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Overworked? Good habits, not holidays, are the answer

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Re: Overworked? Good habits, not holidays, are the answer

#151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the same point, this is one of my primary frustrations as a sysadmin, because sometimes I need to be available lickety-split, but sometimes I need to be in deep focus mode, but my office environment isn't very conducive to deep focus mode... so sometimes I have to disappear myself to a hidden place just to get some thinking in. Or, what happens more often, is that my productivity suffers and I end up staying late…

Any good suggests on where to learn how contract law works?

I would say start with some business law lecture series. I love the move from some of the best universities to put that sort of think online for free.

Re: Overworked? Good habits, not holidays, are the answer

#152

Overworked? Everyone is overworked. We live in a post scarcity industrial world, or very very close to it, and bad actors have gobbled up the spoils of the huge gains in productivity in the last 50 years. How much of the entire economy is predicated on grey money? How much of your time is indirectly consumed by this leviathan? The more I think about it, the more i want to opt out of the entire fucking thing.

It's called Shadowrun. You're living it. The only thing missing is corporation-states and those are coming fast.

Re: Overworked? Good habits, not holidays, are the answer

#153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the same point, this is one of my primary frustrations as a sysadmin, because sometimes I need to be available lickety-split, but sometimes I need to be in deep focus mode, but my office environment isn't very conducive to deep focus mode... so sometimes I have to disappear myself to a hidden place just to get some thinking in. Or, what happens more often, is that my productivity suffers and I end up staying late…

> I continually hear the guys who have worked at a place more than 15 years say "You have to put in the work and effort and then hope they give you that raise, perk, etc...". This is just disgusting. The oppressed defending the unfair system that enslaves them while hoping, one day, to be rewarded and turned into one of the oppressors.

Sounds like a line from Ragged Trousered Philanthropists.

Re: Overworked? Good habits, not holidays, are the answer

#154
post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What part of it isn't true though? Don't look at how it reads, just read the words. I feel the same way, like you're being stomped in the face every day by an invisible boot except nobody knows who's wearing it, but we all feel it. We are collectively losing our identities and blending into one due to how hyper connected we are and how available cheap forms of entertainment are. It's all quite eerie. I still haven't…

I'm not sure what else to say besides that none of this rings true to me at all. I don't feel stomped in the face at all. I don't believe my identity is blending into one collective, and I wouldn't describe anyone I know in that way either; everyone seems unique and interesting after getting to know them at even a little depth. Your experience of life must just be different than mine!

So maybe you're wearing that boot!

Re: Overworked? Good habits, not holidays, are the answer

#155
post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see your point, but don't forget that almost 50% of Americans don't pay any federal tax at all.[1] In fact some of them get EITC, so they are getting free money from the government on top of keeping all of their salary. So my question still stands, what would be a fair breakdown of tax burden? Top 1% pay 100% of all income taxes? 90%? I'm not trying to start an argument, I'm asking an honest question. Unless we kno…

Asking the question what should the 'top 1%' pay is (in my opinion) the wrong question. A better start (for me) is to ask what % of tax the people with the (for example) top 50% of income, or top 50% of wealth, should pay. If the top 1% has (for example) 90% of the income, then only paying 50% of the tax might be considered unfair.

If the top 1% has (for example) 90% of the income, then only paying 50% of the tax might be considered unfair.

The only number I could find is that the top 1% earns 22% of all AGI (adjusted gross income). This is income after all deductions, etc; the amount of income the tax rate is applied to.[1]

I'd be interested to see how much of all income is earned by the top 1%.

[1]http://taxfoundation.org/article/summary-latest-federal-inco...

