WealthDistribution

The Good Guys

• Ocean Spray, Coop: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_Spray_(cooperative)

Notes

• Reagan: https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/1e2vo8x/why_every_modern_day_worker_should_despise_reagan/
• Piketty, Saez, Stantcheva on optimal taxation of top incomes.
  • https://eml.berkeley.edu//~saez/piketty-saez-stantchevaNBER11thirdelasticity.pdf
  • There is a claim on Wikipedia that the paper finds that rent-seeking is a primary cause of increases in income inequality.
• The Forecloser: https://www.cc.com/video/u128k0/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-the-forecloser
• CEO Income Gap: https://www.epi.org/publication/ceo-pay-in-2021/
• Comedy Song Guillotine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMHCw3RqulY
• 8 v. 4 Billion
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/13dn5jq/8_guys_against_4_billion_people/
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/Political_Revolution/comments/13dn5xj/8_guys_against_4_billion_people/
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/13dn5ji/8_guys_against_4_billion_people/
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/WhitePeopleTwitter/comments/13dn5qn/8_guys_against_4_billion_people/
• Mike Pence, Taxation, Fair Share
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/14sjbvu/mike_pence_mocked_for_saying_i_dont_really_buy/
  • https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/mike-pence-rich-fair-share-gop-primary-b2370690.html
  • See "Pence Tax" below.
• Progressive Policy DOAs
  • OLIGARCH Act: https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/15akv0a/progressives_unveil_oligarch_act_to_combat/
• Rural Folk, Too:
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/15az3y5/in_americas_internal_colonies_the_poor_die_far/
  • https://www.cbsnews.com/news/injustice-of-place-internal-colonies-poverty-appalachia-cotton-belt-texas/
  • "Millions of Americans are living in communities mired in "deep disadvantage," mostly rural locations stuck in generational poverty, but where some residents experience health outcomes that shorten average life expectancies to that of poor nations. These are America's "internal colonies," according to a new book, "The Injustice of Place" (Mariner Books, August 2023), about the geography of poverty."
  • Drugs - used to be a "black thing". Meth hit the whites too. It's not a black thing. It's not a weakness thing. It's a hopeless generational poverty thing. It's a brutality of the oligarchs thing.
  • Calculate the death rate. Couple it to suicide rates.
• Tax Deductible Private Jets: https://www.propublica.org/article/private-jets-yachts-wealthy-tax-deductions-irs-files
• Wage Tax Rates: https://www.oecd.org/tax/tax-policy/taxing-wages-united-states.pdf

Unhealthy Reactions

• Unhealthy: Retail Therapy: https://old.reddit.com/r/comics/comments/175c0kc/retail_therapy/
  • This is making it worse. You can't fix food poisoning by licking raw chicken.
• Simping for Corporations: https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/1b3qjnx/this_feel_very_appropriate_for_this_sub_reddit/

Reddit Notes

Slavery

• Prison Slavery & Fast Food: https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/18gzxo4/fast_food_chains_use_alabama_prison_inmates_as/
  • https://www.al.com/news/2023/12/fast-food-chains-use-alabama-prison-inmates-as-slave-labor-lawsuit-alleges.html
• Slavery v. Chocolate Price: https://old.reddit.com/r/NoahGetTheBoat/comments/16crivh/nestle_and_slavery/
• Slavery and US Food: https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/1aerjcb/modern_day_slavery/
  • https://apnews.com/article/prison-to-plate-inmate-labor-investigation-c6f0eb4747963283316e494eadf08c4e
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1ah04hj/prisoners_in_the_us_are_part_of_a_hidden/
• Prison Agriculture Slavery
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/clevercomebacks/comments/1dy2ln1/the_convict_leasing_forced_labor_system/

Product Grifting

• https://old.reddit.com/r/Anticonsumption/comments/160z17q/whats_yours/
• https://old.reddit.com/r/NonPoliticalTwitter/comments/163l5ro/i_want_dumb_tvs_back/
  • Commercial Monitors / TVs: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Flat-Panel-Displays/ci/16073/N/4205668456
• Your Car is Spying on You: https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/16bkdor/modern_cars_are_a_privacy_nightmare_the_worst/
• Creepy Stalker Cars: https://old.reddit.com/r/YouShouldKnow/comments/16fuw8q/ysk_your_car_is_likely_collecting_and_sharing/
• Stalker Car: https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/17t18er/perfectly_legal_for_cars_to_harvest_your_texts/
• Judgy Printer Ink Monitoring: https://old.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/18v40bg/email_about_my_hp_printer/
  • Great example of the shift from "make great products because that is what people will be happy to have purchased" to "extract dollars from the customer by any means necessary."
  • Aside: Brother comes out very positive in the comments.
  • HP Printer Subscriptions $36/mo: https://old.reddit.com/r/gadgets/comments/1b3s85p/hp_wants_you_to_pay_up_to_36_dollarsmonth_to_rent/
• Skeezy Apps: https://old.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/1aje73w/this_app_trying_to_bait_me_to_click_its/
• High Temp Pan (manufactured at high temp): https://old.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/1aocwic/this_pan_claims_it_can_withstand_temperatures_3x/
• Apple PWA Lock-In: https://old.reddit.com/r/ProgrammerHumor/comments/1aoi6o6/becausehereatapplewecareaboutourcustomers/
• Olive Oil "Blend" (95% Canola): https://old.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/1aokef6/olive_oil_blend/
• Creepy Stalker Vending Machines: https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1ayyeq5/a_malfunctioning_vending_machine_at_a_canadian/
  • Alt Sub: https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1b0dk78/a_college_is_removing_its_vending_machines_after/

