National Debt Exceeds $123 Trillion, or Nearly $800,000 per Taxpayer
-
@chanelkokoro As for the jury not being out, I suppose that depends on which crimes we're looking at. It can take a while for campaign promises to be fulfilled, although as you say he could have legalised cannabis on day one. (It's legal in my country, and also in California, where I visit often.)
The best thing going for Mr Biden is that he's not as horrible as Trump, which is of course a low standard. I do hope things improve for the US in the years to come...the country that did moon landings, the Internet, and the Pontiac Aztek (j/k) deserves better.
-
@eobox91103 well i suppose that if he means what he says about pulling our troops out of afghanistan he'll already be a better president than war criminals bush, obama, and trump were. Plus we are 100% surviving the pandemic because of his leadership so that's something. That alone seems to make his election worth it. But I have 0 faith in him beyond that. He does have a well documented history of being a corporate prostitute, something he admitted himself:
Trust me, when Biden hit 40 he did hit that electric slide straight to Goldman Sachs and has never left ever since.
Biden's been in office for nearly half a year. It's not a question of him not being there long enough, Biden has ALREADY killed 15 dollar minimum wage, something he said was a campaign guarantee, by taking it out of the must-pass covid relief package. Then he along with 8 other democratic senators, including the 2 senators from delaware his own home state, killed 15 dollar minimum wage again when Bernie introduced it as an amendment to the bill. Then they punted the ball to the senate parliamentarian an unelected busybody whose opinion can easily be overruled by the vice president.
Of course Kamala Harris, another two faced lying pos who ran on 15 dollar minimum wage chose not to overrule her and now here we are. Now it won't even be discussed for the next 4 years while there are people in the country making $7.25/hr and tipped workers are making $2.13/hr. The dems promised this over and over again. 15/hr minimum wage was a core promise. Now we are likely to lose the senate to the republicans in 2022, because people will always prefer the party of bad ideas, to the party of no ideas.
Biden has some good rhetoric on the environment but this is the same guy who has supported fracking and pipelines, and the empowered the banks to screw over their consumers and fund the pollution of the environment, so I'll believe it when I actually see it.
I voted for Howie Hawkins of the Green Party because I didn't want to have to choose between a climate change denier and a climate change enabler. We could've had a real president for once, like Bernie Sanders, but the fox news and the older generation of geriatric losers and has beens banded together to ruin the dreams of a generation by running a smear campaign against a man who simply wanted to bring America universal healthcare and making him out to be a Bolshevik commie.
-
@chanelkokoro I will continue to be optimistic that things will get better for Americans in the coming years. I can understand the expediency of dropping the minimum wage from the COVID relief package, in order to get the needs passed. It remains to be seen whether the $15 plan will resurface. I do think it's a bit odd to have minimum wage on a national level, as there's considerable difference in the cost of living in different parts of the US. There's even a large difference in cost of living within individual states. I don't know what the right solution is here.
Healthcare policy seems to be a mess in the US. I think many people want universal health care, but there are different ways of going about it. Mr Sanders was strong on advocating this, but rather on short on details, which left him open to criticism. Ms Warren had a more detailed plan, but I don't think many read it. People want simple solutions to complex problems--which would be nice--but it rarely works that way.
I will remain optimistic. There are 330 million people who deserve better than what they're getting.
-
@eobox91103 said in National Debt Exceeds $123 Trillion, or Nearly $800,000 per Taxpayer:
@chanelkokoro I will continue to be optimistic that things will get better for Americans in the coming years.
You probably don't live here. I don't mean it in a condescending or demeaning way, I just mean if you lived here you wouldn't say this.
I can understand the expediency of dropping the minimum wage from the COVID relief package, in order to get the needs passed.
First off, expedient? we've been fighting for 15/hr for more than a decade. This is what the damn liar ran on. And prevent it from passing for who? the majority of constituents in every single state want to see the minimum wage increased, dems are just actively going against the will over the voters.
