OH, and I’m sure you all know, I’m not religious at all. But yet I still manage to see the value of charity… I know plenty of people like me. You don’t have to be “god fearing” to do the “right” thing…
[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
[quote]batman730 wrote:
My employer had a financial advisor who at the very least was incompetent, if not outright dishonest. He lost a significant amount of my my employers money moving it around in some highly questionable transactions where he got paid win, lose or draw, and earned a very handsome living in the process. This is inequitable, IMO.
[/quote]
What people fail to recognize (not necessarily you) is that your employer (the CEO) is liable (depending on a number of factors) for his poor decision to hire a dishonest financial adviser. Had this decision bankrupt the business you would unfortunately be out of a job. He would be out of business and could possible lose everything he owns. This alone is reason enough for “management” to make significantly more money than low skill workers.
No one ever talks about sharing the risk equitably. [/quote]
I do indeed appreciate the risk assumed by those who choose to go into business for themselves. It’s one of the reasons (but not the main one, that would be time commitment and my own long term career goals) that I haven’t gone out on my own.
It’s also one of the reasons I don’t begrudge my boss one red cent of the gap between his income and my own. A guy who worked for us many years ago when I first started opted to go out on his own. He thought it was gonna be all blondes and blow jobs and he’d just get to keep the spread between what his time billed out for and his old hourly wage.
Then, within a few months, a major piece of his equipment failed due to regular wear and tear. It was gonna several days and several thousand dollars to get it fixed. He was utterly shocked. Go figure.
This turned out really well.
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
This turned out really well.[/quote]
lol.
[quote]mbdix wrote:
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
This turned out really well.[/quote]
lol. [/quote]
I’m actually serious. These recent posts have been useful to read at this time.
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
This turned out really well.[/quote]
Gets bigger in every avatar.
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
[quote]mbdix wrote:
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
This turned out really well.[/quote]
lol. [/quote]
I’m actually serious. These recent posts have been useful to read at this time.[/quote]
Cool, if you got something out of them, that’s a major positive.
[quote]countingbeans wrote:
[quote]BrickHead wrote:
Regarding my post resembling an adolescent’s novel: I never was exposed to poor people in my adolescence nor did I give any thought to what I speak of here.
Did my post involve feelings? Yes. As I said, I am talking about other human beings, and not being a psychopath, feelings will get involved with this subject. [/quote]
I grew up “poor” and the closest thing I knew to “rich” were working class, blue collar people who made good wage, like a licensed machine operator.
How fucked up on booze and weed you got on Thursday was a measure of your success well into your 30’s and 40’s, not just as a high school teen chasing women.
Now that I live in a middle class neighborhood, work with white collar people, and work for very, very rich people day in and day out… My empathy is slim. There are very few examples of “poor” and “bad luck” people I have empathy for. Nor do I feel, for one second, guilty for my situation. In fact I celebrate it. I worked my ass off to get her, and left a lot, a metric fuck ton, of good people behind in order to do it.
SO add in an education and decades experience in business, continuing study of economics, taxation, business practices, keeping up with current events, etc… I don’t buy the bullshit. And much of the whining and crying about the “poor” and the evil “millionaires and billionaires” is bullshit. If fact, anyone turned on by the “YOU DIDN’T BUILD THAT” nonsense would serve themselves well to retake Economics 101, Civics 101 and both World and US history 101. Nothing Obama or Liz Warren says wasn’t already said by FDR, and he confiscated our gold, put people in interment camps and was more than happy to get into WWII.
Right, and our point is your very last sentence here. Think about it.
[/quote]
I was a dirt poor kid myself and decided that poor is not how I wanted to wind up later in life. I did all sorts of jobs as a kid, but I learned how to work hard no matter how crappy the job was.
But I always found out how to hang onto a job and get to better positions. I was able to make it so I’d be in the right place at the right time more than once. Always show up on time, learn what you can and find out what people there do not like to do… make that job your bitch.
