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"Open" is one of the best books I've read of its kind. It's probably my second-favorite autobiography, after Katharine Graham's. What a great move by Prince Harry to hire Moehringer. Thanks for the peek behind the curtain.
| yes | 8,653 |
Interesting that SBF felt that auditors wouldn't be interested in Alameda's use of funds. Why wouldn't they be and who told him that? Also, I'd love to know more about the "hidden account" (at least from one of his co-founders) showing the $8 billion liability. Another example of hubris on a grand scale by someone who thought he was the smartest guy in the room (Enron reference intended).
| no | 4,836 |
George Corsetti Exactly this.Let's also not forget that this change in the Democratic party hollowed out their donor base and literally allowed the Clintons to finance the DNC from their own private funds. vast sums once they get the legislation they want.As one might expect, when you're the one paying the bills of the DNC, they have to let you be the nominee and sabotage your challengers, at the expense of the party.
| no | 2,189 |
Hazelfern yes, I think this is a main concern for a lot of the facilitators. Keep in mind that it costs 10k annually to license the facility, so most facilitators are likely not to earn huge amounts of cash, the costs are going to license the spaces. The reason for this structuring was that the gov would only approv the initial licensing if they didn’t have to put up any money. So all these license are self funded by facilitators and facilities.It’s a prototype, and it can be tweaked with time.One thing that could offset costs are potential government grants for facilities to allow some folks to go for reduced cost or free.I also know facilitators who are in a strong enough financial position at this point in their lives to offer their services for free.People that believe in these services are really serious about helping others, they are exploring ways to make it work for people with less money. For many of them it’s the biggest priority as the programs launch for the first times….
| yes | 9,026 |
I have never understood why my right to live peacefully and safely is continuously trumped by the Second Amendment. In my discussions with gun owners I have been berated when I tell them that seeing a person open carry in public immediately makes me fearful and distrustful of that person. They scoff and tell me I’m overreacting but when I point out that I can’t do a psyche evaluation on everyone who open carries they have no answers. The original authors of the Second Amendment must be spinning in their graves watching how our society has warped it to protect gun owners while ignoring the rest of us. We have people calling the police reporting they feel threatened by bird watchers and picnickers, perhaps it’s time to report feeling threatened by those who feel the need to walk around with a gun on their hip.
| yes | 6,237 |
Our problems really started with the tax cuts of Reagan, extended by Bush 1 and 2 and pushed way over the edge by 45. Yes, there is some blame on the Ds side, but generally they added benefits to the common folk, not corporate greedy elites and blue chip stock holders. Yes...class warfare with one side armed by high priced lobbyists vs. the common man who can just write a single letter to her/his congressional representative.....who is forever calling on moneyed donors for thier next election cycle. You're a fool if you think that $$$ doesn't buy influence.
| yes | 6,027 |
Hellen Thanks for pointing out that. The fact people are fired and investigated, means they are doing something to combat fraud, right ?Secondly, it's a bit hard to commit fraud with "your billions" since those billions come in expired/about to expire munitions and equipment. The billions go to US defense contractors and US workers to refill those stocks. What this article is about, right ?
| no | 4,870 |
When you get down to it, most Americans won't ever give up their cars, no matter how expensive, inefficient, and polluting personally owned vehicles are.A big push towards a European style transit structure is just not in the cards here, and even many of the most liberal Democrats would never make the logical policy proposal of increasing taxes on gasoline in order to fund one.So we're stuck for the at least the next 50 to 100 years. It's terrible, but this isn't changing, and Americans who want walkable communities need to focus on their own neighborhoods.If the government could provide a bit more money for subway extensions and a bit less for highway expansion that would be a great start.Here's hoping.....
| no | 3,095 |
Love the satire.In 1980, the FTC staff was 1800.In 2022, the FTC staff was 1200.Our economy has grown 8x from 1980 to 2022.If money = free speech, and I have $100 and you have $1, then I have 100x more free speech (influence) than you do.The really funny part is that big corporations are playing Jenga at this point. Extracting so much from their own companies (share buy backs, ie legalized stock price manipulation) and crippling the middle class (ie their customers), that they're weakening the system upon which their wealth is built. And so many execs have grown up during this decades-long farce, they don't see it. Good business practice is about building sound,'innovative companies through reinvesting retained earnings, attracting and keep great employees (by actually compensating them and treating them well, not by chaining them in place), and knowing the difference between good management and PR.A small business owner would run most corporations better than their current crop of CEOs who are so afraid of competition that they chain fry cooks to their grills via the farce that non-competes have become.
| no | 3,407 |
Woof Not all "growth" is created equal....Word on the street is that for every yuan of growth China has achieved this past year, it's cost 7 or 8 yuans of debt "financialization" to keep the real economy limping along.... (and that's according to the "official" numbers; in reality the state of things could be even more hopelessly out to lunch: because there's a lot of off-the-books debt/shadow financing in China).Point being: China has taken out twice as much debt this last year as in the three previous. And that's not a recipe for success. Just got to lift up the hood/look underneath the surface, to see that all is not well with the Middle Kingdom.
| yes | 7,552 |
Alaska View Yes, affordable co-pays just hides the problem. The insurance company still pays big Pharma 100s to 1000s of dollars, and that gets passed on to your employer, and that gets passed on to you, or effectively out of your paycheck. The cost (average) of medical care in the US is $8000/yr. Eventually, either by your insurance premiums or your copays or your out of pocket, all that gets passed down to you (on average).
| yes | 5,663 |
You do know that the total national debt increased from $19.57 trillion in 2016 to $27.75 trillion in 2020. An increase of $8.22 trillion. That $8.22 represents ~29.5 percent increase in total debt over just four years during the last republican administration. In fact, the former guy increased the national debt by 5 trillion the last year he was in office. By contrast Biden increased the national debt by 2 trillion the first year he was in office and increased by slightly over 1.2 trillion his second year in office. Facts matter and it doesn’t take much effort to find the facts<a href="https://www.thebalancemoney.com/national-debt-by-year-compared-to-gdp-and-major-events-3306287" target="_blank">https://www.thebalancemoney.com/national-debt-by-year-compared-to-gdp-and-major-events-3306287</a>
| yes | 5,667 |
At my school we respect NY State guidance and follow students' wishes in terms of names and gender.As a parent, I do struggle with the idea of name/pro noun change without parents' knowledge and I work hard to open up those lines of communication. But the bottom line is, these young people are struggling with something, and being unconditionally accepted and loved by their school community is very healing, no matter what the eventual outcome. I think it is vital that we don't overreact when when a student asks for a name and/or pronoun change and that we just quietly (but not legally)support their wishes. If we do, one of two things will happen: if this is a phase, the phase will be shorter. If the young person is not required to defend, prove, debate his or her identity, then there will be far less shame in changing their minds. None of us react well when we are backed into corners, least of all adolescents.Alternatively, if the young person is truly transgender, then this response ensures that they were treated with respect, care and dignity from day one. And they will continue to be encouraged to share this fundamental truth with their parents.Unsurprisingly it is often the kind of parent who finds this approach outrageous that young people fear sharing their true selves with. Stop listening to the rampant fear mongering around this issue, and start listening, really listening, with open hearts and open minds to your kids. If you do, there will be less to fear.
