🎯🎯🎯 regulating the wrong things will only worsen the problem. Regulate the universities who are dishing out useless degrees for outrageous prices, not the hard-working Americans who invest in real estate and spend 100+ hour work weeks building companies that fuel our economy. We, the doers, the makers, the builders are not the ones that need to be punished. It’s crony capitalism that is the problem. We can have aligned fair market, conscious capitalism that fuels innovation if we get rid of the levers that allow for corruption (both in government and business) rather than trying to slowly kill it with socialism. The people that are fleecing the system will always fleece the system and it will only get worse under socialism. Layer in fair and appropriate social safety nets: subsidized housing, and childcare for certain socioeconomic situations. Low interest, federal and state loans only to universities who crank out candidates with applicable skills at fair University degree prices. Give America fighting chance before we make the same mistake that countries before us have made, “that wasn’t real socialism, we’re gonna do it better” LIES. This will be the downfall of America if we allow this dangerous ideology to crush the American dream.
Pretty logical laying out of things which all add up and compute. I also think a lot of what your seeing with the supporters of this mayoral candidate also come down to something of a faith based belief system which would probably still exist even if their debt and prospects looked much brighter. These are true believers. Faith is not rational nor economic in nature. A lot of folks have essentially replaced faith/religion with political and societal issues and that becomes their entire belief system and life’s purpose. This happens on both sides of the political spectrum. I think that’s playing a role here as well.
Interesting frame, but it reads more like projection than prophecy. might be worth asking what these kids see that you’ve stopped noticing.
Every generation gets misjudged by the ones they’re replacing
Amazing how quickly tech elites confuse their disillusionment with generational insight. “Gen XI” doesn’t need saving, they need us to get out of the way.
LOL! Sorry, but I've interacted with quite a few "Gen-Z'ers" and Millennials, and not one is willing to work more than one job to pay bills and get ahead. Not one is motivated to do much more than their hours of work... then sit on the couch and watch YouTube, TikTok, or some other waste of time. They lack self-responsibility and reliability, and tend to blame others. They fail to show initiative and do more than what is asked (whether due to a lack of education or another COVID scar). Guess that's why many employers are firing these same groups at a higher rate, as reported by MarketWatch.
The solution is never purely socialism or capitalism. We all still want the fire department. Midwits believe in easy ideas like pure market economics solves all. Rent control and government grocery stores are idiotic, but a higher top tax bracket is only sensible when the country is heading full steam towards a debt crisis, in the most cut happy admin in decades.
America has gotten massively richer over the last 50 years, while median housing to salary ratios have doubled and soon will triple. The amount of Americans living pay check to pay check is growing. There is not much room for increased tax on them, and no significant cuts to spending look likely. It's not about sticking it to the man, it's about fiscal responsibility.
Paint strawmen of foolish people spending 8$ on coffee and 100k on feminism studies all day if that makes you feel better, we all have our coping mechanisms. I run a small machine shop and I know many skilled trades workers, welders and the like, who aren't making anything near 100K and will be lucky to ever own a home. Maybe try to learn from the rising populist energy Trump harnessed for 2 victories. Call them midwits all you want but more effective messaging may be legitimate concern at the housing crisis, rather than one line in 50 about how cutting regulations could help.
Edit: Sorry reading this back feels harsh, I like you, think you usually have great takes, also Gen Xi was very witty lol. Just think you might be missing the trees for the forest here.
Remember when Paul Ryan was campaigning for VP with Mitt Romney? He let slip the truth, that he himself benefitted from getting rich in office, he said: "Raising taxes on the rich won't solve the problem, they don't pay the published tax rate." Why? Look no further than the two-tiered tax code bought and paid for by corporations from career politicians getting rich in office "The UniParty" of USA Inc. Why do you think Warren Buffet campaigned for Barrack Obama saying "My secretary pays more in taxes than I do"? And you know what? She still does.
Yes this is a worldwide problem, as Jason has stated before, raise taxes on us here we'll move. This is what has happened in Europe any time they have tried to crack down on tax avoidance. China and America are perhaps the only two countries in the world that could actually raise the upper brackets effectively. China from totalitarian control, America because there's no place most would rather live or make money.
I think you missed the point: we need to get rid of the corrupt tax code full of loopholes for the corporations. Why do you think there are so many NGO’s using taxpayers’ own money to destroy America but benefit elite billionaires?
