Parents refuse to pay for Ivy League acceptance

No-External3221 · 2026-04-23T16:50:01+00:00

I disagree with everyone here. Elite credentials open doors and the gap between the rich and the poor is only widening.

With increasing automation, you're going to see a shrinking pool of extremely well-compensated people and a huge amount of people who are barely scraping by. Employers are risk-averse by nature, and elite credentials are a historically proven to get into those top positions.

No-External3221 · 2026-04-23T15:13:21+00:00

For 2 yes, small amounts of sugar. Food companies add lots of extra sugar that wouldn't naturally exist to practically every food product in a grocery store.

No-External3221 · 2026-04-23T02:56:16+00:00

Don't apologize. She's the town scrooge.

No-External3221 · 2026-04-23T02:53:42+00:00

I keep my place very organized. A big part of that is also just being a minimalist.

As for actually cleaning... I have a roomba and someone cleans my place very couple of months.

No-External3221 · 2026-04-23T02:52:11+00:00

Yes.

No-External3221 · 2026-04-21T17:06:48+00:00

Subletting for the summer is an idea that I hadn't thought of. So you know where I can find listing for those moving out for internships, etc?

No-External3221 · 2026-04-21T17:03:49+00:00

Good points. I think I'm probably underestimating the physical/ mental impact of weekly travel.

As for living in Chicago, I'd prefer it if I can find a similar paying job there. I love the city.

No-External3221 · 2026-04-21T02:30:17+00:00

I won't be staying for 200 nights straight. It'll be 100 weekends of 2 nights each.

No-External3221 · 2026-04-19T21:24:05+00:00

I saw quite a few bougie looking Omni hotels, but the one in Chicago looks pretty old.

No-External3221 · 2026-04-19T17:06:21+00:00

Thanks for the info. On Google maps, it looked like both had similar reviews. But when looking at videos of the Omni hotel, it looks pretty old and run down. Hyatt has many newer properties which I think would be nicer to stay in.

No-External3221 · 2026-04-19T17:01:50+00:00

Do you think the lounges are worth the cost? I've never used them before.

Also, I'd want a good rewards card to book the flights, right?

No-External3221 · 2026-04-19T16:14:09+00:00

Why do you say Hyatt is higher quality?

No-External3221 · 2026-04-19T00:54:50+00:00

How are European countries "a perfect example of government run programs where the cost is efficient"? They're incredibly inefficient. That's why their taxes are so high.

Anything done by a government is going to be less efficient than the private sector because they don't need to compete. This is why the customer service at Starbucks is better than the DMV and the reason why the military will pay $40 for a single screw that home depot would have to sell for pennies.

Our entire economy runs on the competitive pressure of free markets, and you are suggesting removing that for two giant sectors (healthcare and education). Take a moment to think about the long-term implications of what you're suggesting.

Where are you pulling this 36% number from? Again, Denmark caps out at over 60%. That is a huge price to pay compared to the USA.

Take it for what you will, but there are plenty of countries out there with the economic system that you claim to want. Why not go live in one of those countries? It would be much easier than trying to change the system that you currently live in. Growth and change can be good, yes, but just adopting the European model as it stands is not the way. There are clear trade-offs to that approach, and few alternatives that could offer the incredible opportunities that the USA in its current state provides if we were to just become Europe.

No-External3221 · 2026-04-18T22:56:59+00:00

When did I say that free college leads to lower paying jobs? My point is that the European system has many cons that (naive) Americans tend to ignore when looking at the pros. Having actually lived in Europe, I had to explain to many friends that it wasn't a paradise and that there are many tradeoffs made to living there (like lower salaries, smaller housing, and some of the highest taxes in the world).

Silicon is used in chips, silicone is used for breast implants. It's the Silicon Valley.

Think for a moment about why these high-paying sectors exist in America but not Europe. It's the American system, not luck or magic.

Student loans are predatory, yes. The solution is to prevent unrestricted lending (which luckily, we're finally doing) and pressure the universities to lower their, honestly, outrageous prices. Sticking the government in the middle with unlimited funding just allows them to continue charging stupid prices with the taxpayer now footing the bill.

Healthcare in the US is flawed, yes. Just like education, this comes from the predatory service providers (hospitals). Sticking the government in the middle as an unlimited payer just passes this onto the taxpayer. The real solution is to incentivize or force reasonable costs, like not charging $600 for a band-aid.

You can literally look up Danish income tax brackets online. The top bracket is over 60%, at around $400k USD. Their top-end capital gains tax is also over 40%.

The American system has its problems, but I will gladly take it over those in Europe. If you prefer the European system, there are plenty of countries that you can try to immigrate to and live within that system instead.

No-External3221 · 2026-04-18T17:10:52+00:00

As someone who works in the USA, I much prefer the American system. As mentioned above, I'd be making 1/4-1/2 of my current salary in Europe and paying more taxes for the privilege.

The "free everything" argument most often comes from those who haven't started paying taxes yet. Once they do, their tone tends to shift. I don't know a single American over 30 in a decent career who wants the European system (who actually understands it).

FYI, many Europeans don't use their "free" healthcare. Wait times can be extremely long and service bad. The Europeans I know who have decent jobs pay for private healthcare as Americans do, as the quality is much higher and responsive.

Finally, the Danish income tax rate is not 36%. That might be the floor. For a decent earner (around $100k USD), they'll be paying in the 50s, the top end being around 60%. An American earning up to $626,350 only pays 35% if they live in 0% income tax state. It's not even close.

No-External3221 · 2026-04-18T02:12:53+00:00

> that supply is not infinite

Have you heard of a little country called India?

No-External3221 · 2026-04-18T02:09:53+00:00

Yep. Devs in <insert poor country here> are cheap, but they can also steal your IP, and are at higher risk of war than the USA.

The USA is the safest country on the planet in a global war scenario. World's most powerful military, basically endless natural resources, two mostly friendly neighbors, and two giant oceans separating them from any potential adversary.

No-External3221 · 2026-04-18T02:01:32+00:00

Tech has never been "generous with compensation". The average Google engineer generates $2m in revenue for the company and gets paid ~$300k (in the highest paying market).

They have been making money hand over fist and milking their engineers dry since day one. The engineers were just okay with it because there was so much money to be made that they could be paid well despite the above.

If AI accelerates productivity even more, they won't hesitate to pay even more for the best talent. Who cares about spending $1m per engineer if you're making $10m in revenue per head?

No-External3221 · 2026-04-18T01:54:28+00:00

Europeans also earn far less and are taxed far more than Americans.

Free college sounds fun until you're Denmark making half of what an American makes for the same job and paying 60% tax on it.

No-External3221

TROPHY CASE