What's on your mind?

[KoolHndLuke]

5 hours ago, landess said:

Sometimes I wonder how the USA got to be the way it is today

Greed.

 

On another note, I was thinking that our entire lives are really nothing more than a series of "upgrades" till the day we die. "Oooh, I'm successful because I have more upgrades than most others!". ?️

[RitualClarity]

8 hours ago, KoolHndLuke said:

Greed.

 

On another note, I was thinking that our entire lives are really nothing more than a series of "upgrades" till the day we die. "Oooh, I'm successful because I have more upgrades than most others!". ?️

Interesting... I see your point!  Didn't think of it that way.

[landess]

8 hours ago, KoolHndLuke said:

Greed.

I did a little math tripping in my head, and kept it simple like the original DnD, before adding zero x infinity was the way to hype RPG elements.

 

1)Min wage $.50 hr                              $20 per week                 $1100 per year                  $55000 per lifetime

2)Normal wage $1.00 hr                      $40 per week                 $2200 per year                 $110000 per lifetime  

3)Professional wage $3.00 hr             $120 per week                $6600 per year                  $330000 per lifetime

4)CEO wage $10.00 hr                        $400 per week               $22000 per year               $1100000 per lifetime

 

These are for simple purposes and not meant to reflect actual differences. Based on a comparable work week of 40 hr (just go with it), and a working life of 50 years.

 

Obviously no one starts life as a CEO, and hopefully no one ends life at minimum wage, but shit happens during the course of ones life so we have variance. Regardless:

 

How many LIFETIMES must people live just to make it to the next 'bracket'?

 

1) >2LT to 2),  >6LT to 3),  >20LT to 4).   From 1 to 4 is the most extreme but I think puts the concept into easy to understand - In this example capitalism says a minimum wage person must live 20 times longer (1000 'working' years) just to be paid the same as someone in the 'highest' bracket. Does a CEO actually contribute to society this much 'service'?

 

Don't grab your pitchforks just yet. While the hours and amount of time to reach those 'levels' will vary, I just find it amusing that for the actual importance of anyone contributing to society (keeping the machine running) the rewards are so skewed before we even consider other concepts which seem to favor those with more. Like tax loopholes, legal gambits, the ability to influence inflation, Ugh, I need to stop. There's another revolution coming and it won't be pretty.

 

BTW: I support a flat tax rate for everyone - equality must start somewhere.

[KoolHndLuke]

1 hour ago, landess said:

I support a flat tax rate for everyone

Most people support it. The filthy rich will keep it from ever happening- along with the tax loopholes, legal gambits, and their ability to influence inflation and whatever other ways they use to keep getting richer. But, It's always been that way- the rich exploiting the poor masses. Revolutions come and go, nothing really changes except the way they fuck you.

 

My water bill was outrageous this month for instance. I didn't even use any water for a solid month and I still got charged for it. No choice but to pay since the city owns it. I'm sure they're looking for a way to charge for the air we breathe as well.

[landess]

10 minutes ago, KoolHndLuke said:

the rich exploiting the poor masses

Aye, But the richest man in the world will starve if no one takes his money. Ergo - the problem is greed, wanting a piece of the pie however small, keeps peasants supporting those with money and giving them 'power' just so they get more. Bread and Circuses.

[GimmeBACON]

2 hours ago, landess said:

Aye, But the richest man in the world will starve if no one takes his money. Ergo - the problem is greed, wanting a piece of the pie however small, keeps peasants supporting those with money and giving them 'power' just so they get more. Bread and Circuses.

Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart, made $22.8 million in 2018. Walmart employs 1.5 million, U.S. and 700,000, International. If the masses forcefully stripped him of every dollar he earned that year, they wouldn't even earn a dollar more in wages... not to mention if Walmart failed tomorrow, they'd inherit no risk.

 

The problem with just paying more money is that the value of labor doesn't increase, and in the end you'll just hurt the poor and middle class.

[landess]

3 hours ago, KoolHndLuke said:

I'm sure they're looking for a way to charge for the air we breathe as well.

Spoiler

 

 

 

Enough financial fun from me - next Ted talk please

[GimmeBACON]

17 minutes ago, Weyland-Yutani Corp. said:

Or when you use kids as an ideological/political weapon... What a disgusting world, who here as a child gave a fuck about femisnism, politics or all that ?

 

Or "jeunesse hitlérienne" 2.0

"Moral" activists use children as human shields all the time, because then they can use the "quit attacking children" defense where their reason fails. 

[landess]

Just started using the DuckDuckGo app extension for my browser.

 

It's not a matter of privacy - if that was the case, I'd stop using the internet, and toss my phone in the trash, then move to Antartica.

 

I'm using it because Google search is such a fuckin' Ad driven piece of dung, to put it politely.

 

I noticed immediately results much more inline with my expectations. Curious if anyone else feels the same, or has other information to share.

 

 

It's funny when using DDG and wanting to view a Youtube vid from it's results. Google is all butthurt reminding us that Youtube is owned by Google, and won't let you watch unless you allow it to start it's tracking on you.

[Darkpig]

On 2/25/2020 at 12:16 AM, Weyland-Yutani Corp. said:

Or when you use kids as an ideological/political weapon... What a disgusting world, who here as a child gave a fuck about femisnism, politics or all that ?

 

Or "jeunesse hitlérienne" 2.0

Kids care about money(they grow up so fast) or at least I assume they were paid in money. If they were paid in candy that would be hilarious in a dark ironic twist kind of way. For the record I'm not offended by it but it could be better. If you want women to be respected in the workplace show the qualities a hardworking woman has rather than whatever that was.

