duhqueenmoki
1137
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This is the article he sent me...
Obviously has some issues...
Obviously she offers a very limited view...
Heads up, she's not a bot, she's a real person and she's been on Fox News
For more about her article and her background, check out here https://ronaldyatesbooks.com/2019/07/thoughts-from-a-hipster-coffee-shop/
I'm just proud of myself, I was shaking as I typed my replies, but I'm glad I did. I doubt it will change his mind, but I wanted him to know what I think... He lives in Texas in a mansion. I rent in his old house with 4 roommates in CA. I've always looked up to him, I still do, and I love and respect him. I always listen to him even when he's like this because I respect he's seen more than me and had more experience. But I always look more into things and really follow my heart. I don't care about Right vs. Left, I don't care about Dem vs. Rep, Liberal vs. Conservative... I just think there's some things we can fix in our country. If Republicans can fix it, I'll support them, if Democrats do it, I'll support them. Really we should be supporting people and policies, not political views or political parties.
cookieduster
Ditto
picklesue
As a millennial the US has been involved in warlike activities since my birth, but personally the most impactful was Afghanistan/Iraq...
picklesue
We saw siblings and friends sent over and many came back with injuries so traumatic they killed themselves. We've been through IT ALL.
picklesue
@op thank you for putting words to what we all wanted to say.
thorinsbeard
You are right that outsourcing is a problem, which is why Trump has instituted tarrifs, and renegotiated trade deals to bring jobs back.
duhqueenmoki
That's great! Now about those other issues...
thorinsbeard
You may have seen all my many other replies addressing all of them.
duhqueenmoki
You actually didn't address the issues, you used obscure and overly specific examples to avoid the general wide-spread issues.
thorinsbeard
I addressed many if not all of your issues. You think things are unfair, but your struggles are self created in so many ways.
duhqueenmoki
Things ARE unfair. For others (I have actually had a very blessed life) especially. We need to close loopholes, support the middle class
BagFullOfMommy
As a Millennial I've lived through 4 recessions (2 depressions really), housing that costs more than you can afford, jobs that require 1/?
BagFullOfMommy
2 to 4 years experience right out of the gate with no way to get said experience, the eroding and crumbling of our freedoms 2/?
duhqueenmoki
Right?? We've seen everything previous generations have seen, EXCEPT the prosperity in my opinion...
MoneAbrahms
I think your definition of prosperity is relative. That was what I believe was agreed to in the post. But I agree you can always improve.
BagFullOfMommy
I even left out the multiple "wars" including the damn near 20 years in Iraq / Afghanistan, and the 21+ trillion dollar national deficit.
BagFullOfMommy
College that you have to put yourself into debt to attend. A broken health care system, a failing public school system. 3/?
BagFullOfMommy
Look at the way our parents grew up, buying homes and going to college on part time jobs and tell me we've only ever known prosperity. 4/4
MoneAbrahms
I don’t know what your parents were doing but there was no way Gen X was going to school and buying a house in the 80’s and 90’s like that.
BagFullOfMommy
My parents are not Gen X, I am 35 I was born in 1985. Like a shit ton of other Millennials my parents are Boomers.
thorinsbeard
Michael needs to get a full time job, part time jobs are for students and suckers.
duhqueenmoki
He DOES have a full-time job. He works 40 hrs repairing hybrid vehicle batteries. His employer doesn't offer ANY benefits or medical though-
duhqueenmoki
because businesses with only a few employees aren't required (even though his boss make $500k a year). He works part-time at a restaurant-
duhqueenmoki
to make ends meet because even with full-time pay, it isn't anywhere near enough. He also served 6 years in the Natl Guard, receives no help
thorinsbeard
Seems like he should go into business repairing batteries himself and undercut his employer then.
duhqueenmoki
Nope. Legally he can't, his employer made him sign a waiver for exactly this reason. So, again, rich guy wins, poor guy gets poorer
thorinsbeard
Amazon invests all its earnings into the company, and yet people constantly complain about Amazon not paying enough taxes because of this.
duhqueenmoki
I'm not sure why you're bringing up Amazon at all? Nowhere did I say Amazon was an issue. But even Trump wants them paying more taxes
thorinsbeard
Because they are proof that the tax incentives are towards inviting gains into the company, which you say is not happening.
duhqueenmoki
I should have probably said CEOs instead of "businesses" , my bad. It's the 1% that are avoiding taxes and hoarding money.
thorinsbeard
The top 20% pay 87% of the income tax. Where's the secret hoarding happening?
duhqueenmoki
LOL they pay their income tax filled with loopholes that nowhere near taxes what's actually fair? I feel like you need data so here:
thorinsbeard
I make 60k a year and I only have a high school degree. I feel like you may have made some poor decisions regarding employment and education
duhqueenmoki
I followed my passions and helping people. I became a teacher. Fuck me right? Bachelors required, year of unpaid internship, and numerous-
duhqueenmoki
state exams. But I get paid $60k while a cop with less than half my schooling/training gets paid over $100k, sometimes $200k or $300k-
duhqueenmoki
But yeah, fuck me right? I guess I chose the wrong career. If I moved to S Korea I'd be much better off like my friend.