Covid relief was a must-pass bill. Any dem that voted against it would lose their seat and spark national outrage. And even after taking out the minimum wage not a single republican voted for it. But the republicans are out of power and wholly irrelevant right now. That's why this guy who created the thread is losing it and screaming into the ether everyday, because the republicans can't do shit. This is 100% proof that democrats are the ones that killed the very 15/hr minimum wage they campaigned on, depressing their own vote and leaving the senate vulnerable for republicans to retake it in 2022. We are barely getting anything done now, when republican regain the senate it will be gridlock for the next 2 years till 2024. Meaning we only have these first 2 years to pass it.
The dems didn't have a choice but to pass that bill. So the chamber of commerce used biden and kamala to pressure bernie to take it out of the bill, in order to protect corrupt dems from voting against it. Then kamala refused to overrule the parliamentarian even though she was fully within her right to. When republicans were in charge they overruled the parliamentarian all the time. When she was against funding a war in the middle east they even fired her ass and put in someone who would agree with them for optics. Yet Kamala refused to overrule her and lift millions of americans out of poverty because she's a corrupt hack. So bernie then decided to introduce it as an amendment and 8 democrats raised their hands and voted no, because they suck corporate sell outs. Kyrsten Sinema (D) gleefully voted no and watched her approval rating tank 15 points just to say 'let them eat cake.' and the cake part is literal: Kyrsten Sinema's Marie Antoinette moment
Have you ever wondered why the republicans keep regaining power even though they are awful cutthroats whose goal is to destroy government? This is why. Because both parties are straight trash.
It remains to be seen whether the $15 plan will resurface.
If it does it will be in spite of biden, not because of him. His two strongest allies who do his bidding the two senators from delaware voted down the amendment, they are proof he's not fighting for it.
I do think it's a bit odd to have minimum wage on a national level, as there's considerable difference in the cost of living in different parts of the US. There's even a large difference in cost of living within individual states. I don't know what the right solution is here.
Federal minimum wage is a MINIMUM wage. It means the lowest a person can get paid. There is federal minimum wage and state minimum wage. The federal minimum wage is there to set a baseline that says no employer can pay someone less than this anywhere in the country and then the states set there own minimum wages that are higher than that. For example federal minimum wage is 7.25 but my state's minimum wage is $10, no one in my state can get paid less than $10.
The reason why we need to raise the federal minimum wage is because wages haven't kept up with inflation in over 40 years in america. If it did wages would be more than $23/hr right now.
15 is not even enough, but it's a start. I can't find the study so you'll just have to take my word for it but I saw a study that said the kind of wage needed to live n the POOREST county in the united states is $15.10. And this was during the obama years 5 or 6 years ago.
Raising the federal minimum wage would drive wages up all over the country, as most state wages would have to increase to be higher than the federal minimum as well. All sorts of different industries would see wages increases too just by moving up the baseline.
Healthcare policy seems to be a mess in the US. I think many people want universal health care, but there are different ways of going about it. Mr Sanders was strong on advocating this, but rather on short on details, which left him open to criticism.
This is profoundly untrue. His plan was very robust and detailed. The proposal was over 100 pages:
https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/6785499/S1129-Medicare-for-all.pdf
Because I'm a registered nurse, this affects me and so I read every word. But even at that, Bernie explained the details of his plan over and over again, and he explained how it would be payed for over and over again. the corporatized media funded by the private insurance companies that would no longer exist should this pass just chose to keep asking how he would pay for it, lie and obfuscate. The plan is actually quite brilliant. And probably the first of its kind combining aspects of the canadian system together and offers 8 different ways we can create a tax system that will pay for it all. If implemented experts say it would cut down heathcare costs by TRILLIONS over 10 years.
Ms Warren had a more detailed plan, but I don't think many read it.
You can say you prefer warren's plan but you can't say it was more detailed when it was just a 20 page wishlist she put on her website compared to the 100 page proposal bernie put on the floor of congress. Furthermore, Bernie's plan is better simply by the virtue that it seeks to end private health insurance companies entirely through an equitable tax plan, while warren's plan (while originally stellar) sought to use a public option transition plan which would've done nothing but overburden the government the cost of the sickest individuals while the private insurance companies cherry picked the healthy, thus destroying medicare for all.
