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Another 1.3M Americans File for Unemployment

forbes.com

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Re: Another 1.3M Americans File for Unemployment

#151
post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The populous centers have more people, so it makes sense that they have more say. Moreover, why does people's location on a 2d grid matter at all for grouping people under representatives? Why not the first letter of their surname? Their age? Maybe the altitude of their home? Seems just as arbitrary.

> The populous centers have more people, so it makes sense that they have more say. This is a rather short-sighted position. There's a reason the tyranny of the majority was avoided, and it's because the majority will always vote for their own benefit. If they do so, it almost always hurts the 49%. You have to balance the needs of a state as if it were a living organism. You can't simply optimize everything for the h…

I live in the Netherlands. A tiny country. It would be to this country's advantage if such a mad, insane rule as this were in place.

No one ever suggests it because it's obviously ridiculous.

LOOK at the results of America's screwed up voting system! A deranged madman in power, the economy in collapse with no rescue even planned, and a virus growing exponentially with no plan to fight it.

Re: Another 1.3M Americans File for Unemployment

#152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While city dwellers vote may be technically less powerful on a per capita basis, they make up for it in numbers. There are simply more of you with similar needs/wants. Not to mention far more money to achieve those needs and wants. In a city an individual's needs from his/her government are just less unique.

| In a city an individual's needs from his/her government are just less unique So...rural snowflake status confirmed?

[deleted]

Re: Another 1.3M Americans File for Unemployment

#153
post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The populous centers have more people, so it makes sense that they have more say. This is a rather short-sighted position. There's a reason the tyranny of the majority was avoided, and it's because the majority will always vote for their own benefit. If they do so, it almost always hurts the 49%. You have to balance the needs of a state as if it were a living organism. You can't simply optimize everything for the h…

I live in the Netherlands. A tiny country. It would be to this country's advantage if such a mad, insane rule as this were in place. No one ever suggests it because it's obviously ridiculous. LOOK at the results of America's screwed up voting system! A deranged madman in power, the economy in collapse with no rescue even planned, and a virus growing exponentially with no plan to fight it.

You just said it yourself though. You live in a country where the entire population would fit in one metropolitan area of the US. What would work for your country wouldn't necessarily work for ours because we have people living in dramatically different conditions spread across thousands of miles and over 300 million more people to deal with.

We have a state with 100,000 square miles and only 600,000 residents. We have another state that has a little more space but has 40 million residents. Their circumstances are so vastly different that the policies of one would be very unlikely to work well for the other.

> LOOK at the results of America's screwed up voting system! A deranged madman in power, the economy in collapse with no rescue even planned, and a virus growing exponentially with no plan to fight it.

America uses first past the post. It isn't great, there are many better systems later developed. If we were to improve our voting and party system it would benefit the entire country massively.

Re: Another 1.3M Americans File for Unemployment

#154
post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The populous centers have more people, so it makes sense that they have more say. This is a rather short-sighted position. There's a reason the tyranny of the majority was avoided, and it's because the majority will always vote for their own benefit. If they do so, it almost always hurts the 49%. You have to balance the needs of a state as if it were a living organism. You can't simply optimize everything for the h…

> tyranny of the majority I keep hearing people say this, and it baffles me. If the majority of people feel a certain way, who's to say it's not the right way? If you start picking this apart it really just comes down to "yeah but the majority can sometimes be wrong", which, I have news for you, applies to the minority as well . At the end of the day, representative democracy exists instead of "pure" democracy becaus…

> I keep hearing people say this, and it baffles me. If the majority of people feel a certain way, who's to say it's not the right way?

Because, as parent said, the majority will usually benefit themselves even if it means harming the minority. If I belonged to some 51% group, why would I not vote to double my wealth, even if it meant stealing from the other 49%? And before you say 'I would never vote for that', it's never worded that way, but more subtle policies that would achieve the same thing.