Late Stage

• Microtransactions in Dragons Dogma 2 (Capcom)
  • No Fast Travel on Principle... Actually, Pay For Fast Travel: https://old.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/1bkrj8a/another_aaa_release_another_disappointment/
  • People Hate It: https://old.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/1bkpawq/3_hours_into_the_release_of_dragons_dogma_2_and/
• Microtransaction Justification, Most Downvoted: https://old.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/1ble8ty/this_comment_holds_the_world_record_for_most/
• Algorithmic Price Fixing: https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1bla4vs/price_fixing_by_algorithm_is_still_price_fixing/
• US as Late Stage Test Bed
  • McD's is the worst McD's: https://old.reddit.com/r/travel/comments/15jmmp8/mcdonalds_in_the_us_is_the_worst_version_of/
  • US Billionaires by State: https://old.reddit.com/r/coolguides/comments/15jphs9/a_cool_guide_showing_the_richest_billionaire_in/
    • More Accurate?: https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/zgdi8r/heres_the_richest_person_in_every_us_state_from/
• Late Stage Capitalism Endgame
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/15jjf96/whats_the_endgame/
• Streaming Going Late Stage:
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/15xf40p/techs_broken_promises_streaming_is_now_just_as/
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/18vczub/full_circle/
• Late Stage Prison Capitalism: https://old.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/163nhve/private_prison_admits_why_they_are_against/
  • "Private prison admits why they are against legalization"
• Unity 3D Engine Fee Shitshow: https://old.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/16hrdc4/the_more_i_read_the_made_with_unity_section_of/
  • "Unity’s Ceo is the infamous John Riccitello, who’s previous employer was…. Drumroll… EA!"
  • "They introduced a fee per download for any game that uses it. Notably, this includes all downloads, including re-downloads, and applies to all games, including demos and free games. You could legitimately bankrupt someone by downloading, deleting, and reinstalling a free game if this goes into effect."
• Blizzard Moneyball for Video Games: https://old.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/18w6ubl/former_call_of_duty_and_blizzard_devs_speak_out/
• Late Stage Sales Job Interview: https://old.reddit.com/r/SipsTea/comments/18vz9fd/sirthis_is_a_marker/
• Fashion Week Hunger Games: https://old.reddit.com/r/FunnyandSad/comments/192git3/the_hunger_games/
  • It's Real: https://www.reddit.com/r/WatchPeopleDieInside/comments/10k2zyp/kylie_jenner_doesnt_look_too_happy_after_finding/
• Crisis Profiteering: https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/1902xla/the_companies_are_the_crisis/
• Late Stage Drugs
  • $7,100 Eliquis: https://old.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/1aonn98/capitalism_at_its_finest/
• Profit Seen as Inflation Mover: https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/1atcfx4/corporate_greed_increasingly_seen_as_major_cause/
• Amazon Lobbyists Banned in EU: https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/1b3cf9u/good/
• Amazon Company Town: https://old.reddit.com/r/tumblr/comments/1b43jsq/amazon_is_taking_inspiration_from_inexcusable/
• Kardashian Jeans 20 Hours: https://old.reddit.com/r/LateStageCapitalism/comments/1dbsiyh/we_are_just_cattle_to_them/

Wealth Inequality

• Krugman, 10, 50, 90, 99
  • https://x.com/arindube/status/1724147807563477440
  • https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w31010/w31010.pdf
  • https://dqydj.com/net-worth-by-year/
  • See: Documents/hacking/socioeconomics/wages_worth_10_50_90_study.pdf
  • See: Documents/hacking/socioeconomics/wages_worth_10_50_90_99.png
  • "This tight labor market is probably the main reason we’ve seen an “unexpected compression” of wages in recent years, with earnings rising much faster at the bottom than at the top." - Paul Krugman
• Inequality, 2019 - 2023: https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/1aimegy/global_wealth_divide_doubling_riches_deepening/
• 2020 - 2024 Five Richest Double, 5B Fall: https://old.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/1akqouf/wealth_of_five_richest_men_doubles_since_2020_as/
• Reagan Stock Buybacks, CEO 1500%, Labor 18%: https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/1akzlgf/reaganomics_impact_widening_divides/
• 1975 - 2018 $50t Transfer bottom 90% to top 1%: https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/1aiurua/the_top_1_of_americans_have_taken_50_trillion/
  • https://time.com/5888024/50-trillion-income-inequality-america/
  • Rand, Trends in Income 1975 to 2018: https://www.rand.org/pubs/working_papers/WRA516-1.html
• 1972 Powell Memorandum: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tobias-Arbogast/publication/341448170/figure/fig3/AS:892308249669632@1589754273579/Productivity-Wage-Gap-in-the-US-Since-1950.ppm
  • https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fx2hcaqcksmgc1.jpeg%3Fwidth%3D2532%26format%3Dpjpg%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3D06893960f42d1ea15e394e196caf2678dbf7624b
  • https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tobias-Arbogast/publication/341448170/figure/fig3/AS:892308249669632@1589754273579/Productivity-Wage-Gap-in-the-US-Since-1950.ppm
• 1990 - 2023 Wealth Distribution By Age: https://old.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/1aoz47y/oc_wealth_distribution_in_the_us_from_first/
• Top 3 v Bottom 160m: https://old.reddit.com/r/FunnyandSad/comments/1at8ts4/but_were_a_free_society/
• Top 8 v bottom 4b: https://old.reddit.com/r/FluentInFinance/comments/1b1uig9/should_taxes_be_higher/
• Rich Got Lucky (DNA & Parents): https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/12/191218153459.htm