I have 3 brothers and sisters and I have done the best out of all of us. My sister, as bright as she is, just can’t seem to make her own luck. My youngest brother never saw the importance of education, so in the past 6 years, he’s had 5 jobs. My 2nd youngest brother, married to a rich trust fund lady. He hasn’t worked since 1998, I hope her $$ holds out. He’s fucked if he has to go back into the work force.
I should be able to retire well in the next 5 years with a good IRA account to fall back on as well as SS and other investments.
[quote]pushharder wrote:
[quote]mbdix wrote:
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
[quote]mbdix wrote:
[quote]spar4tee wrote:
This turned out really well.[/quote]
lol. [/quote]
I’m actually serious. These recent posts have been useful to read at this time.[/quote]
Cool, if you got something out of them, that’s a major positive. [/quote]
Moral of the story:
Get off your ass.
Whether it’s in the gym or relationships or your career, get off your ass and watch your world change all around you.
[/quote]
Very true
[quote]angry chicken wrote:
What’s Mr. or Mrs. “I’m on welfare cuz I can’t find a job”'s excuse?
They are either STUPID, or LAZY.
[/quote]
Actually most of the people I see everyday using welfare benefits are in fact stupid, in the biological sense of the term, or are psychologically damaged or mentally ill, and no amount of exhortation and education is going to turn them into something they are not.
What exactly should we do with all these stupid people considering morons can’t turn into geniuses or even elevated to an average level.
I’ve brought up the idea of a sound eugenics and welfare program that will encourage those of good character and decent or great capabilities to reproduce more than they are currently, with the aim of upgrading what is left of our civilization.
I believe this would certainly alleviate enormous economic, social, mental, and emotional burden.
Usually when I propose this idea to right wingers, Republicans, libertarians, bootstrappers, or any of the “it’s every man for himself” and “no one owes you anything” types, they turn into “bleeding hearts” themselves.
I’ve also mentioned we possibly take a ruthless and downright hostile stance on our Southern border and stamp out all illegal immigration, perhaps building a colossal wall that no one can get under or over, and if necessary, using brute force for any person illegally entering our country. This would reduce the enormous financial burden that is forcing ordinary folks to pay astronomical prices whenever they have to go to a hospital or use health insurance considering that every working person is carrying several drones on their backs, not to mention that our resources of ALL sorts are not infinite. It would also open up numerous opportunities for lower level jobs for legal citizens and hugely cut down on exploitation of those who come here illegally.
[quote]pushharder wrote:
[quote]BrickHead wrote:
[quote]angry chicken wrote:
What’s Mr. or Mrs. “I’m on welfare cuz I can’t find a job”'s excuse?
They are either STUPID, or LAZY.
[/quote]
Actually most of the people I see everyday using welfare benefits are in fact stupid, in the biological sense of the term, or are psychologically damaged or mentally ill, and no amount of exhortation and education is going to turn them into something they are not.
What exactly should we do with all these stupid people considering morons can’t turn into geniuses or even elevated to an average level.
I’ve brought up the idea of a sound eugenics and welfare program that will encourage those of good character and decent or great capabilities to reproduce more than they are currently, with the aim of upgrading what is left of our civilization.
I believe this would certainly alleviate enormous economic, social, mental, and emotional burden.
Usually when I propose this idea to right wingers, Republicans, libertarians, bootstrappers, or any of the “it’s every man for himself” and “no one owes you anything” types, they turn into “bleeding hearts” themselves.
I’ve also mentioned we possibly take a ruthless and downright hostile stance on our Southern border and stamp out all illegal immigration, perhaps building a colossal wall that no one can get under or over, and if necessary, using brute force for any person illegally entering our country. This would reduce the enormous financial burden that is forcing ordinary folks to pay astronomical prices whenever they have to go to a hospital or use health insurance considering that every working person is carrying several drones on their backs, not to mention that our resources of ALL sorts are not infinite. It would also open up numerous opportunities for lower level jobs for legal citizens and hugely cut down on exploitation of those who come here illegally.
[/quote]
Now I AM impressed with this post.
[/quote]
Thanks!
