I think we need to accept, at this point, that the Biden Administration and Democrat willingness to continue subsidizing Americans to stay unemployed is part of a plan to either force an employer-led increase in the minimum wage or try a universal basic income.
Nailed it, Erick. Of course the Harris/Biden crowd didn't take the effect increasing interest rates will have on the cost of debt service; ideologues seldom if ever take the real world consequences of their actions into consideration. The two groups of Americans which will be hit hardest are the very people the Democrats so earnestly profess to care so much about; low income, often minority working people and older people living on fixed incomes. Those who will, as usual, prosper will be the very 1% the left so loves to rail against.
This is yet more proof that the realignment of the political parties based on who their major supporters are is now complete - and is Donald Trump's greatest gift to the Republican Party, IF it realizes that it's been handed the keys to the long term support of a majority of voters.
That's a funny way of doing that. I thought that by destroying the system, Cloward-Piven was intended to benefit, not destroy, the beneficiaries of the system being destroyed.
It's all intentional by the Left, in my opinion. I don't draw a government unemployment check, I'm mainly an options trader and other investor now, but am tempted to go to work to help a restaurant or small business out in my town. I'd do it because I'm GenX and most of us believe in working for our money...plus I like the feeling of sticking it to the Left as much as I can.
What I see is the beginning of an economic collapse and I'm praying I'm wrong! All this march of the Democrats to hold onto power and build a tyrannic kingdom for themselves reeks of Soviet tactics. We will be seeing shortages on everyday items since workers will continue to be paid not to work, then long lines, like in Venezuela comes! How long will Americans allow this trash to continue is what disturbs me. I know folks who don't care that prices are going up, they don't care that Biden and the Democrats are trying to consolidate and build their power. These same folks think its government's job to take care of them. That government gives and takes rights away based on equity and think freedom means getting whatever needs they have fulfilled without responsibility! It's hard to stay positive around all this so I find myself tuning out and spending more time with the Lord since He's where my hope lies!
I have an idea not based on any facts or evidence. The first thing Biden did was shut down construction on the Key Stone XL pipeline. Is pushing for move to electric cars. Wants charging stations across the nation. Now the Colonial Pipe line is shut down by ransom ware. I characterize what is happening to the USA is a scorched earth inside attack by the folks that are supporting Antifa and BLM and many more who hate our republic. Dan Purdy
That's somewhat plausible, Dan, but begs the question: From where will we get all the additional electricity needed to charge all those electric vehicles?
The battle for the soul of America is underway. The battle is one of philosophy and concepts. Remember what happened in 1917 in Russia. High sounding words led a society to shed its historic Christian foundations, and led to the rise of the belief of the rise of the working class only to discover the adage, "all pigs are equal, but some pigs are more equal than others." This is not a battle easily won, and Trump returning might not be the victory so many believe. Others who stand for ideals that are neither vindictive or focused on the "I, I, I" or "Me, Me, Me" might be a better win. We need a choice not between the lesser of two evils but between evil and real good.
It's a part of...but not the entire plan...to consolidate their power over the people in perpetuity. The "election integrity act" will ensure they continue to win elections, the "equality act" will ensure that people are able to be silenced at will if they oppose them. Packing the court will give them the judicial authority to do pretty much as they darn well please, and subsidizing businesses who agree to contribute part of their profits to the Democrats (and not those who oppose them) will further entrench their control of the economy.
The goal of raising the minimum wage will also be a boon to the unions, since many union contracts are pegged to the "local prevailing wage." The higher the local wage is, the higher the union rate becomes, which increases the amount of money the unions have to spend on/donate to Dem politicians and/or causes.
Welcome to the party Eric. This what the people get for not voting for Trump because his tweets are too mean. We as a country have so many ignorant people and the Democrats know this. They play off people’s stupidity. They see something right in front of there faces and still deny it. It also doesn’t help that the election was stolen and Obama is actually the run running the country.