Re: Overworked? Good habits, not holidays, are the answer

#156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We do not live in a post-scarcity world, and to say that we do shows a failure to understand the economic concept of scarcity. If goods aren't scarce, they have no opportunity cost -- anyone in such a society could get as much, e.g., filet mignon as they want without sacrificing their ability to get quality healthcare, education, or consumer electronics. Greater overall and per capita productivity isn't, and doesn't…

We're close to post industrial, at least in the 1st world. We're close. We certainly don't need to live in a world where millions die for lack of will, or failing that, where trillions of dollars of value are siphoned off of the working class in an upwards waterfall.

Post-industrial is here, or near, in much of the developed world, sure, but that just means that the economy has shifted from producing tangible goods to services and intangible goods, and importing tangible goods from elsewhere. That's just a shift in comparative advantage in an economy with scarcity, not a shift to or toward post-scarcity.

Re: Overworked? Good habits, not holidays, are the answer

#157
post #69
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My taxes are inflated so rich can pay a lower percentage than I do or even just skim off the government. Beyond that, my Rent and healthcare costs are ridiculously inflated, but you can find a lot of padding in other areas. FYI even just at the federal level things are effed up. 33.9% of taxes collected are payroll taxes, but social security caps at ~120k. Hint it's just a tax, you can receive benifits without ever w…

Top 1% of income earners pay 50% of all federal income taxes collected. What would you consider a "fair" share of the top 1%'s wealth?

If you exclude payroll taxes AND ALL OTHER TAXES. Then sure you can play with the numbers.

Reality is they are not paying 50% of income tax as social security is a federal tax on income. There are also plenty of regressive taxes. Pay for lunch that's taxed, pay for an accountant free. Guess who spends more on accountants?

Re: Overworked? Good habits, not holidays, are the answer

#158
post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Asking the question what should the 'top 1%' pay is (in my opinion) the wrong question. A better start (for me) is to ask what % of tax the people with the (for example) top 50% of income, or top 50% of wealth, should pay. If the top 1% has (for example) 90% of the income, then only paying 50% of the tax might be considered unfair.

If the top 1% has (for example) 90% of the income, then only paying 50% of the tax might be considered unfair. The only number I could find is that the top 1% earns 22% of all AGI (adjusted gross income). This is income after all deductions, etc; the amount of income the tax rate is applied to.[1] I'd be interested to see how much of all income is earned by the top 1%. [1] http://taxfoundation.org/article/summary-lat…

AGI is a lie.

EX: Calculate bill gates lifetime wealth and lifetime AGI. Hint, that 30 billion he donated never counted as AGI.

Re: Overworked? Good habits, not holidays, are the answer

#159

Overworked? Everyone is overworked. We live in a post scarcity industrial world, or very very close to it, and bad actors have gobbled up the spoils of the huge gains in productivity in the last 50 years. How much of the entire economy is predicated on grey money? How much of your time is indirectly consumed by this leviathan? The more I think about it, the more i want to opt out of the entire fucking thing.

I really hope you're talking about taxes. That's where half of my salary is going to, not to some mythical "evil rich", but to pay for beurocracy and welfare programs.

Taxes are lower now than at any point in the last 100 years.

Re: Overworked? Good habits, not holidays, are the answer

#160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We're close to post industrial, at least in the 1st world. We're close. We certainly don't need to live in a world where millions die for lack of will, or failing that, where trillions of dollars of value are siphoned off of the working class in an upwards waterfall.

Post-industrial is here, or near, in much of the developed world, sure, but that just means that the economy has shifted from producing tangible goods to services and intangible goods, and importing tangible goods from elsewhere. That's just a shift in comparative advantage in an economy with scarcity, not a shift to or toward post-scarcity.

I would say that the part of post-scarcity that's actually cogent to my orginal comment is that we are already, via largely and increasingly automated means, cheaply producing vast quantities of consumer goods with decreasing amounts of human intervention.

I didn't mean to credulously insinuate that we are approaching the utopian ideal of a post-scarcity world, as any cursory glance at reality would readily indicate that we are not living in a utopia. But my comment was lazy as it says exactly that, without further qualification, so i deserve the pedantry.

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