Other

• Subs
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/Political_Revolution/top/?sort=top&t=year
• Eton College Application Essay: https://old.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/1dchb9x/essay_task_for_11_entrance_into_eton_college_uk/
• No Min Wage Increase, Food Prices Increase Anyway: https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/1dcl2jn/the_food_cost_paradox/
• Microsoft Blames AI for Layoffs: https://old.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/1dbjgo3/microsoft_lays_off_1500_workers_blames_ai_wave/
• Wal Mart, Great Value, Inflation Grift: https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/1bb9wml/inflation_benefits_the_rich/
• Kellogg's Let Them Eat Flakes
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/1b1j728/id_rather_eat_the_rich/
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/nottheonion/comments/1b1odkt/let_them_eat_flakes_kelloggs_ceo_says_poor/
• Tradwife takedown: https://old.reddit.com/r/TikTokCringe/comments/1b0190v/trad_wives/
• Talking about Salary: https://old.reddit.com/r/CuratedTumblr/comments/1ay3w3f/talk_about_wages/
• Amazon Joins Trader Joes, SpaceX Arguing Against Existence of NLRB: https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1at7ec3/amazon_argues_that_national_labor_board_is/
  • Alt Sub: https://old.reddit.com/r/nottheonion/comments/1at5u4q/amazon_argues_that_national_labor_board_is/
  • Amazon Fighting Warehouse Labor Judgment: https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1az4dlm/amazon_made_airport_workers_toil_in_100degree/
• Generational Wealth at Wharton: https://old.reddit.com/r/FunnyandSad/comments/1aqlv3s/i_wish_so/
• Work Or Die: https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/1aoz4pz/supreme_court_terrifies_through_decisions/
• Private Profit, Public Risk: https://old.reddit.com/r/FluentInFinance/comments/1aor5g9/why_is_corporate_welfare_the_solution_but_social/
• Pitting Us Against Each Other: https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/1an7r71/discount/
• Millennials and Housing: https://old.reddit.com/r/Economics/comments/1amtn5c/disenfranchised_millennials_feel_locked_out_of/
• Anti-Billionaire Slides: https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/1amrl9e/billionaires_dont_create_wealth/
• Bernie Sanders on Concentration: https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/1amejcd/bernie_sanders_the_international_billionaire/
• Stock Market and Homelessness Hit Records: https://old.reddit.com/r/LateStageCapitalism/comments/1akmqn7/us_homelessness_hits_historic_levels_as_653000/
• Highest Live-with-Parents since Great Depression: https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/1akdtrd/percentage_is_higher/
• Buyback Layoffs at Facebook: https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/1akhsni/new_rule_youre_not_allowed_to_layoff_thousands/
• Amazon Housing Box: https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/1al42gv/solving_the_housing_crisis/
• https://old.reddit.com/r/meirl/comments/15c89sf/meirl/
  • Millennials: 4.8% of wealth when their group hit 40
  • Gen X: 9%
  • Boomer: 21%
• https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/15d9xnt/us_congress_is_a_cozy_club_of_multimillionaire/
  • US Congress is a cozy club of multimillionaire boomer lawmakers hoarding power
  • https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/29/us-congress-age-lawmakers-millionaire-boomer
  • "The billionaires in business tell the millionaires in politics that the rest of us are greedy."
• Stadium Subsidies
  • Buffalo Bills Stadium Subsidy
    • https://old.reddit.com/r/FunnyandSad/comments/15do2ld/it_really_do_be_like_that/
    • https://old.reddit.com/r/Political_Revolution/comments/15eeioy/time_to_eat_the_rich/
    • $850mm for billionaire's stadium
    • $800mm cut to social services
    • https://old.reddit.com/r/FluentInFinance/comments/1e2flc1/we_cant_afford_all_that_money_for_the_kids_and/
  • Probably doesn't pay for itself: https://www.stlouisfed.org/Publications/Regional-Economist/April-2001/Should-Cities-Pay-for-Sports-Facilities
  • Social services have positive knock-on effects, too, to whatever extent a stadium does have upside.
  • Stadium Subsidy Economics / Wealth Transfer: https://old.reddit.com/r/science/comments/18hcghh/there_is_a_consensus_among_economists_that/
  • Berkeley Econ on Stadiums: https://econreview.berkeley.edu/the-economics-of-sports-stadiums-does-public-financing-of-sports-stadiums-create-local-economic-growth-or-just-help-billionaires-improve-their-profit-margin/
• Tactics: https://old.reddit.com/r/Political_Revolution/comments/14efebq/this_man_explains_his_reaction_and_tactics_to/
  • https://www.tiktok.com/@watchfulcoyote
• Deregulation and Collapse: https://old.reddit.com/r/Political_Revolution/comments/11pnjid/americans_have_been_continuously_barraged_with/
• If Our Backs Are Their Tables...?
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/TikTokCringe/comments/15q4kfc/if_our_backs_are_their_table_what_happens_when_we/
• Fox News, Culture Wars, Oligarchs: https://old.reddit.com/r/conservativeterrorism/comments/15qrve4/fox_entertainments_sole_purpose_is_to_keep_you/
• Rent $1500, Pay $12/hr: https://old.reddit.com/r/FunnyandSad/comments/15vh9xk/and_dont_forget_student_loans/
  • Do the math. That's 1500 hours a year just to pay rent, assuming zero tax.
• Trump Isn't Sharing?!? https://old.reddit.com/r/LeopardsAteMyFace/comments/15wmzdb/guy_who_never_pays_his_bills_wont_pay_my_bills/
  • Related: https://twitter.com/RandPaul/status/691828214881243140 "Can I get another 100 donors from Twitter tonight? We must defeat Socialism. Contribute $35, $11, or just $2!! ht tp://cash.me/$RandPaul" - Rand Paul
• Wealth and Carbon
  • "the top 1% of households are responsible for more emissions (15-17%) than the lower earning half of American households put together (14% of national emissions)."
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/15y4bte/how_wealthy_super_emitters_are_disproportionately/
  • "Arnold Schwarzenegger, the "green" governor of California commuted via private jet from LA to Sacramento." [ed: to be clear: daily]
    • "Not defending him but LA to Sac is not a drivable distance to do daily."
      • "Then... stay in Sacramento??? Isn't there a governors mansion... in Sacramento???"
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/160o9eq/how_wealthy_super_emitters_are_disproportionately/
  • See Also: Taylor Swift 2023 private jet to visit her boyfriend dozens (hundreds?) of times while touting carbon reduction.
• Homeless Takedown: https://old.reddit.com/r/TikTokCringe/comments/15yb026/entitled_conservative_on_homeless_people/
• Didn't have to increase rent, but fortunate that I could:
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/iamatotalpieceofshit/comments/15zzowf/landlord_explains_why_he_raised_rent/
• 82,000 years: https://old.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/15zxjli/over_the_two_years_cant_afford_to_give_a_living/
• Maye Musk, Unawarewolf
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/EnoughMuskSpam/comments/1614rhp/constant_hate_from_the_president_does_anyone_have/
• Working to Death: https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/1633a03/coincidentally_i_quit_my_job_16_days_ago/
