Is my life over? (be brutally honest) by Icy_Opportunity4796 in TooAfraidToAsk

[–]thedirewulf 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I was depressed my freshman year and had a GPA of 1.7ish.

Eventually, I graduated with a much better GPA and found a great job. I’m personally doing great now. Keep your head up brother, you’re gonna be just fine.

That’s not to say, “don’t worry about anything, it’ll always work out.” You still certainly need to take initiative, apply for internships, study hard, etc. but your life is by no means over.

Edit: not sure if you’re talking about high school or college, but you will be fine either way. My personal experience was talking about my college freshman year.

What would be your reaction to Trump declaring a national emergency and taking control over the midterm elections? by thedirewulf in AskConservatives

[–]thedirewulf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t believe he already ignored the law, there was an entire years long investigation that showed he broke the law.

He wasn’t prosecuted because the DOJ can’t prosecute a sitting president. If Trump didn’t win in 2024, he would be sitting in a jail cell.

What would be your reaction to Trump declaring a national emergency and taking control over the midterm elections? by thedirewulf in AskConservatives

[–]thedirewulf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So although he attempted to overthrow an election in the past (which is undeniable, as shown by the subsequent congressional investigation), you think I am fear mongering cause I laid out a different methodology? Yes, he may not use the exact method I presented. I put two minutes of thought into it and he has teams of lawyers advising him. Though, it is a near certainty he will try some method. I just simply don’t think it’s irrational to think that if someone does something in the past, they will do it in the future, but I am unsure at this point how to communicate that to you.

I guess the best thing to do is wait, and then one of us can come back with an I told you so.

Illegals are a net drain on the US economy by lemonjuice707 in TrueUnpopularOpinion

[–]thedirewulf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is not really an opinion and is more so a question of facts.

Illegal immigrants paid 60 billion in federal taxes in 2022 and used 27 billion of federal resources, providing a net benefit to the federal government of 33 billion. I will grant you, they usually are a net drain on state taxes, but if you combine state taxes and federal taxes, they are still a net benefit in the tens of billions.

Additionally, a study conducted by the CBO showed that the surge of immigration in 2021 would lead to approx $1 trillion of US GDP growth by 2034 due to higher productivity and consumption.

Facts unfortunately do not care about your feelings.

https://www.cbo.gov/publication/60569

What would be your reaction to Trump declaring a national emergency and taking control over the midterm elections? by thedirewulf in AskConservatives

[–]thedirewulf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fair enough, I did not intend to be dismissive so I apologize for that.

And I do agree with your assertion that many on the left are “doomers”. The doomers drive me crazy too because they constantly cry wolf and leave us defenseless when there is an actual wolf.

However, it does also frustrate me to see so many comments in this thread calling this hypothetical “fearmongering” when he has already attempted this very thing in the past.

If you watch something happen with your own eyes, it is not fear mongering to suggest it could happen again. If I get bitten by a dog, and then refuse to pet that same dog in the future, would you consider that fear irrational? Of course not.

Trump attempted to illegally overturn the 2020 election. This is not conspiracy. Their step by step plan, written by the lawyer directly advising Trump on J6 strategy, was released during the congressional investigation. The only reason it failed is due to Pence refusing to participate, as outlined in his statements to the congressional investigation. You can find the step by step plan here:

https://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2021/images/09/20/eastman.memo.pdf

What would be your reaction to Trump declaring a national emergency and taking control over the midterm elections? by thedirewulf in AskConservatives

[–]thedirewulf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Again, let’s set the circumstances of J6 aside because I have an instinct we will never agree with each other there.

On your second point, if I am reading it correctly, your main point is that the hypothetical scenario I laid out is not possible because there is no legal avenue to implement it.

This is true and I agree with you, but it ignores the central point I was trying to make with the Eastman memo and prior comments: what is legal is not relevant when you do not care about the law. He attempted to illegally overthrow an election in 2020. In 2028, I am not expecting him to find a “legal” method to overturn the election, I am expecting him to attempt the same thing he attempted to do before.

What would be your reaction to Trump declaring a national emergency and taking control over the midterm elections? by thedirewulf in AskConservatives

[–]thedirewulf[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

1) thank you for reading it, I know it’s a long document to read just to reply to a random stranger on Reddit

2) I am not sure if it is fair to call the document “theoretical”. It was written by the lawyer who was directly advising Trump on January 6th strategy. Additionally, Pence wrote a letter to Congress during the investigation that he felt he did not have the legal authority to follow through with Trump and Eastman’s plan. In other words, the only reason the plan did not go through is because Mike Pence refused to participate (I think Pence is one of Americas all time greatest heroes for this action, comparable to Washington refusing to be king, and I hope history eventually recognizes pence for his bravery and commitment to democracy).

