Chit-Chat: The Feels

[Salacious Kitty]

14 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

And there's always Only Fans.

That would be hilarious given the religious component of the typical tradwife. 

[Ohiopirate02]

16 minutes ago, tearknee said:

No isn't. Most people don't go to university and the last thing tertiary-educated postgrads are is ordinary people.

So librarians, social workers, teachers, and engineers are not ordinary people?!? 

[tearknee]

3 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

So librarians, social workers, teachers, and engineers are not ordinary people?!? 

No, because they need to have earned a degree or such to be qualified for this. Most people don't go to college or get degrees.

[Dimity]

9 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

So librarians, social workers, teachers, and engineers are not ordinary people?!? 

Librarian here with an engineer for a husband and a family chock full of teachers, accountants,  nurses, lawyers (even a doctor or two) and we're boringly ordinary.  Along with almost 60% of our fellow Canadians.  Those without any postsecondary education are the ones in the minority.

[Anela]

43 minutes ago, DXD526 said:

With all this TradWife talk, what I'd like to know is, how do they pay the bills? Their husbands must have great jobs. Who can support a family on one salary these days? Wives started going to work not because of 'women's lib,' but because families needed the money. They do now more than ever. Are employers going to give men huge increases in pay, so their wives can afford to stay home?

If not, I don't know how this is supposed to work.

A lot of women are on TikTok, trying to get monetized and go viral, like Emily Mariko did (I don’t think she’s right-wing at all, but she’s one example).  Her husband works, too.  Wishbone kitchen went from private cheffing for rich people, to buying her own house in the hamptons, after doing a lot of sponsored posts.  I try not to follow the tradwife women, but they take off in the same way.  

[bluegirl147]

I didn't go to college.  So that makes me ordinary? Is it supposed to make me not intelligent?

[peacheslatour]

8 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

I didn't go to college.  So that makes me ordinary? Is it supposed to make me not intelligent?

I went but I never graduated.

[Lantern7]

*sigh*

Many dead in New Orleans, it might not have been an act of just one person . . . and I’m wondering how You-Know-Who will make it about himself. Maybe his handlers hid all his phones and tablets?

Honestly, we can’t get more than three hours into a year without a huge tragedy.

[PRgal]

22 minutes ago, Dimity said:

Librarian here with an engineer for a husband and a family chock full of teachers, accountants,  nurses, lawyers (even a doctor or two) and we're boringly ordinary.  Along with almost 60% of our fellow Canadians.  Those without any postsecondary education are the ones in the minority.

Maybe it’s just that Canadians are more likely to do some sort of post secondary training or education? 
 

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/221130/dq221130a-eng.htm
 

(To save you from clicking:  it says that that almost 1 in 4 Canadians have higher training versus 10.8% in the US.  This is based on the 2021 census)

[Dimity]

1 minute ago, peacheslatour said:

I went but I never graduated.

My mother never went to university (she went into nursing in the days before a degree was required) and she was probably the smartest person I've ever known. 

And she would have had absolutely no patience for the idea of people being expected to dumb themselves down because those without a postsecondary degree are going to feel looked down on. 

Someone dumbing themselves down is what would make someone else feel they are being condescended to thankyouverymuch!

[Annber03]

3 hours ago, Anela said:

Also, abortion is a federal issue.  I’m not going to cave for “pronouns in bio!” Idiots, when that isn’t an argument.  And the few people I know who enjoyed being told they were “sensible democrats” by ultra-MAGA, were the ones who voted for him in 2020, and I’m guessing this year, too.

This.

Like, I'm sorry, but is the pronouns thing really THAT big a problem for people, or do they just think it's a bigger problem than it actually is because that's what some guy on Fox News said? 'Cause if it's the latter, well, again, that's not a "Democrat messaging" problem, that's someone just being too lazy to listen to any other viewpoints. If someone has time to scroll Facebook, they have time to take five minutes to read up on the concept of pronouns and why some people prefer to use certain ones. Again, this isn't a topic that requires years of study, you can get the general gist from reading a brief summary on a reputable site. Or by, y'know, actually TALKING to people who use certain pronouns, or who are transgender/non-binary/etc., if the opportunity presents itself. 

You know, that whole "reach across the aisle and tryi to understand the other side" thing, like those of us on the left are expected and constantly told to do. 

