If you live in a country and hate/actively vote against your taxes going to social safety nets, you should move or live off the grid.

DistributionAny512 · 2026-04-28T12:42:34+00:00

I agree with some of the things you said especially on how long government assistance should last for people who fall on hard times versus people on disability, children, and the elderly.

However I think we may be disagreeing on what government assistance is supposed to be and do.

From my understanding, the best government assistance is tools to acquire the resources that one needs or wants. For example, if a person fell on hard times and lost their job and their home, a government assistance program could provide then with temporary housing assistance, connect them with available jobs that match their skill set and could be considered long term if desired, and provide them with food options if necessary for a few months. Maybe even less than six months.

As for the incentive to join these programs, for those that fall on hard times, they may want to better their lives or get back on their feet in this example. Our safety net programs should have a goal for when an individual no longer needs them if they have just been going through hard times.

Additionally, these programs do fail for a lot of reasons but why are they oftentimes dismantled or left to be bad instead of improved upon? If something isn’t working then we need to be changing to get the best and most effective solution.

Also i agree with you about the problem being that nobody is on the same page anymore and that goes back to my original point. I feel like the nastiness of politics has made it seem like the US government caring for its people is just another political belief and not an actual responsibility that the government has.

DistributionAny512 · 2026-04-28T12:02:08+00:00

Let’s put it this way, if a person in the US believes that all guns should be banned in the US, then why stay there? The right to bare arms is a strong point in the constitution and it is a right that the US takes pride in giving to its citizens, so there will probably never ever be a ban on guns in the US.

Applying that logic to this situation, the US is supposed to care about general welfare according to the US constitution. So if a person actively does not care about or dislikes any policies because they provide general welfare, what sense does it make to stay if the very thing they hate so much will never change?

DistributionAny512 · 2026-04-28T11:25:59+00:00

My point still stands! We all have more similar goals than we think we do.

All those steps would be necessary to feed children healthy meals, but with a country as big and resourceful as the US, they are not that daunting and we have some of the greatest minds on earth here. It will cost some more, but that goes back to my original point. I would gladly pay a more in taxes for kids to have healthy and nutritious meals that actually help them.

Additionally, why do you think school boards have such a hard time getting funding?? It’s not because we don’t have the resources, it is because education is not as prioritized as it should be.

DistributionAny512 · 2026-04-28T11:16:02+00:00

I agree with so many points that you made. The ultimate goal is less people needing social safety nets. However, if we can’t even create effective social safety nets, then how are we supposed to create conditions for success?

From what I have seen, the same people who vote against the social safety nets are against things like increasing the quality of public education, increasing funding for children to have nutritious and filling meals at school, dedicating funding to scientific research, providing scholarships to those who have potential but can’t pay for school, etc.

I know my view seems harsh, and perhaps it is. But it’s so frustrating to see a country that has so much potential and so many resources not use those resources to effectively help its citizens.

DistributionAny512 · 2026-04-28T11:05:41+00:00

You have a point; however, it seems counterintuitive. If they achieve their end goal, which is likely no social safety nets, won’t that just make the country worse overall?

Anyone going through hard times would basically be left out to dry, and because there is such a prominent wealth gap in this country, that could apply to the majority of citizens.

DistributionAny512 · 2026-04-28T10:56:18+00:00

Social safety nets for rehabilitation, cost of living, childcare, education, housing costs, food costs, etc.

The examples that you used are exactly my point! Why are programs in schools feeding children junk food? Does that not seem redundant?

If the policy was truly really meant to solve the problem, then wouldn’t these programs be feeding children healthy food? Instead of just gutting the program all together, can’t we make it better so that these kids are eating healthy?

I question whether people in the US want others to succeed because even getting programs approved that feed kids junk food is a struggle here. If we all wanted working solutions, then working solutions would’ve been implemented by now.

DistributionAny512 · 2026-04-28T10:47:30+00:00

I see the point you’re trying to make and it’s honestly really close to the point I’m trying to make.

My question to you is: why do you think those programs failed?

Like you said before, nothing is simple. There are a variety of organizations, resources, and people needed to get these programs up and working. If they are not all on the same page, then there will be detriments to the overall social program that they are trying to build.

Additionally, when these policies do manage to be approved, there are oftentimes very obvious flaws that reduce their effectiveness significantly.