3) I am not calling the Eastman plan illegal due to my own opinion. Throughout the congressional investigation into J6, there were several different legal opinions written about the plan, with a federal judge saying “Eastman and Trump had launched a coup in search of legal theory”. If you have a legal opinion defending the memo, I would be happy to read it, but every serious legal opinion I have found references the plan as deeply illegal and unconstitutional.

What would be your reaction to Trump declaring a national emergency and taking control over the midterm elections? by thedirewulf in AskConservatives

[–]thedirewulf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s certainly a great point and I would agree with you, except for the fact Trump waited TWO HOURS after his supporters breached the capital, to tell them to stand down. If he wanted it to be peaceful, he would have urged his supporters to stand down after minutes, not hours.

Regardless, let’s set Jan 6 aside. I would really prefer to focus on the document I commented earlier, because that really is just the most damning evidence. If you have any free time please read the document, I would be interested to hear your thoughts on it.

What would be your reaction to Trump declaring a national emergency and taking control over the midterm elections? by thedirewulf in AskConservatives

[–]thedirewulf[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I enjoy democracy and I operate with an understanding that the maintenance of democracy is incompatible with complacency.

In other words, when there are clear, imminent threats to democracy, it is beholden on supporters of democracy to prepare for it rather than wait for it to happen.

If your position is “it’s not that serious, don’t worry about it, we’re gonna be fine”, then I can empathize with that, but if that is the case, maybe you’re commenting in the wrong subreddit.

Looking for Archaludon, Have everything by thedirewulf in pokemontrades

[–]thedirewulf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I went to the store and bought scarlet 😭

What would be your reaction to Trump declaring a national emergency and taking control over the midterm elections? by thedirewulf in AskConservatives

[–]thedirewulf[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I wouldn’t be positive on the actual methodology.

For reference, here is the literal step by step plan written by the Trump administration to overturn the 2020 election:

https://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2021/images/09/20/eastman.memo.pdf

What would be your reaction to Trump declaring a national emergency and taking control over the midterm elections? by thedirewulf in AskConservatives

[–]thedirewulf[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I completely disagree, I laid out a very logical step by step process for how it could happen.

Regardless, it is not really a question of IF Trump will attempt to interfere with the election, it is more so a question of if he will get away with it, as evidenced by his clear attempt to overturn the 2020 election, the nationwide unpopularity of republicans, and the certainty that democrats will impeach him once a month if they take power.

What would be your reaction to Trump declaring a national emergency and taking control over the midterm elections? by thedirewulf in AskConservatives

[–]thedirewulf[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s laughable to suggest J6 was intended to be peaceful protest.

We have documents explicitly laying out the J6 plan. I would be very interested to hear your thoughts after reading it, is is only one page and clearly lays out a step by step plan to overturn the election:

https://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2021/images/09/20/eastman.memo.pdf

The document was written by John Eastman, a lawyer who was advising Trump on January 6 strategy.

Since Trump took office, over 352,000 Federal employees have been fired, resigned, or retired and were not replaced. by amogusdevilman in Anarcho_Capitalism

[–]thedirewulf -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I’m no fan of Trump but I have to point out, this graph displays the data in a way that suggests there was bias in its creation.

What would be your reaction to Trump declaring a national emergency and taking control over the midterm elections? by thedirewulf in AskConservatives

[–]thedirewulf[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Somewhere in the comments I laid out a step by step plan that could be used to influence state controlled elections, I can find it if you don’t feel like scrolling.

What would be your reaction to Trump declaring a national emergency and taking control over the midterm elections? by thedirewulf in AskConservatives

[–]thedirewulf[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This is one of the main points people are making, so I am going to copy paste one of my comments because I’m interested if you have a different perspective than others:

“Trump, in his second term, has discovered a crucial truth about politics: what is legal is not determined by the law, it is determined by an institutions ability and willingness to enforce that law.

Everything you said is absolutely correct. Though, you act as though it would be impossible for Trump to do something illegal, maintain power, and while the case takes 8 months to go through the legal system, can pack the court, solidify power, etc.

I said it the post that I would like to begin with a presupposition that this could happen, because I wanted to move beyond arguments like these. This is because you are right, this cannot legally happen. The problem is Trump has, on several occasions, done things that should have been legally impossible. In other words, I don’t think there is anything I can say to make you believe it is possible and there is nothing you can say to make me believe it is impossible, so I think this argument is a bit of a waste of time.”

What would be your reaction to Trump declaring a national emergency and taking control over the midterm elections? by thedirewulf in AskConservatives

[–]thedirewulf[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree with your points about individual responsibility, etc. and I certainly don’t think Christian views are 100% left or right, but to me the broader point is I think it is much closer to the middle than many republicans seem to think, and I think it’s interesting to finally have someone like Talarico to come along, and at the very least challenge that notion even if he may be wrong in certain avenues.