• Nothing to Lose: https://old.reddit.com/r/LateStageCapitalism/comments/163obet/wheres_the_lie/
• Rich Tax Evasion: https://old.reddit.com/r/WhitePeopleTwitter/comments/163tubw/163000000000_every_year/
• A Person Got Healthcare! Celebrate: https://old.reddit.com/r/MadeMeSmile/comments/164q5y3/faith_in_humanity_restored/
• Military versus Immigrants: https://old.reddit.com/r/LateStageCapitalism/comments/164inhl/how_to_stay_rich_101_get_the_underprivileged_to/
• Charlie Munger: Expect Less: https://old.reddit.com/r/LateStageCapitalism/comments/164yslq/99yearold_billionaire_tells_others_to_expect_less/
• Unions have 88% support under 30: https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/166cmv0/the_union_movement_is_surging_with_incredible/
• SCOTUS on Wealth Tax? https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/1688sp4/why_its_going_to_be_hard_to_tax_billionaires/
• End WFH 'cuz Offices are Empty - Bloomberg: https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/15hsnee/the_oligarch_who_spent_1_billion_just_to_derail/
• Grist for The Mill, a real-life metaphor: https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/15n8r75/a_1143_fine_for_a_17yearold_losing_their_hand_in/
• What's reasonable now isn't even new: https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/1609l6e/huey_longs_share_our_wealth_proposalfrom_1935/
  • They were looking for roughly the same, 88 years ago, before all the increases in mechanization, robotization, and computerization of labor.
• Calls to Tax The Rich Rising: https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/16aoen5/calls_to_tax_the_superrich_grow_as_economic/
• Do You Want Socialism? This how you get socialism. https://old.reddit.com/r/LateStageCapitalism/comments/16bj2ep/new_study_53_of_young_people_prefer_socialism/
  • "Capitalism doesn’t do anything for anyone who doesn’t have capital. It’s right there in the name. If you want a system that benefits the whole of society, though, you want something called..."
  • It's metastasizing: https://old.reddit.com/r/WhitePeopleTwitter/comments/16bmg0c/workers_are_entitled_to_a_living/
• Flophouses are back: https://old.reddit.com/r/OrphanCrushingMachine/comments/16c83l2/apparently_being_unable_to_afford_something_is_a/
• Food Stamp Fraud 0.09% (ie: 99.91% not fraud): https://old.reddit.com/r/WhitePeopleTwitter/comments/16e59ru/addressing_starvation/
  • https://bit.ly/2ioovW4
  • Incorrect: 0.9% (ie: 99.1% not fraud): https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonconstable/2018/04/04/the-facts-about-food-stamp-fraud/
    • "When compared with those total figures, the fraud identified in 2016 amounted to a mere 0.9% of the total. That was up from 0.5% in 2012. Or put another way, 99% of the benefit dollars were in no way associated with fraud, assuming that the government is doing its job of identifying malfeasance." - Forbes
  • 8 v 3.6b: https://old.reddit.com/r/LateStageCapitalism/comments/16e3835/8_vs_36_billion/
• This is how you get socialism: https://www.newsweek.com/billionaire-cries-lefties-aoc-bernie-elizabeth-warren-leon-cooperman-1825586
  • ""I'm concerned about the lefties," Cooperman said. "They don't get it. What made me write the book is I have three terrific grandchildren, and I want them to understand the merits of capitalism, and I want them to be capitalists with a heart. I wanna see the system stay centrist. We have a very, very bad political system.""
• Ankle Surgery Deductible: https://old.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/1690psm/the_healthcare_system_in_america_is_awful/
  • "I had to help a friend with a gofundme when she got cancer. Doctor told her she needed to take off work to relieve stress and heal. So work cuts her hours down. To part time. So she loses health insurance. All her immediate family is dead and her extended family told her they’d help if she stopped being gay. So glad we don’t have evil universal health care /s"
• Humor: I know how shops work: https://old.reddit.com/r/tumblr/comments/16gqjpn/look/
  • Shopkeeper: They're made by consuming the souls of children!
  • Customer: Unh-hunh, made in China, I get it.
• Employees need to feel lucky to have jobs, not the other way around: https://old.reddit.com/r/ABoringDystopia/comments/16gscq3/its_always_nice_when_the_bad_guys_say_the_quiet/
  • Do you want socialism? This is how you get socialism.
• Wells Fargo Wrist Slap: https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/16k7y97/former_wells_fargo_executive_avoids_prison_in/
• First UAW Strike of All Three at Once: https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/16ka2f1/sen_bernie_sanders_calls_out_automaker_ceos_at/
• Finland Ended Homelessness: https://old.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/16lqbjj/apparently_billionaires_are_more_important_than/
• Florida Child Labor Expansion: https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/16ngdj5/florida_republican_files_bill_to_allow_minors_to/
• Wallet First, Then Die: https://old.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/16lymi6/oc_life_expectancy_vs_health_expenditure/
• Trickle-Not, 1209 v 15: https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/16sute2/ceo_pay_has_surged_1209_since_1978_worker_pay_has/
• Panama Papers: https://old.reddit.com/r/LateStageCapitalism/comments/16ub4x5/gotta_love_it_when_the_rich_milk_every_last_penny/
• Features Removed Post-Sale: https://old.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/16zkzj9/my_400_baby_monitor_has_locked_previously_free/
• Corporate Socialism is Capitalism: https://old.reddit.com/r/FunnyandSad/comments/16zgr7j/we_are_all_capitalist_in_us_reason_we_pee_on/
  • Yeah, but the gov't got the money back sometimes.
    • MF'er, what do you think happens when a person loses their job and gets helped back up? And when they get kicked further down?
• Ink Subscriptions: https://old.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/170cev8/i_got_a_free_printer_from_somebody_moving_turns/
• Planet Death, but Shares are Up: https://old.reddit.com/r/FunnyandSad/comments/170i467/yesss_sir/
• Military As A Service: https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/170h4cn/lockheed_ceo_pitches_pentagon_on_subscription/
• Boomer, 70%, 37%: https://old.reddit.com/r/FunnyandSad/comments/14ljbq4/boom_errorrrrrr/
• Swedish Avocado Toast: https://old.reddit.com/r/CuratedTumblr/comments/1739aeu/burger_flippers_misinformation_and_sweden/
• US: Nation's Poor Abandoned: https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/177zf50/the_us_government_has_abandoned_the_nations/
• $3.7T wealth transfer during COVID-19: https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/17d0hgs/workers_lost_vs_billionaires_gain/
• Youngsters; 70 Hours: https://old.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/17gu3a5/so_he_can_get_richer/
• Amazon Prime / Uber / etc: Undercut, Kill, Grift: https://old.reddit.com/r/Anticonsumption/comments/17idxw3/amazing/
• Great Wealth Tranfer: https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/17iwmdt/the_great_wealth_transfer_isnt_73_trillion_but/
  • https://fortune.com/2023/10/28/great-wealth-transfer-baby-boomers-bank-of-america-millennials-government-policy/

