After this's all over, I hope the U.S. gov't bills Trump for the damage he's done to our reputation

[lordgalvar]

I just try to be nice to people and help when I can.

[Lurker13]

I just try to be nice to people and help when I can.

You're an awesome human being, lordgalvar.

[Lurker13]

If you have any uneasiness about your privacy being invaded by Big Tech, this video will inject jet fuel into your uneasiness. Welcome to the wonderful world of surveillance capitalism in all its glory.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIXhnWUmMvw[/youtube]

[TheTransient]

I just try to be nice to people and help when I can.

That's it
I am lucky enough that my job regularly gives me opportunities to help people in many different ways. Support and encourage your local public libraries folks!

[codetocontra]

Make America Guillotine Aristocrats

Where can I buy this hat?

T-shirt idea for sure. Band name. Album. Whatever.

[dubkitty]

I just try to be nice to people and help when I can.

me too, but it's tough to be kind other than in person with strangers whose spiritual ugliness is not obvious or whose life-positions are unknown to you. imma probably have to get off Twitter, where my increasingly radical politics leaves me shot by both sides on a regular basis. all that arguing is getting tiresome, and being that pissed off is no good for my soul.

[Jwar]

On a somewhat related note, I read something a little while ago that raised the point (I am vastly oversimplifying the piece, which you can read here: https://aeon.co/essays/pluck-and-hard-w ... es-one-man) that meritocracy is only a slightly more level playing field than serfdom in that, under mostly-rare circumstances, people can become successful in an outsized fashion to their origin, rather than it never happening at all.

I have a similar feeling about discussions regarding the free market as I do "pluck", which will make sense if you read the article.

No. It’s underfunding that makes them fail as well as many other issues. It’s not cut and dry.

My dude, you have to realise that this underfunding is a direct result of people railing against government aide, which infringes on the free market. If more regulations were loosened, we would end up with god emperor Bezos.

I don’t agree. Where I live right now, they started a fund for affordable housing. Well, there’s already a fund for that and there is no money in it. Yet the politicians seems to be doing quite nicely for themselves. Government oversight and overstepping is high on my list of “nope, no way”. I can’t help who I am. I yam who I yam.

If you still live where you used to live you're living in or-right-next-to a state that has (very recently! Like over the last decade recently!) become a case study for whether or not how tax cuts have a positive effect on GDP, economic growth, and employment.

Spoiler alert: pretty much everything points to the fact that they did not do these things.

So, from what I understand, the entire state of MO is under investigation for corruption. I'm not sure if that's a legitimized thing or not. I've just heard it around town. I do know that one city in particular is corrupt is all get out and they have thrived that way for decades now. Jackson County is really fucked up IMO. They don't really help people at all.


As you know, I'm a "landlord" (which means I'm the enemy apparently, but also not really the lord of shit). Because of being one, I have first hand experience how the system fails people time after time through programs that could work, but just don't. I'll give you a for instance. There is a local program for abused women, which I thought "fuck yea, that's amazing!". I worked with them one time and one time only. Why? Well, here's the thing. The lady I rented to (great lady btw) had nothing. When I say nothing, I mean nothing. She had some clothes, a few chairs and that's it. Plus 6 kids. 6! Now, I know.. blah blah blah she has too many kids (some people love this argument). It doesn't matter, they exist, so they need to be taken care of. She didn't even have a bed. So, I would call her case worker and I would say "hey, did you know so and so doesn't even have a bed to sleep on at night? I'm going to buy her one unless you all can help out." They acted surprised and helped her out. She wasn't going to ask. She was a very humble and scared person who needed help badly. I still feel for her. She lost her job, which honestly wasn't going to make ends meet anyway, and could afford utilities. So, she moved back to a different state where she had come from original to live with family.

Here's the biggest ways they failed her and this program fails in general. #1 They guarantee rent but not really. When you first meet this company they make it seem like a Section 8 program that just mails you a check. Nope. The tenant has to come in every month and sign off on it because it's a social worker type of program. So, if they can't sign, the rent doesn't get paid and they can be evicted for non payment. Go on vacation at the wrong time and boom, there's your eviction notice. Not saying I would do that, but in the state of KS, eviction is very, very easy.

#2 They stopped caring about her the minute she moved into my building. Once she was inside a building, they did monthly check ins but they were invested in her future in any way, shape or form. All they wanted was move onto the next one. I spoke to her on numerous occasions about how her life was going and how things will look up. I tried to build her up because no one else was. She could have been without food too and no sorry, that's the other charities issue (that's a bigger issue with these fucking programs btw).

#3 Ultimately the program failed her and she quit it. She came her in hopes of changing her life, lost her job, found a new one, couldn't make ends up, was promised help to get going towards a new life and was left with the same as she started.

Now, I'm not saying they should do everything for everyone. Clearly, that's not the case (see Libertarian).

My issue with socialist programs is that almost all of them are built half assed and work the same. I have other examples of other programs not working if the need is there. I'm legit baffled by everyone wanting the Government to have so much involvement in their lives. I don't get it. I don't want any Government. All they do is control everything and create wars out of greed. The fucking Government and all these politicians are the ones working with these billionaires everyone hates you know. If you need any evidence of that, look at Charles Koch. Read about him. He was able to change the face of Government and their involvement in oil by lobbying and paying for campaigns. Charles was a Libertarian as well, but he became a Republican. Soooo, he's now part of the machine and actually helped create it.


