Changetheview

@Changetheview@lemmy.world

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Tax time⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  Exactly. The IRS has TONS of information on every individual and business. There may be some unreported items, but that’s the exception to the rule.

  The IRS has a “transcript” with all of the many reported transactions associated with each person/entity. And you can request this transcript, which many people with complicated tax situations do so they can verify that everything is reported correctly and their records match the IRS data.

  www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Think anyone would notice?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  That’s a good point, but for Sweden, it is indeed 480 paid days. It’s a government calculation related to your income and there is a point (after 390 days) where it drops to the minimum payout, but it still paid leave.

  There are also government-mandated options in Sweden to receive a slightly lower pay in exchange for working fewer hours. I don’t have the exact details here, but it’s something like 75% pay for 75% hours.

  Pretty incredible coverage for new parents in that specific country.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Flashback - Mark Zuckerberg on billionaires: 'No one deserves to have that much money'⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  I think we’re saying the same thing. Many ways to get personal benefit from a charitable trust. They are irrevocable trusts, but the majority money doesn’t immediately have to go anywhere.

  And even when money does flow out (beyond admin/establishment costs), there are TONS of creative ways to use it for personal benefit. It’s not like they are certainly giving it to make sure society has what it needs.

  See Rolex and Hershey. Or giant charity galas. Many ways to use the funds for “non-profit” entertainment. Plenty of ways to get kickbacks from “charitable” donations.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Flashback - Mark Zuckerberg on billionaires: 'No one deserves to have that much money'⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  Yeah, the wealthy “giving it all away” is always a bullshit scheme in some way. If they really felt that way, they would have shared the profits with those who helped create them. This sort of wealth only happens in literally one situation: greed overcomes compassion for others.

  These schemes usually fall into one of three categories:

  1. I fucking hate my kids and don’t have anyone I think actually deserves this money, so I’m giving it to some random charities of my choosing when I die because I know damn well I can’t spend it all and I have to do something with it

  2. I’m just putting it all into a charitable trust that I still have full control over and likely won’t spend much out of it, unless it benefits me personally

  3. Straight up bullshit PR campaign about a future promise that is not binding

  Quite often, it’s a combination of 1 and 2, locking up the money for a loooong time and only to be used for a specific purpose.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨How did indigenous people survive hurricanes in the carribea⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  Not exactly what you’ve asked, but I’ve seen and spoke to people about this while traveling.

  It absolutely still happens in many places that use more primitive construction methods. I’ve visited places in Belize where locals told me about devastation after hurricanes. It can flatten entire areas, especially the poorest ones. I’ve also witnessed it in parts of Mexico, although steel and concrete construction is much more common. Thatched roofs can be found in certain areas, and of course, people without means still use anything they can get their hands on to build homes - like thin metal sheets. A bad storm can destroy many homes, if not entire communities. Roads wash out and make transportation extremely challenging.

  Sometimes people come together to rebuild. It might be as easy as taking down more local trees or gathering the materials that the wind threw everywhere. It’s still a pain, especially when most people capable of laboring would rather be working for income instead of rebuilding their home.

  The unfortunate reality of today is that these events often cause mass exodus. People don’t have insurance, and the literal land they have might be the only asset between them and absolutely nothing.

  This is when predatory investors can come in, offer pennies on the dollar for land, and grab up large sections for almost nothing. Then the people use whatever they get to try to make a fresh start, quite often in a different location where housing already exists, like the closest city. It would be possible for this to be a mutually-beneficial exchange, but it’s more often predatory as hell with extremely desperate sellers and buyers who don’t offer anywhere close to actual market value in a normal time.

  Seeing this devastation makes you quite thankful for things like disaster relief, disaster loans, emergency responses on a large scale, and insurance. None of those programs are perfect, but the alternative is tragic (unless you’re wealthy and don’t care about the well being of others).

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨150,000 Workers Vote to Authorize Strikes at Stellantis, GM, and Ford⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  Let’s see more collective bargaining wins. It’s how the lives of many gained monumental improvements in the 20th century, which have been consistently eroded away.

  It’s time for lower and middle class workers to have a more meaningful share of the benefits their labor creates. It’s time for a thriving, growing, and financially stable middle class.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨What's the Best Non-Alcoholic Alternative to an Ice Cold Beer at the End of the Day?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  I agree. Really hits the spot sometimes!

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨What's the Best Non-Alcoholic Alternative to an Ice Cold Beer at the End of the Day?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  NA beers can be great. Lagunitas sells a Hop Water that’s pretty good too - very light though. And most high-quality ginger beers pack a lot of flavor.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Amazon Doesn't 'Employ' Drivers, but Hired Firms to Prevent Them from Unionizing⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  Just another one of the growing list of “non-employee contractors” who just so happen to only work for one company under its complete control. It’s as if the legal definition of employee is completely useless.

  These companies do this to escape providing the bare minimum of employee benefits. They push employer tax liabilities, accounting, insurance, etc. onto these workers, who likely aren’t even making a living wage. Meanwhile raking in profits.

  It’s pathetic. And sociopathic.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Why sometimes my car slows down going downhill?⁩ ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩:

  It also helps keep brakes cool, important for mountain driving.

  One of my cars hardly does any automatic engine braking. My other vehicle will keep or decrease speed down long hills/mountains. No noticeable change in engine noise at all. Makes long trips through the mountains much easier, especially because it’s a heavy vehicle and overheated brakes is a very real concern.