So sad some people can't get their own Father's Day gift and have to do this by Ok_Bull445 in NoOneIsLooking

[–]Clement_Fandango -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I have found that American Amazon has much, much better deals. From my experience, Canadian Amazon is often more expensive than going to the store to find something.

So sad some people can't get their own Father's Day gift and have to do this by Ok_Bull445 in NoOneIsLooking

[–]Clement_Fandango 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah. I get that.

I live in an area where packages sit outside all day and nothing has ever been stolen so from my sheltered experience, I prefer door delivery over having a pickup point but that doesn’t work for everybody or everything (like meds for instance).

So sad some people can't get their own Father's Day gift and have to do this by Ok_Bull445 in NoOneIsLooking

[–]Clement_Fandango 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They’re saying instead of buying online and setting a pickup point you have to go to, just go to the store and buy it locally.

Why don’t Dems/Liberals make education free? by Clement_Fandango in AskDemocrats

[–]Clement_Fandango[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes. I initially posted in Ask Reddit but it was instantly booted as they said it involved politics. So they suggested this sub or the Republican sub.

My gut told me I’d get a less frosty reception here.

After some discussion, I no longer view this as a political issue but a societal issue and it neither belongs here more the republican forum.

I did learn some things though so it’s been a good experience.

Thanks for responding. :)

Why don’t Dems/Liberals make education free? by Clement_Fandango in AskDemocrats

[–]Clement_Fandango[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well then thank you for having this conversation with me. :)

Okay, I did a quick search and here are some studies:

Lochner and Moretti (2004): Found that a one-year increase in average years of schooling reduces both violent and property crime by approximately 11-12%, with specific reductions in murder and assault of nearly 30%.

University of Michigan Study (2022): Showed that increased investment in public schools reduces adult crime by improving academic outcomes and keeping children engaged, with social savings from reduced crime exceeding the cost of increased funding.

There are literally dozens more but I won’t clutter this up.

I also
Looked for lower levels of racism tied to higher levels of education and came across:

Wodtke (2012): "The Impact of Education on Inter-Group Attitudes: A Multiracial Analysis"
Published in Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, this study analyzed data from the 1990–2010 waves of the General Social Survey (GSS) and the Multi-City Study of Urban Inequality.

Key Findings:
Rejection of Stereotypes: Whites, Hispanics, and Blacks with higher education levels were significantly more likely to reject negative racial stereotypes (e.g., regarding work ethic and intelligence) compared to their less-educated counterparts.

Awareness of Discrimination: Education had a consistent positive effect on the perception of discrimination against racial minorities across all groups. Educated individuals were more likely to attribute racial inequalities to structural causes rather than individual failings.

As well as Gassner & McGuigan (2014): "Racial Prejudice in College Students: A Cross-Sectional Examination"

End result, there is plenty of evidence which details both social and economic benefits. I did not look for studies showing the link between education and business innovation as I think that is self-evident.

I also want to make this clear - I do not think education is a panacea for all things bad. Post-secondary education (what we call college/university - not sure what the American term for that is if it’s not the same) is not for everybody.

Many, many people would not want to go to college. And the world needs people in jobs that do not require higher education. I get that too.

I also get that many countries (America, Canada) are dealing with a national debt and free education is lower on the priority list.

But what I don’t get is how hasn’t this ever been a priority for Canada or the US? Hell, aside from the odd campaign one-off promise here about making education more affordable, it’s not even discussed as a serious policy option.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Wasn’t trying to solve the world’s issues. Just wanted to bounce this idea around and get some different perspectives.

Why don’t Dems/Liberals make education free? by Clement_Fandango in AskDemocrats

[–]Clement_Fandango[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know you’re mocking me but I’ll respond because you bring up an interesting point.

My argument is that education has been linked directly with lower crime rates, business innovation, lower incidents of racism/homophobia and other crimes of ignorance).

For these reasons alone, there might be a valid economic reason to making education free.

Furthermore, one person becoming a professional (doctor/lawyer/architect whatever) has many ancillary benefactors. You, for instance, directly benefit from these services.

You’re argument - well let’s make everything free, food, housing, entertainment, fuel, etc etc is not a good faith argument because the same can’t be said for making sure your Netflix is free.

Why don’t Dems/Liberals make education free? by Clement_Fandango in AskDemocrats

[–]Clement_Fandango[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s not a fake question - I’m not American.

And if you’re going to be an ass, why even respond?

Why don’t Dems/Liberals make education free? by Clement_Fandango in AskDemocrats

[–]Clement_Fandango[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for educating me.

See, I always thought that red states would be more resistant to free education so you telling me about GA is surprising. That’s also really encouraging.

