Offside Chat Archives (2014-2021)

Morgan Williams said:Religious groups were only included because the administration thinks they carry more weight than education or science. In this country, there’s only a shot if a group like the Libertarians or some other sensible faction managed to pull in numbers similar to the Reform Party. If they actually prove to be a legitimate third option after the election, I’m convinced they’d pull way more votes in a runoff. For instance, I didn't vote for the Reform Party because I knew nothing about them and they didn't feel like a real alternative. But during those few days when a reelection seemed possible, I made it clear: if they can actually unseat the Democrats and Republicans, they’ll have my vote—even if I personally find some of their members' pasts and stances pretty distasteful.

The Smart Party isn't gonna come anywhere close to what the Libertarians did. Why? Because the Democrats and Republicans will just steamroll them to avoid having to deal with this whole mess again. Right now, the Smart Party just looks like a group that talks big from the sidelines without actually having to run anything, you know? Like, they don't govern a single city. We'll see how they do in the local elections, I guess. We can talk more once I hear someone say, "Hey, we have the solution," because honestly, that just makes me sick.

ruggedjackal46 said:I think you missed the point. It’s not that high schoolers represent the absolute highest number of unemployed people, but rather that their unemployment rate is significantly higher compared to those with associate's or bachelor's degrees. Essentially, the more education you have, the better your odds of actually landing a job.

Obviously, a college degree opens up way more doors, though I highly doubt employers are out there hunting for specialized philosophers, occupational safety engineers, or crisis management experts🤣.

There’s a massive pool of jobs out there that don't require a specific degree; instead, employers just want someone flexible enough to learn the ropes quickly. Having a philosophy degree will definitely get you through the door for a wider variety of roles—non-manual labor, obviously—much faster than someone who only has a high school diploma or a trade certificate.

America is basically churning out college graduates right now just so politicians can brag on the global stage about having 20 percent of the population educated, rather than ten. Honestly, these folks might find work, but they'll be using shovels instead of brains, and most of them aren't exactly thrilled about that. They aren't too "refined" for manual labor, and they didn't spend years in a lecture hall just to get their hands dirty. It’s a shame they picked the wrong majors, because now they’re stuck choosing between manual labor or starving. You see plenty of philosophy majors working as servers in Chicago, and don't even get me started on the economics grads—I know some personally😁

Compared to the rest of Europe, the US actually has a relatively low number of highly educated people; it’s not like we have degrees to throw around like confetti. So, when they leave the country, it’s more of a labor shortage issue for America than an education issue. In other words, having fewer educated people wouldn't fix everything; it would just mean a higher unemployment rate, since people with less education struggle even more to find steady work.

My bad, damn, it was getting late.

ruggedjackal46 said:I think you missed the point. It’s not that high schoolers represent the absolute highest number of unemployed people, but rather that their unemployment rate is significantly higher compared to those with associate's or bachelor's degrees. Essentially, the more education you have, the better your odds of actually landing a job.

Obviously, a college degree opens up way more doors, though I highly doubt employers are out there hunting for specialized philosophers, occupational safety engineers, or crisis management experts🤣.

There’s a massive pool of jobs out there that don't require a specific degree; instead, employers just want someone flexible enough to learn the ropes quickly. Having a philosophy degree will definitely get you through the door for a wider variety of roles—non-manual labor, obviously—much faster than someone who only has a high school diploma or a trade certificate.

America is basically churning out college graduates right now just so politicians can brag on the global stage about having 20 percent of the population educated, rather than ten. Honestly, these folks might find work, but they'll be using shovels instead of brains, and most of them aren't exactly thrilled about that. They aren't too "refined" for manual labor, and they didn't spend years in a lecture hall just to get their hands dirty. It’s a shame they picked the wrong majors, because now they’re stuck choosing between manual labor or starving. You see plenty of philosophy majors working as servers in Chicago, and don't even get me started on the economics grads—I know some personally😁

Compared to the rest of Europe, the US actually has a relatively low number of highly educated people; it’s not like we have degrees to throw around like confetti. So, when they leave the country, it’s more of a labor shortage issue for America than an education issue. In other words, having fewer educated people wouldn't fix everything; it would just mean a higher unemployment rate, since people with less education struggle even more to find steady work.

Finding a job in America is getting harder and harder, I guess. College helps, but it really depends on what you study. A Mechatronics degree is definitely gonna be way more helpful than, like, any Philosophy degree. Besides, for all those general jobs that don't require a specific major, people from all kinds of majors will apply. Let's play a guessing game: if they meet all the requirements, who do you think gets the edge, a lawyer or a librarian😁 just because of the sheer variety of stuff they can do for the same pay?

ruggedjackal46 said:I think you missed the point. It’s not that high schoolers represent the absolute highest number of unemployed people, but rather that their unemployment rate is significantly higher compared to those with associate's or bachelor's degrees. Essentially, the more education you have, the better your odds of actually landing a job.