Forget about Trump in 2024. They will turn on the hate full time if he even teases that he will run. They will fix the 2022 election so that they have full control of the House and Senate. The goal of defunding the police is to have a national police force. The Germans had a plan for that and that was to be the post war job of the SS.
The two week shutdown has lasted over a year. If you had the jab you still can’t dance at a wedding with the person you live and sleep with. You still need masks. The Karen’s and Karls are still out denouncing people. This is all part of the plan to keep us fighting with each other.
Erick, you left out the best part of our (Democrats) strategy. The element that will resolve all your manufactured outrage. We will raise taxes on the wealthiest in society to apply downward pressure on their wages, thereby easing pressure on the profit margins of businesses and allowing price stability.
As Harry S. Truman stated (1952): "Socialism is a scare word they have hurled at every advance the people have made in the last 20 years. Socialism is what they called public power. Socialism is what they called Social Security. Socialism is what they called farm price supports. Socialism is what they called bank deposit insurance. Socialism is what they called the growth of free and independent labor organizations. Socialism is their name for almost anything that helps all the people."
P.S.: If any private company set up a system.like Social Security, it would be considered what it is: A pyramid scheme. You really ought to read Milton Freidman, Thomas Sowell, and Walter E. Williams.
Well it's sad you feel that way. I know that without SS I don't know how my mom would be surviving. And I've read those guys. Hell I used to bang the Freidman drum all day long. I'm in my 50's now and I have to take those writings in context with a lifetime of personal observation of the human condition and my reading of the Bible. Man is flawed. Left to our own devices we will destroy ourselves and each other. Man alone can never create a utopia on earth. But we should avoid creating hell on earth if we can.
I agree that we are flawed and, therefore, any system is flawed. My take on Socialism is that it creates dependency. Look at the problems now of people choosing to not work because they collect as much or more in unemployment. As for Social Security, the idea is laudable, but the setup is deeply flawed. It is, as Sowell and Williams explain, a pyramid scheme. No private company could do it. Government can just vote to spend.
Of course private companies wouldn't do it. They have a mandate to maximize shareholder wealth. There are some things only governments can do. For those the mandate should be to do greater good for the benefit of society. If SS is broken, don't trash it, fix it. You can hate government, but what is the alternative?
We're getting closer. Yes, any manmade system will have flaws. And yes, true socialism creates dependency. There's few better examples than the one you illustrate with unemployment. Nothing should be free. My Bible says you work or you don't eat. What I advocate for, and what drives my vote, is tweaking our imperfect systems with temporary measures to place support (like an invisible hand) where it is needed. At present our 700+ billionaires don't need it. Our lower quintiles do. And the good news is, they spend it. You want to know what my dream is? Single income families. How much better could we be parenting if one of the parents could stay home. Ok that one might be too far to reach. Do you think?
I think I'll take Von Hayek over FDR'S V.P. any day. FDR'S Socialist policies lengthened and deepened the depression. Pretty much all the things you mentioned are detrimental. Free markets and private property rights are what created the wealth of the nation. Socialism is, as Winston Churchill said, a philosophy of failure.
Churchill also said capitalism is the worst system in the world except for all the others. Ok, I've taken a little liberty with his quote. But Jon, I agree that free markets are what drive a healthy economy. But too much freedom can corrupt. Decades of tax cuts for the wealthiest have created disparities that have become grotesque. Stock buy backs do not contribute to our economy. Having a progressive tax system is not socialism. How many more tent communities can we live with? This country has enough wealth to lead the planet in healthcare, eradication of poverty, care for our veterans, education, and more but we don't because of greed. We align on merit, I assure you. We just need to find common ground on a sensible way to change the trajectory of wealth and income distribution.
