Political issues you've changed your opinion about

[Professor Emeritus]

The Fed has been talking out both sides of their mouths. Fed and ECB printed vast amounts of money and much of it is causing this global inflation we're seeing here. They claim it's only about 2-3% pts of the 9% inflation we're seeing but that number is likely to be revised up. You can print that amount of money when supply chains were shuttered and not expect inflation. The US and EU are much of the world's demand generators so where they go, so does the supply of goods and services.

"They", if you mean the feds, actually claim the impact of stimulus on inflation has fallen towards zero. It's completely independent analysts who converge on 2-3 percentage points as the number. I'm not sure why you think they're lying or that they're going to revise that # up when that estimate has been pretty static for over six months now.

And don't know why you dumped the EU in with the USA when the EU didn't do much stimulus at all compared to the USA did yet still saw similar levels of inflation.

Yes, demand went up in the USA and the USA is a big market, but stimulus wasn't the only reason for an increase in demand. With the pandemic a lot of people didn't spend money on travel and ended up buying shyt and getting it shipped to them instead. And people stopped spending money on services and spent it on goods instead because they didn't want to interact with people in public. Thus demand for goods was going to increase at the same time factories got shuttered and supply chain issues got hit, regardless of whether stimulus was given or not.


Besides, demand for non-essential good has been a minor part of inflation. Inflation in energy prices is around 30-40%. Inflation in food prices is around 10%. Inflation in other goods has only been 6% in the USA, and closer to 4.5% in Europe.

 

[CrimsonTider]

Legalizing all drugs is an insane stance.

Min wage - generally support fed $15/hr with some provisions for SMB retail and food operations, def felt that number was too high when first bandied about in the early 10's

Less supportive of LGBT issues as I feel more of their fringe issues are being pushed (that undermine women) vs universal issues (hate crimes, marriage)

Isolationist views have gotten stronger - i wish America would stop trying to police the world, providing military protection/support to allies who don't invest their own GDP into it, intervening in civil disputes, sending billion dollar aid packages abroad while ignoring domestic issues

Overall, I've always been apathetic to our political system because it is not set up to and never was about supporting and empowering the common person, and most certainly not black people. in fact no great civilization since the beginning of [recorded] civilization was ever set up equitably, there was always a ruling class, clergy/nobility class, professional class, and peasants/the poor...this isn't going to change. right on to the people who think it will, but i think i've grown turned off by this segment's idealism and preachiness. i deal in pragmatism and the pragmatic choice is not to work myself into a heart attack over every fukking thing i can't control. personal happiness and enjoying "my tribe" as outlined in the other thread is my day to day concern.

what fringe LGBTQ issues?

Gender neutral bathrooms?

I feel like a lot LGBTQ stuff pandering has been phased out of the democratic platform because they see how republicans use all of that stuff to create cultural wars

 

[LokBigBoss]

I used to be a communist (still very leftist) but as I got older and looked at what my home country needed ( I'm Haitian) I realized that Communism would not work in Haiti because America wouldn't let that shyt fly in their backyard, we would end up like the Cubans. I learned to appreciate the good aspects of capitalism and realized what it would take to fix the bad parts of it, also what is needed to fix the corruption and poverty in Haiti.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

This is gonna rub some people the wrong way but you need some checks against free-wheeling liberalism. Most people if left to their own volitions and without proper order and structure e.g. a job, school etc, would succumb to seeking pleasure above anything else and would not do anything constructive with their lives. That's not good for any society in the long run if people put the pursuit of pleasure above everything else. This is why I kinda kick against the idea of UBI.

What makes you think most corporate jobs are a "constructive" thing to do with your life?

In the absence of UBI, I'd say that half or more of the shyt people do to make money in America probably makes the world a worse place, not a better one.

shyt like staying at home to raise your kids, volunteering for your church full-time, becoming an activist, focusing on your art full-time, putting in work to help out your elderly parents so they don't need to be in a home, or devoting your life to environmental conservation projects is a hell of a lot more constructive than working as a corporate salesperson or doing physical labor for rich people. And honestly, I think the #1 thing most people who get UBI change about their lives when they've done the experiments is reenroll in school to get more education so they can pursue what they really want in their lives. No one is talking about giving enough UBI to be out there balling, it's just enough to barely get by on the necessities for a little bit while you have the space to do what you really want in life. The same thing that most rich and middle-upper class kids automatically get by the mere virtue of being born.

