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Lamuella posted:on Facebook today: Good news everyone! All of this can be solved if we stop cutting environmental regulations, and programs designed to help the poor!
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Aug 5, 2011 20:10
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Ashcans posted:What is the going rate on a Senator, anyway? I imagine that it varies if you just want them to jump your way on specific issue, or call you before they make any stand on anything. At that point, would they also do your kids parties?
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Aug 5, 2011 20:11
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Lamuella posted:on Facebook today: Yes, if only we could stop sending money to those abject poor jerks in Somolia who are literally dying of drought and famine. That would certainly be the Christian thing to do! Seriously though. Goddamnit, these people. If you want to help people suffering in this country stop sending out crazy obama/mexican/communazi/whatever emails and, oh I don't know, stop supporting all the crazy legislation that fucks over the poor for the incredibly wealthy?
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Aug 5, 2011 20:15
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Sarion posted:
Unless I'm mistaken, I'm pretty sure this implies that the Federal Government could pass a bill to make the President for 2013-2017 work for a dollar a year, as long as it didn't take effect on the President at the time of passing.
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Aug 5, 2011 20:25
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That is correct, I thought I said in my post that the only time they can lower pay to President or Congress is on future Presidents/Congresses, not the current.
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Aug 5, 2011 20:32
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Ashcans posted:Ask them how many families print their own currency? Or own eleven carrier groups? I mean if the US has trouble making its obligations, will someone come and repo Wyoming? Pawn the space shuttle and get a title loan on Air-force 1
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Aug 5, 2011 20:34
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JerkyBunion posted:You're missing some people here. Who? 1 current president, 3 ex-presidents still alive, 435 members of Congress (of which five of them are paid at different rates - Speaker of the House, and the majority and minority leaders in each of the two houses of Congress)... I'm not trying to go over the full payroll of the US government, just those people who were cited in the stupid email.
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Aug 5, 2011 20:38
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100 senators
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Aug 5, 2011 20:41
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Walter posted:Who? 1 current president, 3 ex-presidents still alive, 435 members of Congress (of which five of them are paid at different rates - Speaker of the House, and the majority and minority leaders in each of the two houses of Congress)... Sarion posted:100 senators And another ex-president. I'm going to guess Carter.
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Aug 5, 2011 20:51
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Yeah I read his figures and was like "Did Carter or HW Bush die and I not know about it?"
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Aug 5, 2011 21:36
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Yeah I missed that part. Though none of it really matters, his point still stands. Their pay is a tiny fraction of the total budget.
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Aug 5, 2011 21:55
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Sarion posted:My wife got another one from the same woman that sent the Camel one: My parents just got this one a day or two ago from an idiot brother-in-law. The worst part? We're Canadian, so it was about the "Canadian border." That email might as well have had "America" literally crossed out and "Canada" scribbled in.
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Aug 5, 2011 22:28
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CaptBushido posted:Yeah I read his figures and was like "Did Carter or HW Bush die and I not know about it?" Man, sometimes my brain takes a journey somewhere completely elsewhere. On the other hand... I can't be the only person to forget about Jimmy Carter.  And the 100 senators, too. Threw a bunch of figures into Excel and my apparently brain stopped working. gently caress me, that was dumb.
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Aug 5, 2011 22:33
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Lamuella posted:on Facebook today:
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Aug 8, 2011 00:52
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Got a post on Facebook today from someone I see about once every few months. She posted a news article that Food Stamps are at their highest use ever, and commented that these people obviously need to just learn to live within their means. Her friend then chimed in with "And stop making so many babies!". I wanted to post "Yeah, loving poors trying to eat, I'm sure they're all just worthless lazybodies and it has nothing to do with unemployment, cuts to social welfare programs and an economy in the shitter." but I decided it just wasn't worth it.
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Aug 8, 2011 01:01
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Shame you don't have the guts. Changing minds isn't a sure bet but you're not going to convince anyone if your mouth is glued shut.
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Aug 8, 2011 01:09
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crime fighting hog posted:Got a post on Facebook today from someone I see about once every few months. She posted a news article that Food Stamps are at their highest use ever, and commented that these people obviously need to just learn to live within their means. Her friend then chimed in with "And stop making so many babies!". I wanted to post "Yeah, loving poors trying to eat, I'm sure they're all just worthless lazybodies and it has nothing to do with unemployment, cuts to social welfare programs and an economy in the shitter." but I decided it just wasn't worth it. Just point out that there is a return of $1.73 for every $1 spent on food stamps.