Why is a disparity grotesque? What does it matter to.me if someone had billions as long as I have my opportunity to live at a decent level? Bill Gates' fortune has nothing to do with.my living. If he doubled his wealth, it wouldn't change mine. ((Some of his insane ideas are another matter. )
It's a zero sum game. The disparity is grotesque because of every dollar Bill has someone else doesn't have that dollar. You (and I) should always have our opportunity to live at a decent level. No reasonable person would advocate for taking that away. Merit is what built the country. But it can't be "Hunger Games" either. The strong will always outperform the weak. Life is full of winners and losers. I think we should build a society that has more winners and fewer losers. Hey I personally had a lot of failing ventures myself before I finally got over the hump. Jon, there are an awful lot of good, hardworking people that, for whatever reason, are never able to ascend into the next upward quintile. There are plenty of reliable studies that show upward mobility has stalled. Shouldn't hard work be rewarded?
I hear a lot of the same here, from restaurant owners, grocery store owners and healthcare providers. But people who run businesses with less interpersonal contact are doing just fine (and some of them pay way less than $15/hour.) A formerly-unemployed person I talked to (who took a call center job instead) didn't want to deal with making customers wear masks. She's vaccinated, so not worried about covid, but she's sick of making $7.25 and spending her time arguing with people.
Child care is another issue, with the seniors who used to care for kids not doing it anymore. That's fear of covid. (Yes, most of them are vaccinated. They're still worried.)
None of that is to say that you're wrong. Just that it's complicated.
Another problem with staying home b/c of great benefits is what will they do when the unemployment runs out? Which it will. The shops, bars, and restaurants may have to close because they can't stay open without workers, and then...where will those workers look when the benefits are gone?
Annemarie, the left thinks it has the answer in the notion of Guaranteed Minimum Income, which in practice is taking the present situation and institutionalizing it.
Yep. It is complicated! I have friends in the restaurant industry who got laid off, only to see their bosses take money from the government and then hire others. Guess what? These people aren't going back!
Nailed it, Erick. Of course the Harris/Biden crowd didn't take the effect increasing interest rates will have on the cost of debt service; ideologues seldom if ever take the real world consequences of their actions into consideration. The two groups of Americans which will be hit hardest are the very people the Democrats so earnestly profess to care so much about; low income, often minority working people and older people living on fixed incomes. Those who will, as usual, prosper will be the very 1% the left so loves to rail against.
This is yet more proof that the realignment of the political parties based on who their major supporters are is now complete - and is Donald Trump's greatest gift to the Republican Party, IF it realizes that it's been handed the keys to the long term support of a majority of voters.
Or could it be implementation of Cloward-Piven?
That's a funny way of doing that. I thought that by destroying the system, Cloward-Piven was intended to benefit, not destroy, the beneficiaries of the system being destroyed.
Cloward-Piven was intended to destroy the system so that it could be replaced by Socialism. The only people who benefit from.it are the Socialists.
It's all intentional by the Left, in my opinion. I don't draw a government unemployment check, I'm mainly an options trader and other investor now, but am tempted to go to work to help a restaurant or small business out in my town. I'd do it because I'm GenX and most of us believe in working for our money...plus I like the feeling of sticking it to the Left as much as I can.
What I see is the beginning of an economic collapse and I'm praying I'm wrong! All this march of the Democrats to hold onto power and build a tyrannic kingdom for themselves reeks of Soviet tactics. We will be seeing shortages on everyday items since workers will continue to be paid not to work, then long lines, like in Venezuela comes! How long will Americans allow this trash to continue is what disturbs me. I know folks who don't care that prices are going up, they don't care that Biden and the Democrats are trying to consolidate and build their power. These same folks think its government's job to take care of them. That government gives and takes rights away based on equity and think freedom means getting whatever needs they have fulfilled without responsibility! It's hard to stay positive around all this so I find myself tuning out and spending more time with the Lord since He's where my hope lies!
I have an idea not based on any facts or evidence. The first thing Biden did was shut down construction on the Key Stone XL pipeline. Is pushing for move to electric cars. Wants charging stations across the nation. Now the Colonial Pipe line is shut down by ransom ware. I characterize what is happening to the USA is a scorched earth inside attack by the folks that are supporting Antifa and BLM and many more who hate our republic. Dan Purdy
That's somewhat plausible, Dan, but begs the question: From where will we get all the additional electricity needed to charge all those electric vehicles?