Obviously, a college degree opens up way more doors, though I highly doubt employers are out there hunting for specialized philosophers, occupational safety engineers, or crisis management experts🤣.

There’s a massive pool of jobs out there that don't require a specific degree; instead, employers just want someone flexible enough to learn the ropes quickly. Having a philosophy degree will definitely get you through the door for a wider variety of roles—non-manual labor, obviously—much faster than someone who only has a high school diploma or a trade certificate.

America is basically churning out college graduates right now just so politicians can brag on the global stage about having 20 percent of the population educated, rather than ten. Honestly, these folks might find work, but they'll be using shovels instead of brains, and most of them aren't exactly thrilled about that. They aren't too "refined" for manual labor, and they didn't spend years in a lecture hall just to get their hands dirty. It’s a shame they picked the wrong majors, because now they’re stuck choosing between manual labor or starving. You see plenty of philosophy majors working as servers in Chicago, and don't even get me started on the economics grads—I know some personally😁

Compared to the rest of Europe, the US actually has a relatively low number of highly educated people; it’s not like we have degrees to throw around like confetti. So, when they leave the country, it’s more of a labor shortage issue for America than an education issue. In other words, having fewer educated people wouldn't fix everything; it would just mean a higher unemployment rate, since people with less education struggle even more to find steady work.

Honestly, America doesn't have a massive overflow of graduates in certain fields right now—especially when you look at STEM and tech—but we definitely have too many people with degrees in other areas because everyone keeps flocking to those majors. Professional associations constantly send data to Washington suggesting what the actual quotas should be for specific jobs, but nobody seems to care because the students are paying tuition, and the government needs that cash. Our education system is pretty messy and honestly kind of incompetent compared to other similar countries, yet our politicians walk around with zero shame bragging about how much of a "knowledge economy" we are🤣. You can totally see it in this☕

Sandra Johnson58 said:I mean, I think the NSSA holds like almost 30 percent if I remember correctly, so it makes sense that they have the biggest slice of the pie. Obviously, going to a university opens up way more doors for you, but I highly doubt employers are out there scrambling to hire some philosophy major, an occupational safety engineer, or a crisis management specialist. 🤣It feels like America is just cranking out college grads right now just so politicians can brag on the world stage about how we have 20 percent higher ed coverage instead of ten. But honestly? I guess they’re all just gonna end up using shovels instead of degrees, and most of these folks aren't exactly thrilled about that. They aren't exactly built for manual labor or getting their hands dirty in some trade, you know? It's such a shame they picked the wrong majors... they'll either be working hard in the dirt or just starving. I mean, you see guys with philosophy degrees working as servers in Chicago, and don't even get me started on the economists—I know a few personally who are in the same boat. 😁

Wait, when did I even bring up religious groups? Honestly, I don't give a damn about them—I wouldn't give them a cent. Just for the sake of argument though, looking back, we've basically always been run by people with fancy college degrees, you know? Highly educated types. And look where that's gotten us... nowhere. I mean, I haven't really noticed any major difference in election results just because we have more people with degrees running things now. As long as the main Democratic party keeps sweeping the majority instead of actually struggling to even hit the threshold, there’s really nothing left to debate. And the American education system? Yeah, it's pretty much trashed. I mean, sure, there are some exceptions here and there, but it's gonna stay messed up for a long time. The government just doesn't have the cash, and even when they do find some money or go into debt to get it, it just ends up lining someone's pockets anyway. I guess that's just how it's been since this country was founded.

I don't think they'll ever have to get their hands dirty as long as those government-backed companies exist. 😉

In this company, the managers mostly finished with construction or transportation degrees (not that it matters much at a place like Home Depot, I suppose). The ones from the transportation side were actually bought in, if you ask me. It feels like these people don't really get how to manage a team or communicate with anyone. Their whole idea of solving a problem is thinking everything can just be knocked out in fifteen minutes. 🤣

Maybe we should just privatize everything. ☕

Honestly, if I had the money, I’d probably just buy my own degree. As long as things stay the way they are in this country, I guess it doesn't really matter what you actually know, as long as you have the piece of paper. 🐔

This is what happens when you actually succeed and try to make a smart move. I'm fully behind him. ☕

If you ask me, our biggest hurdle—at least from where I’m sitting—is this overwhelming wave of defeatism. It’s everywhere. This sense of hopelessness, apathy, and pure resignation. People act like everything is a total catastrophe and they're just ashamed to even exist. But honestly? The reality isn't even close to that extreme. The news media and the political elites in D.C. thrive on turning us into these helpless zombies who just sit around mourning our own misfortune. Look, we have problems. Massive ones. But it’s not quite as bleak as everyone makes it out to be. Suddenly, everyone is calling for massive investments in science. Everyone has become a huge fan of STEM overnight, even though most people couldn't stand the mere mention of math or physics back in high school. Politicians just give us exactly what we ask for. If we actually prioritized scientific funding, that’s where the money would go.

