectors, constantly worried that my one stinkin' bank account would be closed and the funds confiscated (just like the account I had before it), always a month or more behind on my rent, selling personal property (family heirlooms, actually) just to be able to buy food, and driving an old car that was desperately in need of repair in order to be a safe ride, that I was somehow upper-middle or upper-class nonetheless?

Sorry KF, but I can't follow that line of thinking.

Bottom line for what I believe, is that there is plenty to go around, if, but only IF a person is willing to work for it.

Sure, it's anecdotal, but in my experience, those who sit around and wait for the govt to help them with their lives, tend to stay that way. Those who are willing to work their a$$es off to improve their lot in life, tend to improve their lot in life.

It isn't any more complicated than that.

No: I’m saying that at that period of your life you were being held back by policies designed by people richer than you that you may not have even been aware of

You overcame, others didn’t

I don't agree with your negative premise. What I'm saying is that it was me that was holding me back, AND that if I overcame, so can others.

Why? Because I'm not special. I'm incredibly average. But I am someone who got fed up and would not take it any more. So I decided to do something about it, just as anyone else can.

The old saying is true; if you believe you'll never have any money, you're right. If you believe you will have money, you're also right. Once you change your mindset, your actions will follow.

Believing you're being held down only accomplishes one thing, which is staying down.

If you went from “dirt poor” to whatever comfortable situation you are in now, then statistically, no, you’re not average. You’re exceptional.

Single mothers busting their ass at two or three different minimum-wage jobs to provide for their kids aren’t lazy and they aren’t trapped by a mindset. They’re just stuck in a shitty part of the economy.

We should craft policy with these folks in mind too rather than just saying “suck it up buttercup” and handing more tax breaks to billionaires

Or are they thinking for themselves, vags?

Pardon for my previous post to anyone that saw it. Too defeatist. The world's all sunny * big smile.

'Scuse muh choice of words.

"Single mothers busting their ass at two or three different minimum-wage jobs to provide for their kids aren’t lazy and they aren’t trapped by a mindset. They’re just stuck in a shitty part of the economy."

Nonsense.

You said it: "Single mothers" - SINGLE.
Aside from those resulting from divorce or from having become widows, single mothers - as in the majority which live in poverty stricken areas - ARE trapped by a mindset, an often multi-generational one, one that in effect has become an aspect of their culture.

Aren't lazy? I reckon you can say hanging out at 3am with other hoochie mamas drinking 40s they got with their WIC Checks and fighting over the hottest Papi Chulo DOES take some craft and effort on their part.

But ambition that goes no further than Section 8 housing and not only does not include education but actually frowns on it isn't being stuck, it's a decision, a choice. Sure, they live in an environ were options may seem limited and the rest of the world may have passed them by so that's hardly inspiring. But the bottom line is when they mock and beat up and ostracize the 'smart kids' in class and opt to drop out, then limiting themselves is a conscious decision of which they have no one to blame but themselves.

You clearly missed the part of my post where I stated I'm not special. I think I mentioned that I'm not just average, but *incredibly* average. (if that's even a possibility) I don't believe I'm exceptional at anything, with the possible exception being effort. I just got fed up and decided to do something about it. Point being, I've done it, so I think I know a little bit about what I'm saying.

I think you're too hung up on stats, KF. I'd even go so far as to say that imo, you're book smart and idealistic, but not real world smart. I'm not trying to offend, that's just my opinion based on the many posts of yours that I've read. Not that I think you would take offense anyway, to what some jagoff on imgflip says about you.

Your stats may show macro level information, but imo, should not guide how to help the individual. There's no realistic life situation that prevents an individual with sufficient determination from changing their circumstance, regardless of which statistical identity box the left likes to drop them into. Even single mothers. So use extreme examples all you want (how about prisoners?) and it won't change my opinion.

A big difference between us seems to be the role we feel the govt should play. It may or may not surprise you that to a limited extent, I can agree with your statement about crafting policy. I'm not some unfeeling dogmatic individualist who believes the wealthy have worked so hard that they should be given anything extra, that they didn't work for.
Quite the opposite. But it's tricky, because it's not as easy as doing away with "tax breaks to billionaires", right?

And, perhaps single mothers aren't the best demo for you to use to attempt to validate your point. I never said they were lazy. In fact, I think the govt should take advantage of their willingness to work hard. I think they're prime candidates for a hand up, while getting a hand out should be for emergencies only. So come up with some expensive govt program to help them, and you might see me supporting it.

Also, why doesn't the govt focus on enforcing the baby daddys legal / financial responsibility to the child? The answer is obvious; it's easier to cut the mothers a check. Govt is like water, following the path of least resistance. But that's no way to ensure equality in anything.

Democrats didn't pay more than the law required. But! They paid what the rates were: which were -- follow me now -- higher than after the Trump tax cuts.

And they didn't whine and bitch about it either, but in fact kept voting Democrat

So yes: they voluntarily voted for leadership that would bring higher taxes and they paid them

Which is precisely what I said: "some folks wouldn’t mind paying higher taxes under proper leadership"

I would *try* to account for it by saying that those who like to put people into little identity boxes, don't realize that they don't fit into the box that by their own definition, someone else with the same characteristics as them, would go into using their definition. Sorry for the convoluted sentence there...

This is purely speculation, and I'm not going to even attempt to prove it, but my take is that rich Democrats are more likely to come from family wealth, while everyone else who had to earn their wealth, would be more likely to want to hold on to their wealth. Why? Take a rich family like the Kennedy family as an example. You just know they're indoctrinated from birth to be democrats. But like I said, it's speculation on my part, and very general speculation at that. It's not a one or a zero like that.

If I had any notion whatsoever that my govt would NOT spend tax money like a drunken sailor, on shore leave, at a w**re house, I *might* not mind paying higher taxes. Your beloved Scandinavian countries, as I've mentioned to you before, are a good example of how govts spend money wisely, for the most part. Of course, relative to the US, those countries are state sized, but that doesn't mean their govt wouldn't work here... right KF?

It doesn't. We have all the expertise the Nordic countries do, and then some, and we would benefit from economies of scale.

It would take aggressive reform, but I have no doubt we could do it. We're Americans. We can do anything we set our mind to.

And in this case, we have proven models that work. We wouldn't have to invent the wheel.

The way it looks to me, you're speculating (hoping, really) that it would work, while I'm pointing out a very real reason, which currently exists in our govt, about why it probably wouldn't work (I'm referring to the drunken spending...)

I probably shouldn't have mentioned that pesky Nordic model. Clearly, we're never going to agree about whether it could be scaled up to work for a country the size of the US.