| yes | 5,691 |
Stephan People forget because the media buries Bill Clinton's capital gains tax cuts, his overruling his own Commodity Futures Trading Commission head (Brooksley Born) which thus kept derivatives unregulated, his repeal of Glass-Steagall. Then there is Clinton passing and signing NAFTA despite a majority of Democrats and labor opposition, and promoting China's entry into the WTO. So aside from setting up the conditions for the worst recession since the great depression, and the largest loss of manufacturing jobs in history, his wife's reliance in 2016 on the blue firewall, the one full of still unemployed blue collar factory workers, gave us Trump. None of this was because Bill Clinton, or his wife with millions in speaking fees from Wall Street, would put the interests of the 99% over those of the 1%. And Obama, who followed Larry Summers advice to keep stimulus too small, and appointed Geithner who'd just let Wall Street run wild at the NY FED, was ready to make a grand bargain to cut Social Security and Medicare. He's also on record favoring a corporate tax cut. This article references Biden's support for Obama's grand bargain:<a href="https://theweek.com/articles/888689/joe-bidens-history-austerity" target="_blank">https://theweek.com/articles/888689/joe-bidens-history-austerity</a>Here's the low down on derivatives and Glass-Steagall:<a href="https://www.pogo.org/investigation/2014/04/how-clinton-team-thwarted-effort-to-regulate-derivatives" target="_blank">https://www.pogo.org/investigation/2014/04/how-clinton-team-thwarted-effort-to-regulate-derivatives</a>
| no | 1,174 |
What this article has failed to mention is the craziness and greed of the investors. Carvana, 80 billion dollars worth. Really? And now it’s under 2 billion? I’m 72 years old and have all my life’s savings in investments in various forms but never forget what my father told me during my middle school days when he was teaching me “how money makes money” and the magic of “the compounding interest,” that I should always try to find out what a company should be worth and “ son if you do not understand then stay away from it.”
| no | 414 |
The fact that some people think these bits are worth money remains to me an astonishment.I just want to point out that I still have several megabytes of un-used bits in my laptop - MRBs (Michael Ryan Bits).I'm offering them at a reduced price of 10¢ a byte (eight bits) to all comers.MichaelP..S. A pet rock can always be used to throw at the head of an intruder breaking into you home. Try that with a bit coin.Michael
| no | 83 |
I deal with tech companies around the world and most valley tech companies & startups were very badly managed last 8 years and will have repercussions for the US economy next few years1. Incompetent tech leaders hired because if you made a loss did not matter, your stock still went up. 2. Immature Venture Capitalists who became partner 2 years out of college .. never mind B school, never mind actual experience 3. Very little tech and lots of hype/marketing/PR4. Startup CEO's who cant read a financial statement and spend all day on podcasts/twitterlast 8 years - education, experience did not matter.. money was free as a result who you partied with or virtue signaling mattered most predicting 30% of VC funds will shut down- incompetence has been rewarded & results will show
| yes | 8,345 |
I worked in the restaurant industry from 13 years of age to my late twenties: dishwasher, busboy, kitchen gopher, sous chef, and finally a line cook. I love the industry and the insane people who make a career in it. Its one of the toughest ways to make a living you can imagine. So I'm very interested in making sure those individuals get paid well. I tip very well. But for those who want to ensure that workers make the kinds of hourly wages we all wish them to, consider a local place in LA which does just that.I got a short stack of blueberry pancakes and coffee. Truly some of the best pancakes I've ever had. By the time I had paid the required table fee, figured out that each refill (2) of coffee was $3, tax, and the actual cost of the pancakes, I was out nearly $40. $40 for a stack of pancakes. Sorry, but I just can't "sustain" that. Food and dining is important. Paying people right is too. I don't know the answer. I hope Ms. Howard figures it out.
| yes | 7,406 |
Critical Thought Disney will pay the billion dollars with taxes and/or user fees. You really think they are going to get free sewage and trash collection?DeSantis did not use executive power to make the change. The legislature passed a bill which he signed into law. There is no "Don't Say Gay" law and you know it.
| yes | 5,546 |
Pete Here’s the thing though…in the the early part of 2022 when things were really starting to open up, many COUNTRIES were requiring proof of travel insurance, that included a COVID clause, to even get into their country. Chile in January of 2022 when we flew there for our Aurora expedition to Antarctica had an extensive procedure for verifying COVID status prior to approving our entry.
| no | 2,581 |
Wow! Bankman-Fried thought everything was OK because Alameda owed FTX $8B on paper?! How innocent a child do you have to be to think that?
| yes | 7,104 |
K Flint According to Wikipedia:William Denby Hanna (Bill), native of Melrose, New Mexico and Joseph Roland Barbera (Joe), born of Italian heritage in New York City, first met at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studio in 1937, while working at its animation division. Having worked at other studios since the early 1930s, they solidified an “eight-decade” partnership. Puss Gets the Boot, released in 1940, served as the first entry in the theatrical film series Tom and Jerry. Hanna supervised the animation, while Barbera did the stories and pre-production.
| yes | 5,127 |
Tim You can Google it:She earns at least $174,000 per year for her Congressional salary and has a net worth of $200,000, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
| yes | 8,088 |
TJ My father worked at the same large corporation for over 30 years, his entire career apart from a summer or starter job or two. He did retire with a gold watch. However, in the 1980s the company forced him into a pension plan buyout. They did put money into a 401K for him, but not nearly as much as the pension would have been worth. He continued to work for them, but suffered from increasing ageism (he was an engineer). My point is, even the Silent Generation didn't have total security. Also, my mother also had a professional career, which was unusual for middle-class wives at the time. She was paid less than my father, but her salary went into their stock market investments. Those investments enabled my father to retire in comfort--but he certainly did not get a pension.
| yes | 5,959 |
Some Dude You paint with a really broad stroke and maybe not enough information. That amount might be true for someone who puts in more than 20 years (it goes up based on year of SERVICE) - which isn't true for a 45 year old and I don't know about officers, but my retired E-7 husband pulls in... he just got a "raise" $2k a month. So that's what? $24k a year? We also pay premiums and co-pays for our supposed "free medical care for life" for serving our country for 20 years. Officers aren't the only people in the military.
