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Stay Gold, America

blog.codinghorror.com

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Re: Stay Gold, America

#21

Post by throwpoaster »

coldtea wrote: post #7

> We are at an unprecedented point in American history, and I'm concerned we may lose sight of the American Dream The understatement of the year. From all I read, hasn't it been dead and burried for decades? (Of course not for some founder who hit the jackpot like Jeff). "Evidence indicates that in recent decades social mobility in the United States has declined, and income inequality has risen.[7][8] Social mobility…

"Gotcha: Can't win, don't try." - Bart Simpson

This is nihilist cynicism, and is worth rejecting out-of-hand.

Re: Stay Gold, America

#22

Post by BriggyDwiggs42 »

throwpoaster wrote: post #17
gary_0 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> hasn't it been dead and burried for decades? "It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it." - George Carlin, like 30 years ago. Just after he observed that "hard-working people of modest means continue to elect these rich cocksuckers who don't give a fuck about them."

America is the best country in the world for growing something new. Source: I am a non-American who does business in America.

Even if I assume you’re right, upward mobility and ease of starting a business are quite different things.

Re: Stay Gold, America

#23

Post by booleandilemma »

gary_0 wrote: post #11
coldtea wrote: post #7

> We are at an unprecedented point in American history, and I'm concerned we may lose sight of the American Dream The understatement of the year. From all I read, hasn't it been dead and burried for decades? (Of course not for some founder who hit the jackpot like Jeff). "Evidence indicates that in recent decades social mobility in the United States has declined, and income inequality has risen.[7][8] Social mobility…

> hasn't it been dead and burried for decades? "It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it." - George Carlin, like 30 years ago. Just after he observed that "hard-working people of modest means continue to elect these rich cocksuckers who don't give a fuck about them."

I've often wondered why our politicians should be so rich. Why are so many of them millionaires? It would be nice to have laws preventing this, somehow. Or maybe force them to donate x% of their wealth to the areas they represent every year, in addition to the standard taxes. Do politicians even pay taxes? :)

Re: Stay Gold, America

#24

Post by alkonaut »

noduerme wrote: post #20
docdeek wrote: post #9

>> Whatever the reasons, 42% of adults living in America had no say in the 2024 election. The vote failed to represent everyone. The 2024 election had a turnout of about 59% of the voting age population. Since 1972, only one presidential election had higher turnout than that (it was 2020). If the 2024 vote didn’t represent everyone, then most every election for the last half century has been even worse at representin…

Having lived in a country with compulsory voting (Argentina), I find the notion charming but I can scarcely say it leads to more intelligent outcomes.

Compulsory voting removes an important signal where participation indicates the legitimacy. Which is why very few democracies have compulsory voting.

Having 70-80-90% participation with non-compulsory voting should be the goal of any self respecting democracy and politicians who reject measures to increase voter turnout should be viewed with extreme suspicion.

Re: Stay Gold, America

#25

Post by jongjong »

>> We must act now to keep the dream alive. Our family made eight $1 million donations to nonprofit groups working to support those most currently in need

This kind of thing triggers me. Not because of the humble-bragging but because this is precisely the attitude which makes everything worse. Systemic problems cannot be fixed by bailing out a select few... It's making things worse for everyone else, adding cost pressure for those who aren't getting any money or special help.

Re: Stay Gold, America

#27

Post by TeMPOraL »

eunos wrote: post #4

On the cost increases graph, As always, things that got cheaper are things that American import from other countries while things that got more expensive are things that you cant import and solely depends on American workforce, more or less. So I found it very funny that right now there are more and louder voices on reducing trade deficits and bringing manufacturing backs. Well, are most folks ready to have the black…

People need something to do, and you can complexify the already recursively self-referencial bullshit loops of finance, marketing and tech only so fast. Not to mention, the good jobs, like selling the ability to sell to sellers selling sellers the sales of things to sell (for whatever $things, it doesn't even matter at this point) - those are unavailable to most Americans anyway.

Re: Stay Gold, America

#29

Post by cscurmudgeon »

stevage wrote: post #28

"may lose sight of the American Dream"? Dude. It's well and truly ever. Sorry for your loss.

Most data doesn't support that the dream is over:

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/RHORUSQ156N

https://www.statista.com/statistics/184266/educational-attai...

There are some downside like wealth inequality but the dream is about individual attainment not comparisons with the Joneses.

Re: Stay Gold, America

#30

Post by throwpoaster »

BriggyDwiggs42 wrote: post #22
throwpoaster wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

America is the best country in the world for growing something new. Source: I am a non-American who does business in America.

Even if I assume you’re right, upward mobility and ease of starting a business are quite different things.

Yes, they are different: the latter is a prerequisite of the former.
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