  • Boomers have quite simply been the biggest beneficiary of a “massive wealth transfer,” wrote the BofA team led by Ohsung Kwon, echoing Dalio’s observation that trillions of wealth flowed from the public to the private sector thanks to government policy since the 1980s, when boomers were in their prime working years. BofA pointed to the ballooning government debt—from 31% of GDP to 120% during that period—and the 10-year Treasury yield shrinking from 12% to 4.6% today (it’s actually 4.9% as of press time). So how many trillions? Over this period, BofA calculates, U.S. household net worth has skyrocketed from $17 trillion to $150 trillion. Boomers, alongside “traditionalists,” hold two-thirds ($146 trillion) of that total net worth. This means that government policy has resulted in a $129 trillion wealth transfer into the pockets of those boomers and older Americans, BofA said (it didn’t clarify the exact apportionment of wealth between these two groups).

• Deductions: Teachers v. Billionaires: https://old.reddit.com/r/LateStageCapitalism/comments/17js7bp/who_do_they_represent/
• Sky Ads and Terrorism: https://old.reddit.com/r/meirl/comments/17tdzmm/meirl/
• Wage Increase, Workers Hired: https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/17xf09p/who_wouldve_thought_that_would_help/
  • Literally Econ 101 Price Theory: There is no such thing as a shortage.
• 8 guys v. food stamps: https://old.reddit.com/r/FluentInFinance/comments/17xu2ei/should_taxes_be_higher/
• Mercedes Acceleration Subscription: https://old.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/18062yb/this_has_gone_too_far/
• Simmering Pot: https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/181gpeo/the_rich_will_find_out_how_pissed_we_are/
• Min Wage v. Public School Cost: https://old.reddit.com/r/FluentInFinance/comments/185ezea/should_student_loan_debt_be_forgiven/
• GenXer on Millennial Disenfranchisement: https://old.reddit.com/r/Millennials/comments/185wkry/genxers_take_on_broke_millennials_and_why_they/
• Overwork Mortality: https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/186i7vo/working_more_than_55_hours_a_week_kills_750000/
• Wealthier Than a Medieval Prince: https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/189jeyt/you_are_wealthier_than_a_medieval_prince_excuse_me/
  • https://iterativechaos.com/summary/189jeyt.html
• Labor Shortage: https://old.reddit.com/r/MurderedByWords/comments/18e958f/dan_price_is_tired_of_your_labor_shortage/
• Boomer Trauma Hot Take: https://old.reddit.com/r/TikTokCringe/comments/18gc59g/guy_explains_baby_boomers_their_parents_and_trauma/
  • The first 5 seconds is just brutal, though. That needs to be edited out. Holy self-absorbed prejudice. Wanna hear someone say something awful? Wait till they say, "obligatory "not all <fill-in-the-blank>" but...". You 'bout to hear some seriously fucked up prejudiced shit.
• Bukowski on Fuck That Shit: https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/18gjbtp/quote_from_bukowski/
• Accepting Abuse is not Strength: https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/18i6rgq/nobody_knows_how_to_treat_their_employees_right/
• Republican Austerity Decisions: https://old.reddit.com/r/LateStageCapitalism/comments/18mry6b/how_much_wealth_is_enough_for_the_richest_of_the/
• Star Trek v. Dune
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/dankmemes/comments/18mwbh3/space_cash/
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/PeterExplainsTheJoke/comments/18nq0u1/please_elaborate/
• Optimize for Grind Until You Hate It: https://old.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/18vzo5p/tom_scott_after_ten_years_its_time_to_stop_making/
• 150m Lazy v. 400 Greedy: https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/18wucrq/found_this_floating_on_the_interwebs/
• Masters in Pizza Delivery and Teaching: https://old.reddit.com/r/FluentInFinance/comments/18wd3zl/what_killed_the_american_dream/
• 5 Men, $435b, EMT, Fast Food, Warehouse Worker: https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/18yekm0/your_fellow_workers_are_not_the_enemy/
• 306 hours v. 4,459 hours to pay for school: https://old.reddit.com/r/Millennials/comments/1920kz7/should_american_taxpayers_forgive_student_loan/
• Homelessness v. Billionaires: https://old.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/1923wgb/no_billionaires_means_a_bad_country/
• Poverty: Can't Satisfy The Rich: https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/193bff9/a_dose_of_reality/
• PPP Loan Fraud: https://old.reddit.com/r/FluentInFinance/comments/194cj7j/ppp_loans_fraud_could_be_as_high_as_1_trillion/
• Richest 1% pay lowest state taxes in 41 states: https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/192orkg/in_41_us_states_richest_1_pay_lower_tax_rates/
  • https://itep.org/whopays-7th-edition/
• Denmark v. United States (Big Mac Example): https://old.reddit.com/r/FluentInFinance/comments/195zalm/why_doesnt_america_pay_as_much_as_europe/

Corporate Fiefdom

• Windows 12: Selling Your Personal Data: https://old.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/17okeqx/is_windows12_the_one_that_finally_pushes_it_too/
• Disney Trademarking Dia de los Muertos: https://old.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/17p62md/til_that_disney_attempted_to_trademark_the/
• Rich Person! Save us from the Rich People! (Mr Beast & Warner Bros): https://old.reddit.com/r/NonPoliticalTwitter/comments/1aohqhc/an_idea_so_crazy_it_might_work/

Rich Grifting

• Morality of Stealing From The Rich: https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/15lgn9c/think_about_poor_people/
• https://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/apple-google-others-settle-anti-poaching-lawsuit-for-415-million/
• Insulin, COVID vaccine, for-profit prisons, child-labor, Tyson meat processing
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/FluentInFinance/comments/193q87o/why_are_tax_dollars_be_used_to_help_corporations/
• https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/16a5bm8/uk_airlines_could_face_a_crackdown_on_hidden_fees/
• https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1650tci/x_formerly_twitter_faces_2200_arbitration_cases/
• Fracking Freres: https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/16alnn8/texas_fracking_billionaire_brothers_fuel/
• Oprah Wrekt: https://old.reddit.com/r/SipsTea/comments/16a8wu8/oh_lawd_the_audacity/
• Musk Intentionally Harmed Ukraine Defense: https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/16ctqqc/ukraine_rips_elon_musk_for_disrupting_sneak/
• Pharmagrift: https://old.reddit.com/r/therewasanattempt/comments/16czal9/to_pretend_like_you_didnt_profit_from/
  • Katie Porter: "Finding more customers for your pill doesn't mean the cost increased." XD
  • Insulin: https://old.reddit.com/r/BeAmazed/comments/1ddzxkx/sir_fredrick_banting/
• Musk Consents to Stealing His Shit: https://old.reddit.com/r/WhitePeopleTwitter/comments/16czsh4/this_benefits_russia/
• Wal-Mart Yacht: https://old.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/16dnlbo/billionaire_walmart_heiress_nancy_waltons_yacht/
• Taylor Loves Enviro! https://old.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/16cfanp/taylor/
  • Taylor Sues! https://old.reddit.com/r/Fauxmoi/comments/1akazhn/taylor_swift_threatens_legal_action_against/
• Backup Private Jet: https://old.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/18r8ga3/til_that_when_jeff_immelt_was_general_electrics/