 

[phcitywarrior]

"They", if you mean the feds, actually claim the impact of stimulus on inflation has fallen towards zero. It's completely independent analysts who converge on 2-3 percentage points as the number. I'm not sure why you think they're lying or that they're going to revise that # up when that estimate has been pretty static for over six months now.

And don't know why you dumped the EU in with the USA when the EU didn't do much stimulus at all compared to the USA did yet still saw similar levels of inflation.

Yes, demand went up in the USA and the USA is a big market, but stimulus wasn't the only reason for an increase in demand. With the pandemic a lot of people didn't spend money on travel and ended up buying shyt and getting it shipped to them instead. And people stopped spending money on services and spent it on goods instead because they didn't want to interact with people in public. Thus demand for goods was going to increase at the same time factories got shuttered and supply chain issues got hit, regardless of whether stimulus was given or not.


Besides, demand for non-essential good has been a minor part of inflation. Inflation in energy prices is around 30-40%. Inflation in food prices is around 10%. Inflation in other goods has only been 6% in the USA, and closer to 4.5% in Europe.

When I say stimulus it's not just the stimulus checks, but the intervention within the bond markets and the juiced unemployment from the Federal government (aided by the Fed).

ECB jumped in with a lot of support as well. The point being those two economic blocks are strong demand drivers within the global economy.

Idk why folks have been trying to dance around this. The money printer during the pandemic was in overdrive when the supply couldn't match it. More demand than supply over a period of time and you'll have inflation. Yes, the war in UKR added fuel to the fire but Inflation was running at like 6/7% - a full 400-500 bps above the Fed's 2% target rate - months before the war in UKR. We have a thread in HL where this is well documented.

This is just Econ 101.

 

[LokBigBoss]

I also believe in reparations for ados ( as Haitians we won't be getting shyt from France until we fix our country)

 

[Professor Emeritus]

When I say stimulus it's not just the stimulus checks, but the intervention within the bond markets and the juiced unemployment from the Federal government (aided by the Fed).

ECB jumped in with a lot of support as well. The point being those two economic blocks are strong demand drivers within the global economy.

Idk why folks have been trying to dance around this. The money printer during the pandemic was in overdrive when the supply couldn't match it. More demand than supply over a period of time and you'll have inflation. Yes, the war in UKR added fuel to the fire but Inflation was running at like 6/7% - a full 400-500 bps above the Fed's 2% target rate - months before the war in UKR. We have a thread in HL where this is well documented.

This is just Econ 101.

You seem to be ignoring that factory shutdowns, supply chain disruptions, and the transition from service-oriented buying to goods-oriented buying was causing huge inflation issues long before the war in Ukraine even happened. That is all factored into those analyses I linked.

You've taken the careful analysis of experts in the field that came up with those #'s and completely dismissed it just based on how you feel.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

So the only issue that comes to mind at the moment for me that I think I've changed on is the death penalty.

20 years or so ago I was a very strong proponent of capital punishment. Arguments made though by those in favor of abolishing the death penalty have made me seriously question my justifications of it.

On the culture war issues, I supported the death penalty, but do not anymore after seeing how many people are incarcerated for crimes they didn’t commit and the criminal justice system knows and still punishes them.

Death penalty and abortion. Used to be completely for the death penalty, but have realized over the years that there are too many corrupt people in this world.

I forgot to write this one cause I legitimately can't even remember when I turned against the death penalty. But I definitely wasn't always as strongly against it as I am now.

 

[BucciMane]

I forgot to write this one cause I legitimately can't even remember when I turned against the death penalty. But I definitely wasn't always as strongly against it as I am now.

I'm not opposed to it, but as I've grown older, I've realized how many people have gotten fukked over and had everything go against them. I won't agree with many things you say, but I'm with you here.

 

[phcitywarrior]

What makes you think most corporate jobs are a "constructive" thing to do with your life?

