“I can hear those champagne bottle corks popping in Moscow — like it’s Christmas every fucking day": US Politics, February 2024

doesn’t change my opinion on voting and how to apply it, but i def hear you.

Same. Thanks for posting.

fantastic post, table. The metrics on which the economic success of western countries are measured on are pure bullshit and meaningless to most people at the coalface.

Good luck, table. There are also sometimes jobs at the Upenn library, and the non-professional staff is unionized.

somehow these people all seem unaware that there are actually countries OUTSIDE of America, the vast majority of which are doing much worse than we are, regardless of what party is in power.

You wanna piss off people? Tell'e that someone else -- another country -- is doing worse. They're like SO WHAT WHAT ABOUT ME

“Sure, rent for a one bedroom apartment is 45% of your income but have you seen Spain?!”

great post table, I see a lot of parallels between your story and stories I hear from friends

The metrics on which the economic success of western countries are measured on are pure bullshit and meaningless to most people at the coalface.

The current legal structure that sustains property rights of the owning class imposes huge physical and emotional costs on the non-owning class everywhere. Property rights are arguably the leading cause of death worldwide. We all know this.

And in this economy, very few people are losing their jobs.

i know everyone likes to mock tech companies here, but they don't only employee highly compensated rich tech bros. they employee lots of people doing a huge variety of jobs, and they are laying thousands of people off every month.

Tech companies have been doing tons of layoffs, academic and media careers have been hit very hard. Those are areas that are massively overrepresented on ILX, while a lot of the good news around jobs and wages is coming from other parts of the economy, especially more blue collar jobs.

anecdotally I am probably an exception in the solar industry, but I am definitely better off than I was four years ago

I don't think that's true. In the most recent jobs report, retail hours were down (so retail workers are getting 3/4 of a schedule instead of laid off), growth was in 'professional services,' government employees, healthcare and then down the list manufacturing.

xp that was

has any thread mentioned that article on Topeka, Kansas trying to encourage people to move there followed by a glut of annoying right-wing outlets trying to pretend they were encouraging illegal immigration?

At least here in Oakland, if feels like restaurants are shuttering left and right.. not sure if that's true everywhere else

A long but fascinating essay on the (demographic) state of Florida.

That was something else. YIKES.

Florida looks nothing like America and has nothing to offer America, as a state, except vacations, understaffed nursing homes, and a model of what not to be. We are full of people who have already lived their lives and don’t care about yours.

At least here in Oakland, if feels like restaurants are shuttering left and right

this is largely because people are not going out to eat at the levels they used to, for a whole variety of reasons, but there is no doubt that fear of getting your car windows smashed is part of it. the other part is that eating out has gotten really expensive for a whole variety of reasons, and people's pay hasn't necessarily risen along with the costs. We have a cafe in Berkeley that closed recently (though it's reopening on weekends only) and while I miss it, eating breakfast there for three topped $120 most of the time. The owner blames 'gentrification' but I'm like... gentrifiers are the only people who can afford to eat at your place!

That’s a huge breakfast bill for three

My wife and I don't go out to eat because she's immunocompromised, but we get takeout from local restaurants — there's an OK pizza place, several Mexican places, a couple of good burger/diner spots, and a cool Asian fusion food truck — several times a week and it usually runs us $35-50 for two people. That's not terrible from our perspective, but for the people I hear having nervous conversations in the grocery store it may be a little high.

But on the other hand, the bars and the liquor store and the small casinos around here all seem to be doing fine, as do the various dispensaries. So people find the money for what they're willing to spend money on, in other words.

people find the money for what they're willing to spend money on, in other words

Whatever ameliorates the constant pain of living life like this, in other words.

The increased cost of fast food has created a flipped situation too, I can either get a shitty Wendy's combo for $12 or a bowl at the Korean fast casual place with pork belly, rice, edamame, vegetables and glass noodles for a dollar less.

Whatever ameliorates the constant pain of living life like this, in other words.

― badpee pooper (Eric H.),

But otherwise you're doing fine.

I noticed Miami-Dade and Broward weren't mentioned in that Florida article. What I read scans with what I see when I vacation in Southwest Florida or in the rare moments I drive north, but down here? Many young South American children and tech bros.

re: the border bill, the GOP Senate voted for the status quo

I don't really care that much

There was a Bon Appetit article the other day about how people are still spending $ on their favorite restaurants where they know what they're getting but less willing to risk trying new spots. Which makes it hard for the new places to stay afloat.

Less willing bc of higher prices, tbc

People like to say that small businesses are "job creators," (including and especially restaurants).

But lots of restaurants fail, usually quite quickly. So small businesses (including and especially restaurants) are also job destroyers.

For the most part, restaurant jobs suck.

otm

For the most part, restaurant jobs suck.

fixed.

That's why they call it work

As my grandfather used to say, of course work sucks — that's why they have to pay you to do it.

nah, I've worked a number of different jobs and restaurants were definitely the worst. factories are a very close second.

restaurants are cool jobs from 16-22, pretty sure I'd tear everything in my shoulder trying to carry one of those oblong trays filled with seafood platters now

they're cool for meeting other 16-22 year olds who need to let off steam

And/or have a side hustle selling weed and shrooms.

those plus the money was pretty good for being that age, walking out with $200-300 in cash on a Saturday night beat the hell out of Barnes & Noble or any other job that seemed available at the time

BIDEN tonight at a fundraiser in NYC: “I’m a practicing Catholic. I don’t want abortion on demand but I thought Roe v Wade was right.”

— AlexGangitano (@AlexGangitano) February 7, 2024

shut up gramps

huh i ain't catholic, maybe that'll work to the +, but uh, you don't need to go there.

I want it on demand, not least because after decades and decades of it being made more and more difficult to get even when it was federally protected, at the very least we should spend the rest of our lives apologizing to women and at most should actually give them access to abortion with as little effort as possible because it's there fucking bodies.

so yes, Hunt3r otm

"on demand" is so weird, like, that's the whole idea! On demand = "when you need it." When else are people supposed to have abortions if not on demand?

lol exactly

"no, we need to make it difficult because hey this might be a Van Gogh growing inside"

If men could get pregnant, abortions would be available at CVS.

there'd be pills in Frosted Flakes

fwiw, i think it's more enlightening to cite what Biden has done as president around this issue than quoting his choice of rhetoric when fund-raising.

how about "but i understand why it IS just and right."

see, i wasn't quoting aimless, i was ~suggesting~, tho maybe poorly.