On 2/25/2020 at 12:37 AM, GimmeBACON said:

"Moral" activists use children as human shields all the time, because then they can use the "quit attacking children" defense where their reason fails. 

"Think of the Children!"

Spoiler

That phrase is so funny. But seriously they're over 18 and its a work of fiction. So put down the megaphone and we'll fuck okay? Trust me you'll love it so much you'll forget about this nonsense.

 

[Mr. Otaku]

It's both impressive and bizarre how real this feels, despite how ridiculous it looks lol.

 

 

[steelpanther24]

On 2/24/2020 at 10:33 PM, KoolHndLuke said:

Most people support it. The filthy rich will keep it from ever happening- along with the tax loopholes, legal gambits, and their ability to influence inflation and whatever other ways they use to keep getting richer. But, It's always been that way- the rich exploiting the poor masses. Revolutions come and go, nothing really changes except the way they fuck you.

 

My water bill was outrageous this month for instance. I didn't even use any water for a solid month and I still got charged for it. No choice but to pay since the city owns it. I'm sure they're looking for a way to charge for the air we breathe as well.

(Flat tax or fair tax) on (income or purchases)?   The rich act just like the poor, doing things in their best interest, though when either group starts helping the fail in  "it is not enough for us to succeed, others much fail" kind of world, it is bad.   

 

Do you think that a world where we have a universal basic income and automation to the point that basic needs are covered, it will be better or worse?  

[Pork Type]

On 2/23/2020 at 12:54 PM, KoolHndLuke said:

Why? Did something happen to her?

Her career took a trajectory that wasn't... dignified... I guess. Hollywood is fickle and hypocritical.

[landess]

I find others much more qualified than I to explain things:

 

Spoiler

 

 

And other interesting things: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/02/27/what-leap-year-johns-hopkins-professors-suggest-new-calendar/4894474002/

[GimmeBACON]

1 hour ago, Alkpaz said:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/pennsylvania-family-returns-home-after-going-through-coronavirus-quarantine/vi-BB10wElm

"Good to be out of quarantine" *cough*

"Yeah, we were..." *cough*

"back in the States" *grabs water from daughter* *drinks* *gives it back to daughter* *cough*

"You have to be very careful" *cough*

 

In other news:  https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/28/business/corona-beer-marketing/index.html

 

Oh, and you can thank the BBC for scaring the living fuck out of me. (Listening to Tim Pool isn't helping, either) CBS has also been pretty helpful in scaring me too:

https://www.youtube.com/user/bbcnews/videos

 

So come join the scary train, we can sit in a corner shivering together as we are both surrounded with 200 pounds of rice, beans and dry pasta. 

 

 

Human kinds nature of grouping together like a can of sardines is pretty dangerous... that and they're to stupid to quarantine themselves when they get sick doesn't help either.

[GimmeBACON]

13 minutes ago, Alkpaz said:

Actually, Timcast IRL discusses how NYC will become absolutely nuts. 

 

Mm-hmm, contact based illness spread quicker in areas of large concentration of "hosts" add in an apathetic community, and the filth of large cities all together and you got a breeding grounds for a pandemic.

 

Edit: another grain of sand in the pile of me regretting ever moving to Ca.

[landess]

8 hours ago, Alkpaz said:

China built 4 hospitals in 10 days

I don't know why, but every time I hear about China building something large and/or complicated in short amount of time, I'm always amazed, and realize I'm also used to the American way of taking forever to squeeze every last penny from a contract. It wasn't always this way - Both the Golden Gate Bridge AND Hoover Dam were built 'under budget and within the expected time frame'.

 

There is a Time-lapse video on Youtube showing a bridge being built and opened in less than a day iirc.

 

WTF happened to us?

 

 

 

Edit: Ummm yeah....   https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=china+builds+bridge+in+day  My 24 hour statement is wrong, but not by much, with other examples of a country on the rise.

[Kendo 2]

21 minutes ago, landess said:

WTF happened to us?

Unions happened to us.

[gregathit]

1 hour ago, Kendo 2 said:

Unions happened to us.

That and the governments need to inspect everything.  Except that they don't take any responsibility for those inspections.  

[DoctaSax]

About 140 workers died building the Hoover Dam. Might've been under budget, but pricey all the same.

 

[dagobaking]

Lets clarify the phrase to make it more accurate:

 

China built 4 "hospitals" in 10 days.

[Captain Cobra]

4 Crematoriums

[dagobaking]

4 minutes ago, Captain Cobra said:

4 Crematoriums

Pretty close. They are basically just a bunch of warehouses set up only for Coronavirus patients.

 

Raise your hand if you want to be seen at the Coronavirus "hospital" for a sprained ankle.

[landess]

War. While many think about just the actual warfare, if the US was to go to war with China, where do we go to replace 'Made in China'? No Joke! Look at most EVERYTHING in your home. Meanwhile, concerning the winning of the war with 'new concepts'....

 

Spoiler

 

 

Not so new.....

 

Spoiler

 

 

[RitualClarity]

3 hours ago, landess said:

War. While many think about just the actual warfare, if the US was to go to war with China, where do we go to replace 'Made in China'? No Joke! Look at most EVERYTHING in your home. Meanwhile, concerning the winning of the war with 'new concepts'....

 

  Hide contents

 

 

Not so new.....

 

  Hide contents

 

 

Replacing products from China is easy .. however, will take a bit of time before other countries ramp up production. IN fact with the recent thread of tariffs many companies started branching out to Taiwan and other countries (India has an excellent structure for starting such industries)  to make it more possible to keep budgets in order and supplies flowing.