I’m probably in line for a promotion to management, and this is something on my radar. The GM genuinely doesn’t believe in people coming in sick and will herself be the extra work or hands needed to replace them. I’m the same way. But the example she sets is having Lupus and being some kind of unwell too often to never be sick at work. The other manager, recently promoted, is frustrated by the fact that we legitimately have people who don’t take care of themselves and take advantage of our relatively lax on time and attendance policy. But she’s a good friend of mine who I think can be inspired to grow and move past that, especially if we could manage to filter out a few problem employees. The advent of rec market realities has shaken out several people already, including three out of four members of the management team. It’s just not the job it was a year ago.
Lol 10-15% of our income? I’m sorry… But who can afford that? We’re getting so fucked right now by greed in this country…
My power bill was $500 last month for a two bedroom apartment. This is because I live in a city with the highest energy rates in the nation, all because the company and our local governments are absolutely lousy with corruption. They have posted obscene record profits for the last half a decade while everyone in the city suffers.
My rent was also 21% higher this year than it was in 2020. My landlord bought this place a decade ago at a bankruptsy auction, but like, fuck me right? Gatta keep those rates up when the rest of the city goes up.
I also haven’t saved money since around 2019, since I went four years with a 0% raise due to the company I work for struggling. We were bought out by another company with tons of money, but they decided we were overpaid, since they live in a cheaper city.
My story is not unique. My story is not special. I hear a similar one from people every week. Retirement is a luxury most post-boomers will never experience, no matter how hard we work.
I would always see and hear about poor people having their homes broken into and things stolen and I was always like “Why don’t you rob someone who’s rich?”
Because rich people have better security. Which makes it harder. 😮💨
Petty theft and similar crimes are almost always borne out of desperation. When you can't feed your family, have zero job prospects, or feel like the world won't allow you more than the barest subsistence, people turn to crime.
Vast majority of people aren't going to start mugging strangers when they are doing OK just because they want more. Personal risk of harm is just too great. Those types of thieves generally perpetrate white-collar and financial crimes.
Bottom left yellow person would be swayed if his initial motives were real. But the last motive shows yellow person is actually desperate, so while increasing guilt, is unlikely to fix the core issue and sway them.
I’m pretty anti-capitalist. Not 100%, but man shit is fucked right now and it’s gotta be reigned in.
A mixed economic system where the necessities of life are not run for profit (maybe even free?) combined with profit-driven progress for the luxuries would be best. With strong unions for all workers of course.
Oh, and fix the democracy too. No more FPTP bullshit.
There’s a famous Churchill quote about democracy that is almost always misquoted:
‘Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…’
To me, the key words that are often left out entirely are: that have been tried.
For the Aztecs in this picture, it may actually be true that their system was the best one they’d tried so far. Maybe ritual sacrifice of a tiny minority was a small price to pay compared to what they’d experienced until then. Representative democracy with voting rights for all citizens over the age of majority might be the best system we’ve tried so far. Kings willing to devolve some power to their barons in the Magna Carta was the best system for England so far.
We shouldn’t stop trying to make things better. Otherwise we’re like these Aztecs.
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