Legends

• Legends Takedown: https://old.reddit.com/r/EnoughMuskSpam/comments/16gs70a/thats_really_the_best_hes_got/
• Trump Media Auditor: https://old.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/comments/1cj94jw/trump_media_auditor_charged_by_sec_with_massive/

Robert Reich

• Calling it in 1994: https://old.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/1agjy1n/unfortunately_his_warnings_in_the_90s_have_come/

Musk

• This is really happening: https://old.reddit.com/r/WhitePeopleTwitter/comments/16e9a1s/its_always_good_when_2_people_who_havent_gone_to/
• Free Speech
  • Suing to Hide Content Moderation Policies: https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/16e4pm8/x_sues_calif_to_avoid_revealing_how_it_makes/
  • ADL SLAPP suit threat: https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/05/tech/elon-musk-adl-lawsuit/index.html
    • Update: ADL Bends The Knee: https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/170fx3m/adl_says_it_will_resume_advertising_on_x/
  • Throttles NY Times: https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/16fvudg/x_appears_to_throttle_new_york_times/
  • Will Cater to China: https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/16hxe2k/elon_told_bari_weiss_that_twitter_would_cater_to/
  • UAW Blue Check Removed: https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/16jo1a3/x_revokes_paid_blue_check_from_united_auto/
  • NYU Professor: https://old.reddit.com/r/EnoughMuskSpam/comments/16po0jn/an_nyu_professor_with_560000_followers_says_hes/
  • Media Matters SLAPP: https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/17y7mqd/elon_musk_to_file_thermonuclear_lawsuit_as/
  • Child Labor Report Flagged: https://old.reddit.com/r/europe/comments/18kmlfd/twitterx_puts_a_harmful_link_warning_on/
• Musk Pledged (didn't do it): https://old.reddit.com/r/WhitePeopleTwitter/comments/16fupc2/anyone_else_remember_this/
• Tesla $0 tax on $5.5b: https://old.reddit.com/r/LateStageCapitalism/comments/175b4qr/theres_no_reason_some_of_the_worlds_wealthiest/
• Grifter v Grifter: $230m Lawyers: https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/177ogm3/tesla_fights_230_million_fee_sought_by_attorneys/
• Versus Jimmy Wales: https://old.reddit.com/r/EnoughMuskSpam/comments/17ch9gw/elon_making_sure_disinformation_thrives_on_x/
  • Butthurt: https://old.reddit.com/r/ProgrammerHumor/comments/17dypvc/whydoeswikipediacostmoneytomaintainitsjustabunchof/
  • I'm Rich Butthurt: https://old.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/17ei1p9/his_humor_is_that_of_a_10year_old/
  • Backstory: https://slate.com/technology/2022/05/elon-musk-wikipedia-page.html
  • Wales Interview: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/15/x-being-overrun-by-trolls-and-lunatics-after-musk-takeover-wikipedia-founder.html
• OSHA SpaceX: https://old.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/17styye/oshaithead/
  • https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/spacex-musk-safety/
• MuskKilledAGuy
• $70k, I mean $100k, Doorstop: https://old.reddit.com/r/WhitePeopleTwitter/comments/189zb2x/uncomfortably_numb/
  • Don't Sell It: https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/18g9pfl/tesla_again_threatens_to_sue_cybertruck_buyers/
• Tesla v. Musk: https://old.reddit.com/r/LateStageCapitalism/comments/18wndxj/perfect_capitalism/
• Fired SpaceX Workers Critical of MusK: https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/18y4xde/spacex_illegally_fired_workers_critical_of_musk/
• Fascism Education: https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/1908x57/tear_it_all_down/
• Chipped a Human: https://old.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/1aemce4/theres_gonna_be_zombies/
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/WhitePeopleTwitter/comments/1aejqpw/elon_musk_is_testing_neuralink_on_humans/
• Stainless Needs to be Passivated: https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1apdhyh/tesla_cybertruck_may_have_a_rust_problem/
• Whining About Low Taxes: https://old.reddit.com/r/FluentInFinance/comments/1at4r8r/should_we_have_a_wealth_tax/
• I'm brilliant for inventing Tesla cars. We fucked up on the cybertruck: https://old.reddit.com/r/clevercomebacks/comments/1ay7vse/billionaire_of_the_century/
• 65% Mortality Brain Chip: https://old.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/1b2lo83/a_65_fatality_rate_for_the_elon_brain_chip/
• $56b v. 15,000: https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/1c8ten9/373_million_to_each_laid_off_tesla_worker/
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/news/comments/1c6901r/tesla_seeks_to_reinstate_elon_musk_56_billion_pay/
  • More Cuts: https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1cgq5j6/elon_musk_goes_absolutely_hard_core_in_another/

Bezos

• Pledged (hasn't done it): https://old.reddit.com/r/clevercomebacks/comments/16evrvi/whatever_helps/
• Amazon Claims NLRB is Unconstitutional: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/15/business/economy/amazon-labor-nlrb.html

Cuban

• It's not the coffee: https://old.reddit.com/r/TikTokCringe/comments/16fuue7/mark_cuban_is_as_out_of_touch_as_any_other/

Buffett

• Money has no utility to me: https://old.reddit.com/r/WorkReform/comments/16mnr52/rail_baron_warren_buffet_claims_money_has_no/
  • Sleeps on a dragon's hoard of $147b.

Eric Schmidt

• $100m of GDP Directed to One ... Business Associate: https://old.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/17gtabp/married_billionaire_eric_schmidt_reportedly/

Zuck

• Zuck Bunker: https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/18y7y0i/zuckerbergs_bunker_plans_fuel_speculation_on/
• Stock Buyback Layoff: https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/1ao4ycs/2_points_1_we_gotta_unionize_2_stock_buybacks/

Will-to-Oligarch

Pence Tax

• https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/14sjbvu/mike_pence_mocked_for_saying_i_dont_really_buy/
• https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/mike-pence-rich-fair-share-gop-primary-b2370690.html

Former Vice President Mike Pence has been mocked for saying the quiet part out loud about taxing the rich, during a campaign stop.

“I don't really buy into the rich need to pay their fair share,” he told an audience of potential Republican primary voters.

Mr Pence appeared alongside Iowa Republican Representative Randy Feenstra at the Wells Visitor Center and Ice Cream Parlor in Le Mars, Iowa, on Wednesday when he was asked by an attendee about billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos avoiding taxes while ordinary people are “stuck footing the bill”.

