Posts by ruggedjackal46

Justin James10 said:Oh, I see how it works... so it's better for the government to irrationally blow through our hard-earned tax dollars than to let us actually decide what to do with our own money? Is that really the logic we're following here?

ruggedjackal46 said:And honestly, he's right. It makes way more sense to pool our income into a collective fund so the government can actually build schools, daycares, hospitals, and proper sewage systems for everyone. Why should we all just sit around waiting for some private entrepreneur to show up offering to dig individual septic tanks in our backyards?

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Justin James10 said:Oh, absolutely. Because we all know how incredibly well the government manages our tax dollars, right?

Did I really say they were doing a "stellar" job? My mistake. Let’s be honest—they manage our money about as well as a toddler manages a glass vase. But before you start shouting about dismantling the entire federal government and handing every cent over to some visionary Silicon Valley entrepreneur, can we slow down just a second?

Justin James10 said:What do you mean "free"? Where does this idea come from that any service is actually free? My family and I have already paid for every single one of those things through our taxes. Nothing is ever truly free.

And honestly, he's right. It makes way more sense to pool our income into a collective fund so the government can actually build schools, daycares, hospitals, and proper sewage systems for everyone. Why should we all just sit around waiting for some private entrepreneur to show up offering to dig individual septic tanks in our backyards?

Justin James10 said:Do we really need to quote the great Ronald Reagan here? He famously argued that government isn't the solution to our problems—it actually *is* the problem, right?

In my experience, the government has never truly solved a problem or lent a helping hand. In fact, whenever the government gets too deeply involved, it usually just creates an even bigger mess! Isn't the real answer found in a minimal state, fewer regulations, lower taxes, and a heavy emphasis on personal responsibility?

Look at any skilled tradesperson—a solid plumber or painter—making great money strictly under the table. And don't even get me started on the local mechanics...

Honestly, there’s zero need to quote him.

The government has never actually solved a single problem or helped anyone. Every time the state sticks its nose in, things just get messier. The answer is simple: minimal government, minimal regulations, minimal taxes, and personal responsibility.

So, let me get this straight. When you head to a free doctor's visit, drop your kid off at a public school, walk on paved sidewalks, drive on maintained highways, turn on a faucet and get running water, or even flush the toilet... was that all you did by yourself? You’re telling me the federal government and local municipalities had absolutely nothing to do with any of that?

brightpilot6 said:I’ll tell you again—you aren't looking at the big picture, and instead, you're stuck in this niche where those of us who are younger and more tech-savvy tend to thrive. We have the luxury of vacation rentals, IT, crypto, freelancing, ridesharing... But who is going to be our auto mechanic, our painter, our plumber, our baker, our construction worker, or our carpenter? These people actually need to own shops and warehouses, hire staff, and either follow every single regulation (which is a fantasy anyway) or live with a constant knot in their stomach, fearing some inspector might show up tomorrow to shut them down just because they didn't pay a little "protection fee" to get someone off their back.

Those trades are the actual fabric of society; they are the roles the majority of people are capable of doing, and for these jobs to exist, they have to be viable and profitable, primarily for the business owner. They simply aren't, because you get screwed at every turn, whether it's through crushing taxes or the government's complete inability to support small businesses or protect them from criminals.

Good grief, we’ll either all end up as freelancers living in the cloud, or we'll all be living in public housing projects. At least until the first bomb drops or an oil tanker spills.

But honestly, what happens when your toilet pipe bursts and there isn't a single plumber left in the zip code to fix it? 😁

Jessica Gonzalez said:So, everything is great, anyone can find a job with good pay, and there's always that reliable option of working under the table. Why would anyone even leave the US?

Haha, so I guess these people aren't Americans, they're aliens?
https://www.hostelsvetirok.com/
Apparently, this was started by a woman under 30.
Great idea. Why don't the 200,000 unemployed people just open 200,000 hostels each, while everyone else makes a few million on Bitcoin? Problem solved. No issues at all.

Justin James10 said:ruggedjackal46, I was actually emphasizing the idea of moving abroad. I wasn't just talking about finding work within the States. Why on earth should someone be forced to find a career strictly in their hometown? Mobility is one of the most vital factors for growth, don't you think?

Take a rural area in the Midwest, for instance—there isn't a single family there that doesn't have someone living somewhere in Western Europe, and that’s been the norm for generations. It has become such a standard way of life that nobody even thinks twice about it anymore.

The government isn't set up just so we can wave flags and beat our chests in pride; it exists so that through collective tax contributions, we ensure all citizens have decent living conditions. If that isn't happening, then what's the point of having a state, a Congress, the White House, various departments, agencies, and local municipalities? Why do we hand over nearly half our paychecks through federal and state taxes? Is it so the government can tell people in need, "Hey, go look for help somewhere else"?

Jessica Gonzalez said:People are starting businesses and making money. In the small town where my late grandmother lived, they're turning old houses into luxury villas with pools to rent out, and it seems to be doing quite well. I guess it doesn't matter much where you live if you're working in something like IT. You probably just need a laptop and a decent internet connection.