I guess the thing that frustrates me the most about all the criticism around the Democrats' messaging is that it seems either way we can't win. We can't harp on too much about progressive stances, lest we come off like "intellectual elites" who are "talking down" to middle America (which, again, as someone who lives in middle America, is a stereotype that drives me insane), and that's why people are turning away from the Democrats, supposedly. 

But if we don't speak up enough on progressive issues, then we get, "That's why the left isn't coming out to vote for Democrats anymore, you have to cater to the base!" 

So...what are we supposed to do, exactly? Eveyone's always so quick to tell us what we're doing wrong with our messaging, yet nobody ever seems to have any actual solutions or suggestions on what we can to to try and appeal to both the progressive base and the average voter who might otherwise be turned off by our "intellectual elite" way of thinking and speaking. 

And all this criticism about our messaging completely ignores the fact that we now livei n a world where  AI and bots can manipulate information, and we outside influence trying to activelly sow division in this country. I'm sorry, but we could have the most perfect messaging campaign possible and we'd still be fighting an uphill battle because of that. What is everyone's solution to combat that aspect of things? 

I'm just sick and tired of people ccriticizing our messaging without giving any suggesitons on how to change it, or how to get around all the other issues that are hindering it. All while the GOP is over here fearmongering all over the place and spreading vile rhetoric and not once getting any kind of scrutiny or demands that they change their messaging. They're driving away plenty of voters, too, with their brand of messaging, but I guess nobody cares about that.

[peacheslatour]

10 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

*sigh*

Many dead in New Orleans, it might not have been an act of just one person . . . and I’m wondering how You-Know-Who will make it about himself. Maybe his handlers hid all his phones and tablets?

Honestly, we can’t get more than three hours into a year without a huge tragedy.

I'm sure it will be one of the main topics of the rally Trump is holding on Jan. 19 at Capital One Arena in D.C. Another fucking rally? Didn't he just win the election?

[Anela]

14 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

*sigh*

Many dead in New Orleans, it might not have been an act of just one person . . . and I’m wondering how You-Know-Who will make it about himself. Maybe his handlers hid all his phones and tablets?

Honestly, we can’t get more than three hours into a year without a huge tragedy.

I’ve just read about this. :( Wajahat Ali said this guy was apparently using pictures of Biden, for target practice, and had lost three fingers after testing homemade bombs. https://x.com/WajahatAli/status/1874554504365924662

oh, wait, that’s a different guy.  But still scary.  I also read about what happened in New Orleans. 

Edited Thursday at 12:01 AM by Anela

[peacheslatour]

BRONX - A mother and her 12-year-old daughter were among six people who were shot Monday afternoon in the Bronx, according to authorities.

Police say the shooting happened at around 4:51 p.m. at 35-44 White Plains Road in the Williamsbridge section of the Bronx. 

Two shooters allegedly fired into a crowded convenience store, striking the victims, including a 40-year-old woman and her 12-year-old daughter, who were used as human shields by the targets of the shooting. 

USA! USA!

 

[Annber03]

5 minutes ago, Anela said:

I’ve just read about this. :( Wajahat Ali said this guy was apparently using pictures of Biden, for target practice, and had lost three fingers after testing homemade bombs. https://x.com/WajahatAli/status/1874554504365924662

oh, wait, that’s a different guy.  But still scary.  I also read about what happened in New Orleans. 

But yeah. It's the Democrats' messaging that's the problem.

2 hours ago, JustHereForFood said:

I wonder how much of this is just people not wanting to work and that mindset being normalized so much lately. I grew up with the general idea that everybody has a job, unless they are disabled or have any temporal reason for a break, like parental leave or illness, short sabbatical, or unless they can't find a job. Do I like it? No, but that is the reality, people need to work, otherwise how would the society function? But now so many left-leaning young people seem to think that that is some capitalistic trap (LOL, as if the working conditions weren't much worse before capitalism) and even that people are somehow entitled to receive basic income from the government without having any job (I wonder where do they think the government get that money).

Yeah, I think for younger people who might be drawn to this, this is more a reaction to the current economic situation, as well as an issue that seems to be a thing among younger people of struggling with the idea of becoming adults. Almost like they want to revert back to the safety of someone taking care of them and not having to deal with all the stresses that come with being an adult. 