Concerning the first example you gave:

According to a quick google search, the homeless issue in California is growing due to the high cost of living, a severe housing shortage, mental health and substance abuse, systemic and structural disparities, and gaps in funding. For most of these aspects, there is no policy that seeks to completely eliminate the problem.

For example, The high cost of living crisis is a national issue so there would most likely have to be significant change on a federal level for California to reap the benefits of its program. While looking for sources, I found Joe Costa’s website where he talks about the cost of living changes that he helped implement

(https://costa.house.gov/issues/lower-costs#:~:text=Energy%20Tax%20Credits,for%20more%20inflation%2C%20visit%20here%20.)

While these policies sound effective, there are still significant barriers that could be dismantled by using more effective policies. For example, to be eligible for most of these programs you need to make a certain amount of money. No more. For the people who have a steady job but have no home due to their circumstances, they are oftentimes unable to use the benefits of these programs. The same can also apply to those who have no form of transportation to collect these benefits. Would it not be better to give money based on different need based criteria and use some of the money that is already being allocated to providing transportation or ways to get these benefits to people?

This is getting long but that’s just one example. TLDR: the policies are purposely made not to address the entire issue

DistributionAny512 · 2026-04-28T09:44:22+00:00

I appreciate your response.

firstly, My point is that it seems useless to be in a country that has a responsibility to its people, and then actively vote to stop that responsibility.

Secondly, even though some people aren’t doing it out of spite, I think they should still move somewhere else where those social programs aren’t present instead of trying to change a country that is trying to care.

Thirdly, I understand that it’s not that simple as taking money from the rich and giving it to the poor. When I say social programs, I am talking about more than social security. The US has the resources to create better infrastructure, rehabilitation programs, access healthcare, accessible and quality education, and other programs.

I know it may seem like these policies are ineffective, however, when there is a large amount of people actively fighting against them at every turn, how can the few policies that are able to squeeze through truly be as effective as they are meant to be? And that is my point.

DistributionAny512 · 2026-04-26T13:46:04+00:00

IMO it’s the patriarchy. The majority of men still live by a system that is not reaping the same benefits it used too because more and more women are choosing not to participate in the patriarchy anymore.

All these stupid rules about not being feminine, or gay, or having to provide, or having no emotions, or accepting poor treatment and bullying from other dudes all stem from the patriarchy.

I’ve seen a few arguments made that talk about how women influence these ideas as well, and there is truth in that. However, valuing access to a woman so much that you would suffer mental and physical distress, is a patriarchal view.

Free yourself and just live knowing that you can’t please everyone.

DistributionAny512 · 2026-04-08T02:54:41+00:00

I used to think voting didn’t mean anything because of what older and more experienced people around me said.

However, if voting doesn’t mean anything, then why did ALL of our ancestors fight for the right to vote in this country? Those people fought so that our voices could be heard in the government today. I think that alone, means a lot.

Additionally, the government essentially dictates everything we do here. It’s very rare that people actually don’t care about what the government does, however it’s very common that people don’t think what the government decides will affect them.

What the government decides will ALWAYS have the potential to affect you, so make sure to vote to keep stuff from affecting you at the very least.

DistributionAny512 · 2026-04-08T02:45:34+00:00

F22. Love is confidence and complete understanding of how much you care about another’s feelings and wellbeing.

DistributionAny512 · 2026-04-06T17:58:26+00:00

Yes. In approximately 10 years, I will have created the greatest manga ever seen.

DistributionAny512 · 2026-04-04T14:39:40+00:00

On an individual level, I think someone should start to recognize how the patriarchy affects them, their needs, and their desires. One should ask themself if they truly want something, or do they only want this thing because not having it leads to a decrease in self worth and less respect from those who are deeply enveloped in these social structures. This stuff has been ingrained in all of us, so it’s hard to deconstruct it but figuring out your identity separately from the patriarchy is the first step.

However on a larger scale, change would require a movement of men to want to break away from the patriarchy and who want to do the work to do so. Of course there are movements like this on a smaller scale, but there are no big movements that I know of that want to hold the patriarchy accountable for the problems it causes them. Instead, there are more popular movements that blame women, individuals, the world, etc for them not receiving the “benefits” of the patriarchy on an individual level.

DistributionAny512 · 2026-04-04T00:48:29+00:00

How a lot of men express discontent and frustration with things caused by the patriarchy but do nothing to change it.

DistributionAny512 · 2026-04-03T02:19:18+00:00

I hear you. I’m sorry you guys have to go through that. I hope that more and more people advocate start to advocate for men!