I will remain optimistic. There are 330 million people who deserve better than what they're getting.
I will remain pessimistic to balance you out bro. Someone has to.
-
@eobox91103 said in National Debt Exceeds $123 Trillion, or Nearly $800,000 per Taxpayer:
@raphjd I am not quitting the forums, I'm only quitting making responses to you. This post is an exception. I enjoy thoughtful engagement with forum participants.
It is ironic (and that's a polite word) that you are a "forum administrator," when you frequently engage in venomous and childish name-calling. That would not be permitted in most forums, and even goes against the rules of this site. It's amusing (again, another polite word) that you violate the very rules that you have posted.
You're not fooling anybody. People who read your postings have this all figured out. If grownups are having a discussion on here that you don't understand, perhaps you should stand down.
Ad Homen attacks, but I'm the childish one.
Again, if you want to a leftist echo chamber, there are plenty for you to enjoy.
-
@chanelkokoro *bernie's plan combines elements of the canadian and nordic system together.
-
Just to set the record straight here:
Biden didn't kill the $15 minimum wage, the Parliamentarian of the Senate did when they ruled that that part of the legislation couldn't pass through the "budget reconciliation" rule - which is how they passed it without the "danger" of a filibuster.
Biden is a "tax and spend Liberal - the same as he was in the '70's... the biggest differences are
- he is dreaming much bigger now! Who, in the 1970's, would have had the balls to propose spending at these levels! Not even the most daring liberal or socialist!
- he is targeting his tax increases solely at "boogey men" - corporations and the "ultra-rich"
But, don't be fooled: it's still "tax and spend" liberalism!
-
This post is deleted! -
@chanelkokoro I appreciate your careful response to my post. I think we probably agree on a lot more things than we disagree on, but it's the differences that make for good discussion. It's nice to have that discussion by addressing issues rather than by calling names. There are people on here who need to learn that.
And you're right, I don't live in the US (although I'm there right now). I do spend a lot of time there (here) and thus try to be informed on US issues, but I'd probably dig into them more deeply if I were a full-time resident.
-
please hear me and understand this.
the senate parliamentarian is irrelevant.
the senate parliamentarian is irrelevant.
the senate. parliamentarian. is IRRELEVANT.she is an unelected glorified staffer there to give advice, that's it. her words have no legal weight behind them and her decisions can and often are overrruled by the vice president. Kamala is just using the parliamentarian as an excuse because she's protecting the corrupt corporate democrats that would've voted against covid relief had she forced them to vote on it. She was protecting people like Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema whose constituents sent them there for higher wages, but have been fighting it ever since. Bernie put the amendment up for a vote to expose them.
Do not let that lying shrew Kamala pretend she didn't have a choice. Do not let these limp dick politicians make comical excuses for bending the knee to corporate power.
-
@bi4smooth said in National Debt Exceeds $123 Trillion, or Nearly $800,000 per Taxpayer:
Just to set the record straight here:
Biden didn't kill the $15 minimum wage, the Parliamentarian of the Senate did when they ruled that that part of the legislation couldn't pass through the "budget reconciliation" rule - which is how they passed it without the "danger" of a filibuster.
Biden is a "tax and spend Liberal - the same as he was in the '70's... the biggest differences are
- he is dreaming much bigger now! Who, in the 1970's, would have had the balls to propose spending at these levels! Not even the most daring liberal or socialist!
- he is targeting his tax increases solely at "boogey men" - corporations and the "ultra-rich"
But, don't be fooled: it's still "tax and spend" liberalism!
Remind me again who you voted for, despite knowing this.
TDS is a powerful mental illness.
You remind me of the guy who nearly chopped off his dick trying to cut off his foreskin because his golddigger said she wouldn't have sex with him because he was uncut.
Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.
Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.
With your input, this post could be even better 💗
Register Login