You're not wrong but you left out one thing: Corporatism is NOT Capitalism, it is Collectivism because the corrupt two-tier tax code that treats corporations as individuals for tax purposes is in fact "collectivism" = group rights. Our corrupt tax code is bought and paid for by Corporations from career politicians getting rich in office "The UniParty" that rules USA Inc. Our Nation has replaced individual freedom that comes from our Creator with Collectivism that worships false gods of power and money. You're an "Angel Investor"? I bet that's a hard pill to swallow for someone who thinks Corporatism is Capitalism, right? Corporatism is Crony (fake) Capitalism. Capitalism is free trade by free individuals, freedom that comes from our Creator, not Government and their Corrupt tax code. The demons, false gods, of power and money are ruling USA Inc.
"Everything pivots on the tax code, until you change that nothing changes." - Herman Cain, 2012
Other states should consider what Georgia has done. We have the Hope and Zell Miller scholarships, funded by the lottery, where if you keep your grades up, your tuition at state universities and colleges will be paid for. All three of my kids graduated with no debt. They had skin in the game to get good grades and their dad and I only had to pay for room and board.
This brief note does not even have the benefit of being wrong—it is just useless. Capitalism must be protected by a bodyguard of regulation, redistribution, and justice (known as "socialism" to people who don't know terms and history). Otherwise, it falls prey to grifters, ideologues, and fools. Moderates and conservatives are the greatest enemies of capitalism.
A reminder that the world's greatest moderator can write too!
A broken social contract is an excellent frame to explain this primary election result. My concern is that the job of "reeducating the midwits" is a job that requires the scale and strength of the very institutions that miseducated them.
So, to reform or rebuild these institutions, or some of both?
I live in Chile we took the country from the comunist in the 70s and the country grrew like any other country in latin america. Now the socialist are back and tje country stoped growing, student loanes are unpayable, the country is violent and insecure, The goverment debt is skyrocketing without control and corruption is off the roof. Look at Chile and see whats mighr hapen to NY with a socialist
I will try to respond to your comments and notes...
NAILED IT, J-Cal!
Excellent article - and this is so true: “You see, capitalism is going to do its thing no matter what the commie candidate promises you.”
Well stated. Keep doing what you are doing @jcal
You let Sacks write your blog posts now?
I mean, this is the most moderate post I’ve ever written 😂😂😂
🎯🎯🎯 regulating the wrong things will only worsen the problem. Regulate the universities who are dishing out useless degrees for outrageous prices, not the hard-working Americans who invest in real estate and spend 100+ hour work weeks building companies that fuel our economy. We, the doers, the makers, the builders are not the ones that need to be punished. It’s crony capitalism that is the problem. We can have aligned fair market, conscious capitalism that fuels innovation if we get rid of the levers that allow for corruption (both in government and business) rather than trying to slowly kill it with socialism. The people that are fleecing the system will always fleece the system and it will only get worse under socialism. Layer in fair and appropriate social safety nets: subsidized housing, and childcare for certain socioeconomic situations. Low interest, federal and state loans only to universities who crank out candidates with applicable skills at fair University degree prices. Give America fighting chance before we make the same mistake that countries before us have made, “that wasn’t real socialism, we’re gonna do it better” LIES. This will be the downfall of America if we allow this dangerous ideology to crush the American dream.
Pretty logical laying out of things which all add up and compute. I also think a lot of what your seeing with the supporters of this mayoral candidate also come down to something of a faith based belief system which would probably still exist even if their debt and prospects looked much brighter. These are true believers. Faith is not rational nor economic in nature. A lot of folks have essentially replaced faith/religion with political and societal issues and that becomes their entire belief system and life’s purpose. This happens on both sides of the political spectrum. I think that’s playing a role here as well.
Interesting frame, but it reads more like projection than prophecy. might be worth asking what these kids see that you’ve stopped noticing.
Every generation gets misjudged by the ones they’re replacing
Amazing how quickly tech elites confuse their disillusionment with generational insight. “Gen XI” doesn’t need saving, they need us to get out of the way.
LOL! Sorry, but I've interacted with quite a few "Gen-Z'ers" and Millennials, and not one is willing to work more than one job to pay bills and get ahead. Not one is motivated to do much more than their hours of work... then sit on the couch and watch YouTube, TikTok, or some other waste of time. They lack self-responsibility and reliability, and tend to blame others. They fail to show initiative and do more than what is asked (whether due to a lack of education or another COVID scar). Guess that's why many employers are firing these same groups at a higher rate, as reported by MarketWatch.
