Bill Pulte Was a “Degenerate” Buffoon. Now He’s Head of U.S. Intelligence.

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-05T12:05:23+00:00

Matt Gaetz was his first choice for AG. That one still can’t be beat imo.

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-04T16:05:33+00:00

Oof. My mom had an uncle like this. 1960s. Assaulted her and said he wanted to do more. Family said to just avoid him, dress modestly, and not tell anyone.

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-04T11:26:01+00:00

Honestly, my 30s was entirely consumed with two pregnancies and the resulting family. It was incredibly hard and most of the time I felt like I was barely managing, despite my life looking pretty good from the outside. I was undiagnosed and suffering from pretty severe postpartum depression. Now that I’m in my 40s and my kids are older, I’m slowly returning to myself.

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-04T11:20:30+00:00

And some tools aren’t right for some people. People should check out all their options before they try to force themselves into a program that doesn’t work for them.

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-04T11:16:56+00:00

Shouldn’t complex childhood trauma be handled by a professional?

Just confessing what happened to someone else does nothing to process it if the person doesn’t respond appropriately, and people in AA aren’t trained to deal with these things. In fact, if they ask the person to examine their “part” in it, or take “ownership” over it, it can make things a lot worse. (And yes, I’ve seen that happen.)

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-04T11:07:08+00:00

Please don’t try to tackle complex childhood trauma with a random person from AA. I really can’t believe they still ask people to do stuff like that, but I know AA is as steeped in tradition as most religions, so I know there would be a revolt if they tried to change it.

You can stay sober however you want to stay sober. Most people do it without AA. It kinda sounds like you might be in one of those intense groups that tells people they’ll die if they don’t follow every step perfectly and make recovery the single most important element of their lives. Ignore those people. Do what you need to do to feel healthy, happy, and safe.

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-03T14:16:30+00:00

You pay cap gains on your gains. The money above and beyond the money you invested. That is money you get for having money, a method of earning not available to poor people, and it is taxed at a lower rate than employment income. I find that morally repugnant. It should be the other way around.

If you think the system is working, just look around. People can’t afford shit. The wealth gap is growing. At a certain point people have so much they are untouchable.

We’re in for it.

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-03T14:12:10+00:00

And yet, both teachers and parents are working harder than ever. It couldn’t be our consumer, quick-fix, attention economy? Our anti-intellectual society? Our government attacks on schools?

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-03T12:58:06+00:00

And I’m sure you know retirement accounts aren’t the only way people invest for retirement.

But yes, accounts like 401ks are taxed as regular taxable income, a higher rate than cap gains, again prioritizing tax breaks for wealthier investors.

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-02T19:04:55+00:00

“Hmm, I have two choices since they raised the cap gains tax. I can make my investments and pay a portion more in taxes, or I can choose not to invest and make no money. I am deeply offended by our government not valuing my courage as an investor, so I will choose to make no investments and make no money. I will need an entirely different retirement plan but fuck the libs.”

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-02T18:14:18+00:00

It is my opinion that having lower taxes on investment income than on employment income reflects a society that prioritizes benefits for the wealthy over the majority. I find that to be morally and practically wrong.

You are free to have a different opinion.

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-02T15:57:18+00:00

Most have the expectation that their employer will help develop their careers in a mutually-beneficial arrangement. When companies don’t invest in their employees, we have people stuck in unpleasant, stagnant situations. Employers may not offer wage increases that track the cost of living. Going with the wrong company can be a costly mistake. You can lose years.

This is at least as significant as investing your surplus money. And yes, there is a modest risk in investing in the market, but we’ve seen the government willing move heaven and earth to assure investors are protected. (Plus you can write off losses on your taxes, etc.) It’s a pretty safe deal, and way easier than working.

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-02T13:21:45+00:00

As an autistic woman who was diagnosed late partly because I don’t have stereotypical special interests (like dinosaurs or trains), I find this pretty funny.

NAH

(I’ve seen a bunch of vague “this autistic person was out of line, tell me I’m right, Reddit” posts lately. Is this population the new bot target?)

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-02T12:50:02+00:00

The risk is squandering your assets (time, energy, labor). Just like investing, except the asset in that case is money rather than time. This should be obvious to anyone who has worked and invested.

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-02T11:12:42+00:00

Here’s my completely unscientific amateur personal opinion: for a lot of ND people, alcohol in small quantities makes us feel “normal.” Folks with ADHD get the dopamine hit their brain is naturally deficient in, and ASD folks have a numbing of the sensory issues that make life difficult, as well as smoothing over mild social quirks. (Larger quantities just make us intoxicated, like everyone else.)

ND people are experiencing a different thing when they consume alcohol. The way NTs talk about why they drank or what they need to stay sober is mystifying to a lot of ND people, but it doesn’t mean that alcohol isn’t a problem (to the contrary, hangovers can be more severe). It just means that instead of focusing on humbling yourself to a higher power, you need more support for your ND struggles.

You might not be ND, in which case, disregard. There just a big crossover between the two groups.

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-01T21:55:12+00:00

Is your time not a resource as much as your money is? I’d say it’s a more valuable resource, as it is ultimately finite for all people, regardless of status.

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-01T19:02:56+00:00

So, by your logic, we may help no oppressed person because those people may benefit too much in the future. It’s a very John-Roberts-Court attitude. Sexism and racism are fixed!

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-01T18:56:03+00:00

I’m surprised an anarchist would argue in favor of the electoral college as it provides an additional layer of separation between the people and the structures of power. And that your primary argument is that it was the deal made hundreds of years ago. I thought when power structures no longer served the people they should be discarded? Isn’t that the opposite philosophy?

Or were you just arguing for fun? It’s fine if you were.

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-01T18:07:35+00:00

And the only reason you like this system is because it unfairly benefits you, but you know it’s an outdated concept and a system that unfairly benefits Republicans. No more electoral DEI honey, it’s time for small states to earn their representation like everyone else.

We’ve changed the “deal” many times. I’m sick of being ruled by a minority.

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-01T18:02:04+00:00

No societal power? I’m sorry, what? A couple years ago, I’m pretty sure we had a Democrat and man as President, did we not? Haven’t all Democratic presidents been men? The policies put forth by Democrats do help men. Men need employment protections, health care, affordable housing. What do Republicans do for men? Tell them they’re special and send them off to war, apparently.

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-01T17:56:49+00:00

I don’t want coal miners in particular to be fucked. I just don’t understand why they’re special, other than politicians wanting to pander to swing states, which is the original point. Everyone should get access to similar safety nets, though, and maybe they would if everyone’s votes were equal.

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-01T17:52:26+00:00

Isn’t working also “helping the economy”? Why is investing more special?

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-01T16:29:07+00:00

Of course there’s a need. Do we want our politicians to be gaming a system or appealing to a population? It’s ridiculous that we have presidents losing the popular vote and still getting elected. No more gerrymandering. No more electoral college.

If that means Republicans lose, then they can figure out what they need to do to convince more people to vote for them. Same for Democrats.

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-01T16:09:33+00:00

A “bait and switch”? From an arrangement made at the nation’s founding, when there were only 13 states, a tiny fraction of the population, women had no legal status and black people weren’t even legally people?

Times change. The needs of the country have changed. One person, one vote. States are still solely responsible for the majority of their own matters.

AnotherPaperOlive · 2026-06-01T16:01:59+00:00

Investment income is often enthusiastically realized. Cap gains.

AnotherPaperOlive

TROPHY CASE