| yes | 6,261 |
The continuation of the movie seems to be a problem for most onlookers due to this horrible tragedy, and it does sound odd that they would finish the movie. But Ms. Hutchins' husband became a producer in a settlement after his wife died so, he must be counting on payment from this movie. Maybe Alec Baldwin was planning on releasing the movie overseas in the foreign market in order to make sure Mr. Hutchins' will be paid from those revenues. He and Halyna have a son. The one thing that has come out of this tragedy, is there shouldn't be any ammunition on a movie set. The FBI found 5 live ammunitions on the set and it only takes one, to be loaded even accidently/mistakenly into a gun to kill or harm someone.
| no | 4,519 |
Very disappointed here, but completely understand. The level of misogynistic vitriol that accompanied any mention of one of the best prime ministers we've had has astonished me.Kiwis, but also many overseas right wing commentators, commenting on her looks, misrepresenting every move she made, and blaming every little issue in their lives on her personally. High interest rates? Jacinda's to blame. Inflation? Yep. Covid? Should have opened earlier/later and on it goes. And no tweet without some derogatory photo/meme attacking her as a woman.My guess is she will leave New Zealand behind and who could blame her? We don't deserve her ability.
| no | 2,353 |
The New York FBI office is best known for going rogue for Trump before the 2016 election. They were one of the main reasons Comey released the statement about the Hillary e-mail investigation right before the 2016 election that greatly helped throw the election to Trump.Of course what Comey didn't state then was that there was also an open investigation into the Trump campaign for foreign interference.
| yes | 5,203 |
With traditional investments, huge drops in value are considered acceptable as long as things recover in a decade or two.Just as important as important as people's willingness to believe in the next "disruptive" thing, is the observation that in the conventional business world, the model of earning more each quarter than the previous quarter--forever--does not make sense. It seems, old or new, capitalism is based on the presumption that everything always goes up.
| no | 2,302 |
RLG honestly I would love to, but I can’t handle the $165k pay cut
| no | 3,726 |
Despite the article's frame and the consequent posts in response, an investment of $200 billion into American infrastructure on a scale similar to the "space race" is NOT a negative.
| no | 664 |
Documentalista In order to direct someone to a particular thread:—go to the Original post, click on Share , let the page or box that comes up and says Permalink:; Copy that link so that it is in the clipboard and close the page by using the X. Now you can paste the Permalink to open a new web page with the whole thread (you can refresh just that page to see what happens (replies, recommendations, deletions…) or paste in a message as I am doing here.This thread is at Permalink: <a href="https://nyti.ms/3wDwQwA#permid=122855033" target="_blank">https://nyti.ms/3wDwQwA#permid=122855033</a>You can share a single reply, but the results can vary, sharing the Original post id is safer.and that's all until the comments platform is changed and we shall have to learn it all over again.happy searching.
| no | 3,758 |
I worry that private equity is going to be a big player in the next great recession.
| no | 2,119 |
Gabby will always be our beloved representative. Thank you for your service, Representative Giffords and Senator Kelly. In his standup comedy back in the 90s, Chris Rock proposed bullet control. He joked that no one takes anyone's guns away but ammo costs $5000 per bullet. If there were a way to make gun ownership financially painful, perhaps we could see faster change.
| yes | 5,685 |
Michael Barry - Exactly! And it is clear that the Founders wanted the internet to be free and open place for all types of discussions.
| yes | 9,283 |
Can the Sydney Modern Change How a ‘Sporting Nation’ Sees Itself? An extension to the Art Gallery of New South Wales brings 21st-century design to a city that has often had a love-hate relationship with future-forward art. On one of his first official tours through the new Sydney Modern, after roughly a decade developing the project as director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Michael Brand highlighted a few signature pieces: a new commission by an Aboriginal artist using found metal; an immersive sculpture, first exhibited in Seoul, that visitors create by rolling balls of clay; and a giant video from a New Zealander, imagining Oceania without people of European descent. An extension to the Art Gallery of New South Wales brings 21st-century design to a city that has often had a love-hate relationship with future-forward art.
| yes | 7,829 |
SMH Excessive profiteering not withstanding, it still costs billions of dollars to develop these drug. Without patent protection to ensure recovery of that investment, these drugs would not exist. A price tag cannot be avoided. The only alternative is to limit price gouging and profiteering, and to socialize the cost nationally. Would you and everyone else be willing to pay a share so that sick people are not so personally burdened?
| yes | 6,449 |
Why don't those who want to prevent Brazilians from using the Amazon's resources, raise the funds, buy the land and fence it in as a nature preserve?If it is that valuable for humanity, humanity must surely be ready to pay for it, right?Pay each one of those people exploiting the resources $1,000/year for each acre they guard against burning and the problem will be solved.Unless, "humanity" is really not ready to put the money where the rhetoric is.
| yes | 7,729 |
John D Warnock Thank you.And not only that but animals have an instinct for when the cage is too crowded and become unwilling to mate or, if the young are produced, there is inadequate dedication to mothering due to severe stress. Why we can't see that this is happening to us puzzles me.And yet I do live in a neighborhood where the houses are big and the families are having 3 or 4 children but someone is making a lot of money.The stress seems under control and there is a lot of focus on making it all look perfect. This is much harder in the most expensive megacities. Once the house costs $1,000,000 plus and you can't trust the public schools, and getting back and forth to work is an ordeal, more people will opt out.
| yes | 9,601 |
Krugman and Blanchard are missing the enormous elephant in the room, which is our insane level of debt and money-printing. People in Turkey, many Latin American countries, and other high-inflation countries understand clearly and viscerally that excessive money-printing by their governments directly causes inflation. Inflation is an erosion of the value of one’s money/currency, such that everyone becomes more impoverished by their money’s reduced purchasing power. A $5 loaf of bread yesterday costs $10 today—I.e., you just lost half of your wealth. In those countries, sometimes money-printing is the only way forward, say, for example to meet government debt obligations in “hard” currencies (like USD or EUR). For Americans, we have been money-printing far beyond our means, mostly for our inefficient military, but also for corporate bailouts and, more recently, for Covid payouts—all of which economists unanimously agree have no economic benefit to us as Americans. Over the last two years of approximately ten percent inflation each, we have all become about twenty percent poorer—we lost twenty percent of our purchasing power. While Krugman makes possibly a valid argument that corporate greed drives inflation, that is a micro-speck of a factor compared to the massive effect of our out-of-control money-printing. Even Turkish and Argentinian school children understand this clearly.
| no | 2,403 |
Joshua KrauseAccording to some of the guys I work with, most of those Mexican and Central American workers, who these days borrow $12-16K to pay coyote transporters (or $3K less if they cross the border with a 60-80lb backpack) and whom end up in your fair city of Houston (to be then be further dispersed), will work in our country's VAST service sector and not production. This has long since been off-shored (and near-shored).
| no | 4,816 |
Time for the government to face reality, open their borders, and invest in a healthy immigration policy. Birthrates are falling everywhere in the world and the only countries that do not face this crisis are countries that have more open borders. Though creating and expanding humane immigration policies can be quite complicated, the solution in of immigration itself is obviously simple.
