orcrist

@orcrist@lemm.ee

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Why can't someone create a public alternative to health insurance in the USA?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨week⁩ ago⁩:

  It’s important to recognize that the system in the US is more convoluted than you believe. It’s not like we have totally separate drug manufacturers versus distributors versus hospitals versus insurers. There’s a fair amount of overlap, and a lot of it is relatively secretive, so you don’t know where the kickbacks are. You don’t know who’s jacking up prices in general knowing that they’re going to lower prices for the company that they are partners with. All of which is to say, this is not a fair market, this is not a market where you can reasonably compete if you play by the rules, but even if they actually bothered to follow the rules, you’re already screwed because they have market dominance.

  The only path forward is through government run single payer healthcare. You can call it NHS, you can call it whatever you want, but it has to be run by the government. You need the government to set price ranges for drugs and treatments so that the drug companies and the hospitals don’t f*** over everyone.

  But I don’t think Americans are ready for that yet. Obviously Trump winning the election makes it incredibly unlikely, but I think even large numbers of Democrat voters are still trapped in American exceptionalism. They know they’re getting fleeced, but they aren’t yet willing to say that they should probably copy what’s happening north of the border or across either ocean. They have good stories, things about super long wait times or lack of doctor choice, pretending that those things don’t happen in the US, and then pretending that those things do happen in every other country that has universal health care, which is laughable. But it’s hard, because so many people are desperate to believe that the US is the greatest country in the world, and they are desperate to avoid recognizing that they’ve been getting f***** right in the ear for the last few decades.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨TikTok set to be banned in the US after losing appeal⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  That’s not what the term means. It is a historical term with a precise meaning, and that meaning is not synonymous with “unregulated”.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Are there any actual free programs that clean up all bloat ware on a new laptop? Without them putting hidden stuff in?⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Or not smug. There’s a problem with a solution. You think it’s a program problem, but maybe it’s actually an OS problem.

  Of course there are reasons to use Windows, but that doesn’t mean OP has one.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Taylor Lorenz Says 'We Want These Executives Dead' Hours After Health Insurance CEO Murdered⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  She was speaking, not killing. So why would you compare her to a bomber? How peculiar.

  But even then, the actual quote, not the edited blurb that showed up first, was essentially a statement of inevitability. I would imagine that she, like many of us, feel bad for the kids who lost a parent, just as we feel bad for all of the mass killer’s victims.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Are there any actual free programs that clean up all bloat ware on a new laptop? Without them putting hidden stuff in?⁩ ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Yes. Linux.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨What gives you hope to keep going?⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  When national politics goes to hell, think about your local community. If you and many of the people around you can do okay in your lives, that’s not so bad.

  Another thing is to consider the comparison point. How are you doing compared with the average person living in Mali or Vietnam or Switzerland? Billions of people all over the world survive in situations that are definitely not ideal, and many of them are happy with their lives some of the time.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Let people just use what they want, okay? It's their choice.⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Well that’s not true at all. I don’t think most of us are going on social media to communicate with billions of people. If we can communicate with tens of thousands of people, or perhaps less than that, but those are high quality communications, that’s good enough for many or most of us.

  Which is to say, quality of other users, quantity of users, and quality of service are all important when trying to evaluate the overall quality of any social media provider.

  Of course your goal could be different if all you want is exposure. If you want to advertise, then large numbers of users might be your priority. But most of us are not doing that.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Would Kamala Harris have won the 2024 election if Latinos didn't shift hard to the right?⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Please be careful whenever you ask these questions. It’s so easy to blame one single minority group for a widespread failure. Of course analysis of individual voting groups is legitimate, as long as you properly frame what you’re doing.

  This is a serious issue both because of the connection with racism (i.e., it’s the Latinos’ fault) and abdication of responsibility (i.e., we bear no responsibility).

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Damn it YouTube!⁩ ⁨⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  I ❤️ FreeTube

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨How are Americans supposed to survive the next 30 years?⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  First you look at other countries around the world. Then you see that lots of people somehow eke out OK livings despite horrible shit in government. So maybe you can too.

  That’s not to say the horrible things to come are acceptable. Rather, you’re probably more capable than you believe. Believe in examples of billions around the globe.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Why does it seem most people, mainly conservatives, against Trans people? Unless I am wrong I never heard of one shooting up a school church or whatever. The ones I have met have been pretty cool.⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Not most. Your premise is faulty

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨In the US, is this actually the moment past the point of no return?⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  No. People always want some apocalyptic ending, but there’s always a chance to make adjustments in various ways. It’s just that some solutions, the ones that are less painful and involved less people’s lives getting destroyed and less death, some of those solutions become increasingly distant.