The battle for the soul of America is underway. The battle is one of philosophy and concepts. Remember what happened in 1917 in Russia. High sounding words led a society to shed its historic Christian foundations, and led to the rise of the belief of the rise of the working class only to discover the adage, "all pigs are equal, but some pigs are more equal than others." This is not a battle easily won, and Trump returning might not be the victory so many believe. Others who stand for ideals that are neither vindictive or focused on the "I, I, I" or "Me, Me, Me" might be a better win. We need a choice not between the lesser of two evils but between evil and real good.
It's a part of...but not the entire plan...to consolidate their power over the people in perpetuity. The "election integrity act" will ensure they continue to win elections, the "equality act" will ensure that people are able to be silenced at will if they oppose them. Packing the court will give them the judicial authority to do pretty much as they darn well please, and subsidizing businesses who agree to contribute part of their profits to the Democrats (and not those who oppose them) will further entrench their control of the economy.
Good points, but sad at the same time. Got to get a handle on the government! Somehow.
The goal of raising the minimum wage will also be a boon to the unions, since many union contracts are pegged to the "local prevailing wage." The higher the local wage is, the higher the union rate becomes, which increases the amount of money the unions have to spend on/donate to Dem politicians and/or causes.
Welcome to the party Eric. This what the people get for not voting for Trump because his tweets are too mean. We as a country have so many ignorant people and the Democrats know this. They play off people’s stupidity. They see something right in front of there faces and still deny it. It also doesn’t help that the election was stolen and Obama is actually the run running the country.
And the democratic power grab marches on. They will not stop until they control absolutely everything. This administration is just getting warmed up.
Forget about Trump in 2024. They will turn on the hate full time if he even teases that he will run. They will fix the 2022 election so that they have full control of the House and Senate. The goal of defunding the police is to have a national police force. The Germans had a plan for that and that was to be the post war job of the SS.
The two week shutdown has lasted over a year. If you had the jab you still can’t dance at a wedding with the person you live and sleep with. You still need masks. The Karen’s and Karls are still out denouncing people. This is all part of the plan to keep us fighting with each other.
https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/experts-say-a-long-resolution-to-pipeline-cyberattack-could-hit-consumers-wallets
Erick, you left out the best part of our (Democrats) strategy. The element that will resolve all your manufactured outrage. We will raise taxes on the wealthiest in society to apply downward pressure on their wages, thereby easing pressure on the profit margins of businesses and allowing price stability.
You can't be serious. As Friedrich Von Hayek stated: "If Socialists understood economics, they wouldn't be Socialists."
As Harry S. Truman stated (1952): "Socialism is a scare word they have hurled at every advance the people have made in the last 20 years. Socialism is what they called public power. Socialism is what they called Social Security. Socialism is what they called farm price supports. Socialism is what they called bank deposit insurance. Socialism is what they called the growth of free and independent labor organizations. Socialism is their name for almost anything that helps all the people."
P.S.: If any private company set up a system.like Social Security, it would be considered what it is: A pyramid scheme. You really ought to read Milton Freidman, Thomas Sowell, and Walter E. Williams.
Well it's sad you feel that way. I know that without SS I don't know how my mom would be surviving. And I've read those guys. Hell I used to bang the Freidman drum all day long. I'm in my 50's now and I have to take those writings in context with a lifetime of personal observation of the human condition and my reading of the Bible. Man is flawed. Left to our own devices we will destroy ourselves and each other. Man alone can never create a utopia on earth. But we should avoid creating hell on earth if we can.
I agree that we are flawed and, therefore, any system is flawed. My take on Socialism is that it creates dependency. Look at the problems now of people choosing to not work because they collect as much or more in unemployment. As for Social Security, the idea is laudable, but the setup is deeply flawed. It is, as Sowell and Williams explain, a pyramid scheme. No private company could do it. Government can just vote to spend.
Of course private companies wouldn't do it. They have a mandate to maximize shareholder wealth. There are some things only governments can do. For those the mandate should be to do greater good for the benefit of society. If SS is broken, don't trash it, fix it. You can hate government, but what is the alternative?
