Oh, that wasn’t my intention. I disagree with Chicago School supply-side economics. I also think it’s fucking dumb that DNC leadership pointed at economic indicators that left out cost of food and rent and said “things are great!” Economics in the west has been seen as fairly monolithic so I am pretty strident in my refutation of that view. I’m also certain about the real-world pressures that lower class Americans have to face- rent and food are more expensive than ever, while wages are stagnant and benefits are slashed.

In a roundabout way, I’m trying to speak to your original comment: what voters see as similar between Trump and Sanders is that they want to change the economic policies that have left average Americans with less money.

Ok, keep feigning ignorance, I guess.

That’s the common narrative around inflation. It’s wrong.

The pentagon lost (not spent, just straight up had go missing) 21 trillion dollars. Inflation didn’t spike.

I’ve studied college-level economics. I’ve worked in a shop that dealt in gold and silver. I’ve been looking into interest and monetary policy since the 2008 crash. What I’ve learned: day-to-day costs of fundamentals of living is not directly connected to interest rates. It is directly connected to what capitalists charge for them.

The CEO of Kroger admitted to price gouging. Yieldstar has been fucking up the rental market for years. Gas spikes in price during elections where a Democrat is the incumbent.

You can follow the standard explanation if you want, but don’t act like it’s a mystery how a lot of people weren’t happy.

The inflation stemmed from pandemic-justified price gouging on groceries and private equity purchases of rental properties. Government absolutely could have addressed this- even just continuing pandemic level food stamps would have helped immensely, but Biden ended it.

Biden pushed to take money and support away from people so he could declare the pandemic was over.

That’s truth. Recognize it.

Bernie would raise wages, Trump will give tax cuts. The promise is that people will have more than the minimum. Biden/Harris were telling everyone the economy is great when we all knew it wasn’t and we’re all worse off than we were 4 yeats ago.

Look at the material circumstances.

(Just… set aside that Trump’s tax cuts mostly go to the rich. It’s the narrative that sways voters more than the reality.)

“We didn’t go far enough to the right” has been the excuse for decades and it continues to be bullshit. The people telling you the rules of the game are lying to you.

Leftist domestic policies don’t win leftists, they win centrists, because those policies put money in the pockets of the working class. Improving Medicaid and food stamps, raising the minimum wage, UBI/federal job guarantees, building public housing, expanding unemployment, forgiving student loans, these all win lower and middle class votes.

Instead of any of this, Kamala and Biden said the economy is great.

I love sumac too!

They do grow fast- sumac can give shade in a sunny spot in a single year.

The way light comea through the leaves is so soothing.

Out west, country folk fucking love ranch. Especially with pizza.

You’re completely missing the point of the trolley problem:

Do you take an action that causes a direct harm, even if it’s in service to reducing harm?

It’s a valid moral stance to decide you will not personally perform a harmful action. That’s not walking away from the trolley, that’s refusing to throw the switch.

Your framing of the situation is false. Voting for Harris is throwing the switch and dooming Palestinians. Voting third party/not voting is not throwing the switch: you are not condoning the system that runs people over, you are not taking an action that directly harms people.

To be clear, throwong the switch is also a valid moral stance.

Personally, I believe voting for Harris prolongs our faulty political system. I voted for Kerry, then Obama (first willingly, then let myself be guilted into it). The Democrats have only gotten worse with time, and I won’t vote for a party that represents me less with time instead of more.

Can someone ban this homophobe already?

Bindweed too

The first book was a Roald Dahl ripoff, and I enjoyed it for that. Everything was downhill from there.

As long as you keep them out of the sewer.

Not true. Locations can survive on commuters.

Learn yer (smith &) wesson

People on reddit understand that memes are supposed to be funny/clever, at least.

That decision comes years or decades after practice and learning, which people do because A) they find just noodling on the instrument fun, and/or b) they find improving their skill deeply rewarding, and/or c) they think guitar/music is just really cool.

A bad instrument can make the experience miserable, though. My first acoustic was fucking awful, just straight trash. How long does yours stay in tune?

I work at a plant that uses one of those alternative flocculants (due to our source water chemistry). Our logistics are incredibly shaky at the best of times, due to the extremely limited number of producers.

Tyrosine. It’s a dopamine precursor. By itself, it mildly increases focus just enough to get non-preferred tasks started. It also makes completing tasks much more rewarding, which can start a positive feedback loop that leaves your space much more livable/less depressing.

And he can have one once he stops playing all the notes.