  And look, if you go back and check out the history of unions and labor rights in the US, it was a bloody history. I think we might be looking at that repeating itself. And that’s only if we’re lucky.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨If the democrats executed the same fake electors scheme trump tried to execute, wouldn't Republican opposition be admission of trumps guilt?⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Hypocrisy is a virtue if you plan to break the rules. You’re signaling to your allies that you all can do whatever you want.

  Any time you come up with some hypothetical involving politicians and hypocrisy, you need to remind yourself of the above.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨What good thing just happened in your life?⁩ ⁨⁨4⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  First time today … meaning after that more times today?

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Is it really possible to tax the rich?⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  There are already large numbers of treaties in place for countries to cooperate in tracking down tax evasion. It might not be as expensive as you think. If you think of it from a practical standpoint, we have lists of the richest people in the world. That’s an excellent starting point, isn’t it?

  If some billionaire is claiming that they actually aren’t a billionaire, and that the lists are wrong, when some government is trying to tax them at an exorbitant rate, it’s likely that they will give all of their banking details to said government to prove it. Or they will hide those banking details, and they’ll be forced to pay the taxes.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Is it really possible to tax the rich?⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  In point of fact, mark to market taxation already does exist for various individuals and certainly for large numbers of businesses. Your long comment suggests that you don’t know what that is, and if you’re interested you could read up on it.

  The short story is that depending on the situation, a person or a business might pay taxes each year on the value of their assets, assuming said assets had been purchased on January 1st and sold on December 31st, even though in reality nothing was bought or sold. This system is already in place in various ways. It exists. There’s no theoretical problem with expanding it.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Is it really possible to tax the rich?⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Of course that’s not true. We have data from around the world showing it’s not true. It’s not even true within the United States if you look at state taxes.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Is it really possible to tax the rich?⁩ ⁨⁨5⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago⁩:

  Why are you arguing against reality? In the world today, some states and countries tax the rich at higher or lower rates than other states and countries, and it’s certainly not true that the rich all leave the high tax rate places. The data doesn’t lie. You can argue about why they don’t all leave, but the facts are there for you to see.

  You don’t need uniformity around the United States or the world in order to tax the rich effectively. But people like to say what you said, so that you don’t even try to tax them.

  But I think it would be fun to run an experiment. Why don’t we jack up taxes on the ultra-rich across the United States. If the ultra rich move to Venezuela, then all of the savings they have in the US stock market will be taxed at an even higher rate and we will actually get more money from them. And if they were working any cushy CEO jobs, those jobs will now be open for other American citizens, and I’m sure there were plenty of people willing to apply… Of course it doesn’t have to be the US. Pick any country, try the same experiment, and get back to us.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨US Elections question: Bernie Sanders said that the Democrats abandoned the working class, and the working class abandoned them. How is this true?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  Ah, but didn’t Biden throw the train union under the bus? I think he did. And neither Biden nor Obama pushed to raise the minimum wage to a living wage, and also to key it to the cost of living.

  Even though Biden’s regulators did take some positive action, a lot of that was this calendar year. Why did he wait so long? A cynic would say he didn’t believe in what he was doing, but even a non-cynic would say that it was a bad way to campaign, because you can’t erase 3 years of incompetence with 1 year of regulation.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨US Elections question: Bernie Sanders said that the Democrats abandoned the working class, and the working class abandoned them. How is this true?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  It’s not hard to explain. It’s not about vibes. The DNC is pro-corporate, which means they’re anti-worker. They push few policies that benefit the average person.

  Take the housing plan, for example. Raise the limit on the tax break for first-time home owners. Is that good? Sure it’s better than nothing, but if a home that used to cost $200K now costs $800K, an extra $30K won’t make it affordable. But more money might help the banks a little bit. Or take the federal minimum wage. It should be $25, but it’s not, because the DNC just doesn’t care, and they never will.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨US Elections question: Bernie Sanders said that the Democrats abandoned the working class, and the working class abandoned them. How is this true?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  Maybe so, but if it’s guaranteed shittiness vs. possible improvement, obviously people will make their own decisions about gambling.

