this post was submitted on 03 Aug 2026
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Work Reform

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A place to discuss positive changes that can make work more equitable, and to vent about current practices. We are NOT against work; we just want the fruits of our labor to be recognized better.

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[–] schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works 143 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (4 children)

The solution is this: every sector of the economy has been optimized to extract as much money from everyone as possible. This is the implicit role of government--to help the rich get richer. Have an idea that makes money? The government will help you make it happen. Does it materially harm the public, like sports gambling? Then you better make a lot of money to pay off the politicos!

This through-and-through corruption means that we now graduate in lifelong debt, working jobs that don't cover the rent of places we can never own and spend money on health insurance we can never use because we can't afford the co-pays. We are forced to finance expensive car because that's the only way to get to work because the bus routes have all been purchased by car companies and liquidated long ago while regulations keep out cheaper foreign cars for "safety" while massive trucks and SUVs are killing pedestrians and cyclists at record rates. Forced to work longer hours and with less money in our pockets, our third spaces disappear. Now stuck at home, we are forced to buy electronics now at inflated prices because of the AI bubble and use oligopoly internet that should have long ago been regulated as a utility but for the massive campaign contributions those companies make to politicians to have a shadow of a social connection with each other.

We are no longer citizens. We are livestock.

This is unsustainable.

[–] jimmy90@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

so what would be your first act as president

[–] schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

After that speech, I guess I'd start trust-busting, but that's presuming just being president would give me that power.

[–] jimmy90@lemmy.world 1 points 6 hours ago

long way to go after that i guess

at least the markets might regain some of their function

[–] oce@jlai.lu 3 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago)

This is not the explicit role of government in a functional social democracy. Which the USA obviously are not.

[–] Rhaedas@fedia.io 48 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's about money. But a nice side effect is that it keeps the people busy so they have little down time to reflect on why they are in that condition, or more importantly, no time left to take action, as well as the threat that if they do anything, it could endanger their job and life. That's why they don't take away too much from too many, otherwise suddenly those masses don't have anything to threaten and a lot of free time to notice what happened and by whom. Bread and circuses.

[–] schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works 30 points 1 day ago

100%, The New Deal in the USA was largely a result of the fear of a communist revoltuion during the Great Depression.

[–] ruekk@fedinsfw.app 5 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

The U.S. is an open air prison

[–] schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works 5 points 22 hours ago

Open-air farm.