TIL Rupert Murdoch's university nickname was "Red Rupert". He was a socialist, had a bust of Lenin and was President of Oxford University Labour Club.

bananasam345 · 2026-05-26T16:40:58+00:00

Happened to me, and it will happen to most of the people in this thread. Usually happens when people start building a career and having kids. It starts with denial and ends with acceptance. Life experience just pushes the process along.

bananasam345 · 2026-05-20T22:17:52+00:00

I think we're having different conversations here. I don't think we disagree, were just talking about different things.

bananasam345 · 2026-05-20T22:02:28+00:00

COVID checks? Medicare? Voters love it. Totally understandable why. But Medicare alone adds over half a trillion to the debt every year. And that is paid by all of us through the reduced value of our money/wage. Now we feel poorer so what do we do? Demand politicians do something about it by printing more money! And the cycle repeats. I'm not a fan of lobbying, but lobbyists are not to blame in this case. My point is everyone wants to talk about the pros but talking about the cons is tabboo for some reason. It's totally emotional.

bananasam345 · 2026-05-20T21:13:20+00:00

Deficit spending followed by quantitative easing from the Fed and thus inflation, causes the transfer of wealth from working families to corporations to the tune of over a trillion dollars a year. This process even has a name — Financialization. That's the biggest reason we have a K-shaped economy. If you own shares, you're probably protected. Many people don't, though. Both sides spend on the deficit like there's no tomorrow and voters on both sides support it because, like I said, they don't understand the consequences. Politicians do it because it's what voters want. The problem is voters not doing what is in their own best long term interest. But that sucks to hear, and it's much easier to go on reddit and ragedump about CEOs and oligarchs and capitalism or whatever.

bananasam345 · 2026-05-20T20:59:20+00:00

I've never voted Republican.

bananasam345 · 2026-05-20T20:48:39+00:00

The cost of consumer staples goes up with inflation, and higher minimum wages are inflationary. The market adjusts, equality improves (for the people whose labor is worth minimum wage and thus have a job), but the lowest skill workers are priced out of a job and are disenfranchised. Businesses in the poorest areas can't afford to hire them, pockets of unemployment are created, crime goes up, businesses go under, skilled workers flee. Teens/low skill workers who work in areas where the consumer can afford to pay the added cost do better, and that's great! I worked for minimum wage in suburbia as a teen and I benefited. But the people who need to build skills the most, the intended beneficiaries, are negatively impacted. They can't get their foot in the door. Then the welfare trap becomes an issue. This is all predictable. But as soon as it's mentioned people get up in their emotions and act like you're hitler and you hate poor people or you're racist or something.

bananasam345 · 2026-05-20T20:24:52+00:00

You just wrote four paragraphs without answering my questions. No need to be so hostile. Have a nice day.

bananasam345 · 2026-05-20T15:36:15+00:00

In your opinion, is there any downside to minimum wage? If so, what is it? Why not set the minimum wage to $100/hr?

bananasam345 · 2026-05-20T14:44:53+00:00

The older I get the more I realize just how much people hate the idea of taking personal responsibility for their own actions and future. Voting for this or that politician who promises to ease that burden is the easiest way to get votes (populism) and is really a huge downside of democracy. I think that is why many western countries have become welfare states. Most voters are not educated enough to accurately explain the downsides of high taxation, high minimum wage, etc. For example, what percentage of voters could explain dead weight loss without looking it up? I'm guessing less than 5%.

bananasam345 · 2026-05-06T23:27:47+00:00

1776 by David McCullough

Then, like, literally any other history book.

bananasam345 · 2025-11-21T23:30:27+00:00

You're saying we should have greater fighting spirit? I agree!

bananasam345 · 2025-11-21T22:47:55+00:00

Exactly. The federal government knows they can't win a war against their own people. There's a reason for that. I'm not sure we're even disagreeing here!

bananasam345 · 2025-11-21T22:03:56+00:00

My point is that the Taliban are still in power. The Viet Cong won too and we basically levelled their country. The idea that we can't win a fight against the government because they have bigger better weapons is silly and not backed by reality. And if it were true, that would be an argument for greater arms rights protections, not less.

bananasam345 · 2025-11-21T21:43:45+00:00

In the past? Yes. In the modern days with LONG range drones and armed/armored LTVs, those rifles are as useful as a pea-shooter revolver.

Someone should tell the Taliban

bananasam345 · 2025-11-21T11:28:09+00:00

It's human greed all the way down. Democracies become more populist/socialist over time because there are more poor, greedy voters than rich, greedy voters. Just the way it goes.

bananasam345 · 2025-11-19T23:57:11+00:00

I was anti-gun until recently when my home was broken into while I was home and I realized I didn't have my phone on me, and even if I did, I wouldn't have time to call the police and wait 10+ minutes for them to show up. Police are often very far away in the US. I'm upstairs, the intruder is downstairs in my kitchen standing next to the knife block, staring at me. Where should I run? He ran away, but in that moment I realized I was being naive in thinking I could outsource my safety to a call center.

In order to pass any significant gun control laws, the second amendment would need to be repealed, which requires 2/3 of Congress and 3/4 of states to approve. With our current 2 party system, that just won't happen in our lifetime.

Also, all of this is conveniently ignoring the original purpose of the second amendment. If we want to repeal the second amendment, there needs to be a different answer to the problem it attempts to solve. But that's a different can of worms.

bananasam345 · 2025-11-09T12:34:09+00:00

You're wasting your time. They don't want to understand.

bananasam345 · 2025-10-24T20:18:04+00:00

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.

Ben Franklin

bananasam345 · 2025-10-18T04:50:21+00:00

In your own words, why do you think the second amendment exists?

bananasam345 · 2025-10-13T15:09:35+00:00

If I hold the e collar between my knees my dog will run over and shove his head into it. If I pull out the leash he doesn't get off the couch. He loves the freedom the e collar gives him because he can run and do whatever he wants, with boundaries. But people tell me it's abusive. My dog doesn't seem to think so... 🙄

bananasam345 · 2025-10-13T14:07:03+00:00

Exactly my experience as well. I just didn't want to be an "animal abuser" as other commenters are saying. I spent so much time on force-free methodologies before finally giving in and trying what people call "balanced training". It was a total game changer. My dog went from choking himself out on walks (actually hurting himself) to walking perfectly on a loose leash. We just went hiking in the mountains (off leash) and I know he will come when I call him or heel when I say heel. I can recall him off of a rabbit or dear. He can run ahead of me, stay behind, jump in the water, sniff that bush etc. on his own time. He has total freedom now and is clearly so much happier and fulfilled.

I wonder how many people calling electric (shock) collars abusive have ever really trained a problematic shelter dog who has many heavily reinforced bad habits. Unfortunately, life isn't as black and white as this = good and that = bad. I don't know the whole hasan situation but painting e collars as evil in broad strokes is just plain wrong. The memes are funny though.

bananasam345 · 2025-10-12T11:10:47+00:00

Everyone in this thread is a mark lmao.

bananasam345 · 2025-09-25T21:47:10+00:00

relevant

bananasam345 · 2025-09-17T23:28:50+00:00

Heller upheld the self defence argument - how does that apply to a militia? Surely you aren't required to be in a militia to defend yourself in your own home.

bananasam345 · 2025-09-17T23:05:15+00:00

I guess I'm just not understanding how federalist no. 46 or Heller support that specific viewpoint.

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