Jessica Gonzalez said:I guess if you had jumped on the Bitcoin bandwagon early enough, you could have just picked up some GPUs at any local Best Buy and started mining. It seems like anyone who doesn't want to put in the work can always find a million excuses as to why they can't.

Look, you actually need some actual expertise for this stuff. You can't just expect someone with nothing more than a high school diploma to run a major Silicon Valley tech firm or start flipping Bitcoin like a pro. It’s the same logic as expecting someone from a tiny rural town in the Midwest to suddenly be out there renting out luxury mansions in Beverly Hills. We really can't just look at everything through our own narrow little lens, can we?

Justin James10 said:I’ve traveled all over the United States, from the small towns to the big cities, and coming from a rural area myself, I have to say I don't quite see eye to eye with ruggedjackal46 on this one. Hardworking people generally don't struggle to find work—whether they're landing a corporate role in Chicago, finding a gig out in the Midwest, or even picking up some freelance side hustles... they make things happen. The ones who stay chronically unemployed are usually just stuck in a state of apathy, almost hoping they won't find anything. Or, you might be looking at folks in their 40s who aren't as mobile or easy to hire as the younger crowd. But even then, most of them still find ways to earn a living under the table.

We want that high Western standard of living, but without actually embracing the full brunt of raw capitalism, right? 🙄

I mean, honestly, everything seems perfectly fine on paper, doesn't it? You can find a job with a decent paycheck anywhere if you look hard enough, and let’s be real—there’s always that reliable option of picking up some under-the-table cash if you want to stay off the radar. So, I have to wonder: why is anyone even bothering to leave America?

Look, there’s a massive difference between discussing business and entrepreneurship and tackling the unemployment crisis in America. They aren't even in the same zip code. Just because a bunch of people hitting up the local unemployment office can't find work outside of a major hub like New York City doesn't mean they lack entrepreneurial spirit or that the economy is failing them personally. I mean, really, what is someone in rural Wyoming supposed to do—start a taxi service? Or launch a high-tech Silicon Valley startup from a farmhouse in West Virginia? With what seed money, and more importantly, with what kind of market? I get it. Some of you are obsessed with corporate ladders, work ethic, and market dynamics because that’s the world you live in. You’re frustrated by low wages for college grads, the lack of hustle, and all those people getting cushy government jobs without lifting a finger. But can we be self-aware enough to look at the bigger picture? Most of the people struggling out there aren't even on your radar. If you don't personally know anyone who’s unemployed, maybe it’s just because you, as a degree-holder living in Manhattan, don't exactly hang out with the jobless folks in rural Montana.

Jessica Gonzalez said:Believe it or not, I think there are actually people who truly love what they do and go above and beyond.

And as for that idea that there's a place just a couple hundred miles away where average salaries are ten times higher... maybe show me where that is on a map.

What, are they doing it for the exposure?

And while we're at it, just point me to the spot on the map where there's a country a few hundred miles away with average salaries ten times higher than ours.

Since when were we talking about the national average?

Jessica Gonzalez said:I'm not so sure about that. I guess some people work simply to cover their basic needs, no matter what those might be. Like, a hunter-gatherer in the Amazon might hunt just to stay alive, but most Americans work because they want to afford more and live better. Believe it or not, even in places where the government might offer things like universal basic income, I suspect many people would still choose to work so they can earn more. Maybe certain groups might rely on social safety nets, but it seems like some cultures just aren't big fans of hard work.

Fair point, but let's be real: people don't work because they're deeply in love with their jobs; they work because they need an income—to cover the basics, to treat themselves to something nice, you name it. At its core, it’s just a transaction. A worker trades their time, energy, and skills for a paycheck. It isn't about loving or hating labor; it's simply about whether the trade is viable and if the worker can actually secure that income.

The fact that there's high unemployment and a massive exodus of workers moving to other states in America doesn't have anything to do with some supposed cultural "hatred of work." It's much simpler: the transaction isn't happening. Either there aren't enough jobs, the wages are insulting, or the pay for that same work just a few hundred miles away is ten times higher. In these cases, you can't blame a few "bad" employers, and you certainly can't blame "lazy" employees either.

Jessica Gonzalez said:I suppose dishwashers are pretty much seen as middle class in any society. It’s a tough grind, and maybe it just isn't worth it for most people.

So, does earning a decent paycheck for yourself and helping out a family member somehow qualify you as "middle class" now?

James Anderson5 said:Well, part of that is true, but I know plenty of people who left simply because they couldn't stand the social climate or the lack of career growth... maybe it's hard to generalize like that...

It’s definitely true that a lot of people just don't want to work—whether it's due to the culture, political cronyism, or just pure laziness—but the reality is they'll run from a job like the plague...

Not everyone moves overseas just to wash dishes.