Re: Another 1.3M Americans File for Unemployment

#155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Democratic party made the correct bet that they could use their media apparatus to discredit progressive candidates, get away with cheating in Iowa, and use Obama to get the other moderates to concede with promises of internal advancement. It was corrupt and repugnant, but a strategically sound approach to make sure they're headed on the ticket by a center right leader (which their donor base demands).

As someone who volunteered for multiple campaigns this cycle, I saw this clearly. But I also see most people that I have met on my travels just seem to be checked out, even if they vote. I think this is the bigger problem. The previous cycles have already just turned people off from thinking they can do massive change. Even with a record number of volunteers and supporters with a campaign like Bernie, it still wasn't…

>What will happen if we reach that point?

More riots, looting, autonomous zones, and probably hostile us army deployments stateside.

Re: Another 1.3M Americans File for Unemployment

#156

Our government has failed in their response at local, state, and federal levels. The other thing we're going to be seeing soon is that these Unemployment programs have failed to do what they're ordained to do. This is an anecdote, but my brother was furloughed and has been waiting on any money (including the first stimulus) for literally months

This isn't some faceless government. The failure of these unemployment programs is by ideological design as ordained by the rightward lurch of the country after the Civil Rights Act.

Re: Another 1.3M Americans File for Unemployment

#157
post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> tyranny of the majority I keep hearing people say this, and it baffles me. If the majority of people feel a certain way, who's to say it's not the right way? If you start picking this apart it really just comes down to "yeah but the majority can sometimes be wrong", which, I have news for you, applies to the minority as well . At the end of the day, representative democracy exists instead of "pure" democracy becaus…

> I keep hearing people say this, and it baffles me. If the majority of people feel a certain way, who's to say it's not the right way? Because, as parent said, the majority will usually benefit themselves even if it means harming the minority. If I belonged to some 51% group, why would I not vote to double my wealth, even if it meant stealing from the other 49%? And before you say 'I would never vote for that', it's…

That applies to the minority as well. The minority will benefit themselves even if it harms the majority and involves stealing from the 90%. NIMBY policies are exactly that where wealthy landowners vote and use their wealth to exclusively benefit themselves over everyone else. Rural voters can do the same thing where they vote in people and ways that explicitly harm the larger city as some sort of perceived revenge policy.

Which then goes back to the person you responded to: That the majority and the minority can both make wrong policy decisions.

Re: Another 1.3M Americans File for Unemployment

#158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> any money (including the first stimulus) for literally months I got mine almost immediately. What is the difference between me and your brother, I don't understand.

My GF has yet to get hers or her tax return. The stimulus check went to an address from 2 years ago and she would be on hold for hours just trying to get her address updated and stopped calling. There's maybe $3k just sitting out there but the Treasury can't get it to her. This is why I vote blue, we need to adequately fund our government systems or face issues like this.

a lot of people also ended up having to get checks even though they filed last year and everything. If you used any of the "pay for your e-filing with your tax refund", "get your tax refund as an amazon gift card with a 5% bonus!" etc type arrangements, your tax filing company actually was the bank account of record and the IRS has to send you a check since they don't have real banking info for you.

Re: Another 1.3M Americans File for Unemployment

#159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Where the hell is anyone getting monies for UBI?!?!?! In times of crisis like this you just print it and claw it back through higher tax rates .

If MAGA means 1950's values and culture, does that mean 40%+ tax rate for the wealthy?

If only

Re: Another 1.3M Americans File for Unemployment

#160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> any money (including the first stimulus) for literally months I got mine almost immediately. What is the difference between me and your brother, I don't understand.

My GF has yet to get hers or her tax return. The stimulus check went to an address from 2 years ago and she would be on hold for hours just trying to get her address updated and stopped calling. There's maybe $3k just sitting out there but the Treasury can't get it to her. This is why I vote blue, we need to adequately fund our government systems or face issues like this.

> This is why I vote blue, we need to adequately fund our government systems or face issues like this.

exactly. CA state unemployment system doesn't have any of these issues because they always vote blue and fund their govt systems.

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