Not saying that's everyone who goes this route, or even the thought process of young people at large, but it does seem to be a factor to some degree. 

[bluegirl147]

11 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I'm sure it will be one of the main topics of the rally Trump is holding on Jan. 19 at Capital One Arena in D.C. Another fucking rally? Didn't he just win the election?

I think we all know he isn't going to talk about uniting the country.  I'm sure it's going to be all about retribution for eveyrone who wronged him.

4 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

But yeah. It's the Democrats' messaging that's the problem.

Yeah, I think for younger people who might be drawn to this, this is more a reaction to the current economic situation, as well as an issue that seems to be a thing among younger people of struggling with the idea of becoming adults. Almost like they want to revert back to the safety of someone taking care of them and not having to deal with all the stresses that come with being an adult. 

Not saying that's everyone who goes this route, or even the thought process of young people at large, but it does seem to be a factor to some degree. 

Earlier this year my company hired someone.   Nineteen years old.  He worked about six weeks and then just stopped coming work.  Didn't give notice didn't even say I quit.  Afterwards he told another employee who was his friend that he had $2000 in the bank so he was good.  He spends his days and nights now playing video games.   And living with his grandmother. 

[tres bien]

The GOP made fear mongering their campaign slogan in 2004 when Dick Cheney basically told voters if you don’t vote for us the terrorists are going to kill you in your houses

I think the democrats should embed operatives in the communities and with the people they can win back. It’s hard to believe that voters actually bought into all the BS MAGA, FOX OANN, Newsmax, etc spoon fed them for four years but they did

The Democrats have smart savvy young leaders like Hadley Duvall of NC. Stop turning to the old guard

As soon as they’ve elected the new head of the party in February I hope they hit the ground running. Trump’s gonna sit around doing nothing or at least not anything that isn’t a complete shit show

 

 

Edited Thursday at 01:13 AM by tres bien

[kittykat]

36 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

But if we don't speak up enough on progressive issues, then we get, "That's why the left isn't coming out to vote for Democrats anymore, you have to cater to the base!" 

So...what are we supposed to do, exactly? Eveyone's always so quick to tell us what we're doing wrong with our messaging, yet nobody ever seems to have any actual solutions or suggestions on what we can to to try and appeal to both the progressive base and the average voter who might otherwise be turned off by our "intellectual elite" way of thinking and speaking. 

Seriously.  How many days post election were devoted to everything the Democrats did wrong.  Too woke! Not woke enough!  Policies not stated clearly.  Policies over emphasized. Every criticism was a contradiction. 

I agree there are a few things the Democrats need to do on messaging.  Language is a start.  Unfortunately too many people out there so think of our candidates as "coastal elite" so maybe we start with "How do we talk policy that grabs the attention of both sides but doesn't talk down to people?" It may seem like a tall order on the campaign trail but we had have one who successfully did it: Barack Obama.

Again I'm of the opinion that there are people out there who need to expand their horizons and get out of the echo chambers of Fox and OANN but I don't see that happening soon.  And yes it is frustrating that once again it is ON US to try to make amends with those on the other side.

[Absolom]

56 minutes ago, PRgal said:

(To save you from clicking:  it says that that almost 1 in 4 Canadians have higher training versus 10.8% in the US.  This is based on the 2021 census)

I have no idea who produced those figures, but the last time I looked it was about 25% in both countries.  

Edited Thursday at 12:48 AM by Absolom

[PRgal]

1 minute ago, Absolom said:

I have no idea who  produced those figures, but the last time I looked it was about 25% in both countries.  

It was based on census data, so people?  Like regular people who answered questions they were asked?

[bluegirl147]

3 minutes ago, kittykat said:

Seriously.  How many days post election were devoted to everything the Democrats did wrong.  Too woke! Not woke enough!  Policies not stated clearly.  Policies over emphasized. Every criticism was a contradiction. 

I agree there are a few things the Democrats need to do on messaging.  Language is a start.  Unfortunately too many people out there so think of our candidates as "coastal elite" so maybe we start with "How do we talk policy that grabs the attention of both sides but doesn't talk down to people?" It may seem like a tall order on the campaign trail but we had have one who successfully did it: Barack Obama.

