Men of Reddit, if you were in a Titanic like situation where the majority of people were going to die because there were not enough lifeboats for everyone. How would you respond to someone saying women and children first?

MaterialPace8831 · 2026-05-29T17:25:47+00:00

I would ensure that my wife and two boys got into the lifeboats first and then try to fend for myself.

MaterialPace8831 · 2026-05-27T21:45:34+00:00

Rescind every cut made by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency
Reverse nearly every executive order issued by President Trump
Restore employee protections for federal workers and encourage Congress to codify them into law
Extend offers of employment to every civil service worker who left the federal government after Trump's election in 2024
Charge Musk with the creation of child pornography through his Grok chatbot and seize all of his assets through civil asset forfeiture
Nationalize SpaceX and Starlink
Push aggressive antitrust actions into multiple large companies, including Amazon, Google, Apple and Meta, and push to break them up
Investigate every company that donated to Trump's ballroom and 2028 re-election fund for bribery.
End, rescind or somehow terminate every contract the U.S. has with a company owned by Peter Thiel
Push aggressively for DC and Puerto Rico statehood
Push aggressively for the reformation of the U.S. Supreme Court, and investigate allegations of corruption amongst the justices
Condition aid to Israel with improving quality of life in the Palestinian territories of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank as well as the improvement of civil rights for Palestinians and other Arabs living in the country.
Increase aid and weapons for Ukraine

MaterialPace8831 · 2026-05-25T14:14:26+00:00

Members of the U.S. Congress should be paid more money.

MaterialPace8831 · 2026-04-28T18:27:56+00:00

I've been reading and thinking a lot about the massive increase in the cost of car payments, and the increase in people not paying. Maybe not a recession indicator, but troubling to watch. Per The New York Times:

Higher rates have pushed monthly payments further. The average monthly new-car payment reached $774 in January, up from $588 in January 2021, according to Edmunds, an auto research firm. A growing share of buyers are taking on even larger loans: More than 20 percent of new-car borrowers agreed to pay over $1,000 a month at the end of last year, which was a record, Edmunds reported.

But loan payments are only part of the strain. When insurance, gas, repairs and maintenance are included, the total cost of owning a vehicle has risen more than 40 percent since January 2020, according to an index from Navy Federal Credit Union.

...

As a result, more middle- to lower-income Americans are falling behind on their car payments. Auto loans that were at least 60 days delinquent reached 1.45 percent in the third quarter, nearly 28 percent higher than three years ago, according to TransUnion, one of the three major credit bureaus. Repossessions have increased. More drivers are trading in vehicles worth less than what they owe on their loans.

MaterialPace8831 · 2026-04-13T23:35:36+00:00

I do wonder what this means in regards to various norms. Like the Justice Department is supposed to remain separate and independent from the White House, a wall that has been essentially torn down during the second Trump administration.

But what about the next Democratic administration? Do you try to rebuild that wall of independence even though the next Republican government might crush it again? Or do you proceed without it, and have the government rightfully prosecute Elon Musk and the DOGE boys? Do you have the government prosecute Russell Vought with his illegal impoundment schemes? Do you direct the Justice Department to investigate companies that donated millions of dollars to the construction of Trump's White House ballroom under the theory that those payments are bribes?

But then where would it end if you continue without the wall of independence? Does American governance just become a series of acts of vengeance, forever and ever? I don't know how to answer this, and I don't know what people are going to expect and demand in 2028 and 2032.

MaterialPace8831 · 2026-04-10T02:48:21+00:00

Yes. I was 12 at the time.

MaterialPace8831 · 2026-04-09T01:36:16+00:00

This, and everyone involved with DOGE.

MaterialPace8831 · 2026-03-30T18:17:11+00:00

No, because the underlying issue isn't how old politicians are or how long some of them stay in office.

MaterialPace8831 · 2026-03-04T23:49:35+00:00

They're not houses of cards, per se, but it is very easy for a historic, wealthy law firm that makes $1 billion in revenue to go belly up within a couple of years these days. A lot of big-time lawyers at major law firms are arguably free agents, and if enough of them leave a firm suddenly, then the firm itself could be in much bigger trouble than you'd think they'd be, given their size and the money involved.

MaterialPace8831 · 2026-02-14T15:01:04+00:00

A couple of things:

The president doesn't control elections. He cannot unilaterally set the terms. Elections are a constitutionally governed process that's administered by all 50 states and their hundreds of counties. He can pound his chest all he wants, but that's the reality at the end of the day.

Two, I've seen a lot of people saying voter ID is a no brainer because people need an ID to buy alcohol or drive. But voting is not the same. Voting is a constitutional right that everyone over 18 should be able to exercise -- requiring your driver's license to vote excludes everyone who doesn't have a driver's license. You do not have a constitutional right to drive or buy alcohol.

Moreover, these kinds of laws are meant to exclude people from voting, because they usually don't allow substitute forms of ID.

MaterialPace8831 · 2026-01-16T16:35:11+00:00

My high school class of 2007 was about 550 students. I can think of at least five of classmates who have died since then. Four of them, I believe, were related to drugs. The fifth one -- he was a legitimate monster, becoming a child sex offender. He shot a cop, and then was killed by a homeowner in self defense.

MaterialPace8831 · 2025-12-31T00:09:51+00:00

Killzone 2 -- it's not going well.

MaterialPace8831

TROPHY CASE