We're getting closer. Yes, any manmade system will have flaws. And yes, true socialism creates dependency. There's few better examples than the one you illustrate with unemployment. Nothing should be free. My Bible says you work or you don't eat. What I advocate for, and what drives my vote, is tweaking our imperfect systems with temporary measures to place support (like an invisible hand) where it is needed. At present our 700+ billionaires don't need it. Our lower quintiles do. And the good news is, they spend it. You want to know what my dream is? Single income families. How much better could we be parenting if one of the parents could stay home. Ok that one might be too far to reach. Do you think?
I think I'll take Von Hayek over FDR'S V.P. any day. FDR'S Socialist policies lengthened and deepened the depression. Pretty much all the things you mentioned are detrimental. Free markets and private property rights are what created the wealth of the nation. Socialism is, as Winston Churchill said, a philosophy of failure.
Churchill also said capitalism is the worst system in the world except for all the others. Ok, I've taken a little liberty with his quote. But Jon, I agree that free markets are what drive a healthy economy. But too much freedom can corrupt. Decades of tax cuts for the wealthiest have created disparities that have become grotesque. Stock buy backs do not contribute to our economy. Having a progressive tax system is not socialism. How many more tent communities can we live with? This country has enough wealth to lead the planet in healthcare, eradication of poverty, care for our veterans, education, and more but we don't because of greed. We align on merit, I assure you. We just need to find common ground on a sensible way to change the trajectory of wealth and income distribution.
Why is a disparity grotesque? What does it matter to.me if someone had billions as long as I have my opportunity to live at a decent level? Bill Gates' fortune has nothing to do with.my living. If he doubled his wealth, it wouldn't change mine. ((Some of his insane ideas are another matter. )
It's a zero sum game. The disparity is grotesque because of every dollar Bill has someone else doesn't have that dollar. You (and I) should always have our opportunity to live at a decent level. No reasonable person would advocate for taking that away. Merit is what built the country. But it can't be "Hunger Games" either. The strong will always outperform the weak. Life is full of winners and losers. I think we should build a society that has more winners and fewer losers. Hey I personally had a lot of failing ventures myself before I finally got over the hump. Jon, there are an awful lot of good, hardworking people that, for whatever reason, are never able to ascend into the next upward quintile. There are plenty of reliable studies that show upward mobility has stalled. Shouldn't hard work be rewarded?
I hear a lot of the same here, from restaurant owners, grocery store owners and healthcare providers. But people who run businesses with less interpersonal contact are doing just fine (and some of them pay way less than $15/hour.) A formerly-unemployed person I talked to (who took a call center job instead) didn't want to deal with making customers wear masks. She's vaccinated, so not worried about covid, but she's sick of making $7.25 and spending her time arguing with people.
Child care is another issue, with the seniors who used to care for kids not doing it anymore. That's fear of covid. (Yes, most of them are vaccinated. They're still worried.)
None of that is to say that you're wrong. Just that it's complicated.
Another problem with staying home b/c of great benefits is what will they do when the unemployment runs out? Which it will. The shops, bars, and restaurants may have to close because they can't stay open without workers, and then...where will those workers look when the benefits are gone?
Annemarie, the left thinks it has the answer in the notion of Guaranteed Minimum Income, which in practice is taking the present situation and institutionalizing it.
I can just imagine what their parents would say. Their grandparents would just smack them for being lazy. But then, we're pretty rural here.
Yep. It is complicated! I have friends in the restaurant industry who got laid off, only to see their bosses take money from the government and then hire others. Guess what? These people aren't going back!
And THAT I hadn't heard. Sigh. I know people are worried that they'll go back to work and the place will get shut down again, because of the variants.
Eric, ALL, every bit of this chaos going on in America IS planned.....Cloward Piven....look it up.
Exactly! Too few people are aware of Cloward-Piven, but it is vital to understanding what the left is attempting to do.
people being paid $15/hour to stay home...it will take well over $15/hour for them to go do actual work