31–40 of 61 posts
1) the jobs act introduced a toxic R&D code from 2022-2025
2) tariffs with no reasonable means of manufacturing domestically and inhibited developing production lines with the prior tax code fiasco
Wrong. For that, we’d need universal healthcare.
Isn't it strange. We don't, and yet they all still flock here.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
if someone buys it, is that not producing value?
Surely you’d agree that cigarettes are parasitic, no?
parasitic would be a one-way setup where only the cigarette provider benefits
I like that this article has no byline
The economist never does because all their "reporters" are kids fresh out of the LSE.
What's surprising is how many people (seemingly) work there (hundreds!), for a publication that puts out like 70 articles per week? They got 9 people working on china and the china section only has 3-4 articles per week.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Perhaps by some measure, but what I'm referring to is how everything is becoming a fly by night scam-adjacent "product" that isn't much better than Alibaba drop shipping.
I think you underestimate the value that "filtering by a trusted source" provides.
I buy straight from brands I trust whenever possible, not even trusting Amazon as an intermediary between us. Those brands aren't selling alibaba-dropshipper stuff.
I'd say my trust in stores that sell more than their own brand is at an all-time low. You have enshittifying mid-range department stores where you can't trust a thing, fake "outlet" stores, et c. I sort-of trust REI. I sort-of trust Costco. End of list, maybe?
Like if there's value being delivered in the "trusted source" sphere for a general retailer, I'm not seeing much of it. Quite the opposite, that's all gotten worse steadily this century.
Seems like Instagram (and TikTok) are a big part of the story here. A lot of these 'buy my hat with a funny slogan' or 'buy my lotion' stores on Shopify, Etsy etc are highly dependent on direct-response ads / performance marketing so their fates are tied to these social media platforms
Ie, a junk economy. None of this produces value, if anything it's parasitic.
How does any of this article have anything to do with America specifically? Getting off the ground with a small business in America stinks in a lot of ways. Taxes are high and health insurance is really expensive when you have to cover it yourself.
Not necessarily, often it is much less.
t. I am a partner in an L&H insurance agency.
I'm intrigued how often the most mundane products and things are in fact multi million dollar industries. Would be fascinating to see in 40-50 years how AI affected that trend and pattern, the "ceiling" if you will of entrepreneurial ventures.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Ie, a junk economy. None of this produces value, if anything it's parasitic.
This is a good thing. If the economy was driven by essentials, it would mean we were in a VERY VERY bad place. Luckily, our economy is mostly based on luxury items, by world standards.
There's nothing intrinsically wrong with producing entertainment, internet communities, or branded merch. But I don't think it's that controversial to say "micro-influencer selling/sponsoring merch" is not the optimal career path for most of the people that pursue it.