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Aug 8, 2011 01:12
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Z-Magic posted:Just point out that there is a return of $1.73 for every $1 spent on food stamps. Reality is a liberal conspiracy.
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Aug 8, 2011 01:57
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These are also likely the kind of people, who if asked, would tell you that we spend a ridiculous sum on food stamps even though it is a nearly insignificant part of the budget. "Work hard, millions on welfare are counting on you" is a much easier political view to digest than actually bothering to understand where our tax dollars are really spent.
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Aug 8, 2011 02:19
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Work hard, your boss needs a third new Mercedes this year. Work hard, your Senator can only afford four escorts for this weekend. Word hard so your children and their children can have a better future.
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Aug 8, 2011 03:55
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Z-Magic posted:Just point out that there is a return of $1.73 for every $1 spent on food stamps. That and the simple fact that no one is hiring. When a bad thing happens to someone, that person is more likely to need help. With me so far? Now when a really bad thing happens, such as a huge economic downturn, it follows that more people need help. The dominant school of thought in America right now is that we need to stop helping people when bad things happen, only help people when things are good, or only help those who aren't hurt by the bad thing.
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Aug 8, 2011 05:25
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Brennanite posted:Six: New Year's, Memorial Day, Fourth of July (Independence Day), Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The store I work at gets three: Christmas Day, Easter and Thanksgiving.
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Aug 8, 2011 07:51
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Dr Christmas posted:That and the simple fact that no one is hiring. Let's also not forget that if anyone is hiring, it sure as hell won't be full time. So the person will have to supplement their pay by getting a second job.
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Aug 8, 2011 17:22
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And because they're working part-time, they don't qualify for benefits from either of their two jobs, despite working 60 hours a week.
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Aug 8, 2011 22:33
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But that's good. Shorter wait at the doctor for me! If they wanted benefits they should have worked harder,obviously.
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Aug 8, 2011 22:44
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Sarion posted:But that's good. Shorter wait at the doctor for me! If they wanted benefits they should have worked harder,obviously. Man, I'm so glad that I live in America where there are never long waits to see the doctor. I've heard in those Socialist countries that clinics usually have a designated area filled with chairs outside the treatment area to hold all the waiting people. Also you sometimes have a long wait to see a specialist while in America you will always be instantly authorized by your insurance company for whatever treatment the doctor recommends.
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Aug 8, 2011 23:16
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crime fighting hog posted:Got a post on Facebook today from someone I see about once every few months. She posted a news article that Food Stamps are at their highest use ever, and commented that these people obviously need to just learn to live within their means. Her friend then chimed in with "And stop making so many babies!". I wanted to post "Yeah, loving poors trying to eat, I'm sure they're all just worthless lazybodies and it has nothing to do with unemployment, cuts to social welfare programs and an economy in the shitter." but I decided it just wasn't worth it. You can easily receive a relatively small amount of "food stamps" (thank god they aren't actually "stamps" anymore) to help relieve the burden that is putting food on the table for a small family. I myself would have little sympathy for a woman with 6 young children receiving a great amount of "food stamps" but this situation is very rare indeed. A family of four who had just experienced a layoff for the major bread-winner and surviving on a small temporary secondary income could probably obtain around $200 a month in temporary assistance. I'm sure the reason they are within their highest use ever is because of these very situations, not the creation of more of the fabled "welfare-queens". edit: To those who would say that people should save money in the good times to prepare themselves for the bad instead of benefiting from government assistance rarely realize that in these days of stagnant wages combined with rising costs for just about everything from housing, food, gas, etc. a lot of people on even a lower-middle class income are struggling to keep their homes. Mischitary fucked around with this message at 23:53 on Aug 8, 2011 |
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Aug 8, 2011 23:49
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crime fighting hog posted:Got a post on Facebook today from someone I see about once every few months. She posted a news article that Food Stamps are at their highest use ever, and commented that these people obviously need to just learn to live within their means. Her friend then chimed in with "And stop making so many babies!". I wanted to post "Yeah, loving poors trying to eat, I'm sure they're all just worthless lazybodies and it has nothing to do with unemployment, cuts to social welfare programs and an economy in the shitter." but I decided it just wasn't worth it. At this point I feel it is a responsibility to call people out on bullshit such as this. Case in Point: Mischitary posted:I myself would have little sympathy for a woman with 6 young children receiving a great amount of "food stamps" but this situation is very rare indeed. So I guess those kids just deserve to starve? Shimrra Jamaane fucked around with this message at 04:58 on Aug 9, 2011 |
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Aug 9, 2011 04:56
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Shimrra Jamaane posted:At this point I feel it is a responsibility to call people out on bullshit such as this. Those Kids should have miscarried themselves knowing their mother couldn't support them without government cheese. 