[quote]BrickHead wrote:
Actually most of the people I see everyday using welfare benefits are in fact stupid, in the biological sense of the term, or are psychologically damaged or mentally ill, and no amount of exhortation and education is going to turn them into something they are not.
[/quote]
Necessity is the mother of invention. People managed before Daddy FDR came along. And charities and the church were much more active in helping as were families. Many people on welfare would be supported by family members if their benefits were cut. And charities/churches could run more soup kitchens instead of food stamps.
Menial labour. That’s what they’re fit for. Many would be forced by circumstance to “do the jobs Americans won’t do” for example. And the ones who really are unable to hold down a job due to mental illness and so on > see above; soup kitchens, charities etc.
I’ve actually read a bit about the eugenics program in Nazi Germany and the incentives didn’t work. It seems you can’t really encourage people to have children. Nazi Germany offered huge incentives for having more children and major disincentives for not having children and it had absolutely no effect. Himmler aimed to get an average of four children from each SS marriage on average but after ten years of intense ideological propaganda, financial and social incentives and disincentives, the fertility rate was the same in 1944 as it was in 1934 when the program started. SS marriages averaged just 1.5 children. The same story on a broader national level.
BTW - I’m just using Nazi Germany as the example because they’re the only country that had a serious eugenics program. I’m not suggesting that eugenics is necessarily immoral or anything.
Nazi Germany had a massive propaganda campaign to show disabled people as a burden on society and they forcibly sterilised several million people. Not sure how effective that was but obviously that’s a morally repugnant thing to do from most people’s perspective. It was pretty common before modern times though when disabled people were neglected to such an extent that they died off. And the concept of improving genetics through means like this were understood on some level. The Spartans used to kill any babies that had deformities or disabilities in order to ensure the health of the genetic stock and remove burdens from society. Again, morally repugnant of course.
Now that is a good idea. Good luck getting people elected who would do it though.
There will come a tipping point where the host finally gets tired of the parasite. Unfortunately, it will be too late. You’re actually 30+ years too late to do anything about it anyway which is a terrifying prospect and a real tragedy. The US will resemble Brazil in a generation. A Balkanised backwater. Sorry, but it’s true. There’s no turning it back now.
[quote]BrickHead wrote:
[quote]angry chicken wrote:
What’s Mr. or Mrs. “I’m on welfare cuz I can’t find a job”'s excuse?
They are either STUPID, or LAZY.
[/quote]
Actually most of the people I see everyday using welfare benefits are in fact stupid, in the biological sense of the term, or are psychologically damaged or mentally ill, and no amount of exhortation and education is going to turn them into something they are not.
[/quote]I have managed stupid people in construction for years. As long as you can get them to SHOW THE FUCK UP ON TIME SOBER, they can be put to use. It’s getting them there that is the issue.[quote]
What exactly should we do with all these stupid people considering morons can’t turn into geniuses or even elevated to an average level.
[/quote]I could get behind some sort of work program. Right now the US infrastructure is in serious trouble. From our roads, our water/gas lines to our electric grid. MOST of that work can be done with low skilled labor. I would rather pay a marginally productive person TO WORK, rather than pay them to sit at home. Hell they could be put to work to build that wall between us and Mexico.[quote]
I’ve brought up the idea of a sound eugenics and welfare program that will encourage those of good character and decent or great capabilities to reproduce more than they are currently, with the aim of upgrading what is left of our civilization.
[/quote]I don’t know very much about eugenics, other than it’s a very slippery slope. But that could be just the “semantics” of the word. I do think that we are currently engaging in a “quasi-eugenics” program. It’s called welfare. We are paying unproductive people MORE to have MORE kids. We house them, coddle them with special programs, feed them and generally do EVERYTHING we can to ensure that they will NEVER develop the life skills they need to stand on their own two feet. How does this serve society in the long run? IT DOESN’T. But it sure buys Democratic VOTES in the short term… Which creates a insidious cycle of dependency that gains momentum until you have what we have today: a critical mass of “haves” and “have-nots”. At this point, I think a eugenics program to reverse this situation is a day late and dollar short. The Democrats have “maxed out” the African American population, now they are trying to win the hearts and minds (and votes) of the Spanish speaking population. And they are winning.
