The generation that gave us participation trophies and then complains about our generation being given participation trophies.

This fucking timeline…

Pardon power and the jury nullification.

The Acquired podcast went over this history very briefly in their Epic episode and it’s so crazy how close we were to having universal healthcare.

Tl;dl:

• during WW2, wage controls were in place due to a large demand of workers but very few people available due to being in the war
• unions and companies alike were looking for ways to make their positions and companies more attractive.
• government permitted benefits to augment salaries. Some companies started offering health insurance.
• back then going to the doctor was NOT the bankrupt causing thing that is today and was considered a fringe benefit
• larger companies were able to offer better incentives due to healthcare benefits
• add a few years of corruption and “market forces” and you have the system we have now

So blame wage controls during WW2.

Oh and the Brits were facing similar forces when they were starting to stand up their healthcare system but decided instead to hire people to build a robust system so everyone didn’t have to pay anything at the point of sale.

Yeah, it really was that simple.

The problem is selling the law to the lower middle class because they all believe they can get this rich and the tax will affect them.

I’d rather have a higher than it should be limit and reach the 0.01% obscenely rich than have the law beaten to death.

$5 mil is somewhat achievable. While bad, they aren’t as bad as those who have $5 BILLION in assets.

Someone who have $5 million has more in common with the poor than those who have $5 billion.

Inheritance beyond a set amount should be illegal. Billionaires passing on billions of dollars is just wrong.

$100 million cap on all inheritance. $500 million cap on total wealth. Anything beyond that is taxed at 100%.

Any attempt to “donate” the money to a family-controlled “charity” triggers a tax on the entire wealth at 90%.

Unions were the compromise between violence against the capital from the working class.

Because it allows conspiracy theorists maximum flexibility to wrap whatever pseudoscience into whatever objections they get as replies.

So yeah…like prison labor, it’s a symptom of late stage capitalism.

Overseas sweat shops “benefit” from currency imbalance where the US dollar, British pound, etc all go farther. So a kid at a Bangladesh sewing factory might be getting paid a dollar a day but that’s enough to pay for several days worth of meals.

The problem here is capitalism and I’m not saying that slavery is good. It sucks all around.

So yeah…like prison labor, it’s a symptom of late stage capitalism.

Overseas sweat shops “benefit” from currency imbalance where the US dollar, British pound, etc all go farther. So a kid at a Bangladesh sewing factory might be getting paid a dollar a day but that’s enough to pay for several days worth of meals.

The problem here is capitalism and I’m not saying that slavery is good. It sucks all around.

Blind squirrels eventually find nuts.

Like knowing that there are pedophiles in the Epstein files.

The fuck? Why would the medical staff oblige? Why not just say “no”?

Fwiw US based providers have similar issues with prescriptions. Doctors report lower patient satisfaction scores for patients who don’t walk out with a prescription. It’s why antibiotic overuse is a thing.

It doesn’t surprise me one bit that doctors over-prescribe injectables in a country that sees them as a treatment.

I agree with your vibe, especially supporting local craftsmen. But buying American a bit more complicated than looking for the “Made in the USA” sticker.

Some “made in the USA” stuff is prison labor. These companies are profiting off of prisoners. It’s better than slave/child labor overseas but it sucks all around.

Another aspect is that politics around the “Made in the USA” are merky. Final assembly can occur here in the US but it doesn’t mean that it was “made” here.

I went into a deep dive a few years back and found that because of various loopholes, American branded cars are often made in Mexico and then “finished” in the US whereas most foreign brands are assembled in the US.

All of this to say: until we escape late stage capitalism, it’s hard to know for sure how to best support Americans.

There is a right way to do this and a wrong way. I’ve seen it done the wrong way plenty of times but I’ve also seen this done the right way.

Most recently, there was a push to get rid of Microsoft Word, etc. and we were moving to Google Workplace.

They made it clear that there would be training available throughout the transition and that approvals for exceptions would require division head sign off (essentially the VP).

The day of, there were signs everywhere for how to get help. Extra people were hired to help people migrate. They were trained to get people out of Microsoft and into Drive. Prizes for best report. Slack channels, office hours, helpdesk, and even in person questions.

Company put their money where their mouth was.

It was the best case I saw of a company actually understanding how much of a pain it was going to be and doing what they could to lessen the burden.

Compare that to another company I worked with that went from Macs to PC. “You figure it out.” And IT support went off-shore.

So yeah I get where you’re coming from. But if an IT department handled a roll out the right way, I would volunteer for help desk.

Honestly, this is such a great idea. Get the IT team to create a bootable distro with all the apps the average user needs. Have a video they can watch to get the basics down, have IT available to install one-off software.

At the end of the week give people the choice to keep going or go back to Windows/Mac and get feedback.

Try again in a couple of quarters.

Most people use web-based apps anyway.

The only leverage the US has is having a shitton of ordnance against a world that seems apathetic to the pummeling of a non-white country.

THAT’S what’s bringing Iran to the table.

This is what gets conservative dicks hard. Not out of a pursuit of peace or stability. But out of wanting to show the world that they are powerful.

Not just “ID” but a fucking birth certificate.

Which, of all the documents that can be faked, it’s that one.

No picture. Just a piece of paper with a name, weight and parents’ names.

Phew. I thought it would be all day.

“The algorithm” prioritizes short form content over longer ones due to their ability to serve ads. And studies by these companies have repeatedly shown that despite what people say, most people prefer shorter content over longer ones.

People would rather watch an okay 30-second tiktok than a good 4 minute video.

Which is nuts to me because I can’t stand them. I love watching documentaries and long form videos. And that’s why I don’t use YouTube anymore.