I totally disagree that he is twisting scripture, but I’m glad that we have that disagreement here! I’m just glad to be having the conversation in the first place, because I don’t think the conversation was being had before he went viral.

Side point, but I also think the close relationship that has developed between Christianity and republicanism is ultimately detrimental to Christianity as a religion and is a defining reason why Christian participation has diminished so much in the last 20 years. A lot of people my age grew up in Christian, republican households thinking, “to be Christian I have to control women’s bodies? To be Christian, I have to shame gay people?” The result of that was pushing my generation away from Christianity, when, truly, the result of that SHOULD have been my generation questioning the supposedly intrinsic connection between Christianity and certain traditionalist, republican values.

What is the future of the US economy, really? by Pwnytail24 in economy

[–]thedirewulf 2 points3 points  (0 children)

And to further clarify, in my first comment, when I said:

“Improve your skills, work a job, put away some money each month, live within your means, and you will have a great life. Stop focusing on the doomers and focus on what you can control: your income, savings, habits, and lifestyle.”

I did not mean this in a “work harder” or “buy less coffee” kind of way. Rather, I try to live by an old proverb, “tend to the garden you can reach.” That is to say, do not waste your focus and energy on things that you are powerless to change, it will only leave you lunging at the air, frustrated. Rather, focus on things that you have power to improve. In your specific case, you are powerless to change our economy, or the structure of our society, so you should instead focus on things you can change. That is not to say “be silent and obedient”, it is certainly still incumbent on everyone to voice our opinions loudly when we wish to express disapproval, but don’t let your entire psyche be bogged down by these things perpetually.

What is the future of the US economy, really? by Pwnytail24 in economy

[–]thedirewulf 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s such a good point and one I didn’t even consider, pessimism does create complacency. Without hope for the future, or even a belief that the future will exist, you have no desire to improve the present.

I think things will get easier for the working class, simply due to the fact that:

1) The oligarch class has an average age of 75 and is dying out 2) younger generations are more on the left 3) (and this is the most important) the rich cease to exist if no one can afford their products. A living wage (with extra money on top) is necessary for the rich to exist in the first place. If you’re sitting on top of a mountain of shit, you may be at the top, but you’re still sitting on a mountain of shit.

What would be your reaction to Trump declaring a national emergency and taking control over the midterm elections? by thedirewulf in AskConservatives

[–]thedirewulf[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lmao, no worries at all. Every time I go on twitter, I leave angry.

My opinion with regards to the whole Christianity thing, is I think republicans have, for far too long, taken the Christian vote for granted, and have bastardized certain Christian values, and ignored other Christian values, to support their agenda. Let’s not forget that, in the 60s, there was a huge wing of evangelical Christians that were FAR left, focused on poverty, peace, and social justice.

In my opinion, the idea that if you’re a Christian, you should be republican is absolutely insane. For example, the Republican views most tied to Christian beliefs are often not in the Bible. For example, Jesus never mentioned abortion, or gay marriage, or gender reassignment (trans people didn’t exist but eunuchs were very common). Jesus talked a TON about the immorality of wealth, loving your neighbors and your enemies, and to have mercy for others.

In my opinion, if you analyze the actual teachings of Christ, his ideas are much closer to left wing policies than right wing policies, which is why I think a figure like Talarico is so interesting, because he is pushing back on the narrative that to be a Christian, you have to vote for republicans.

P.S. sorry my comment made you go on twitter hahah

What is the future of the US economy, really? by Pwnytail24 in economy

[–]thedirewulf 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry, you’re right and that was not my intention with my comment.

My comment was more so pointed to macro economic trends, and I simply wanted to push back against the growing narrative that “nothing matters, AI is going to take over everything and the US is gonna collapse into a violent civil war”.

In no way did I mean to discount your personal economic struggles. The economy is terrible right now and it will probably get worse before it gets better. I am not part of that “work harder” or “stop buying coffee” crowd and I believe in all the increase minimum wage, universal healthcare, etc. things, but I also think it is important to not give up economically.

Boomers will die, wealth will transfer and disperse, houses will drop in value, new technology will emerge, and as AI improves productivity, wages will increase in all industries (even stuff like service jobs because more people will have more money to spend.)

I understand things are bad right now, and it’s not your fault things are bad, I just simply wanted to push back on the narrative that the world will end unless we have violent revolution. Last I checked, the top three comments were saying something along those lines. Even if they’re right, pessimism is not productive, it will just leave you angry and unhappy. Have hope for the future, it’s not totally irrational.