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we always joke about the personal threats thing but i found it nothing other than laugh-out-loud hilarious at the time. it's not like he crossed some huge red line and took it to some dark place. it was jay being jay.

Some people do things like deck projects for fun and manly one-upmanship in the burbs.

I would however kick all your asses no question. I don't really like flying but I would do it.

Dilbert_X wrote:

Some people do things like deck projects for fun and manly one-upmanship in the burbs.

I would however kick all your asses no question. I don't really like flying but I would do it.

All the moss and pollen up here in temperate rainforest territory would turn you away before you even got close to my house. If you did by some chance make it, I would just empty my boot spiders on you.

I've lived in Australia, do you think puny american spiders hold any fear for me?

uziq wrote:

DesertFox- wrote:

My brother, as an accounting nerd, has brought up one thing that I don't hear discussed enough with the loan debt discussion, which is that debt cancellation is viewed as taxable income, which is something that should be noted lest a bunch of those people complain next April.

There is also the fact that, while college education has become way more of the standard requirement akin to a HS degree, it is still attended mostly by people who aren't the poorest of the poor. Education costs are ridiculous, but something should also be done to help out those people who couldn't even afford to entertain the thought of college in the first place.

https://twitter.com/chrismohney/status/ … Gcp9bITccA

The Federal government runs up debt we have no intention of ever paying back for all sorts of nonsense. I don't begrudge anyone who wants to add their pet cause onto the pile of debt that will never be paid. The "moral" arguments against student loan forgiveness are all culture war. People like Jay will be angry they needed to go to drive a truck around Iraq for a few years to get into an unremarkable public university. People who install decks for a living will be angry the punk rock girl with the rainbow belt at the small cafe that they never go to will have she/her degree in gender studies paid for.

SuperJail Warden wrote:

uziq wrote:

DesertFox- wrote:

My brother, as an accounting nerd, has brought up one thing that I don't hear discussed enough with the loan debt discussion, which is that debt cancellation is viewed as taxable income, which is something that should be noted lest a bunch of those people complain next April.

There is also the fact that, while college education has become way more of the standard requirement akin to a HS degree, it is still attended mostly by people who aren't the poorest of the poor. Education costs are ridiculous, but something should also be done to help out those people who couldn't even afford to entertain the thought of college in the first place.

https://twitter.com/chrismohney/status/ … Gcp9bITccA

The Federal government runs up debt we have no intention of ever paying back for all sorts of nonsense. I don't begrudge anyone who wants to add their pet cause onto the pile of debt that will never be paid. The "moral" arguments against student loan forgiveness are all culture war. People like Jay will be angry they needed to go to drive a truck around Iraq for a few years to get into an unremarkable public university. People who install decks for a living will be angry the punk rock girl with the rainbow belt at the small cafe that they never go to will have she/her degree in gender studies paid for.

I roll my eyes whenever I hear the argument that the government should treat budgeting "like a business" or a household. It's such a vast oversimplification of GDP and the economic effects of policy. I don't really know anyone who went to school for a "worthless" degree, but I knew plenty of Biology majors who had a tough time finding work after graduation while simultaneously being aware at the time that a lot of people didn't need college for their skillsets but we were told it was another hoop we had to jump through for the American Dream^TM.

I've no idea how far the Democrats can actually be bullied into doing helpful things, but they definitely would be need to be better about communication surrounding any debt cancellation they do for the aforementioned tax reasons alone.

Reddit thread about student loan forgiveness came up again. A lot of comments like:

Hell I'm a college grad (with a blue collar background) and I'd be pissed. I chose a degree that wasn't my preference specifically because I did the research to know it would result in a career that would provide sufficient income to have a good life even while paying my debt. Why the hell should I bail out people who couldn't bother to make the same evaluations I did at the same age?

Imagine bragging that you studied something you didn't like because the economic system put you in a corner. I have more respect for the person working at Starbucks who studied philosophy.

A lot of comments about how blue collar workers will be upset. Oh no the blue collar workers will be mad. The blue collar workers are always mad anyway.

Last edited by SuperJail Warden (2022-05-04 11:07:00)

SuperJail Warden wrote:

Imagine bragging that you studied something you didn't like because the economic system put you in a corner. I have more respect for the person working at Starbucks who studied philosophy.

I don't really have a lot of sympathy for people who studied something stupid then complain they have no prospects and are saddled with debt.

OTOH Hand college should be free, not a profit centre, but govts can't just fund a plethora of stupid courses which lead nowhere.

Your sympathy or lack of probably isn't coming from a very large sample of people. You, the anti-immigration immigrant to a former European colony, gainfully employed engineer, not married, no children, living with parents, completely satisfied with your lot in life. All you need is a new gun from time to time.

Yet you know best what everyone should be doing with their life choices? Not everyone is suited for STEM, and there are more contributory roles in life for people than a career path that would make them miserable. Countries like the United States are wealthy enough that an education decision made by someone in their late teens or even mid 20s shouldn't make or break their entire life.

People should have more financial freedom to explore what makes them happy, and not be ridiculed for it, and not be expected to pick up the slack for worshipped billionaires who pay the bare minimum (if at all) of taxes they can get away with. And not be taken advantage of by home-sucking banks who are too big to fail greedily lapping up every bailout that comes their way.

also, re:re:re:re: college educated engineers working as baristas

Last edited by unnamednewbie13 (2022-05-04 14:49:41)

unnamednewbie13 wrote:

You've posted that image at least two or three times. Watch yourself, Uzique may be stirring.

the whole trope that humanities/arts = "would you like fries with that, sir?" is a huge canard in this discussion.

in recent years compsci, biological, bio-chem, et al, are some of the most unemployable degrees around.

and BA/BSc grads statistically reach parity in earnings in their 30s.

no denying that STEM lords command the most envious starting salaries. you do you. that's  never made me envious or unhappy.

but 'philosophy grad in starbucks' could just as easily be 'organic chem grad in subway'. check the employment stats; it's not hidden away.

uziq wrote:

the whole trope that humanities/arts = "would you like fries with that, sir?" is a huge canard in this discussion.

That largely evaporated on reddit at least. I am sure there are still conservative/"I'm going to be Elon Musk" subreddits who still think like that but the subs with millions of posters and so on don't talk like that anymore.

I'm not sure why. Maybe people grew up and out of that. Maybe Gen Z doesn't think like that either? I think Gen Z as a whole less likely to punch down on others or the poor.

If someone had a cosmic X-man brain that could put up drywall remotely from the comfort of their home, I don't see why they shouldn't be allowed. Save on commute pollution, wasted time.

Office people will never impress the blue collars, and for the most part I don't think they care to. Could do a diligent 100 hour week and it's still just in your sit & spin as far as they're concerned.