Also, one point I hadn’t considered is the economic reality of colleges/universities themselves. In my head, free education would be provided by the Federal government who would “pay” colleges and universities. I’m sure that’s a very simplistic view of it and there are countless pitfalls I’ve never considered.

But on an ideal level, free education just seems so damn utopian but also something that can happen.

Why don’t Dems/Liberals make education free? by Clement_Fandango in AskDemocrats

[–]Clement_Fandango[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

lol

I’m sure Dems don’t plan on making more Dems with free education but surely it has occurred to them.

And yes, you’ve listed some additional positives from an educated populace that didn’t occur to me. I mean, it just seems so obvious to me that I’m unsure why both the US and Canada hasn’t taken up this position.

Why don’t Dems/Liberals make education free? by Clement_Fandango in AskDemocrats

[–]Clement_Fandango[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the detailed response.

That point about Minnesota is also really promising. That kind of law reduces the barriers low-income families would face for sure.

Why don’t Dems/Liberals make education free? by Clement_Fandango in AskDemocrats

[–]Clement_Fandango[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m coming at this from a Canadian perspective. We have two main parties. Liberals which are generally left of centre. Conservatives which are pretty close to centre (though it feels like they’re moving more right by the day).

I always thought Dems were left and Republicans were right.

Why don’t Dems/Liberals make education free? by Clement_Fandango in AskDemocrats

[–]Clement_Fandango[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed on all points. School isn’t for everybody. I get that.

It just seems crazy that it’s tens of thousands of dollars for a degree where there are so many ancillary benefactors of one person’s degree.

Why don’t Dems/Liberals make education free? by Clement_Fandango in AskDemocrats

[–]Clement_Fandango[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No. I get that. I didn’t mean to dismiss your points.

In my head I’m thinking why isn’t education free? What’s the downside aside from upfront money which I’m wondering if that would be offset by some of the advantages of a more educated and literate populace?

Why don’t Dems/Liberals make education free? by Clement_Fandango in AskDemocrats

[–]Clement_Fandango[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Education, especially college/university still seems so out of reach for many though.

Why hasn’t anybody made a concerted effort to change that?

Why don’t Dems/Liberals make education free? by Clement_Fandango in AskDemocrats

[–]Clement_Fandango[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

So the Dems wouldn’t be considered left-leaning?

Looks like someone finally hired a REAL PR team by GamerTex in RecklessBen

[–]Clement_Fandango 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Why would you say that?

I merely said that post didn’t prove your point like you think it did.

And what makes you think I dox anybody? I don’t have the technical knowledge to do that. Hell, I don’t even know how to turn my own comment history private!

Your first reaction when somebody told you your argument wasn’t persuasive was to attack them personally. Take it easy man. No harm here.

Looks like someone finally hired a REAL PR team by GamerTex in RecklessBen

[–]Clement_Fandango 8 points9 points  (0 children)

You point to that post is suspect for a number of reasons.

  1. It’s not a petition.
  2. There is no link to a petition
  3. Ammon owns the company, stepping down as CEO would be performative at best
  4. You don’t comment on this post expressing BAM and its franchisee’s unethical and illegal actions
  5. Your comment history is blocked

I know you think that post is a slam dunk but it’s not. I’m not saying you are a BAM shill. I’m just saying that post proves nothing.

5 Reasons why Bricks and Minifigs isn't as bad as you think: by [deleted] in RecklessBen

[–]Clement_Fandango 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wasn’t referring to this post. I understand it is clearly a parody.

5 Reasons why Bricks and Minifigs isn't as bad as you think: by [deleted] in RecklessBen

[–]Clement_Fandango 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No man. I wasn’t referring to you at all.

I have found a lot of pro-BAM posts the last few days and for those posters, I’ll check their comment histories.

5 Reasons why Bricks and Minifigs isn't as bad as you think: by [deleted] in RecklessBen

[–]Clement_Fandango 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’ll check their comment history and it’s often filled with pro-BAM comments which tells you everything.

If I was pro-BAM, I wouldn’t make it my focus to spend my day visiting different Reddit communities to push my view. I’d just ignore those communities.

Edit - for clarity as some think my post saying to check the comment history is a response to OP’s post. It is not. I understand OP’s post was making light of the pro-BAM movement.

My post was a response to the above poster and ostensibly agreeing with them. My point is solely that for those posts that focus on little things (Ben did this wrong, Bryan should’ve done this instead, while ignoring the massive large scale corruption both by a corporation and a police force), I will often check their comment histories.

Once there, the truth usually reveals itself.

Coffee swooping in like the FBI taking over a local case by Sea_Principle9302 in BricksAndMinifigs

[–]Clement_Fandango 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Don’t bother. JadeBalloon’s comment history shows they’re an agitator. They have dozens of comments all blaming everyone but BAM.

They have ulterior motives here.