Again I'm of the opinion that there are people out there who need to expand their horizons and get out of the echo chambers of Fox and OANN but I don't see that happening soon.  And yes it is frustrating that once again it is ON US to try to make amends with those on the other side.

It doesn't help when the Republican base  need only to hear Build the Wall and Democrats are the enemy within and they say yep that's who I'm voting for. Democrats put forth actual policies and Republicans put forth plans to undercut those policies and it's Dems that are criticized.

[Absolom]

2 minutes ago, PRgal said:

It was based on census data, so people?  Like regular people who answered questions they were asked?

Again, it's in error.  It hasn't been 10% in the US for decades. It seems to have gone up in the last ten to twenty years.  37.7% with a bachelor's degree as their highest achievement doesn't include master's and doctorates.  

Quote

The highest level of education an individual has completed, which is different from the level of schooling they are currently attending. In 2022, 37.7% of people age 25 and older in the United States had a bachelor's degree as their highest level of education

 

[PRgal]

That's really interesting.  I don't know where it came from other than the link I posted.  A Globe and Mail article will agree with your stats, which notes that Canadians have a lower rate of post secondary overall.  Maybe it's just the circle one runs in.  Like mine or @Dimity's.  Heck, I was surprised when a girl I was having lunch with suddenly said she was engaged and getting married soon after she graduated from university!  No one I else I knew was getting anytime soon at 22.  We lost touch soon after graduation (we weren't close, anyway).  The average bride or groom in my circle was close to 30 or afterwards. Average parent was soon after, with many in their mid-30s or later!  My son's class is full of Xennial parents and very elder millennial parents of 6 year olds (as the first kid).  Others have one Xennial/elder Millennial parent (usually the mother) and one GenX parent (the dad, mostly).  

[Dimity]

16 minutes ago, PRgal said:

I don't know where it came from other than the link I posted.  A Globe and Mail article will agree with your stats, which notes that Canadians have a lower rate of post secondary overall. 

According to the OECD :

Quote

Canada ranks first worldwide in the percentage of adults having tertiary education, with over 56 percent of Canadian adults having attained at least an undergraduate college or university degree.

 

[Lantern7]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

I'm sure it will be one of the main topics of the rally Trump is holding on Jan. 19 at Capital One Arena in D.C. Another fucking rally? Didn't he just win the election?

Of course. He might move it to the French Quarter before then. All because Obama addressed the nation in 2017, so he wants to subvert Biden.

Another prediction: he will call for a moment of silence every time Elon takes a drink of water.

Edited Thursday at 01:31 AM by Lantern7

[PRgal]

7 minutes ago, Dimity said:

According to the OECD :

 

Why would different sources quote different numbers?  Interpretation?  My brain hurts and it's only 1/1! 

[Blergh]

8 minutes ago, PRgal said:

Why would different sources quote different numbers?  Interpretation?  My brain hurts and it's only 1/1! 

Regardless of who claims what, it's important to keep in mind that while figures don't lie, liars CAN figure (which is one reason WHY one should study the methods of collection, tabulation AND the statisticians' objectivity before implicitly believing any claim).

[anony.miss]

10 hours ago, tearknee said:

Most people don't go to college or get degrees.

Millions of "ordinary" Americans have an undergrad degree, an advanced degree, or an associate degree (and 14 percent have completed some college, but don't have a degree).  Census Data 2021:

In 2021, the highest level of education of the population age 25 and older in the United States was distributed as follows: 

8.9% had less than a high school diploma or equivalent.

27.9% had high school graduate as their highest level of school completed. 

14.9% had completed some college but not a degree.

10.5% had an associate degree as their highest level of school completed.

23.5% had a bachelor’s degree as their highest degree.

14.4% had completed an advanced degree such as a master’s degree, professional degree or doctoral degree.

https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/educational-attainment.html

Despite all the toxic retro shit happening now  - Trump's racism, misogyny and sex crimes,  "your body my choice", trad wives,  Project 2025 -  it's no longer the fifties, when having a degree was a rarefied thing.

Edited Thursday at 09:51 AM by anony.miss

[tearknee]

Quote

 

27.9% had high school graduate as their highest level of school completed. 

14.9% had completed some college but not a degree.

 

So, over 40% don't have a degree?

[tearknee]

Then why Brexit, why both Trumps with so many educated, liberal women (and men)? 

