Half a million South Korean workers walk off jobs in general strike • Hacker News Board

Re: Half a million South Korean workers walk off jobs in general strike

#231

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Oct 23, 2021, 2:17 AM UTC

freen wrote: post #110

m0zg wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Allowing employers to control health care is not a good idea. Not that I disagree, but I'd like to point out that you're effectively advocating for all other employers to "cut" healthcare as well. As someone who pays my own (and my family's) healthcare to the tune of $16K/yr for a really shitty plan, I'd also say that _who_ pays is probably not the primary concern here. If it cost one third what it does now (which…

The alternative to employer funded health insurance is not “no health insurance”. It is why every other developed country on the planet does. It is what Hayek advocates for in “the road to serfdom”. It is publicly funded universal healthcare.

[deleted]

Re: Half a million South Korean workers walk off jobs in general strike

#232

Post by m0zg » Sat, Oct 23, 2021, 2:18 AM UTC

polygotdomain wrote: post #176

m0zg wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Allowing employers to control health care is not a good idea. Not that I disagree, but I'd like to point out that you're effectively advocating for all other employers to "cut" healthcare as well. As someone who pays my own (and my family's) healthcare to the tune of $16K/yr for a really shitty plan, I'd also say that _who_ pays is probably not the primary concern here. If it cost one third what it does now (which…

It's like you're so close, but you somehow can't connect all the dots. "Allowing employers to control health care is not a good idea." > Not that I disagree If you agree that employers controlling health care is bad, what are the alternatives? Either universal coverage, or everyone has to foot the bill for their own health insurance plan. The former has a track record in every developed country in the world, the latt…

United States spends $3.8T+ (yes, _trillion_) on "healthcare", up from about $1.2T in year 2000. If you think people who own Congress will allow this overloaded apple cart to be even slightly upset, let alone destroyed, you're out of your mind. ACA was effectively a trillion dollar giveaway to them, by design. This is also why costs are "rising" - the direct beneficiaries are writing laws that benefit them.

Don't get me wrong, I too wish the Moon was made of cheese and everyone held hands and sang kumbayah. But I also recognize it won't happen in my lifetime, not with the government as corrupt as ours.

Re: Half a million South Korean workers walk off jobs in general strike

#233

Post by dragonwriter » Sat, Oct 23, 2021, 2:19 AM UTC

m0zg wrote: post #232

polygotdomain wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's like you're so close, but you somehow can't connect all the dots. "Allowing employers to control health care is not a good idea." > Not that I disagree If you agree that employers controlling health care is bad, what are the alternatives? Either universal coverage, or everyone has to foot the bill for their own health insurance plan. The former has a track record in every developed country in the world, the latt…

United States spends $3.8T+ (yes, _trillion_) on "healthcare", up from about $1.2T in year 2000. If you think people who own Congress will allow this overloaded apple cart to be even slightly upset, let alone destroyed, you're out of your mind. ACA was effectively a trillion dollar giveaway to them, by design. This is also why costs are "rising" - the direct beneficiaries are writing laws that benefit them. Don't get…

The people who own Congress are the citizenry of the US as a whole.

The people that rent members of Congress, OTOH...

Re: Half a million South Korean workers walk off jobs in general strike

#234

Post by mathverse » Sat, Oct 23, 2021, 8:43 AM UTC

dang wrote: post #223

mathverse wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I dont see anything ideological or flamy. This is my experience with living with and among koreans for a very long time.

You may not see anything flamy about "Koreans are the reason for such bullshit culture" but many people on the internet certainly would, and that's what determines flamebait. Please don't post like that to HN. I'm sure you can find other ways to share your experience. Glib, grand generalizations about large groups of people (such as nations) tend to be provocative in general, so if you want to make such comments you…

Ok noted.

Re: Half a million South Korean workers walk off jobs in general strike

#235

Post by MrBuddyCasino » Sat, Oct 23, 2021, 9:03 AM UTC

watwut wrote: post #161

MrBuddyCasino wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How is „Parasite“ supposed to be left-wing? I honestly fail to see how it can be interpreted that way.

It is because major media described it as sorta analogy to class conflict. And I think it is such analogy. But then, people who did not seen movie and assume class war means "good poor people against cartoon bad rich" started to talk about movie and use movie as example. The movie is not "dystopic, zombie, monster, battle royale". It is not about how poor are angelic. It is not about how rich are evil. It is not abou…

> It is not about how poor are angelic. It is not about how rich are evil.

I agree. I find that people can't help themselves but think in clichés, labels and phrases. What is actually happening is 2nd to the preconceived notion of what is supposed to happen. Everyone is projecting his inner psyche into an interpretation of the world that makes them feel at ease and morally righteous.