| yes | 5,537 |
Heather To advance the cause of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) it is important to understand why so many people oppose them:1. For most Americans their single largest form of investment (wealth) is the value of their homes, and they will do almost anything to prevent property values from dropping, whereas ADUs can lower property values and negatively impact neighborhood aesthetics.2. ADUs can strain existing infrastructure (e.g., schools, sewers, parking, water, electricity, public transportation) and lead to higher taxes.3. ADUs can affect the character of a neighborhood and lead to over-density. 4. ADUs can increase privacy and safety concerns, especially if the units are rented to unrelated tenants.5. ADU regulations and permitting processes can be difficult to navigate, leading to slow and complicated implementation.Because home-owners tend to be voters, those in affluent neighborhoods and the suburbs will continue to oppose laws and regulations requiring higher-density, low-income housing in their neighborhoods and communities.Thus the only way to economically and racially integrate the suburbs and affluent city neighborhoods will be to pass local, state and federal laws, and for President Biden to issue Executive Orders, mandating that single-family zoning be eliminated and multi-family, high-density, low-income housing be required throughout the US.
| no | 908 |
Not sure anyone will ever say anything to him in confidence ever again..so that ironically rules out any form of reconciliation. They will also be terrified of being taken out of context or run through the "oppression" lens Harry has picked up and appear as a villain in his next book, even if their efforts are genuine. He's got his mother's antennae, understandably and probably for good reason. It's kinda fishy though that this whole round of openness and mudslinging looks remarkably similar to Martin Bashir's efforts in 1995, which were based on Diana's false belief that her aides had been compromised by MI5 and they were trying to take her down. Harry said pretty much the same, that his staff and aides had been compromised and he had been targeted by palace forces. Bashir's special was an historical ratings monster, the deception had paid off handsomely for all who participated..people forget how it happened. Is it happening again?
| no | 110 |
PATRICK It is Norway. The country whose politicians are very honest to the extent they set up a sovereign wealth fund to invest and hold their income from North Sea Gas and oil for the benefit of the entire population. Unlike the UK where the politicians used the oil and gas money to buy votes.
| yes | 9,572 |
Hab I haven't seen them in years, either. I grew up in Vancouver and now live in Calgary. I think we had them when I was about 10. 4 Litres of milk is $5.65, 2 litres is $4.65. If I can't drink it all before the best before date, I make ricotta. Takes 30 minutes (for a full 4 litres), some salt and lemon juice and you've got a great cracker spread with hot pepper jelly.
| no | 4,119 |
Where were they when Trump added over $7 trillion to US debt?Trump inherited a budget deficit around $650 billion, and blew it up to well over $1,000 billion ……. before Covid hit.The far right Republicans only talk about a balanced budget or limiting the debt ceiling, when there is a Democrat President.The Orwellian named Freedom Caucus, continue to be a very loud and angry minority.They have zero interest in raising the minimum wage, or introducing policies to reduce income and wealth inequality. Climate science is off limits to the Freedom Caucus.Former Republican Speakers in John Boehner and Paul Ryan, must be so thankful they are out of the House, and don’t have to put up with tyranny by the minority of their own members.
| yes | 9,697 |
What a great article. Two years ago, at the age of 65, I opened my first working art studio and I'm thrilled. Finally, I have time to create as I've always wanted. I read this quote years ago and like to think that, whether I travel, party late, or stay hidden in my studio, I'm living that life of "rich unrest.""Babies are a nuisance, of course. But so does everything seem to be that is worth while – husbands and books and committees and being loved and everything. We have to choose between barren ease and rich unrest.”
-Winifred Holtby, in Vera Brittain, Testament of Friendship, 1940
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Joe It's because there are no cheap shelters after we turned housing into a speculative wall street corrupt investment.This not only causes homelessness but it is a massive tax on the working class as rents often increase far beyond wages. Though land lords complain rents often increase around 10% per year. Wages have not kept up.Thus here we are.This is possible because of debt schemes and speculation in housing from wall street.The costs of housing have been decoupled from the local wages. Meaning that if you only have low paid jobs the housing will fall to low paid workers costs. It should. But it isn't.That right there is why we are where we are. This goes directly back to corporations buying up housing and gouging citizens with rents.We have a serious problem in this country.It is capture of our system by the wealthy.
| no | 4,037 |
What’s Next for the Great Gay Play? Everything. In recent shows, ideas of gayness are expanding, combining and disappearing all at once. I don’t know whether it was because my parents were just generally open-minded, or because they had a specific, kindly yet mortifying agenda, but one of the first Broadway plays they took me to, in June of 1977, was way too gay for comfort. It was about the closeted son of a Philadelphia family who returns from his fancy New England college to spend the summer at home — which is exactly what I was at that moment. In recent shows, ideas of gayness are expanding, combining and disappearing all at once.
| yes | 8,005 |
MSPWEHO To me the low-hanging fruit, so to speak, is the very obvious (and, I would think, easily-answered) question: How did Santos come up with $700k for a personal loan to his own campaign? Or stated more succinctly: Who owns George Santos?
| yes | 6,531 |
I love the Constitution of the U.S. Even with plenty of shortcomings, there is clear effort to have some rule of law for our country. All political parties and any independent elected officials need to abide by its words and intentions. I go to church often but would be in favor of Congress opening sessions with readings from the Constitution rather than vague prayers. Lets stamp those billion dollar coins this month just on principle.
| yes | 7,387 |
Jus' Me, NYT Absolutely. My company does purchase ads for clients on social media - actually we pay to "boost" our posts to targeted audiences. Both of the clients we do this for are nonprofit organizations. We can get far more traction for $5 on Facebook than we get for a $400 ad in a print publication. Personally, I support print publications, however - we subscribe to several. There's nothing like sitting in a comfy chair and poring through a magazine I love - it's interactive in the most tactile way.
| no | 1,490 |
History is not "truth", history is narrative, picking facts that fit together to tell a coherent story. But if history is not "truth", it is not all equally false, either. Bad history omits or ignores the inconvenient facts that seriously challenge the narrative, or, even worse, relies upon "alternative facts", treating unreliable narratives as authoritative, or things that just simply aren't true, and never happened.Examples of bad history are common enough -- whenever there's power to be protected or justified, bad history will be there. They don't teach about the Tianamin Square massacre of 1989 in Chinese history classes. For example.History "with an ax to grind" is rarely good history -- it seems to persuade, cajole, and even sometimes bully, rather to enlighten. It is more like a trial lawyer representing a client in court -- you only hear one side of an argument, and any notion of "fairness" or "balance" to the competing narratives is not even a consideration. Good history, on the other hand, considers the possibilities, acknowledges the competing interpretations, and encourages the reader to draw the final conclusions and appreciate the open questions. But that's old school stuff. perhaps not befitting our modern age, where it's now got to be "correct", or not at all. Maybe "history is history".