 

Answer: in the voting booth, people can vote as they think.

[heatherchandler]

17 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

On a lighter note, a Cybertruck just exploded in front of Trump's Las Vegas hotel.

 

A lighter note?  That was a bombing.

[Annber03]

I don't have a college degree. And I still didn't fall for the bullshit the GOP is spewing. Again, you do not need to have a college degree to understand a lot of the issues that are at stake. For a lot of people nowadays, it's not that they can't learn about these issues, it's that they don't want to. They take pride in their ignorance, instead of seeing it as an opportunity to learn something new.

And I cannot respect that. 

[tres bien]

As well as the fact that we have over educated Ivy League graduates that are dumb: JD Vance, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, John Kennedy (R LA) to name a few 

[Ohiopirate02]

19 minutes ago, tres bien said:

As well as the fact that we have over educated Ivy League graduates that are dumb: JD Vance, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, John Kennedy (R LA) to name a few 

That is because they choose to be ignorant. Education is one of those things where you get out what you put in, and many college grads do the bare minimum and retain even less. How many grown adults with at least a bachelor's degree brag about not reading a book since high school when just about every single college graduate has to take an English course to graduate? They figured out how to pass a class without ever cracking open a book. And institutions like Harvard have a 98% graduation rate which means the school bends over backwards to make sure legacy students graduate.

[bluegirl147]

2 hours ago, tearknee said:

Answer: in the voting booth, people can vote as they think.

Or they can vote how they are told to vote.  Whether it be their preacher, or their family or a candidate telling them the other party is the enemy that is influencing them.

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

I don't have a college degree. And I still didn't fall for the bullshit the GOP is spewing. Again, you do not need to have a college degree to understand a lot of the issues that are at stake

Same. I came of age in the 80s so I saw what Republicans were doing and I wanted no part of that.  

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

For a lot of people nowadays, it's not that they can't learn about these issues, it's that they don't want to. They take pride in their ignorance, instead of seeing it as an opportunity to learn something new.

And I cannot respect that. 

The term fake news was invented for people like that.  If they don't want to believe something that doesn't fit the narrative the lies they have been told they simply say fake news.

53 minutes ago, tres bien said:

As well as the fact that we have over educated Ivy League graduates that are dumb: JD Vance, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, John Kennedy (R LA) to name a few 

Let's not forget the ones who think the Bible should influence or outright dictate our laws.  There is some crossover between the two.

27 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Education is one of those things where you get out what you put in, and many college grads do the bare minimum and retain even less.

This applies to athletes as well.  I remember when I was in high school and a football player was going to be going to a local college the next year and he said one of his classes was going to be basket weaving.  I honestly don't know if he was kidding or not.

One problem I have with politicians who went to the Ivy League, or any college for that matter, want to make it  harder for people to go to college today. They want people to be stuck in low paying jobs so they are constantly struggling and easier to keep them in their low paying jobs.

 

 

[PRgal]

17 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Or they can vote how they are told to vote.  Whether it be their preacher, or their family or a candidate telling them the other party is the enemy that is influencing them.

Same. I came of age in the 80s so I saw what Republicans were doing and I wanted no part of that.  

The term fake news was invented for people like that.  If they don't want to believe something that doesn't fit the narrative the lies they have been told they simply say fake news.

Let's not forget the ones who think the Bible should influence or outright dictate our laws.  There is some crossover between the two.

This applies to athletes as well.  I remember when I was in high school and a football player was going to be going to a local college the next year and he said one of his classes was going to be basket weaving.  I honestly don't know if he was kidding or not.

One problem I have with politicians who went to the Ivy League, or any college for that matter, want to make it  harder for people to go to college today. They want people to be stuck in low paying jobs so they are constantly struggling and easier to keep them in their low paying jobs.

 

 

Replying to the bolded comments:

1. This happens on both sides.  I can be "guilted" into voting an extreme leftist party (happened one) because in no way did I want the centrist party to form the government (not even a minority one) nor did I want a right winged party to do so (ESPECIALLY a MAJORITY one).

2. Well, this could indeed be a trade...not sure how much you can make on Etsy though.  

3. Can you explain this?  

[ProudMary]

What I have found much more troubling, yet more insightful, is the study that was reported several weeks ago indicating that a majority of US adults (54%) had a reading level of sixth grade or below. I've looked at everything that's happened in the past 8 or 9 years through a whole new lens since that realization. 