Science just highlights how much people lack common sense, but the real disaster is slashing budgets for the backbone of this nation—quality education. You can't separate science from schooling. If we just prioritized solid vocational training and agriculture, we’d actually have a developed country on our hands. I’ve got a few more things to settle before I check out.

Look, I know the new Treasury Secretary, Steven Miller, pretty well personally—and I can tell you right now, he’s the real deal. No shady business, no corruption... just a sharp, brilliant guy who could easily be making ten times more in the private sector if people weren't constantly breathing down his neck and dragging him through the mud every single day.

But let's be real—it doesn't matter what he does or how he tries to fix this budget, someone is always going to complain. Honestly, it's impossible to win when the entire foundation of this country was built on graft in the first place...

Adam Williams2 said:I don't think they'll ever have to get their hands dirty as long as those government-backed companies exist. 😉

In this company, the managers mostly finished with construction or transportation degrees (not that it matters much at a place like Home Depot, I suppose). The ones from the transportation side were actually bought in, if you ask me. It feels like these people don't really get how to manage a team or communicate with anyone. Their whole idea of solving a problem is thinking everything can just be knocked out in fifteen minutes. 🤣

Maybe we should just privatize everything. ☕

Honestly, if I had the money, I’d probably just buy my own degree. As long as things stay the way they are in this country, I guess it doesn't really matter what you actually know, as long as you have the piece of paper. 🐔

The education system here in the States—and frankly, across much of the world—has been downgraded into this bizarre setup designed just to keep unemployed youth busy. You have one group of students who are incredibly talented and hardworking, and then there's the other group—people who enroll in anything just to grab a diploma. Once they have it, they’ll take any soul-crushing job abroad just because they have a degree. A diploma has basically become nothing more than a Facebook status thanks to decades of incompetent leadership and this general "vacation mode" culture... just lounging around and doing nothing.

Sandra Johnson58 said:The Smart Party isn't gonna come anywhere close to what the Libertarians did. Why? Because the Democrats and Republicans will just steamroll them to avoid having to deal with this whole mess again. Right now, the Smart Party just looks like a group that talks big from the sidelines without actually having to run anything, you know? Like, they don't govern a single city. We'll see how they do in the local elections, I guess. We can talk more once I hear someone say, "Hey, we have the solution," because honestly, that just makes me sick.

My bad, damn, it was getting late.

Finding a job in America is getting harder and harder, I guess. College helps, but it really depends on what you study. A Mechatronics degree is definitely gonna be way more helpful than, like, any Philosophy degree. Besides, for all those general jobs that don't require a specific major, people from all kinds of majors will apply. Let's play a guessing game: if they meet all the requirements, who do you think gets the edge, a lawyer or a librarian😁 just because of the sheer variety of stuff they can do for the same pay?

Honestly, America doesn't have a massive overflow of graduates in certain fields right now—especially when you look at STEM and tech—but we definitely have too many people with degrees in other areas because everyone keeps flocking to those majors. Professional associations constantly send data to Washington suggesting what the actual quotas should be for specific jobs, but nobody seems to care because the students are paying tuition, and the government needs that cash. Our education system is pretty messy and honestly kind of incompetent compared to other similar countries, yet our politicians walk around with zero shame bragging about how much of a "knowledge economy" we are🤣. You can totally see it in this☕

I think we can all agree on that. However, I don't think the fix is cutting the education budget; it's more about actually spending the money intelligently. Though, let's be real: if the people making those decisions were actually smart, we probably wouldn't be sitting here debating the failure of our schools in the first place.😁

Michelle Doyle61 said:If you ask me, our biggest hurdle—at least from where I’m sitting—is this overwhelming wave of defeatism. It’s everywhere. This sense of hopelessness, apathy, and pure resignation. People act like everything is a total catastrophe and they're just ashamed to even exist. But honestly? The reality isn't even close to that extreme. The news media and the political elites in D.C. thrive on turning us into these helpless zombies who just sit around mourning our own misfortune. Look, we have problems. Massive ones. But it’s not quite as bleak as everyone makes it out to be. Suddenly, everyone is calling for massive investments in science. Everyone has become a huge fan of STEM overnight, even though most people couldn't stand the mere mention of math or physics back in high school. Politicians just give us exactly what we ask for. If we actually prioritized scientific funding, that’s where the money would go.