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Aug 9, 2011 05:10
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I've been trying to come up with sane email forwards. Here's what I've got so far: Several members of a club went to eat dinner at a Mexican restaurant after the meeting. The majority of the club members ate only the chips and salsa and had water to drink, the club treasurer ordered several meals for himself and drank margaritas the whole night. When the bill arrived it was nearly a hundred dollars. The majority of the club each had less than a dollar in their pockets while it was known that the treasurer would easily be able to pay the bill himself. Each member of the club agreed to contribute a fair share for the bill and when all the money was totaled up they only had 80 dollars. The treasurer was upset and said that he had put in over 75 bucks, meaning that the rest of the club had only scrounged up 5 dollars even though they had enjoyed a meal of chips, salsa, mariachi music and great service from the waitress. The treasurer met privately with the owner and they decided that on future visits to the restaurant they would not get chips, salsa or water.
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Aug 9, 2011 06:17
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Gus Hobbleton posted:And because they're working part-time, they don't qualify for benefits from either of their two jobs, despite working 60 hours a week.
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Aug 9, 2011 06:25
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Dr. Arbitrary posted:I've been trying to come up with sane email forwards. Here's what I've got so far: I don't really understand what you're trying to get at. I mean I have a general idea but it doesn't really drive the point home.
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Aug 9, 2011 09:13
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spankmeister posted:I don't really understand what you're trying to get at. I mean I have a general idea but it doesn't really drive the point home. Yeah, I don't think any of my chain letters would get passed along, I've just been trying to come up with analogies that aren't completely inaccurate and aren't offensive. I think the restaurant story is pretty accurate, a small percentage of Americans have an unbelievably larger proportion of wealth than the rest of the population combined, they have a significant amount of control over what we spend our money on and they reap the vast majority of the benefits of government spending. I'd really like a chain letter that smart people can send around and have discussions over.
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Aug 9, 2011 17:03
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Dr. Arbitrary posted:Yeah, I don't think any of my chain letters would get passed along, I've just been trying to come up with analogies that aren't completely inaccurate and aren't offensive. I think the restaurant story is pretty accurate, a small percentage of Americans have an unbelievably larger proportion of wealth than the rest of the population combined, they have a significant amount of control over what we spend our money on and they reap the vast majority of the benefits of government spending. "How many men ever went to a barbecue, and took off the table what's intended for nine-tenths of the people to eat?"
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Aug 9, 2011 17:10
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The problem is you want a chain letter that is devoid of the kinds of things that make chain letters spread successfully. Chain letters work because they cause an immediate, negative response (generally fear and anger) by providing as little real information as possible. A thought provoking, nuanced letter is going to end up being tl;dr for most people and it won't spread. You don't want thought, you want emotion.
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Aug 9, 2011 17:17
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vxskud posted:Those Kids should have miscarried themselves knowing their mother couldn't support them without government cheese. The ultimate libertarian wet dream. Personal responsibility in the womb, and fetuses bootstrapping themselves into the toilet when faced with the reality of their mother's economic situation.
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Aug 9, 2011 17:54
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Also it's not obvious enough that the treasurer is the one ordering all the expensive stuff. I know several people that would read that and say "why should he have to pay the most!!1!1!!"
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Aug 9, 2011 19:43
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Zwabu posted:The fact that this guy is funny, a physicist, and looks kind of like Sinbad is pretty awesome. That makes one of his comments about how the universe wants to kill us even funnier: "You're bound to come close to a supernova that will wipe out your ozone layer and kill everybody on the surface...who doesn't have dark skin."   
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Aug 9, 2011 20:02
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What could work is a chain e-mail talking about CEO pay for mega-corps. Talk about how it went from something like 30x average worker pay to 300x average worker pay over the last 30 years, then list the salaries and benefits of the top CEOs, particularly of banks or investment firms. Make a big stink about how these people robbed the  AMERICAN TAXPAYER of our hard-earned money, stir up some populist outrage directed at private business rather than the government.
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Aug 9, 2011 21:23
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