I don't see how we get out of the mess we're in, when we've become a nation of (barely) middle schoolers.

[Dimity]

37 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

One problem I have with politicians who went to the Ivy League, or any college for that matter, want to make it  harder for people to go to college today. They want people to be stuck in low paying jobs so they are constantly struggling and easier to keep them in their low paying jobs.

Look no further than Musk et al who mock and diminish the educated segment of the US working in engineering and the sciences.  Throwing around charming words like r***** (how mature) and calling them lazy and unmotivated.  They don't even want the educated to have decent jobs.

Edited to give a shout out to the mods who have enabled an algorithm that sees the word r*e*t*a*r*d as the ignorant slur that it is!

Edited Thursday at 03:40 PM by Dimity

[bluegirl147]

6 minutes ago, PRgal said:

1. This happens on both sides.  I can be "guilted" into voting an extreme leftist party (happened one) because in no way did I want the centrist party to form the government (not even a minority one) nor did I want a right winged party to do so (ESPECIALLY a MAJORITY one).

How were you guilted into voting for a party when you yourself are saying you didn't want the other two choices?

7 minutes ago, PRgal said:

2. Well, this could indeed be a trade...not sure how much you can make on Etsy though.  

My point is a lot of athletes coast through college without learning all that much and when they don't become a professional athlete they don't have a lot of skills or knowledge that translates into a successful career.

8 minutes ago, PRgal said:

3. Can you explain this? 

College tuition has become unaffordable for most people. Student loan debt can be financially crippling. Some people are still paying their student loans when they retire. All the money spent paying back student loans is money that could be used for down payments on homes. Paying off other debt. Or even starting college funds for their kids. A lot of people don't want to have that debt so they don't go to college. And without a college degree they end up working jobs that have no benefits, no retirement plan. And even if it's a horrible job they are hesitant to leave that job because who knows if another job would be any better. So while they are focused on working to pay their bills politicians are working to take away any government assistance that helps them keep their head (barely) above water.  

[Ohiopirate02]

5 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

What I have found much more troubling, yet more insightful, is the study that was reported several weeks ago indicating that a majority of US adults (54%) had a reading level of sixth grade or below. I've looked at everything that's happened in the past 8 or 9 years through a whole new lens since that realization. 

I don't see how we get out of the mess we're in, when we've become a nation of (barely) middle schoolers.

As a librarian who spends time helping parents find books for their kids, I can attest to reading levels being a scam. The most common metrics used in schools to determine reading levels like Accelerated Reader and Lexile place the vast majority of adult fiction in the 6th grade level. This is do to how they determine reading levels by looking at sentence structure, punctuation, page numbers, book formatting, and vocabulary to a certain extent. The actual content of the book does not matter nor do the books themes have any bearing on figuring out the reading level. Something like Toni Morrison's Beloved is considered a 6th grade level book. And Cormac McCarthy's The Road is a 4th grade book.

[bluegirl147]

2 minutes ago, Dimity said:

They don't even want the educated to have decent jobs.

Of course they don't.  They want employees who they can pay the minimum too. Employees who will be a "temporary" or "self employed with a contract that prevents them from qualifying for any benefits the company might offer. 

I remember always hearing that Henry Ford always paid his employees enough to be able to buy the cars they were manufacturing. Today we have full time employees working for multi billion dollar companies who qualify for food stamps. But Republicans want us to believe that it is those receiving the food stamps that are the problem.

[Wiendish Fitch]

4 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

 

I remember always hearing that Henry Ford always paid his employees enough to be able to buy the cars they were manufacturing. Today we have full time employees working for multi billion dollar companies who qualify for food stamps. But Republicans want us to believe that it is those receiving the food stamps that are the problem.

Bolded mine. And...

Holy shit, things are so bad that we can actually something nice about Henry goddamned Ford??

Is there a way to summon the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse?!

Edited Thursday at 03:50 PM by Wiendish Fitch

[bluegirl147]

1 minute ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

Holy shit, things are so bad that we can actually something nice about Henry goddamned Ford??

I know he wasn't a great guy but on this I do give him credit.

[Dimity]

4 minutes ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

Holy shit, things are so bad that we can actually something nice about Henry goddamned Ford??