Re: Half a million South Korean workers walk off jobs in general strike

#236

Post by odiroot » Sat, Oct 23, 2021, 9:20 AM UTC

refurb wrote: post #190

odiroot wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And yet Singapore has low taxes (by some considered even a tax haven) and is not a welfare state. That is by design, LKY having been a big supporter of personal responsibility.

Singapore has low income taxes but high CPF (forced savings for retirement, health, housing, etc) requirements - 20% of gross income on top income taxes. The total take isn’t that low. And Singapore is most definitely a welfare state - just not a super generous one. Housing, healthcare, education are all heavily subsidized but also very strongly means tested. If you’re truly destitute in Singapore you will have a pla…

> Singapore has low income taxes but high CPF (forced savings for retirement, health, housing, etc) requirements - 20% of gross income on top income taxes. The total take isn’t that low.

Which, compared to western states, isn't taken away from you. It's your own private pool of money, just with a restricted use. The government is just aware, people are not great at saving for their future, so they have to be forced to do it properly.

Housing is not really subsidised, it's just build and sold without markup. Singapore's healthcare is also one of the "cheapest" and most efficient in the world.

Re: Half a million South Korean workers walk off jobs in general strike

#237

Post by cutemonster » Sat, Oct 23, 2021, 12:21 PM UTC

r3trohack3r wrote: post #208

treeman79 wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why on earth would anyone “trust” the media or any other group. That’s like believing Facebook has your best interest in mind. Figure out what a group wants to understand how they are spinning story.

A similar take: Don’t get your updates on X from someone trying to sell you some version of X. Get it from someone who has to explain X before selling you on Y.

Maybe also, someone who sells you Y, but none of unrelated M,N,O,P,Q,R -- if she is nevertheless familiar with those, you could ask her about those

Re: Half a million South Korean workers walk off jobs in general strike

#238

Post by robertlagrant » Sat, Oct 23, 2021, 6:51 PM UTC

v-erne wrote: post #107

qaq wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you? Do you really think you can magically turn raw materials + work needed to build a super yacht into something of global consequence ? Or a Pollock painting will magically turn into a 1000 homes? Or that 1% consumes significantly more food? Most ultra-rich sh*t is immaterial to struggles of regular people. Even if 1%ers consumes extra 300 square meters of real eastate if you divide it across the 99% you will ge…

I have seen this sentiment and on the surface its looks right. But I feel that we are missing here some real studies that should be done into impact of life style of the rich on the whole economy. I know few rich people (some of them ungodly rich). And seeing glimpses of their life style I cannot simply ignore cohorts of supporting jobs that make it all possibile (just to mentions few : private guards, house keeps, g…

> And seeing glimpses of their life style I cannot simply ignore cohorts of supporting jobs that make it all possibile

You shouldn't ignore them. They all get paid, which circulates money through the economy.

Re: Half a million South Korean workers walk off jobs in general strike

#239

Post by robertlagrant » Sat, Oct 23, 2021, 6:54 PM UTC

zkelvin wrote: post #166

dkdk8283 wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It creates real jobs and wealth. A friend of mine has 200 people employed in his family office.

What wealth does a yacht crew member create? A private guard? Or a private chef? These are all luxuries wholly consumed by the individual rich person, and whatever "wealth" may have been created vanishes the next day under the spin of the hedonic treadmill. The labor of these employees could have instead been directed towards build infrastructure, nursing, childcare, or any other number of jobs which generate real an…

> The labor of these employees could have instead been directed towards build infrastructure, nursing, childcare, or any other number of jobs which generate real and persistent wealth which compounds across generations.

This is a silly yardstick. There are countless jobs like that. Probably half the people on HN don't have those jobs, and aren't employed by the super rich. If you're choosing who to criticise and then making up criticisms, and don't care if those criticisms also apply to countless other situations, then that's unlikely to be convincing. Except to those looking for a reason to justify their preconceptions.

Re: Half a million South Korean workers walk off jobs in general strike

#240

Post by robertlagrant » Sat, Oct 23, 2021, 6:57 PM UTC

burnished wrote: post #227

namdnay wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> do you really think so little of boat-builders that you don't think they'd turn their hand to something else than building yatchs, that would be good and profitable for all involved do you think so little of boat-builders that you want to tell them what they should do with their lives? I imagine if they're building boats it's because they like building boats, and are more than happy that there are obscenely rich pe…

I think you're missing the point. They'd still keep building boats right? Except they wouldn't exclusively serve the ultra wealthy. Because the market wouldn't exist. Because people shouldn't be insanely wealthy. Because that comes at a cost to other people and is entirely a function of social systems, systems that we should make benefit everyone and not just a select few.

So if they're still building boats (presumably for no one?) Then they won't be the nurses etc earlier in the thread that this line of reasoning was countering.