“There’s no question that the tax code today creates a lot of different carve-outs for people who can shelter funds, keep dollars away,” Mr Pence said, according to the Kansas Reflector. “I’m somebody that, I don’t really buy into ‘the rich need to pay their fair share.’ When you look at the statistics of where we actually get our funding from the government, the top 10 per cent of earners in this country pay about 90 per cent of the money that goes into the federal treasury.”

In 2021, ProPublica reported that the 25 richest Americans paid an income tax rate of 3.4 per cent between 2014 and 2018. Mr Pence is arguing that when it comes to net taxes, the wealthy pay more.

A study by the centre-right Tax Foundation think tank indicated in 2018 that the richest one per cent paid more than 40 per cent of total federal income taxes.

Mr Pence said any Republican president should make the tax cuts passed during the Trump presidency permanent as they’re set to expire in 2025.

“I’m not one of those people that buy into the Democrats’ message about fair share, because I guarantee you that Americans at the top of the income level carry the overwhelming burden for government costs in this country,” Mr Pence told attendees.

Communicating with Oligarchs

There are those who focus on reaching the Mike Pences of the world by reason. Who believe that appealing to his better nature will work.

There are others who believe that there are some Mike Pences who cannot be reached. Mike Pences whose control of government and the economy enables them to self-deal while harming the masses, and that they will continue to do so regardless of data or reason.

History has many cases of society leaping forward after the latter group has lost their patience and acted directly. So while one may, as I do, lament the happening of these things; the reality, that these things are an important part of the long cycle of advancement, is well established.

How long should a dataist continue to try to communicate? When does the balance shift and the most benevolent course is direct action?

Dataists want to use metrics to make decisions. An example of a possible measure in this case is when surplus deaths are greater from not acting than they would be from acting. Using a metric, such as this, can remove the moral question of when it is right to limit self-dealing by other means.

Restoring the Servant Class

Yes, Chef

One of the TikTokers that joined the cottage cheese craze — albeit rather begrudgingly — is professional chef and recipe developer Meredith Hayden, who runs Wishbone Kitchen. But Meredith’s claim to fame had little to do with dairy: She went viral last year after documenting her 17-hour day in the Hamptons as a private chef for designer Joseph Altuzarra. I mention her because she is a perfect segue into Howard Chua-Eoan’s column about how the super-rich will privatize us all.

Howard — a longtime foodie — has witnessed many a restaurant chef join the dark side. You hear the rumors, he writes: “So-and-so has been snagged by a billionaire. You see an occasional post on social media clueing you in to said chef’s new lifestyle: no more endless nights bent over bookkeeping, no more customers who think orange wine is made with citrus, no more no-shows, no Yelp.”

One such chef was Liam Nichols, who used to spend his days and nights sweating over the stove in the kitchen of Momofuku Ko in New York City. That is, until one day, he went *poof* into the night, appearing only again on social media, posting pictures of a saccharine version of himself, frolicking on Caribbean beaches and suntanning on sailboats. Did he win the Powerball?? Howard wondered. No, not exactly: Liam was now the personal chef for billionaire Richard Branson, who casually owns a 74-acre oasis in the British Virgin Islands.

“The market for privatized services is growing because there are a lot more deep pockets everywhere,” Howard explains, arguing that there’s a price tag for everything — even a private Beyoncé concert. But while Queen Bey is happy to collect $24 million for an hourlong set, she’s also willing to spend that money on the 14 private chefs who are traveling with her on the Renaissance World Tour. “Members of the new servant class can benefit tremendously from bidding by the rich for the best in class,” Howard says. Boatloads of talented individuals — nannies, chauffeurs, butlers, veterinarians, nurses and tailors — are being snatched up onto the superyachts and hot spots of the wealthy. And if their clients demand a giant bowl of cottage cheese for dinner, that’s what they’re going to get.”

Codicil: Door Dash

Ask a Mike Pence this question: Does Door Dash represent a wasteful use of money? Is it economically inefficient for one low income person to pay another low income person to perform services?

I think that most of them will say "Hell yes, fucking avocado toasters."

But ask the same person about Branson's private servant corps, they'd see it as economically stimulating.

Economies are closed loops. Why should a labor class person not pay another labor class person to do things? That's how you grow the economy. It is easy to argue that paying McDonald's for food is wasteful, but paying a Dasher to transport 10 loads of McDonalds in a single car makes more sense than 10 people taking their cars separately. The "McDonald's" part of the equation is a separate question. If we have an efficient economy for transacting Dasher service, having a single Dasher do 10 things would increase the efficiency of the system overall.

And I think the counterpoint would be, untilmately, that Branson should have people performing services for him, and the labor class should have to do those menial tasks for themselves, in their free time, after they work for 8 hours a day. Not just that it is OK for those things to happen, but that it is **wrong** to have a labor class that spends their money on such services.

There is something broken in there. I haven't worked it all out yet, but there's a problem. If economies bootstrap via specialization of labor, and paying for efficientizing the creation of flat screens is good, then paying for efficientizing the acquisition of McDonald's must also be good.

And if efficientizing the acquisition of McDonald's is bad because it results in a net increase in acquisition of McDonald's, then we should be putting friction on the acquisition of McDonald's independent of DoorDash. Dashing isn't the economic bad in that picture, McDonald's is.

"They're Happy This Way"

75,000

• "One study said happiness peaked at $75,000 in income. Now, economists say it's higher — by a lot."
• "Money does appear to boost happiness — at least for most people — up to earnings of $500,000............"
• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/money-happiness-study-daniel-kahneman-500000-versus-75000/
• PNAS "": https://www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10.1073/pnas.2208661120
  • Income and emotional well-being: A conflict resolved
  • Matthew A. Killingsworth, Daniel Kahneman, and Barbara Mellers

Extract

Now, new research from a Nobel Prize-winning economist and fellow researchers provides a fresh answer. Money does appear to boost happiness — at least for most people — up to earnings of $500,000, according to the new paper published in this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.

That contradicts earlier research from one of the economists involved in the new study, Daniel Kahneman, who in 2010 published an influential study with fellow Nobel Prize-winner Angus Deaton. The 2010 study found that money could only boost happiness up to a point — about $75,000 in annual earnings. Beyond that figure, the researchers concluded, money had little impact.

That notion that happiness tops out at $75,000 became so popular that Dan Price, the founder of credit card processor Gravity Payments, decided in 2015 to boost the minimum salaries of his employees to $70,000 — cutting his own salary to do so. The move brought him praise as an innovator and business leader in the process. (Price later stepped down after allegations of a pattern of abusing women.)