I think some analyst pointed out that most people actually prefer the status quo. When you have hundreds of thousands of people working in the public sector, plus a massive amount of government-funded pensions, and more than 60% of the economy is tied directly to the federal government, it's clear why people don't want change. So many of them rely on those secure checks, and if they have to choose between squeezing private businesses or protecting their own steady income, they'll pick themselves every single time.

And for private business owners, it's hardly worth the effort. Between the heavy taxes, endless inspections, and brutal penalties, combined with a small market driven by connections and cronyism, it's a tough climb. This is especially true outside of major hubs like NYC or LA; out there, moving away is often the only real option left...

So, instead of a free market, we basically have a system built on nepotism and bureaucracy. It's an outdated setup where people claim they want progress, yet they fight to keep everything exactly the same...

Larry Fox5 said:Look, I know the new Treasury Secretary, Steven Miller, pretty well personally—and I can tell you right now, he’s the real deal. No shady business, no corruption... just a sharp, brilliant guy who could easily be making ten times more in the private sector if people weren't constantly breathing down his neck and dragging him through the mud every single day.

But let's be real—it doesn't matter what he does or how he tries to fix this budget, someone is always going to complain. Honestly, it's impossible to win when the entire foundation of this country was built on graft in the first place...

I agree, the guy seems smart, but the lobbying pressure on specific policies is just too intense for anyone to actually push back. It’s pretty obvious that we need to trim about 10-15% from public sector payrolls or salaries to help lower taxes for small businesses and jumpstart the economy. We also really need to look at social security reform since the current system isn't sustainable, and maybe consolidate some of those redundant local government offices...

But let's face it, nobody is going to make those moves until we hit a wall like Greece did...

I guess I wouldn't say the government is overspending right now, nor does it feel like we're wasting too much at the moment. We saw massive spending on huge infrastructure projects back in the days of Clinton or Bush, many of which felt unnecessary or overpriced. Right now, the deficit is mostly due to old debts and Social Security obligations. We're dealing with an aging population and unemployment issues, but we aren't the only ones in the US facing that. The math seems pretty straightforward: if government spending stays flat—which I assume it will—and the economy stabilizes and grows over the next few years, we should eventually hit a break-even point. That’s essentially the strategy being pushed by the current administration. The global market is a major driver here; you can really see exports climbing. More companies are finding their revenue through exports, and even our tourism industry acts like a form of export. It's a massive market with constant demand, especially since our labor costs remain competitive. If the government could just crack down on the shadow economy in the hospitality sector, the deficit would probably shrink by 50% overnight. Not exactly something to brag about, but over the last two summer seasons, I managed to book over 20 nights, my girlfriend booked another 20, and my friends booked at least 60 to 80 more between us. All of it was cash under the table without any taxes being reported. And then people talk about billions in revenue... honestly, you could probably double that number easily.

Cutting wages or Social Security would be a disaster; those are the primary drivers of consumer spending that keeps the budget flowing. Even in places like Greece, those "austerity" policies didn't really solve anything. Whether it's an individual, a group, or the whole country, the most important thing during a crisis is creating new streams of income. You can only cut spending so far before you run out of options, so what happens after that?

How can we say the government isn't too expensive when taxes are sky-high and public administration is bloated by at least 15-20% more staff than actually necessary? If you follow economic news, just look at some of those analysis pieces from major US think tanks... they show plenty of evidence that the tax burden here is way higher than the US average, which just suffocates the economy. Plus, having such an oversized public sector compared to other developed nations doesn't help. And don't even get me started on social security and healthcare, especially since our retirement system is struggling with nearly one retiree for every single worker

The labor shortage issue hits other countries too, but they tend to tackle it through immigration, whereas we aren't seeing much of that coming in...

There’s massive untapped revenue sitting in the "under the table" side of the hospitality industry. I can see how we could fix it—just by tightening up controls on domestic and international online listings—but I haven't seen enough political will to actually make it happen...

Here you go, boneheads, take it!

A clone of a clone of a clone, I guess.

https://www.facebook.com/dnevnjak/vi...46457/?fref=nf

The current state of affairs in Chicago 🐔

Tonight, we’re watching Scarface on ABC—essentially the holy grail of my youth

I seem to recall renting that one from Blockbuster, though that feels like a lifetime ago...

Honestly, I used to own my very own VHS copy of this masterpiece, and I’d make sure to sit down and watch it at least once a month

I always had a certain appreciation for the crowd at the Thunderbirds games...

USA!!!