There won’t be ANY program that we can implement until the forces that are trying to destroy our country and everything we stand for are stopped.[quote]
I believe this would certainly alleviate enormous economic, social, mental, and emotional burden.
Usually when I propose this idea to right wingers, Republicans, libertarians, bootstrappers, or any of the “it’s every man for himself” and “no one owes you anything” types, they turn into “bleeding hearts” themselves.
[/quote]I can see that. Personally, I’m a realist. I really don’t care that much about someone who cant (wont) help themselves. As for retarded people, I don’t think they should be contributing to the gene pool. I’m not saying they should be thrown off a cliff or anything like that, but the fact of the matter is that our general population is becoming STUPIDER as a result of stupid people surviving and breeding. In earlier times, these people never would have lived (or if they did, they would have developed a strategy to be USEFUL). But I certainly don’t like paying for dead weight.[quote]
I’ve also mentioned we possibly take a ruthless and downright hostile stance on our Southern border and stamp out all illegal immigration, perhaps building a colossal wall that no one can get under or over, and if necessary, using brute force for any person illegally entering our country. This would reduce the enormous financial burden that is forcing ordinary folks to pay astronomical prices whenever they have to go to a hospital or use health insurance considering that every working person is carrying several drones on their backs, not to mention that our resources of ALL sorts are not infinite. It would also open up numerous opportunities for lower level jobs for legal citizens and hugely cut down on exploitation of those who come here illegally.
[/quote]
You’re preaching to the choir there.
[quote]countingbeans wrote:
[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
[quote]LoRez wrote:
The biggest resistance I’ve seen is an unwillingness to relocate themselves or their families out of economically depressed areas. They’re aware there’s jobs elsewhere, and they’re aware they’re in a depressed area, but the actual act of moving seems to scare them away from doing anything about it. Social bonding and familiarity is a very strong force.[/quote]
Absolutely. [/quote]
Eh… I moved 130 miles away from everyone I knew, by myself.
[/quote]
I hear you. That’s part of why you’re successful.
[quote]BrickHead wrote:
I’ve brought up the idea of a sound eugenics and welfare program that will encourage those of good character and decent or great capabilities to reproduce more than they are currently, with the aim of upgrading what is left of our civilization.
I believe this would certainly alleviate enormous economic, social, mental, and emotional burden.
[/quote]
It’s an interesting idea; however, one flaw I can see is that a percentage (not sure what though) of people are able to “climb” the ladder so to speak because they are smart enough to avoid children until they are financially stable or all together. By encouraging (hopefully not with incentives) more abundant or earlier procreation you’ll be damaging one of the reasons for the success of these sorts of people in the first place.
Not to sound like a bleeding heart, but the idea of social engineering sounds like a pretty dangerous one.
[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
Not to sound like a bleeding heart, but the idea of social engineering sounds like a pretty dangerous one.
[/quote]
If being against social engineering and an eugenics program makes you a bleeding heart, then we are seriously fucked up.
[quote]magick wrote:
[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
Not to sound like a bleeding heart, but the idea of social engineering sounds like a pretty dangerous one.
[/quote]
If being against social engineering and an eugenics program makes you a bleeding heart, then we are seriously fucked up.[/quote]
Agreed.
Being pro freedom (which by definition would make you against social engineering and eugenics) doesn’t automatically make one a bleeding heart.
On the flip side, just because one claims to support “for the poor” ideas, doesn’t make them a bleeding heart either. I know more armchair social justice warrior who do nothing but bitch on facebook about “taxing” the rich. The next time they donated a dollar or a second of their time will be the first.
If your idea even remotely resembles “but we need the government to do X” and you don’t even do X, you are a massive fucking douchebag, and likely vote democrat.
[quote]magick wrote:
[quote]usmccds423 wrote:
Not to sound like a bleeding heart, but the idea of social engineering sounds like a pretty dangerous one.
[/quote]
If being against social engineering and an eugenics program makes you a bleeding heart, then we are seriously fucked up.[/quote]
Lol, ain’t that the truth.