| no | 1,565 |
I entered my mid twenties and early thirties hopeful. Though we lost Dr. King, we had his analysis of the interlocking evils of poverty, racism, and militarism. As I entered my professional life in health care, this hope translated into belief that with my colleagues, we would contribute to a transformation of health care. We had a vision of accessible, compassionate, quality health care for all. In my latter sixties, the forces of profit are stronger than ever and divide us from a shared vision of the benefits of the commons. Dr. King's analysis remains relevant, but with the 4th dimension of the environment interlocking with the evils of poverty, racism, and militarism. In my profession, the vision of the health care system we hoped to achieve is largely a dream deferred. Medicare is actively being turned over to for-profit insurance companies (see Gilfillan and Berwick in Health Affairs Sep 29 and 30, 2021 and NYT Nov 8, 2022 on "How Insurers Exploited Medicare for Billions"). Primary care (my area of work) is known to be foundational to a health care system, but with per capita supply falling (see S Basu et al. JAMA internal Medicine Feb 18, 2019). I feel so much despair that the world I love, the values I hold dear, and the work that I devoted my energies to are in peril. We failed our promises to the next generations. More of the same....heck no. Turn more conservative....why would I do that?
| no | 1,343 |
One of the most rewarding aspects of working in impact investing is experiencing the energy of brilliant, inspired people working to create real solutions to the world's most pressing problems.This article speaks a lot about hope - the difference between "hope" that comforts someone's ego and the hope that actually moves someone to take action.What they don't mention is how taking action today is actually more accessible than ever. You don't have to be a data scientist or the engineer that's constructing new salmon farms to be part of the solution. Knowing excellent impact exists, advocating for it, learning about it, and (if you're able to) moving money into it, are all ways to contribute to the profound growth that's shaping a healthier, sustainable world every day.IMO, supporting impact gives all of us the opportunity to be activists -- it gives all of us the ability to contribute to positive change. If you want to learn more, some of my favorite work is happening through Montcalm TCR, Aqua-Spark and Obvious Ventures (to start).
| yes | 6,785 |
Al Us too- husband and I made a deal that I promised to be an efficient money manager and stay-at-home Mom since we both agreed that it would be better for our son. We lived within our means, were frugal, never bought a "status" car, have lived in the same house for 37 years- never felt the need to live a more "luxurious lifestyle". Son and his wife have made the same choice. We never felt deprived- had a yearly vacation, kids got new clothes when they needed them and were able to participate in outside activities and summer camps. Due to caring for aging family, I never did go back to work. I have no idea what I would do with $400,000 a year. Same thing I do now with far less- buy what I need or want and save the rest.
| no | 2,236 |
Rob Why is this the Democrats fault? At any time, a tiny number - just six! - of GOP reps could join with the other party and elect a Speaker. Doesn't even have to be Jeffries. I have heard a number of Democrats say they are open to such a compromise - it just doesn't seem like one is forthcoming from the majority party.
| yes | 6,605 |
The US and its allies must stop giving Ukraine just enough so they don't lose. It's time to give them what they need to win. There must be a way to negotiate with EU countries to supply Leopard tanks. And 50 Bradley vehicles is not sufficient. They need 5X-10X that number. Finally, they need to be able to return fire from where ever it originates including Russia and Belarus. If we think the risk of giving them these weapons is high, rest assured the risk of not giving them these weapons is higher. Finally the best way to insure China thinks twice about invading Taiwan is to make sure they see Russia fail their invasion of Ukraine.
| yes | 8,132 |
poe -- " 21. Ringling College of Art and Design/ New Collage"You seem to be getting this 2012 data from this link:<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/08/09/the-25-colleges-with-the-worst-return-on-investment" target="_blank">https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/08/09/the-25-colleges-with-the-worst-return-on-investment</a>/The Forbes story doesn't mention New College. Ringling College of Art and Design is also located in Sarasota, but it's an unrelated school:-- New College: public, liberal arts, 700 students, average annual cost after aid $10K-- Ringling College: private, fine arts, 1700 students, average annual cost after aid $52K.The bad estimated ROI for Ringling doesn't tell us anything about ROI for New College; the very low annual cost for New College along with the usual improved earnings for college graduates suggests that the ROI for New College is probably pretty good.Guy CardenSpokane, Washington
| yes | 7,201 |
So now we are going into Crimea, in an expensive and foolish effort to redeem the failed policies of Obama, Biden and Farkas from ten years ago. They keep opening up the checkbook and moving the goalposts. It really stinks having no leadership in D.C.
| no | 3,871 |
JC University medical centers typically run about 10% profit, as limited by HHS. Although they are supposedly non-profits, they all make money.
| yes | 9,400 |
John You beat me to it. I don't doubt for a second that the whales keep a floor under the price of bitcoin for their own benefit and/or exit liquidity. Just curious what economic event is going to cause the BTC house of cards to completely fall. Gemini is the latest crypto firm to go belly up yet Bitcoin is up 30% in the last month? It's a joke.
| yes | 7,637 |
In my comment about a year ago, I pointed out that "However this goes, the military industrial complex (MIC) will extract more money out of your paycheck next year."And yet more in future years. Do you really think it would be sated with a mere $768 billion?"You are doing a full day's work, but you're not getting a full day's pay. You are the victim of exploitation.
| yes | 6,362 |
Pat They legally don't take half of millionaire's money because top rate well south of 50% and capital gains rates far lower. And with your state voting to cut the IRS budget the rich cheats will pay even less. Warren Buffett admits he has always legally paid far less % than his secretary. Pat you must be in the secretary class rather than the big investor class. Otherwise you would know that the gap between rich and poor is growing fast. So stop voting for tax breaks for the rich. OK to keep taxes low for the middle class but the rich making more than $1 million a year do not deserve the reagan, bush and trump tax cuts. Period.
| yes | 8,103 |
The global plutocracy which controls France, Germany and the corrupt West in general, bet heavily on Putin. The way global plutocracy sees it, it had nothing to lose, everything to gain. More than a century ago it already used that strategy with Lenin, Stalin and Mussolini (plutocratic support was then extended to dictatorial Japan, Nazi Germany, and Franco… by extending oil, lines of credit, equipment, etc.). Plutocracy is tyranny friendly as its fundamental purpose is fundamentally evil (Pluto). Eastern Europe has been at the receiving end of these bad treatments for centuries thanks in part from selfish, self-absorbed Western European indifference…in 1240 the Mongols killed Kyiv, and put the Kremlin's Alexander Nevsky, in control… Of Kyiv! At the time, and since, Eastern Europe observed that Western Europe did not come to the rescue of Kyivan Rus against the Mongols… although it launched plenty of crusades at the time, including against Novgorod... although Anna Princess of Kyiv was ruling queen of France in 1051-60 CE.Macron is fundamentally a banker who used his connection to the state at his advantage… A particular case of Western finance and Davos (WEF) welcoming and using Putin, that is the Russian state, to their advantage. Each time Rosatom sells a nuclear reactor, France gets a billion dollars…If anything, the present crisis exposes the enormous corruption in Western Europe, which laundered in plain sight the money that Russian oligarchs stole from Russia.