In the absence of UBI, I'd say that half or more of the shyt people do to make money in America probably makes the world a worse place, not a better one.

shyt like staying at home to raise your kids, volunteering for your church full-time, becoming an activist, focusing on your art full-time, putting in work to help out your elderly parents so they don't need to be in a home, or devoting your life to environmental conservation projects is a hell of a lot more constructive than working as a corporate salesperson or doing physical labor for rich people. And honestly, I think the #1 thing most people who get UBI change about their lives when they've done the experiments is reenroll in school to get more education so they can pursue what they really want in their lives. No one is talking about giving enough UBI to be out there balling, it's just enough to barely get by on the necessities for a little bit while you have the space to do what you really want in life. The same thing that most rich and middle-upper class kids automatically get by the mere virtue of being born.

No one said anything about corporate jobs. That is your insertion/assumption. There are many other jobs that add value to society that are not corporate-focused. And let's keep it a full 100%, you enjoy the amenities of the Western world e.g. the internet, google, convenient ways to pay, hi-tech computing etc. There is a corporation that produces those goods and services you enjoy.

I fully believe a healthy, productive society is one where people work, especially when prime working age. If you want to bring the church into it, Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians preached about the Dignity of Labour.

I'm not against the idea of government assistance at all, but if we're gonna do UBI then we gotta cut other entitlements cause these taxes are too damn high

You seem to be ignoring that factory shutdowns, supply chain disruptions, and the transition from service-oriented buying to goods-oriented buying was causing huge inflation issues long before the war in Ukraine even happened. That is all factored into those analyses I linked.

You've taken the careful analysis of experts in the field that came up with those #'s and completely dismissed it just based on how you feel.

Far from it. That is exactly what I've been saying. You can't juice demand to the levels during the pandemic when supply couldn't match it e.g. factories aren't producing the goods and services at the levels needed to match demand. This is just fact, there's no how I feel about it, it's just the numbers. There was excess liquidity in the market that didn't match the supply, so inflation. Boom.

 

[Professor Emeritus]

No one said anything about corporate jobs. That is your insertion/assumption. There are many other jobs that add value to society that are not corporate-focused.

The vast majority of poor people just trying to make it are going to end up either doing something for a corporation, providing some service for a rich person, or hustling. Few people are "forced" into societally productive jobs by desperation, and if they are then those essential, societally productive jobs really need to start paying more money.

And let's keep it a full 100%, you enjoy the amenities of the Western world e.g. the internet, google, convenient ways to pay, hi-tech computing etc. There is a corporation that produces those goods and services you enjoy.

Most of the underpinnings of the internet and high-tech computing were developed by government and academic researchers, not by corporations. And the acceleration of the technology that the corporations provided once the public sector gave them the blueprint has led to more harm than good.

I fully believe a healthy, productive society is one where people work, especially when prime working age. If you want to bring the church into it, Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians preached about the Dignity of Labour.

But literally no one has said that labor is bad. We've said that an economy which bases its labor allotment on whatever most profits corporations is bad. You're assuming that people would no longer do work if they got UBI, and there's no evidence of that. UBI doesn't stop people from working, it gives them space to pursue more productive work of their own volition.

Universal basic income seems to improve employment and well-being

Finland’s two-year test of universal basic income has concluded that it doesn't seem to disincentivise working, and improves recipients’ mental and financial well-being

www.newscientist.com

Does universal basic income discourage work? Maybe not, new data says. - Marketplace

We're learning more about what happens when the government gives people money without conditions.

www.marketplace.org

Universal basic income policies don’t cause people to leave workforce, study finds

news.uchicago.edu

I'm not against the idea of government assistance at all, but if we're gonna do UBI then we gotta cut other entitlements cause these taxes are too damn high

That's a given. If UBI is put into place then the vast majority of entitlements are going to be folded into it. Will do a TON of good to improve efficiency and cut down on fraud. Don't have to have a huge system to apply for welfare, SSI, unemployment, etc. and then another whole system to try to catch the scammers if everyone is just getting the same amount anyway.

