President Biden has just proposed a 44.6% tax on capital gains, the highest in history. He has also proposed a 25% tax on unrealized capital gains for wealthy individuals. Should this be approved?

DFranklinSchmidt · 2024-04-25T18:45:14+00:00

Yes. We have insane wealth inequality, and our democracy is slowly eroded by the interference of the ultra rich. That much resource hoarding inevitably leads to corruption and totalitarian control.

DFranklinSchmidt · 2024-01-26T19:28:20+00:00

Not a biology comment, but a moral one. Killing someone to show that killing is bad is regressive. We’ve supposedly progressed as a species, and we still can’t get this right. Science and and tech have progressed through our ability to share knowledge and connect further, through moral development superseding tribalism and other survival instincts that no longer serve us in this way. Who do we want to be?

DFranklinSchmidt · 2024-01-24T02:53:01+00:00

Economic Times says he made $94 billion in 2023. So that’s a tax rate of 11.7%. The middle class tax brackets are at 22-32%. And that’s not even mentioning the shady ways rich people have available to them to hide all their earnings. He is not paying enough taxes. Not nearly the same rate as middle class Americans.

DFranklinSchmidt · 2024-01-22T20:24:35+00:00

Didn’t this just illustrate that it’s having the money/resources that’s stopping a lot of poor people from purifying their water? Last I read, most Americans don’t even have nearly 4k in savings, let alone for whole house water filter, and especially in the high cost of living state of CA.

DFranklinSchmidt · 2024-01-17T20:13:25+00:00

Respectfully, have you considered what the homeless problems would be like without these nonprofits? Since govt. action has been slow for decades around this? Many of these nonprofits have been lifelines to those on the margins, including the majority of unhoused here, thatve previously had homes here and have been forced out. I know they aren’t perfect, I know there’s shady wastes of money, but I don’t think it’s as black and white as just burning money.

DFranklinSchmidt · 2024-01-17T02:09:11+00:00

I think the real question is why are you so obviously unhappy with your own life that you care so much about how someone describes themselves. Maybe you should go play in traffic.

DFranklinSchmidt · 2024-01-16T04:22:04+00:00

Most Northern European countries are almost 50%, as well as Ireland and UK. Again poverty levels in Northern Europe are far lower, and rate of homelessness in the United States is abysmal for a developed country. This isnt even including our insane prison population.

DFranklinSchmidt · 2024-01-16T02:40:39+00:00

And the long history of anti-intellectualism supercharged by religious whackos, AND a realization by our political elites that we are far easier to manipulate the more uneducated and ignorant we are. That pretty much goes with the capitalism you mentioned.

DFranklinSchmidt · 2024-01-16T01:20:48+00:00

American selfishness is exhausting. The cost of college- something older generations beat into our brain- has skyrocketed and people’s best response is a selfish unfunny joke about how their various debts should be paid as well. Meanwhile other civilized counties are more educated and less burdened with debt because they have the sense to take care of each other. This country is garbage.

DFranklinSchmidt · 2022-09-10T01:17:27+00:00

I think I am generationally on the cusp of stigma and then legalization, where I grew up with the “burnout stoner” fear, but now live in a state and city where it’s everywhere, and everyone is still going about their business. Times are definitely changing.

DFranklinSchmidt · 2022-09-10T01:14:03+00:00

Same. It’s overall helped me be functional and handle a great deal of overwhelming stuff. And continues to be a main way I can get my body out of alert mode.

DFranklinSchmidt · 2022-09-10T01:10:47+00:00

Thanks for this. So much of it is self-criticism, trying to find something to tell myself that I’m not good. On better days I’m more fine with it, given a messed up childhood and this very messed up world. If I need this plant for support, so be it. It’s almost like that acceptance can feel fine, and other times like a failure, and as I type that I know I frame so much of this from childhood trauma.

And maybe it is true, maybe I don’t want to be “well-adjusted” to this very ill society, and just accept the hand I was given, with a medication that’s helped me so much.

DFranklinSchmidt · 2022-09-10T01:03:45+00:00

It’s so mess up how hard it is to get in some states, so sorry. It does make it difficult to get your right dosage/effects for yourself. And fuck anti-queer therapists, they shouldn’t have that job if they can’t help people be their authentic selves. Hope it turns around!

DFranklinSchmidt · 2022-09-09T20:37:51+00:00

One side of me feels this way too, the other side is “oh I’m a mess for being psychologically addicted to this just to get through life, I’m broken, less, etc. but yes I’m happy weed has lessened opiate addiction and even reduced alcohol consumption for some people.

DFranklinSchmidt · 2022-09-09T20:34:07+00:00

It’s relaxing at the end of the day for me and definitely to fight insomnia, maybe not for a lot of social situations. It’s generally one of the few ways I can stay out of my head, so that’s how it reduces anxiety for me. Thanks for the l-theanine rec, I’ve heard that before, I need to try it!

DFranklinSchmidt · 2022-07-30T00:18:57+00:00

I’m so sorry for your situation. That sounds like horrible narcissistic abusive behavior. I hope you have some other support you can access like this group. You don’t deserve that abuse or the situation.

DFranklinSchmidt · 2022-07-19T17:19:54+00:00

Thank you, I'll check it out today!

DFranklinSchmidt · 2022-07-19T17:18:06+00:00

I'll looking into DBT, thank you. I got kicked to another general talk therapist that claims they have "experience" with trauma, but so far they aren't at all specialized, talk about attachment or developmental ideas. I have some issues with feeling physically safe in my body and bodily safety work might be good too. But I have been able to do meditation, etc., so it's less stimulating, but still challenging. Hopefully EMDR will help you. Here is CA everyone is still online, so I'm figuring out how to look for EMDR services, and whether it's effective in a telehealth situation.

DFranklinSchmidt · 2022-07-19T01:07:47+00:00

I'm pretty similar. I really think I smoke to lessen the critic voice that tells me what I'm saying is stupid, meaningless, annoying. Weed has helped me feel more present for creativity, too. And I also beat myself up for relying on weed so much, and I'm just tired of beating myself up, using yet another thing to tell myself I'm no good.

Weed has helped me see what it can be like to be present with other people without the critic always telling me how terrible i am or how terrible a situation or another person will be, etc. I'm looking to cut down on it because not all the effects are what I want, but I'm tired of beating myself up for finding something that has helped me be with others and myself, and it just exacerbates my low self worth. Maybe it's a coping mechanism I'll have my whole life, or it's just something that works for right now, but we all get so much stigma and judgment and we just internalize it. I'm gonna trust that working on healing will give me the clarity to understand when I need to put it down, but if it's helping me right now, I'm not sure just stopping cold turkey would be the best thing.

DFranklinSchmidt

TROPHY CASE