The solution is never purely socialism or capitalism. We all still want the fire department. Midwits believe in easy ideas like pure market economics solves all. Rent control and government grocery stores are idiotic, but a higher top tax bracket is only sensible when the country is heading full steam towards a debt crisis, in the most cut happy admin in decades.
America has gotten massively richer over the last 50 years, while median housing to salary ratios have doubled and soon will triple. The amount of Americans living pay check to pay check is growing. There is not much room for increased tax on them, and no significant cuts to spending look likely. It's not about sticking it to the man, it's about fiscal responsibility.
Paint strawmen of foolish people spending 8$ on coffee and 100k on feminism studies all day if that makes you feel better, we all have our coping mechanisms. I run a small machine shop and I know many skilled trades workers, welders and the like, who aren't making anything near 100K and will be lucky to ever own a home. Maybe try to learn from the rising populist energy Trump harnessed for 2 victories. Call them midwits all you want but more effective messaging may be legitimate concern at the housing crisis, rather than one line in 50 about how cutting regulations could help.
Edit: Sorry reading this back feels harsh, I like you, think you usually have great takes, also Gen Xi was very witty lol. Just think you might be missing the trees for the forest here.
Remember when Paul Ryan was campaigning for VP with Mitt Romney? He let slip the truth, that he himself benefitted from getting rich in office, he said: "Raising taxes on the rich won't solve the problem, they don't pay the published tax rate." Why? Look no further than the two-tiered tax code bought and paid for by corporations from career politicians getting rich in office "The UniParty" of USA Inc. Why do you think Warren Buffet campaigned for Barrack Obama saying "My secretary pays more in taxes than I do"? And you know what? She still does.
Yes this is a worldwide problem, as Jason has stated before, raise taxes on us here we'll move. This is what has happened in Europe any time they have tried to crack down on tax avoidance. China and America are perhaps the only two countries in the world that could actually raise the upper brackets effectively. China from totalitarian control, America because there's no place most would rather live or make money.
I think you missed the point: we need to get rid of the corrupt tax code full of loopholes for the corporations. Why do you think there are so many NGO’s using taxpayers’ own money to destroy America but benefit elite billionaires?
You're not wrong but you left out one thing: Corporatism is NOT Capitalism, it is Collectivism because the corrupt two-tier tax code that treats corporations as individuals for tax purposes is in fact "collectivism" = group rights. Our corrupt tax code is bought and paid for by Corporations from career politicians getting rich in office "The UniParty" that rules USA Inc. Our Nation has replaced individual freedom that comes from our Creator with Collectivism that worships false gods of power and money. You're an "Angel Investor"? I bet that's a hard pill to swallow for someone who thinks Corporatism is Capitalism, right? Corporatism is Crony (fake) Capitalism. Capitalism is free trade by free individuals, freedom that comes from our Creator, not Government and their Corrupt tax code. The demons, false gods, of power and money are ruling USA Inc.
"Everything pivots on the tax code, until you change that nothing changes." - Herman Cain, 2012
Other states should consider what Georgia has done. We have the Hope and Zell Miller scholarships, funded by the lottery, where if you keep your grades up, your tuition at state universities and colleges will be paid for. All three of my kids graduated with no debt. They had skin in the game to get good grades and their dad and I only had to pay for room and board.
interesting. I am Gen-X as well.
This brief note does not even have the benefit of being wrong—it is just useless. Capitalism must be protected by a bodyguard of regulation, redistribution, and justice (known as "socialism" to people who don't know terms and history). Otherwise, it falls prey to grifters, ideologues, and fools. Moderates and conservatives are the greatest enemies of capitalism.
A reminder that the world's greatest moderator can write too!
A broken social contract is an excellent frame to explain this primary election result. My concern is that the job of "reeducating the midwits" is a job that requires the scale and strength of the very institutions that miseducated them.
So, to reform or rebuild these institutions, or some of both?
I live in Chile we took the country from the comunist in the 70s and the country grrew like any other country in latin america. Now the socialist are back and tje country stoped growing, student loanes are unpayable, the country is violent and insecure, The goverment debt is skyrocketing without control and corruption is off the roof. Look at Chile and see whats mighr hapen to NY with a socialist