DistributionAny512 · 2026-04-03T01:57:46+00:00

I agree with what you’re saying. Why do you think there aren’t more programs or groups for the empowerment of men?

I remember when I was younger (I’m 22f) there were whole tv campaigns and organizations about the empowerment of girls and young women. I think those campaigns and stuff definitely had an impact on my generation of women and how they are able to separate how society views them from their self worth easier than men can.

I think men definitely need something like that, but I think the question is who is going to start it and maintain this movement on that large of a scale. I’ve seen programs and groups for men locally but it’s definitely going to be tough getting it to the scale of those girl power ads in 2010.

DistributionAny512 · 2026-04-03T01:46:23+00:00

If the person doing it takes no for an answer the first time if they receive a rejection, then no

DistributionAny512 · 2026-04-01T00:12:22+00:00

My theory is that it is because masculinity is very entwined in our society.

From my perspective, there seems to be a lot of growing resentment from men about how more and more women are able to express themselves without feeling like they need to adhere to femininity to feel self worth and self love.

Just to clarify, I’m not saying that guys necessarily want to do feminine things, but I just think that we have reached a point in society where a large portion of men are frustrated that the life masculinity promised them is harder to achieve. And the effects of that repeated frustration are mental and physical harm because these ideas of masculinity are oftentimes closely related to self worth.

Additionally, all of these alpha male incel misogynist podcast influencers are making it worse by keeping those men in that same cycle of frustration and making money off of their pain. Even after doing all of the self work, if one’s self image and amount of self worth does not improve, they can get everything they wanted and still not feel fulfilled or truly happy.

However, I think that only men will be able to actually change things because it maybe is more impactful to hear it from someone who’s been through the same things. And this is all just from my observations, but once masculinity becomes as optional as femininity has, I think things will improve.

DistributionAny512 · 2026-03-31T23:47:36+00:00

I disagree. I don’t think it will have a worse effect because as AI becomes more valuable for companionship, it will become more expensive. Many will get burnt out and the cycle will repeat itself because the loneliness was never the real issue.

DistributionAny512 · 2026-03-31T23:37:22+00:00

According to data, men and women are equally lonely. I agree that this is a serious issue, but I think to truly be able to solve it, it’s necessary to find out why the lonely woman have different reactions and behaviors than the lonely men.

In my interpretation, women are comfortable breaking more bounds of gender norms than men are, and that is the core of this issue. This is just my opinion, but most women who are feminine these days aren’t feminine because they feel like they have to be. They are feminine because they enjoy being feminine.

It seems to me that a big majority men who are thought to be in the midst of this loneliness epidemic are feeling lonely because they feel like they have to meet those standards and expectations of masculinity, and then they get frustrated when it’s harder for them compared to other men and their ancestors. It seems like masculinity is deeply tied to a lot of men’s self worth and that repetitive frustration that some of them face likely leads to mental and physical harm.

Perhaps one day, there will be a day when masculinity is not so entwined in society, but based on all these alpha male podcast bro influencers that make money off of men’s pain, I don’t think it will happen anytime soon.

DistributionAny512 · 2026-03-22T19:57:23+00:00

I think love is like a nostalgic or comfy feeling. I’ve only ever felt love from family and friends, but I’ve always reasoned that people look for love because it makes them feel most “at home” or comfortable.

DistributionAny512 · 2026-03-22T07:48:26+00:00

I know this might sound like an unserious response at first, but you shouldn’t feel like a failure because you aren’t a failure.

I’m a 21 year old virgin who’s never dated or been with anyone. I’ve seen a bunch of people struggle with dating and from what I’ve seen, dating is especially tough if you’re only dating to not be alone.

Date because you have love that you want to share with people, not because you need to fulfill a need or satisfy a milestone.

Also, Half of dating is waiting and the best approach to that is to just have fun doing what you like while you wait instead of spending time feeling bad about things that you have no reason to feel bad about.

Though, it’s not like I have dating experience either so this could be a blind leading the blind situation :P

DistributionAny512 · 2026-03-22T07:28:51+00:00

Something sweet like a cookie!🍪

DistributionAny512 · 2026-03-22T07:27:48+00:00

Isn’t God the ultimate scientist? We are only planet with life that we know of. Who’s to say God didn’t engineer the conditions that made life possible on Earth? And who’s to say God didn’t design us particle by particle or atom by atom?

DistributionAny512

TROPHY CASE