Is there a way to summon the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse?!

Hey I've started remembering Nixon's good points!  Never thought that would happen but here we are.

[Lantern7]

On 1/1/2025 at 9:12 AM, tearknee said:

When it comes to DJT and his puppeteers, we are one...

Related: Anytime I see You-Know-Who’s name with the middle initial, I figure the “J” stands for “Judas.”

Just me?

[Wiendish Fitch]

20 minutes ago, Dimity said:

Hey I've started remembering Nixon's good points!  Never thought that would happen but here we are.

Nixon had the decency to resign...

Dammit, now I'm doing it!

Edited Thursday at 04:13 PM by Wiendish Fitch

[PRgal]

30 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

How were you guilted into voting for a party when you yourself are saying you didn't want the other two choices?

My point is a lot of athletes coast through college without learning all that much and when they don't become a professional athlete they don't have a lot of skills or knowledge that translates into a successful career.

College tuition has become unaffordable for most people. Student loan debt can be financially crippling. Some people are still paying their student loans when they retire. All the money spent paying back student loans is money that could be used for down payments on homes. Paying off other debt. Or even starting college funds for their kids. A lot of people don't want to have that debt so they don't go to college. And without a college degree they end up working jobs that have no benefits, no retirement plan. And even if it's a horrible job they are hesitant to leave that job because who knows if another job would be any better. So while they are focused on working to pay their bills politicians are working to take away any government assistance that helps them keep their head (barely) above water.  

Mostly because I hated everyone.  And to be honest, the one I hated least was the one that the majority (read: "vocal majority"/usually more left leaning where I live) didn't want to vote for.

For high tuition, blame people being brainwashed into believing that trades were "bad" because of misguidedness on social class (see earlier posts about blue collar vs white collar.  In other words, you could be blue collar and out earn someone with a white collar job and vice versa).  And also because some cultural groups have been generationally conditioned into believing in education and honouring teachers (see: East Asian/Confucian-based cultures.  Though in truth, only certain social classes had the privilege to take imperial exams back in the day.  If you really look at it, it's very much about nepotism and legacy).

[bluegirl147]

13 minutes ago, Dimity said:

Hey I've started remembering Nixon's good points!  Never thought that would happen but here we are.

Nixon would probably be considered a RINO now.  He created the Environmental Protection Agency.  That alone would have him mocked as a tree hugger. Can't have any of those in the GOP.

5 minutes ago, PRgal said:

For high tuition, blame people being brainwashed into believing that trades were "bad" because of misguidedness on social class (see earlier posts about blue collar vs white collar.

I'm going to blame greed.  I used to work at college food service. It was a private college. Their tuition was outrageous. 

7 minutes ago, PRgal said:

If you really look at it, it's very much about nepotism and legacy).

And money.  Harvard's endowment is $53.2 Billion dollars. That's a B for billion.

 

[Ohiopirate02]

22 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

I'm going to blame greed.  I used to work at college food service. It was a private college. Their tuition was outrageous.

And since we are talking about the USA here, racism is always a factor. Student loans and federal grants made it easier for Black Americans to earn bachelor's degrees. Then public universities started increasing their tuition to exceed what Pell grants paid per year while also starting to require more fees out of the students when it comes to housing and meal plans. I know in North Carolina, the state legislature started to reinterpret the state constitutional provision of affordable university education for all citizens and defunded scholarships like Teaching Fellows in the 2000s. This in turn led to a bachelor's degree from the same university I graduated in 2002 to quadruple in cost. What cost me $20,000 now costs $80,000 twenty years later.

[ProudMary]

24 minutes ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

Nixon had the decency to resign...

Only because Republicans in Congress stood up to a rogue President and told him they would vote to remove him from office if he didn't resign. There were no Howard Bakers in the 2021 Congress. 😠

On January 6th, both Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham said that Trump's actions that day were a bridge too far. Yet, when the 2nd impeachment (incitement of insurrection) reached the Senate, it was after President Biden's inauguration and McConnell said, "Let the courts decide," instead of voting to convict him, preventing him from ever again holding office. The bulk of Senate Republicans followed his lead. 😔 (Seven did vote to convict. All but two--Murkowski and Collins--are gone now.)

TL,DR: Nixon wouldn't have resigned without the threat from within his own party.