| no | 3,179 |
Mike C. I should mention the restaurants here aren’t that loud. They say the food here falls off the trees. I just bought six more big tangerines in the little store 200 feet away, and it cost 1.47 Euros. The butcher carves off a pound of smokey or Swiss cheese every few days. Sicilian beer isn’t bad but single bottles of Leffe from Belgium are 1.5 Euros.
| no | 942 |
What???Inflation transfers $ from lenders to borrowers, not the other way around.I’m the Israeli example given in the article, rampant inflation in the 80s and the decline in value of the currency meant that many mortgage holders for example had a great deal in fact: imagine you have a $100k debt, but with hyperinflation and a rise in your salary, that nominal $100k is worth so much less in a year.
| no | 2,980 |
When will Krugman admit that the Fed pumped trillions of dollars into the financial markets for no reason but to support stock prices?
| no | 2,623 |
Just to be clear - every financial institution at all times has money set aside as a “bad debt expense”. JP Morgan is elevating their allowance, they’re not creating some entirely new program like this article seems to imply.
| no | 4,522 |
Being Irish myself, I’m no monarchist either. This isn’t about monarchy. This is story of dysfunctional family with a family business, Royal Family. Each have jobs to do, get paid for doing those jobs. Harry, middle aged yet horribly immature, deeply resentful of older, smarter, Future King William, doesn’t contribute much. Harry didn’t rise up in leadership in military so resigned, has no marketable business knowledge, experience or leadership skills. Yet he and new wife, a middle aged Basic Cable D Actress, said, whoa, we’re entitled to have what William and Kate have, we’re more ‘popular’ than William and Kate (they weren’t) as if popularity equals capability (it doesn’t), and if you don’t give in to demands, we’re leaving. Queen and Prince Charles said NO, tantrums ensued, more threats to leave, Bluff called. Pa gives Harry and Meghan £15M on top millions they already have to get started in America. But they just can’t make it so their petty, cruel, vicious “Harry-Megan Bitter Revenge Betrayal Tour for Big Money” commences. The Queen was protecting all the family, including Harry, but he’s just not smart or mature enough to get that. Ugh, Family!
| no | 855 |
Mark I have to disagree with you there Mark. Harry and Megan love the press. They can't get enough of it. Yes, at the beginning when Ms. Markel complained about how the paparazzies were hounding her and mistreating her in GB I sympathized with her. But man, ever since she got back to the states with her prince there isn't a day I open my news feed and they aren't on it whining incessantly about their "terrible, miserable" lives. They love the lime light like any other narcissist. There are billions of people on this planet who'd love to have the live they do, no matter the family dynamics. Being phenomenally rich even though they never really did a hard days work in their lives, having nannies taking care of their kids, having a roof over their heads, food to eat, going to bed every night knowing they and their loved ones are save because they have the money to live in save and luxurious places. If Harry and Megan really were so unhappy maybe they should go to therapy instead of talking to every possible news outlet trying to sell a story about their "miserable" lives.
| yes | 8,720 |
Tracy, Since it seems you saw Beck at least a couple times in the Cleveland area in the late 60s early 70s, I’m wondering if you saw him again with BB&A at John Carroll University in April 1973 (Wet Willie was the opening act). If so, can you share any recollections of that concert for something I am writing?. The JCU show was one of only 2 college shows BB&A did in its short touring history. 
| no | 4,696 |
The economic stance that there always must be growth is stupid. if I owned a company that made 10 million one year and 9 million the next if it was a stock it would tank. I bring this up as business people fear lack of growth which population decline will usher in. I think it is time for economists to reevaluate what success is.
| no | 88 |
Thank god Biden is president and can veto any crazy stuff....senate, too. Principled conservatives and progressives, moderate Dems, in other words Americans, these people need to be voted out, crushed and humiliated.....criminality needs to be punished and the country needs to move forward. Why? not so much because i vehemently disagree with them, but because they are not open to compromise. The far anything is brittle. My way or the highway. Brittle doesn't last too long if exposed to the wind.
| no | 2,114 |
Yes, but why was it so easy for this Magical Thinking to take root, especially around something like crypto that was obviously totally without value. It was easy for my generation to follow the "education, savings & investment" route, even for those of us who began with literally nothing. First rate education was available for close to free (at least in the more liberal parts of the country). That was (as advertised) the first step on the ladder. And even those who didn't take that route had numerous other paths to middle class life, union jobs, various well paying trades, etc. These days the barriers to education are huge and afterwards mountains of debt hinder any economic success. There is no affordable housing and the compensation for and satisfaction provided by huge swaths of the economy are on a downward spiral. So the young men (the demographic most susceptible to magical thinking) look at the the constraints on their personal lives, and contrast that with the lives portrayed on TV, movies, and social media, and look around for something, anything, to catch them up with their expectation.
| no | 1,109 |
Of the 435 representatives in Congress, about 20 (5% of all members) are in open rebellion in their conference. They might be called the Freedom Caucus but the number is probably much larger. They campaign that they only wish for all Americans to have a voice. Yet, they will not say what they are negotiating behind closed doors that the nation will have to live with. They say the system is broken. That is because they broke it. When the government was more open they were able to block all action. So the omnibus bills they object to were put in place to make sure the government remained funded. They are campaigning against the monster they created.But in their heart of hearts, these Republicans want to eliminate all government spending except what helps them. Their system of individual amendments and debate will guarantee that. No Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, no protection for consumers, no preservation of our national resources, no IRS, no taxes for themselves and no penalty for not paying up on their debts.
| yes | 6,482 |
'“It’s long past time for Washington to end the reckless spending of taxpayer dollars and start living within its means,” said Senator Rick Scott of Florida', who lives 'within his means' off his $300 million stolen from the federal government via his former company Hospital Corporation of America.
| no | 3,201 |
The nonsense that "blockchain" people spew is amazing.How is a system that ostensibly nobody controls going to lead to a multinational economy? (Who would make decisions, and how would those decisions be implemented? Who would pay for the implementation? As an example, if we talk about building a road somewhere, who gets to vote on that?)It is also the case that we can now datamine the information in the blockchain, and once there is an identification of who "owns" a given wallet, all of that person's transactions are open for all to see. That is the way the feds actually took down some of the folks who use crypto as a payment method for ransomware attacks. How does that protect one's privacy, when every transaction is recorded in public? I can use cash, multiple credit cards issued by multiple lenders, and other forms of purchase. Unless you are looking specifically for me, only the three major credit rating agencies have a handle on my spending practices.The article uses the word "cult" in describing some of the material that is presented. I agree with the use of that word.