It's definitely true that a huge chunk of the population doesn't want to work because they simply can't be bothered—whether it's due to the social vibe, cronyism, or just plain old laziness—but the fact remains that they run from work like it's a plague.

People don't work because they feel like it; they work because they have to.

James Anderson5 said:So, who should we actually trust to get the job done? It’s always a gamble... 😁It’s honestly wild when you see all those crowds at federal agencies and government offices pulling in $150k or more...$5.00 If you don't want any real responsibility or hard work, you'll just end up feeling cheated... they’d probably rather go wash dishes in Germany, where it feels like things are actually fair...

The whole system here feels like it’s rigged by corruption that just eats away at people's integrity. It's no secret that the construction industry has been driven by shady dealings for years, keeping housing prices artificially high just so certain groups can maximize their profits through these little cartels... You see the exact same pattern with the big banks, the food industry, and pretty much everything else. Just look at those ridiculous utility surcharges or how they're hiking up electricity rates under the guise of "green energy"—it's obvious to anyone watching who's actually getting rich off those wind farm concessions...

The justice system is pretty much broken too, and honestly, the public is just split between those deeply entrenched insiders who have everything rigged in their favor and everyone else who's left disorganized and struggling to push for real change...

It’s not some deep moral crisis or a lack of willpower. People aren't abandoning their homes and moving to Germany just because they're fed up with the local political cronyism or the way the system is rigged for insiders. They aren't running away from home out of spite. They're doing it because they have to. In Germany, washing dishes earns you a paycheck that actually means something—money you can actually send back to support your family. Back here? You can barely make enough to cover your own groceries. At the end of the day, it isn't philosophy; it's just simple math.

Matthew Young35 said:If American women aren't interested in taking these jobs, then Mexican women will step up to fill the void. 🙂

So, we’re really doing this? We're diving headfirst into the whole multiculturalism debate among Americans? Honestly, where does it even start? Is there a roadmap for this kind of social melting pot, or are we all just winging it and hoping for the best? It feels like every time someone brings up the idea of a diverse, multi-ethnic society, half the room starts debating philosophy while the other half just wants to know if it's going to affect their neighborhood vibe. It's a lot to unpack, isn't it?

Matthew Young35 said:If we’re just talking about minor particles, then who can blame them? Should they have studied harder?
It’s happening all across America, affecting every profession imaginable. Software engineers, economists, philosophers, sysadmins, even cashiers... Everyone is being systematically undercut.

But does anyone actually care? The mindset is always the same: just bring in workers from Mexico to do the job, while Americans head off to Germany where they won't be underpaid.

What really gets under my skin is that we're talking about massive corporations pulling in astronomical profits... yet when it comes to fair wages, they couldn't care less. They'll happily let the government facilitate importing labor from Mexico instead.

The Republican Party is running the show right now, and honestly, they seem genuinely baffled as to why American women aren't cranking out more babies. Like, do they actually expect us to just flip a switch? It’s almost funny watching them scratch their heads over birth rates while ignoring everything else. 🙏

Jack Miller6 said:Would those 13 years count toward his sentence?

Technically, yeah, but I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if they’d actually found him innocent. How on earth do you hand someone a -13 year sentence? 😁

As for the situation with the defendant, the whole thing is just absurd. Someone actually managed to smuggle poison into the detention center, and then this guy manages to sneak it right into the courtroom? It’s the perfect, chaotic finale for what has basically been nothing more than a legal circus.

Amanda Evans2 said:You think I actually have a shot? Both with women and men...

Just like watching Tony’s squad struggle through a rainy afternoon against Arsenal FC.

Amanda Evans2 said:So, what exactly is supposed to be the dominant symbol of masculinity?
I'm just dying to know so I can prepare myself for when I finally grow up

Look, if you're rooting for Stoke City, you're already on the right track.

ambertinker41 said:I honestly don't know how much weight you can give to people like this; personally, they're right up there with Gill or LoJack in my book.

Sure, he might seem like a Gill to you or me, but the guy is actually serving as a military advisor to the President. Kolinda basically gave all his nonsense a layer of legitimacy.

urbanhawk17 said:or, I don't know, if they told you "only a bus shelter can save us"🤷

Infrastructure, my friend, infrastructure!

brightpilot6 said:Of course, since I’m criticizing Bandić and the Republican Party, I must automatically be a supporter of the Democratic Party by default. 🙏

Goodness, won't someone please organize my thoughts into something simple and clear just so I can get a moment of peace?

How can you claim that 99% of people attending Mass haven't experienced this? Are you just pulling that number out of thin air? I have experienced it, as has my entire parish—and we are a large congregation. We likely make up that remaining 1% who actually have. I’ve seen it myself—not just during Mass, but at public rallies too, where things feel even more aggressive along our coast. The Church steps into the public eye and provides very specific instructions on who to vote for. But then again, you’ve never heard a word about it, have you?

urbanhawk17 said:Yeah, I’d also add that the church seems to be drifting further from God, focusing more and more on other things instead.

It’s basically a state within a state.

Typical Communist. ☕