Anyway, I'm sure I went on enough here. I don't even know if what I wrote makes sense, I don't know. I'm sleepy.

[jirodreamsofdank]

Here's the biggest ways they failed her and this program fails in general. #1 They guarantee rent but not really. When you first meet this company they make it seem like a Section 8 program that just mails you a check. Nope. The tenant has to come in every month and sign off on it because it's a social worker type of program. So, if they can't sign, the rent doesn't get paid and they can be evicted for non payment. Go on vacation at the wrong time and boom, there's your eviction notice. Not saying I would do that, but in the state of KS, eviction is very, very easy.
[...]
My issue with socialist programs is that almost all of them are built half assed and work the same.

Forcing people to jump through hoops for social welfare is a tactic conservatives/libertarians use specifically to keep people from making use of the programs. As with underfunding, you're blaming liberals and 'socialists' for the actions of your ideological comrades used to undermine liberal programs.

[coldbrightsunlight]

Yeah I mean surely the issue with the situation that woman was in is that the government financial support didn't go far enough! Which isn't the fault of the policy of "help people who can't afford to live" but with the implementation of it which is frequently spoiled by people trying to save money. It's a common tactic of conservatives/ libertarians reducing spend on social programmes so the programmes don't work that well, then say "these programmes aren't working let's cancel them".

Jwar I agree with you 100% that the problem with these programmes is they're half assed and underfunded. This is often deliberate and it leaves people like that lady in the lurch.

[D.o.S.]

My dude, you have to realise that this underfunding is a direct result of people railing against government aide, which infringes on the free market. If more regulations were loosened, we would end up with god emperor Bezos.

[coldbrightsunlight]

[chromandre]

anyone else DL the BERN app?

[Achtane]

How can one claim refugee status and flee the US for one of the Scandinavian wonderlands?
Uh, asking for a friend.

[jirodreamsofdank]

Gotta find yourself an Aryan god or goddess to marry.

As a ginger, I'm just hoping for some kind of Irish/Scottish/Welsh right of return.

[Jwar]

My dude, you have to realise that this underfunding is a direct result of people railing against government aide, which infringes on the free market. If more regulations were loosened, we would end up with god emperor Bezos.

It does not lead to more Government aid. Is that what you're saying?

The underfunding is a direct result of corruption and misuse of funds.


Listen. I've been reading a lot of about politics in the 90's and early 2000's and how they cut regulations here and there to ease oil regulations, food regulations, EPA regulations...etc. The Government does it for their benefit when it makes them money. They will cut regulations to appease their pocket books and further the interests of their top lobbyists. This is only one component of a broken system from the very top to the bottom. We need a completely dismantled and restructured Government minus party classes. I'd be ok with State by State regulations as well. I'll just move out of Kansas because they are a bunch of nit wits. I would also like to see a full re-write of the constitution with the inclusion of equality for all, but that equality must come equally. That means, you cannot be control by some cunt Governing body who says "we will take care of you" but really, they aren't. They are just covering issues with bandaids.

It's not going to be the way any of us want it ever. These other countries with utopias still have issues. We will never escape that. I don't want Bernie or any other politician trying to take away my liberties as well while think they are adding to someone else's. At this point, I have seen zero candidates that I would even consider voting for. ZERO. I'd rather vote for a shoe as President than any of this knuckleheads.

If you can't deduce why I'm soooo against this shit, just think about it. I'm a property investor. Right now, the Democratic party is full of people who are promising "free" or "affordable" housing, which won't really work. It just doesn't. What it does it smacks regulations on small guys like me and destroys our businesses. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of the city and state trying to dictate what we do. The idea is great except this. You aren't taking my shit or telling me who can live there. I'm not renting to people who have been evicted 9 times or raped children or sold meth or anything other thing I am now legally allowed to discriminate on. I've dealt with this shit enough to know that I don't want that fucking risk. You are not taking my equity in my properties, you are not making me pay for you to live there while I suffer paying the mortgage, taxes, insurance, utilities, while you fucking squat, I'm not going to piece together everyone's bullshit so that they can be ok. I'm done doing that. I've done it for years and people are ungrateful and leave me thousands and thousands of dollars in loses.

Fuck this system and fuck HUD for failing over and over and over again. HUD and the Federal Government should solve the housing crisis by opening up all the buildings they own and housing all the homeless. NOT ME. I am not a fucking billionaire. I'm a broke ass dude trying to build a dream for later when I maybe one day retire. They ought to also deregulate the food industry enough to allow them to donate food that is not sold in grocery stores at night. I used to have to throw away I can't even begin to tell you how much food at Whole Foods. They made me! They fucking made me!!! I couldn't give it away. Good food that just went into the garbage. If you want to help, do something about that.

I'm moving. Where is a non this country that you would chose? DOS? How's the weather over there? Maybe I'll head out to Belise and live like a king on the beach. I'm sick of this country and it's broken shit.