| yes | 6,932 |
Joe Gadway Mr. Lubin uses two forms of insulin, and each is capped at $35 a month.
| yes | 9,193 |
I worked in the Solomon Islands and the article does state clearly that the Chinese population that settled there many years ago is not the same as the current one. In fact; we even got help from the Chinese to distribute schools books to outer islands on their boats and enjoyed the fresh vegetables that always accompany Chinese communities around the world! Sadly, retaliation against the new blunt Chinese investment is often taken out on these smaller Chinese merchants. The Pacific Islands flip allegiance between Taiwan and China depending on who is paying the most. Right now it's China. It's sad yet one more infrastructure project being built in these islands that will most likely never be used. My wish is that they build desperately needed roads, with good drainage! At least they will be used.
| yes | 6,066 |
Kerry O Whether you make $50k, $500K, 5Million or even more a year is not the issue. What you do with your money once you have earned it AND have paid your taxes is NOT the issue. You, nor anyone else, need to justify anything, You earn your money, pay your appropriate taxes and then go live your life. What gets drawn into the conversation time and time again are so called ''big numbers'' that obfuscates the issue. OMG look at how much taxes I am paying and it is too much. I live with all these expenses and it is too much. It is all a red herring. The issue is the PERCENTAGE of taxes you pay relative to how much you earn. IF you make more, then you should be paying Progressively more upwards to a certain maximum rate.. Beyond that, live well. enjoy.
| yes | 9,487 |
The traitors who seek to damage our democratic institutions and oppress marginalized people have a strong ally in Santos— a man who will say anything or do anything for money and recognition. I will continue to vote straight democratic as long as these clowns are in office. We can only beat them at the ballot box. 2018,2020,2022: rebuke them again in 2024. There are good, competent GOP leaders like Hogan from Maryland, but they are shouted down by a rabble of miscreants and a house speaker who sold out to those loonies for the gavel of fame. It is disgusting. Where is our beneficent, aspirational America?Maybe it went down the Twitter gossip, rabbit hole with too much of our society.
| no | 1,896 |
Scott How can this statement be improved? The context is a NYT reader comment as a reply to a (man?) from NYC who believes ChatGPT will cause a 10% job loss amongst (his?) associates. The field is assumed to be un-specifically "White-collar".`Knowing how to use AI effectively will become what separates an effective worker from an ineffective worker.`"Adapting to the integration of AI in the workplace will be crucial for job performance and career advancement. Those who embrace and utilize AI will be more valuable and effective employees, while those who resist its implementation may fall behind."
| no | 257 |
When Gerald Ford died, President GHW Bush gave a eulogy at one of his services. I remember being so moved by Pres. Bush's eulogy - especially his opening remarks - that I copied and saved it - and it appears below -"Well, as the story goes, Gerald Ford was a newly minted candidate for the United States House of Representatives in June of 1948 when he made plans with a reporter to visit the dairy farmers in western Michigan’s Fifth Congressional District. It was pouring rain that particular day and neither the journalist nor the farmers had expected the upstart candidate to keep his appointment. And yet he showed up on time because, as he explained to the journalist, 'they milk cows every day and, besides that, I promised.'""Because I promised" --It speaks to a kind of decency and ground-level fair-mindedness which is swiftly disappearing from the basic fabric of our society today -Many comments below speak of the intense right-wing media and use of the internet as being the squeakiest wheel to attract the largest amount of oil -When Orson Welles' Mercury Theater broadcast a reading of "War of the Worlds" in 1938 - people who turned on their radios in the middle of the broadcast actually believed we were being invaded - resulting in mass panic and people fleeing in their cars -Today - instead of Orson Welles - we have the right-wing media - with gullible listeners reacting in the same way -Gerald Ford would be turning in his grave...
| yes | 7,401 |
I am a deep admirer of the USA. I have studied your history, read your authors and poets, visited many times and have longstanding friendships with many Americans. I celebrate you. I tell people I meet that Americans are a wonderful people - warm, welcoming, gregarious. I feel like we share a rich heritage. My father served on the HMAS Australia, a battle cruiser, that fired the first shots at the battle of Guadacanal. My brother served in Vietnam.And sadly, I will never return to the land and the people I love. A land that has open carry - I saw guns in the coats of people in the park near the Pike St market in my last visit to Seattle - is nowhere I wish to visit. Like pretty much everyone else in the world beyond your borders, I am confused, horrified, perplexed and angry at what has resulted from this obscenity. I am so, so sorry.
| yes | 5,001 |
"In 20 years, will there be enough historical context for this that someone can see it took place in 2023 and immediately understand why, the way that we now do when we see those votes from the 1850s and 1920s?"You do not have to wait 20 years. The energy transition we undergoing today will render the known reserves of fossil fuels completely worthless. Do the math, multiply the known economically extractable reserves of crude, coal, and methane gas and multiply with the current unit price, and see what I mean. The value that will be lost when the fossil fuels are zeroed out is astronomically larger than the value of all the slaves freed after the civil war. However the size of the 1865 economy was much smaller than today's. In 1860, the economic value of slaves in the United States exceeded the invested value of all of the nation's railroads, factories, and banks combined.<a href="https://www.nps.gov/articles/industry-and-economy-during-the-civil-war.htm" target="_blank">https://www.nps.gov/articles/industry-and-economy-during-the-civil-war.htm</a>Why do you think coal lover Trump was rooting for supporter of gas-guzzling cars Walker? Why all the petro-states from Russia to Saudi Arabia, and Iran all have blood on their hands? Chaos and war is the only hope left to delay the inevitable. Check for contributions from fossil fuel interests to elect the 20 belligerents. While you are doing this also check the voting records of the six right wingers on the Supreme Court. They have been carefully vetted to protect the interests of the failing fossil fuel economy.
| yes | 7,376 |
To some generic degree this is happening in most major cities and for all demographics. I have seen what the results are. I grew up in rural Tennessee and now live in California. When I moved away 20 years ago there wasn't much happening back home. But now? Whenever I go back there are now entire chunks of the area I grew up in that were filled with farms and fields now getting filled with housing. It used to be dirt cheap and one could buy a house on some land for $100k. Now its more like $350k. I was astounded to go to one of the smaller towns nearby and discover it now has a sizeable Russian and Hispanic population with many ethnic grocery stores. Sort of refreshing to see that. A lot of the people moving in are from the coasts. East and West coast where the costs of everything have gotten to be so extreme that you HAVE to make a 6 figure income just to eek out a middle class existence. And the way I look at it is that perhaps this is a good thing. In the future perhaps the South will not be the total monolithic white, conservative place its been known for. A good mixture of people from all over can help better align the region to the rest of the nation
| no | 3,169 |
Capitalism has no inherent morality. The only mark of success is profit. Over-paid bosses with lavish lifestyles of conspicuous consumption deliberately advertise the money they make to imply the power they want people to think they have.This is evident in the poster boy for fake power without money - George Soros. There is a story elsewhere in these pages of how Mr. Soros used high-priced (allegedly stolen) preppy clothing to insinuate himself into the corridors of power as a high-rolling big spender with lots of money to blow on $520 Burberry scarves and $7,000 watches. It worked.America doesn’t worship God. America worships money. Hard times ahead. The boss is back.