 

[phcitywarrior]

That's a given. If UBI is put into place then the vast majority of entitlements are going to be folded into it. Will do a TON of good to improve efficiency and cut down on fraud. Don't have to have a huge system to apply for welfare, SSI, unemployment, etc. and then another whole system to try to catch the scammers if everyone is just getting the same amount anyway.

This, I can agree on.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

What makes you think most corporate jobs are a "constructive" thing to do with your life?

In the absence of UBI, I'd say that half or more of the shyt people do to make money in America probably makes the world a worse place, not a better one.

shyt like staying at home to raise your kids, volunteering for your church full-time, becoming an activist, focusing on your art full-time, putting in work to help out your elderly parents so they don't need to be in a home, or devoting your life to environmental conservation projects is a hell of a lot more constructive than working as a corporate salesperson or doing physical labor for rich people. And honestly, I think the #1 thing most people who get UBI change about their lives when they've done the experiments is reenroll in school to get more education so they can pursue what they really want in their lives. No one is talking about giving enough UBI to be out there balling, it's just enough to barely get by on the necessities for a little bit while you have the space to do what you really want in life. The same thing that most rich and middle-upper class kids automatically get by the mere virtue of being born.

100%.

Also, a couple additional points.

• Think about how many more people would be able to rise to greatness. Already we have a few (very few) amount of people that manage to climb against all odds out of the lowest tiers of society to achieve greatness in the world. With a better safety net, who knows how many excellent engineers, scientists, artists, etc, that we are missing out on because they end up having to work multiple low-wage jobs, or even resort to crime to get by.
• A certain amount of people will always be free-loaders. A certain amount of people will always be lazy. The punishment for this shouldn't be starvation, death, abysmal living conditions, or homelessness. We're all in this life together, and I don't think it's too much for the wealthiest country in the world to not have its lowest-level citizens live in squalor and die just because they're lazy.

UBI isn't worth writing off solely because some people would abuse it.

EDIT: The bolded is extra facts BTW.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

The vast majority of poor people just trying to make it are going to end up either doing something for a corporation, providing some service for a rich person, or hustling. Few people are "forced" into societally productive jobs by desperation, and if they are then those essential, societally productive jobs really need to start paying more money.





Most of the underpinnings of the internet and high-tech computing were developed by government and academic researchers, not by corporations. And the acceleration of the technology that the corporations provided once the public sector gave them the blueprint has led to more harm than good.





But literally no one has said that labor is bad. We've said that an economy which bases its labor allotment on whatever most profits corporations is bad. You're assuming that people would no longer do work if they got UBI, and there's no evidence of that. UBI doesn't stop people from working, it gives them space to pursue more productive work of their own volition.

Universal basic income seems to improve employment and well-being

Finland’s two-year test of universal basic income has concluded that it doesn't seem to disincentivise working, and improves recipients’ mental and financial well-being

www.newscientist.com

Does universal basic income discourage work? Maybe not, new data says. - Marketplace

We're learning more about what happens when the government gives people money without conditions.

www.marketplace.org

Universal basic income policies don’t cause people to leave workforce, study finds

news.uchicago.edu

That's a given. If UBI is put into place then the vast majority of entitlements are going to be folded into it. Will do a TON of good to improve efficiency and cut down on fraud. Don't have to have a huge system to apply for welfare, SSI, unemployment, etc. and then another whole system to try to catch the scammers if everyone is just getting the same amount anyway.

@Rhakim I should have quoted both of your posts together, but I just wanted to add that I recently experienced a sort of UBI equivalent in my own life. Due to some unique and unfortunate circumstances, I've ended up getting compensated with a modest check every month. It's not a ton of money, and it's not enough to life my life on...but it's just enough money for me to quit a 2nd job that I was having to work in order to put more time and energy into growing a business I recently started.

I've needed the 2nd job to cover my expenses while growing what I've been hoping would become my main career, which would contribute a lot more to my community and overall sense of self. I can only imagine how many people are in similar shoes that could use just a little extra financial breathing room in order to pursue more meaningful work.

 

[DEAD7]

Conscription; I'm now for it
Term limits in both congress and the Supreme Court; i now support both