@larsiu I also think these Trump cheerleaders are going to fall prey to the same thing Biden fell prey to, namely that these top-level economic indicators don't capture how voters actually feel, because they don't take into account the widening disparity gap. Extra jobs are great, until you realize you're only hiring one person for every two of them, because they have to work two jobs to pay the mortgage. Consumer spending is great until you realize that it's driven more and more by the subset that can afford Amazon delivery, while regular folks can't afford to go to Walmart. Poor people and rich people all get the same vote, and most importantly for this issue, so do the middle class folks who are feeling poorer and poorer by the day.
I don’t disagree. I do think a lot of struggling Americans are struggling because they are stupid with money. They don’t cook their own meals. They think they deserve $10 Starbucks.
I just came from a memorial service for a friend of my wife. 90% African immigrants and their kids. They didn’t get food stamps. No section 8. They worked shit jobs at the airport. Went to community colleges. Leaned on each other. Shit Americans are just too good for anymore.
sad really.
You'll never hear me disagree that Americans are spoiled and stupid. I'm only predicting voter behavior, not justifying it.
@larsiu we’ve done it to ourselves. My daughter flunked the driver test twice this week. Written. I let mine expire. Looked at the book they had sitting there as they called my name and got a perfect score. We get in the car and she goes can we go back tomorrow? I said no. Wait and study a few days. Can I drive home? No!!! What the hell. Few minutes go by. When can we look at cars? I go for what? For me. I go you can have the extra car. Oh. I thought I was getting something new. NEW?!!! It’s a bmw!! With low miles. Jesus. And then I said you have a 2.0 you shouldn’t even be getting a car! Looks at her phone. Yeah but I have pancreatitis and that’s a lot.
then I got her with this zinger! You know kiddo. It’s actually your superpower.
how so dad? With the power you get from it it turns you into a below average no cut lacrosse player!!!!! 🤣
each gen is getting softer. Her crew of boyfriends aren’t two years away of being capable of storming the beaches of Normandy
She’ll be driving around in a white Jeep within 8 months.@larsiu we’ve done it to ourselves. My daughter flunked the driver test twice this week. Written. I let mine expire. Looked at the book they had sitting there as they called my name and got a perfect score. We get in the car and she goes can we go back tomorrow? I said no. Wait and study a few days. Can I drive home? No!!! What the hell. Few minutes go by. When can we look at cars? I go for what? For me. I go you can have the extra car. Oh. I thought I was getting something new. NEW?!!! It’s a bmw!! With low miles. Jesus. And then I said you have a 2.0 you shouldn’t even be getting a car! Looks at her phone. Yeah but I have pancreatitis and that’s a lot.
then I got her with this zinger! You know kiddo. It’s actually your superpower.
how so dad? With the power you get from it it turns you into a below average no cut lacrosse player!!!!! 🤣
each gen is getting softer. Her crew of boyfriends aren’t two years away of being capable of storming the beaches of Normandy
Book it.
I don’t disagree. I do think a lot of struggling Americans are struggling because they are stupid with money.
It doesn't help that there are lots of greedy assholes happy to help them be stupid.
My workplace uses PayChex for payroll. They have recently been pushing a program where they will "help you improve your credit." How? By loaning you money against your next paycheck(s).
Fucking bastards. Might as well go to the payday lender.
The local station no longer carries Dave Ramsey. I miss him.
@bradstevens I’d love to know what she got on the tests. “Well. Dad. They didn’t ask the things I knew!” The best was my minion was watching like a hawk and he randomly goes: oh. She’s at a new computer. 🤣
I knew that meant. Round 2
She’ll be driving around in a white Jeep within 8 months.
Book it.
Murt -- Load up on the little ducks. Give her one for every birthday, for Christmas, whatever. She'll love you for it. Coolest Dad evah.
@unclemark lacrosse is cut this year. Cortez said at least she won’t need a license to drive to practice 🤣. It’s possible we could start the new year with getting cut from lacrosse and still trying to get a driver license 🤣
@larsiu I also think these Trump cheerleaders are going to fall prey to the same thing Biden fell prey to, namely that these top-level economic indicators don't capture how voters actually feel, because they don't take into account the widening disparity gap. Extra jobs are great, until you realize you're only hiring one person for every two of them, because they have to work two jobs to pay the mortgage. Consumer spending is great until you realize that it's driven more and more by the subset that can afford Amazon delivery, while regular folks can't afford to go to Walmart. Poor people and rich people all get the same vote, and most importantly for this issue, so do the middle class folks who are feeling poorer and poorer by the day.
The bottom 25% percentile wages are up 5.5% since Trump took office. That's pretty damn good.
@larsiu a shit ton of people dropped out of the labor market. What they do for money I have no idea
Not sure, but I suspect a good amount of them are early retirements. If you had 500k at the start of 2020 it's worth around 1.4 million today. If you had a million it's 2.7 mil. If you live modestly and the kids are out of the house you could easily retire. Or at least one of you could if you're married. I don't think we fully realize how much we have inflated the stock market since 2008 and now Covid. Compared to long term averages it's one of the biggest bubbles ever.
@snarlcakes I’m just blessed and grateful that during that run I put my money into multiple disappointing businesses instead of the stock market 🙌🙏
Trump sucks. He's a Democrat in drag.
Took the shittiest parts of the hellhole Democrat playbook, micro managing by fiat, more taxes, much more in tariffs, new restrictions, mandates, paying off their donors... and tripled down on all of them.
I guess I'll have to vote Democrat, since they may only double down in their glee when back in power.
So double instead of triple, maybe it'll be only 2/3 as evil.
🍻
Trump sucks. He's a Democrat in drag.
Took the shittiest parts of the hellhole Democrat playbook, micro managing by fiat, more taxes, much more in tariffs, new restrictions, mandates, paying off their donors... and tripled down on all of them.
I guess I'll have to vote Democrat, since they may only double down in their glee when back in power.
So double instead of triple, maybe it'll be only 2/3 as evil.
Super smart idea. Democrats were on fire during Biden 🍻
@snarlcakes I’m just blessed and grateful that during that run I put my money into multiple disappointing businesses instead of the stock market 🙌🙏
lol...the markets are up basically 3x. Bitcoin 9x, gold 3x, silver 4x. Baseball cards probably 10x. You could have sat on your couch and literally be bought anything and done better 🤣🤣 Isn't it great when they print a sh#t ton of money.
Maybe if I vote Democrat I can at least see fewer wars that have no real plans. Yeah, liberal appeasement is a loser strategy, but maybe not as bad as wars with no plans.
And might see something on the environment. I hate the top down morons running things, but Trump tripled down on that approach anyway. Republican representatives abdicated their responsibilities too. I mean I know Democrats did as well, long ago, but still not justifiable.
You know when Trump had Kudlow on his team. Policies looked coherent. No Kudlow, now it looks like scorched earth.
Trump can suck my rod.
/temporarily end rant/
So the Republican plan was to do even worse. Nice job.Super smart idea. Democrats were on fire during Biden