  I think it’s a bad gamble, but I understand it. And also, one major point is that many people think “it’s going to suck either way, fuck it, I’m staying home”.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨US Elections question: Bernie Sanders said that the Democrats abandoned the working class, and the working class abandoned them. How is this true?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  Of course you didn’t provide your own. That’s typical, sadly enough. We all know there are varying definitions, and if you’re going to undercut someone else’s, which may be a reasonable thing to do, why not bring yours to the table? … But only if you care to continue the conversation.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Can Trump pardon himself even though he did criminal stuff outside of office?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  It’s legally unclear if he’s able to pardon himself for state crimes. He’s the president of the United States, not the president of New York.

  But I hope he tries to pardon himself for anything, just so we can get this before the Supreme Court, because I think they would side with him but I sure want to see it play out. In reality he’s in such bad health and so old that I think he’s probably going to die before he would face any prison time, so the best we can hope for is that the Supreme Court makes greater fools of themselves, or somehow miraculously surprises us and does the right thing, which I don’t expect but you know it’s theoretically possible.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Serious statement: I don't understand the argument that not voting for Harris was the morally correct thing to do, because of Gaza. Why does anyone believe this?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  What Harris could have done is besides the point. What she did and didn’t do is a matter of record.

  But look, focus on what I wrote. If it’s your friend or family member then of course you are going to have a simple and strong reaction. It’s fine to try to explain away the badness, and there is some truth to what you wrote, but if someone just lost their cousin, or their daughter’s house was just bombed, they aren’t going to listen to you. That’s natural; that’s reality.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Serious statement: I don't understand the argument that not voting for Harris was the morally correct thing to do, because of Gaza. Why does anyone believe this?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  I said the same thing about people like you before the election, and I’ll repeat it again. The laser focus on single issue voters was and will always be mostly an excuse to blame someone else.

  To look at it another way, if this one issue actually decided the election, why didn’t Harris change her strategy two months ago? … Maybe it’s because this wasn’t the determining issue. Or it was, and her staff was incompetent. Take your pick.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Serious statement: I don't understand the argument that not voting for Harris was the morally correct thing to do, because of Gaza. Why does anyone believe this?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  If you have a friend or family member, living or dead in Palestine, how could you vote for her? Even knowing Trump would probably be worse, it’s hard to imagine the pain it would cause to choose her name, knowing what she supported, and would have continued to encourage.

  (Others mentioned other reasons, and I won’t repeat theirs.)

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨How do Americans win their country back?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  I think that is an oversimplification. He won the popular vote, but that’s the majority of voters, not the majority of people, right? So we cannot accurately say that the majority is fascist. We can only say that the voting majority is fascist.

  And then we need to look at who was conned, and how. Of course people who got conned need to work harder to avoid that in the future. We all agree on that. At the same time, the con artists and the people who enable the con, we also need to identify them and figure out what’s making them successful. If we talk about major newspapers and TV networks failing to cover how bad Trump actually was, or putting Harris on unrealistic pedestal, newspaper owners refusing to allow newspaper editors to endorse a candidate, the way Fox News preys on people who grew up trusting TV news and now have only watched Fox for the last two decades, open lies about who’s eating cats and dogs, a DNC that pushes centrist candidates even after 2016 when the weakness was exposed, and it’s clear that many left-wing voters are wildly unhappy, those are all things that smaller groups have done to help create the situation that we saw yesterday. And that’s just a short list.

  So what I hope we can do, is I hope we can avoid saying something trite like, this is what the American people wanted, full stop. If you want to make that a conversation starter, go for it. But it shouldn’t be a dismissive conversation ender, because it ignores what actually happened and What will continue to happen in the future.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨I will vote for whomever bans happy birthday.⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  Just go on a trip every birthday. It works for me.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨If Trump wins the election thru fraud how can the democrats refute it and prove they won? Or will it just be like another Jan 6 and four years of whining like Trump?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  First, don’t panic. Harris and her staff, and Democrats around the country, they have planned for many shady actions on Trump’s part. Details are scarce because they don’t want Trump staff to have a heads up.

  And then everything depends on the details.

  But remember, anything that looks like a coup d’etat could easily get the military or spy agencies involved. And if they move, it doesn’t matter what SCOTUS says. As a result, it’s very hard to predict what would happen in various extra dramatic situations. There is no precedent; precedent wouldn’t mean anything anyway.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨What is stopping the vice president from ever murdering the president?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨month⁩ ago⁩:

  That’s not what the Supreme Court said, though. Only official acts have absolute immunity. Murder is not usually an official act.

  And as always, if you’re talking about a coup d’etat, the question is if the military or spy agencies will kill you before, during, or after it. When the rule of law is out the window, you must expect physical violence.