| yes | 8,246 |
One of the most important lessons to be learned from this war in Ukraine is the success of cheap weapons over very expensive ones like air superiority fighters. Drones are the best example of this. A $60,000 drone can destroy a city or a power grid substation, and to shoot down that drone, a much more expensive missile must be used.Even DJI's $1,000 recreational drones are proving very effective for both observation and combat.If this is to continue, the armies of the big countries will have to put their F-35, Su-57 and Rafales on eBay.
| yes | 8,747 |
I assume that Satya Nadella who made $55 million in compensation last year will give some of that money to those who are laid off so that they can weather the next few months. Oh wait...
| yes | 7,996 |
David ...and culture. Worth a lot
| yes | 6,470 |
There is no free lunch.We don't pay taxes for Medicare for all but we pay private insurance.The US spends on average $11,000 per person on healthcare.The other first world countries spend on average $5,500 per per person for healthcare.They all have some form of universal coverage.We have medical bankruptcies and parts of the US with infant mortality rates of a second world country.
| no | 802 |
James The University of Chicago has expanded from around 2000 undergraduates in the 1980s to almost 8000 now, and yet its admission rate has dropped to around 5-6 percent from over 20 percent as it has grown.Elite schools can not expand very much more for a variety of reasons. Many like Chicago are located in dense urban areas and there is resistance against their encroaching on their surrounding communities. But maybe primarily, it’s difficult to find the faculty to teach at top schools. That’s a real limiting factor. And then also, it’s incredibly expensive to build the labs and other facilities required.
| yes | 4,987 |
Joe Sabin It is interesting that you have to make the contributions as unreachable as possible. One of the best ways when I started out was Series EE Savings Bonds. 25. a pay period or 50 and you got a 50. or 100. bond twice a month mailed to you. Interest was guaranteed 4% before it went both variable rate and unable to purchase through payroll deductions. A big mistake. What is a 4% return in 30 years these days. Turns out quite a bit considering savings interest these days is nil. And thanks to the Fed Chair who thinks he is an absolute genius, small businesses and large find it harder to borrow-more expensive terms, the average user cannot afford to finance a car and pay for groceries at usury rates for both or use their credit card even a little which would carry a balance. Even with interest rates at zero, Credit Card interest rates barely came down. It is harder to sell a home, the poor person's financial bank for their lives and legacy, or to buy a home and make repairs and renovations at such high interest rates. We cannot buy a car or house on time, use a credit card or buy groceries and pay utility bills which keep rising. Again, the average American household is held hostage and even the wealthiest do not want to pay 11. for eggs or 6.00 for gas. Banks have not raised simple interest rates for savers and Banks are the only companies along with airlines and military contractors making real money. There needs to be watchdogs and continued industry over sight.
| no | 658 |
Per usual in the Times, as when Mr. Krugman has opined on this topic, the term "crypto" is used in a blanket, general, and frankly lazy way by people who are purportedly serious, academic, and up with the times. Precision, please. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and VC-funded projects like Solana use up all the oxygen, but they are only part of the story. "Investing" in "crypto" is only part of the story. Someday, I hope the Times and other publications will catch up, and start writing less simplistically about a hugely complex topic.
| no | 3,553 |
A few thoughts.1. US billionaires total wealth is about $5tln, US spending per year is about $6tln. So if we were to confiscate all the billionaires wealth it would pay for 10 months of spending in one year. 2. Corporate taxes provide a little over 5% of US federal revenues, versus about 9% for OECD countries. Even if we doubled corporate tax revenues, that would only be $250bln/year.3. OECD countries get a great deal of revenue from consumption taxes, typically VAT taxes, which the US doesn't have. VAT taxes are very regressive.4. The tax loopholes that Congress complains about were put into law by....Congress. No one in Congress is looking to simplify the tax code. What would they do all day?5. The talk of needing to go back to 90% tax rates from the 1950s for the wealthy, ignores the fact that the effective tax rate for the top 1% are in the high 30's now, more or less where they were in the 1950s.6. Top tax rates in Europe start at much lower income levels. For example, Denmark's top tax rate starts around $70k.7. You can't hide W2 income, very easy for the IRS to check.8. The Jeff Bezos' of the world have very little in the way of income compared to wealth. So where does he get $500mm to pay for his yacht? He borrows against his stock holdings. That is something that should be taxed, but it doesn't appear that Congress has any interest in doing so.
| yes | 6,985 |
Jealousy and envy and vengeance are all human feelings and motivations for their behaviors. People are often deceptive or shy about their true feelings because they fear being hurt or embarrassed if they disclose. There are times when people will engage in frivolous behaviors which are just passing experiences and times when they demand seriousness and try to have certainty with respect to partners. I really do not know what discussions about what people want being reasonable or not has to do with such things. That presumes there are right or wrong behaviors. Even the most intolerant of actors are being who they really happen to be at the moment, even if others abhor it. In some cases open relationships are just ways to not be intimate and in others it's just allowing people to act how they feel. Generally, I think that for as long as the people feel happy with the arrangement, that's as good as it gets.
| no | 556 |
Alvin Braggs must go! And get rid of the judge too. No wonder Republicans no matter their labels (moderate, conservative, ultraconservative, hard right, far right, extremist, insurrectionist, rebel) keep breaking the law and sowing discourse and trying to destroy democracy because they know for a fact they won't be held accountable. And if they do, it'll be either home arrest, probation, or less than one year in prison even if they steal $1 billion from taxpayers.
| no | 1,186 |
It is true that we will be unable to supply the engineers and technicians for the domestic chip industry. Our educational system is broken with reading levels of our high school students hovering at the fourth grade level, if that high, in some places. The bright students go for the big bucks in finance or working for Google, Apple etc. The rest see their way to wealth being “influencers” on TikTok (ironically a Chinese company). The rest of the snowflakes don’t have the drive to work hard. Who wants to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on higher education to become an engineer or scientist, take on massive debt, only to watch their peers make bags full of money selling bags full of legal marijuana?So we are left to import our scientists and engineers from India or other such countries. What is pathetic is that these valuable people are forced to endure onerous visa restrictions and other obstacles to their entry, while the rest of us are left to watch a swarm of millions of migrants pour across our open border. We don’t need them. We allow millions of our own able-bodied citizens the luxury of sitting at home collecting public assistance and scamming the government handout system - all well-documented in these pages and elsewhere.
| yes | 6,620 |
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