thorinsbeard
Yes you did choose the wrong career to make money. You can make more by teaching in certain areas, but yes, you will never be rich...
thorinsbeard
Do you think all careers have equal value? If you wanted money, you could have gone for that. It's not the government's fault you didn't.
thorinsbeard
Everyone who immigrates here, regardless of original nation, does better here than in their home country on average, including 1st world.
duhqueenmoki
Not true at all. In fact, my friend who moved to S Korea is MUCH better off. Her work helps her pay for housing, she gets free medical care-
duhqueenmoki
and her pay there has much more buying power than here. And she doesn't even speak Korean! And she's not even a citizen! Think about that-
duhqueenmoki
S Korea is treating a foreigner using a work visa better than her US is treating her as a citizen.
duhqueenmoki
Another example, my friend who moved to Australia has twice as much vacation time and maternity leave and says she's never coming back
thorinsbeard
Your examples don't disprove what I said at all...
thorinsbeard
How are you making 60k a year and unable to afford an apartment? I know people making half of that with an apartment.
duhqueenmoki
As a teacher, I would need a 2 bedroom apt (a room for my office). They run at about $2400 a month here... Which btw is another issue to fix
thorinsbeard
If only California didn't make it so difficult to build new housing so costs would drop... Which political group runs CA again?
duhqueenmoki
Politics have nothing to do with it, the housing crisis is a national problem regardless of state. Texas has its own housing problem too
thorinsbeard
Yeah? We both know you could afford a quite nice apartment in Texas making 60k a year. You could probably afford a house in TX if you saved.
duhqueenmoki
Texas pays $40k a year for teachers, I would be in the same boat.
thorinsbeard
You say Alyssa is oblivious to the problems outside the coffee shop, while you are purposely discounting the blessings outside it.
duhqueenmoki
"Discounting"? How so?
thorinsbeard
Deciding that comparing America to third world countries isn't appropriate.
duhqueenmoki
But it ISN'T appropriate. Of course we're "blessed" compared to them, that's like an 8th grader saying they're smarter than a 3rd grader-
duhqueenmoki
You can't just compare yourself to things lower than your level. An 8th grader should compare themselves to another 8th grader.
thorinsbeard
The author's talking about people in poverty, and you're skipping over the individual and jumping to the nation.
thorinsbeard
You're right, people shouldn't have to spend 80k on college. They also shouldn't go to college unless it's for a STEM degree.
duhqueenmoki
That's a strange thing to say. Whether it's competitive dance, lawyers, sports players, doctors, artists, etc, college has many uses-
duhqueenmoki
other than STEM. STEM is growing, but it isn't the only field worth merit. Maybe try going to college? You might understand then.
thorinsbeard
You think competitive dance and art are useful degrees? If you come out of college making less with your degree than someone makes without..
thorinsbeard
You made a poor investment decision. Go to school for something useful, or don't complain that your useless degree isn't making you money.
duhqueenmoki
Since you latched onto the example of dance, let's talk about it. Dance has been used for thousands of years to communicate, reflect culture
thorinsbeard
Poverty SHOULD exist. Instead, say that people who work full time should not be in poverty. And good news, almost all of them aren't.
duhqueenmoki
Almost all? That is not my experience, do you have any evidence to back that up? I see hunrdreds of families working full time a year who-
duhqueenmoki
are in or under the poverty line. It's shocking, I feel like you're limited to the people you know maybe?
thorinsbeard
97% of people can avoid poverty by doing 3 things. Graduate HS, get a full time job, and don't have kids before marriage. That's it.
thorinsbeard
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.brookings.edu/opinions/three-simple-rules-poor-teens-should-follow-to-join-the-middle-class/amp/
duhqueenmoki
Yeah, if only. But that isn't reality. And those 3 things don't even always work, where'd you get that?
thorinsbeard
Pay is outpacing inflation, under Trump, for the first time in decades, and the largest outpacing is in the lower class.
duhqueenmoki
https://www.politifact.com/article/2019/feb/07/why-it-feels-wages-arent-outpacing-inflation-even-/ Fact check
thorinsbeard
Fact check:
duhqueenmoki
You didn't read the article. You are technically correct, that data is correct. But it shouldn't be used to measure standard of living or-
duhqueenmoki
measure prosperity of middle class etc.
thorinsbeard
The link was broken so I couldn't read it.
thorinsbeard
I promise you that if Obama was president, it would suddenly be used to measure prosperity.
thorinsbeard
Veterans are not somehow magically exempt from the free rider problem. They don't get a special exemption from homelessness.
duhqueenmoki
They don't have "special exemption" but for some reason are disproportionately homeless. So you don't think we should have programs to help?
duhqueenmoki
I also need to add, as someone who's had to deal with the VA, it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to get help from them. When they do respond to you-
duhqueenmoki
they just give you the run around or refuse to pay your bills on time, forcing you to do it. Have you ever had to deal with them?
thorinsbeard
Veterans choice, and the new ability to fire VA employees who suck, are both things passed by Trump. VA has 91% approval now.
thorinsbeard
There are programs to help vets, and if they take steps to get off the streets, they will not be homeless. It's that simple.
duhqueenmoki
Veterans choice was passed by Obama though. And those policies, including Vet Choice, ARENT WORKING. Talk to veterans.