Yet new findings suggest that, for most people, happiness does improve with higher earnings — up to $500,000 a year. The research could have real-world implications for tax policies or compensation strategies, co-author Matthew Killingsworth of the University of Pennsylvania said in a statement about the latest findings.

Gilded Age

• https://equitablegrowth.org/testimony-by-heather-boushey-before-the-joint-economic-committee-2/pretax-income-inequality-has-returned-to-gilded-age-levels/

Iowa, Stadiums, Food for Poor Kids

From: https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/18rs7rz/iowa_governor_says_its_not_sustainable_to_give_40/kf45bj9/

"Why are taxpayers footing the bill to build stadiums when Major League Baseball can pay 1 player $700 million?": https://old.reddit.com/r/PoliticalHumor/comments/18ry1dq/when_i_think_about_it/

"Iowa governor says it's 'not sustainable' to give $40 per month to kids from low-income families for food.": https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/18rs7rz/iowa_governor_says_its_not_sustainable_to_give_40/

Stadiums don't pay for themselves: https://econreview.berkeley.edu/the-economics-of-sports-stadiums-does-public-financing-of-sports-stadiums-create-local-economic-growth-or-just-help-billionaires-improve-their-profit-margin/

The Iowa program would be federally funded. From 1995 to 2021, Iowa averaged $904 million per year in federal farm subsidies. With 95,000 Iowa kids living in poverty and the program running for the 3 months when poor kids can't get a healthy meal at school, and assuming 25% administrative overhead, the program would cost $15 million per year - 1/60th the cost of Iowa farm subsidies that the governor is happy to take.

• https://farm.ewg.org/top_recips.php?fips=19000&progcode=totalfarm
• https://www.iowadatacenter.org/index.php/data-by-source/american-community-survey/poverty-status-age-and-sex

The New Deal

The Gilded Age and the Roaring 20's showed that the past 40 years in America is not our only period of reckless concentration of wealth. This is a song we've sung before.

In the wake of the 1929 stock market crash brought on by that madness, we addressed the problem without revolution, through The New Deal.

Subsequently and as a direct result, we invented the middle class. That caused the greatest period of sustained economic expansion in the history of humanity, from the 1950s until OPEC-driven inflation in the early 1970s.

Over the past 40 years, the middle class has stagnated, with the income curve between P35 and P70 dropping from exponential back to the linear form of unskilled labor.

Could we do that again, or will the oligarchs have to be taken by force?

What did it take to keep The New Deal operating?

"The court was also highly partisan after President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed eight of its members between 1937 and 1943. It consistently voted to uphold the New Deal legislation that FDR had campaigned on. Much like the partisan Marshall Court, however, the New Deal Court did not lose the people’s trust; it gained it." - Politico, "The Supreme Court Is Infected With the ‘Most Damaging’ Human Bias"

We need the backlash against the Trump 19 to be so strong that we get an FDR-like presidential run. That's a tall order.

UBI Testing

• California Miracle Money $750/mo
  • https://www.businessinsider.com/homeless-people-monthly-stipend-california-study-basic-income-2023-12
  • https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-3287846/v1
  • https://dworakpeck.usc.edu/sites/default/files/2023-12/Miracle%20Money_Nov%202023_FINAL_12.5.23.pdf
  • Main Outcome: Homelessness of test group fell from 30% to 12%, control group fell from 28% to 23%.
• New Jersey, Paterson, $400/mo
  • https://www.businessinsider.com/universal-basic-income-experiment-paterson-new-jersey-rent-groceries-2023-12
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/18rc4qa/a_yearlong_basic_income_experiment_in_new_jersey/
• Austin, Texas, $1,000/mo
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/1adwi38/austin_experimented_with_giving_people_1000_a/
  • https://old.reddit.com/r/UpliftingNews/comments/1ae0ysd/austin_experimented_with_giving_people_1000_a/

Machines Taking Jobs

• Apple Picking: https://old.reddit.com/r/woahdude/comments/1736tuj/robotic_apple_harvester/
• Checkout: https://old.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/177x7kq/this_is_the_line_in_my_local_target_because_they/
• Masonry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUOKcBYcTO8
• Concrete Leveling: https://old.reddit.com/r/oddlysatisfying/comments/191mj36/machine_automates_the_process_of_levelling_and/
• Duolingo Translators: https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/191hrmm/unbelievable/
• Boston Dynamics Warehouse Handler: https://old.reddit.com/r/oddlyterrifying/comments/1ajyvbn/new_robot_from_boston_dynamics/
• Come and Take Them! (please): https://old.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/1aekg37/ai_was_supposed_to_free_us_from_boring_work_we/
  • “We should do away with the absolutely specious notion that everybody has to earn a living. It is a fact today that one in ten thousand of us can make a technological breakthrough capable of supporting all the rest. The youth of today are absolutely right in recognizing this nonsense of earning a living. We keep inventing jobs because of this false idea that everybody has to be employed at some kind of drudgery because, according to Malthusian Darwinian theory he must justify his right to exist. So we have inspectors of inspectors and people making instruments for inspectors to inspect inspectors. The true business of people should be to go back to school and think about whatever it was they were thinking about before somebody came along and told them they had to earn a living.” ― Buckminster Fuller
• Take the menial jobs, not art and writing: https://old.reddit.com/r/NonPoliticalTwitter/comments/1btzimt/she_has_a_point/
• Even Suicide Bombers: https://old.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/1bts3oh/shahed_drone_factory_in_russias_tatarstan_over/kxo12cg/
• AI Taking Creative Jobs, Leaving Shit Jobs: https://old.reddit.com/r/comics/comments/1c1cac1/oops_my_pencil_slipped_oops_it_keeps_slipping_how/

Israel / Palestine

This is a bit off topic, but somewhat related.

• https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/17f3juw/hamas_terrorists_we_were_told_whoever_brings_a/
  • Quote: "One of the terrorists told Israeli forces that "whoever brings a hostage back [to Gaza] gets $10,000 and an apartment.""
    • Reply [snarky, from an American, where there's a housing problem]: "About that apartment..."
      • Reply [from a WordWordDigit (DarkRose1010) - ie: shill account]: "This is why Israel destroys the apartments of the terrorists or their families after terror attacks. It's not revenge; it's to discourage any other 'family men' from getting any bright ideas. But BDS won't mention that on college campuses. And why they've been allowed to spread libels and hate on campuses for so many years is beyond me."
        • https://old.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/17f3juw/hamas_terrorists_we_were_told_whoever_brings_a/k687olt/

Beatings will continue until morale improves, except we don't care if morale improves, we would prefer for you not to be.