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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Speaking of wealth and politicians, by the time Trump's tax records were finally released after years of court battles, the public had moved on to other things and paid virtually no attention to the masses of inconsistencies they contained - which would be prosecuted as tax fraud if other people did them.
The Republican and Democratic parties have placed targets on AOC, Bernie Sanders, and Mamdani because they aren't on the oligarchs side.
Indeed and there are plenty of ill informed dumbshits that will vote against her.
"That these dead shall have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom to oppress the people—and that government of the oligarchs, by the oligarchs, for the oligarchs, shall not perish from the earth."
And the rest of us are on their side, and it's time to start throwing our weight around.
It starts with elections. The only reason the Establishment guys are paying attention is because the DemSocs are winning primaries, even against entrenched incumbents. Even worse, those that have been elected are far more effective that the average elected loser, and those wins have tended to be on the side of the Citizens.
They're doing everything right, they're succeeding, and they are gathering followers FAST.
No wonder the incumbent losers are panicking. They'll eventually accept it, and get on board. Except the MAGAs, they should be panicking.
Financial obesity is an existential threat to any society that tolerates it, and needs to cease being celebrated, rewarded, and positioned as an aspirational goal.
Corporations are the only ‘persons’ which should be subjected to capital punishment, but trillionaires should be forced to transition into billionaires, and billionaires should be euthanised through taxation.
"Financial Obesity" should be more of a common term when talking about those who should have a date with a guillotine.
I approve
A blunt edge with guardrails at 9.8m•s^-2^.
I wish I had $66k. Could squash my wife’s student loans with that.
AOC has argued for student loan cancellation for all and free college education for all. She and Bernie Sanders have put forth proposals to do just that. They're just fighting an uphill battle.
Didn't Biden start implememting that? Or am i misremembering
The Biden administration eventually lost in court. A major campaign promise was to forgive $10k in student loan debt (for those making less than X dollars in income, iirc). Congress couldn't get a bill for that through, so he tried to use an executive action to order the Department of Education to do it, but a number of (red) states fought it and won in the Supreme Court.
He also tried to restructure existing loan forgiveness programs, like the public service loan forgiveness program that I am in, to make them have shorter terms. This also lost in court eventually. My loans are still in forbearance due that that litigation, but only for a few more weeks.
I still don’t understand why the paycheck loans could be forgiven but not student loans.
Because the paycheck loans were being abused by members of congress and wealthy business owners...
Mohela. Missouri argued theyd disproportionately lose out on profits
That case was so fucking dumb and proved the SCOTUS majority is completely partisan. Missouri had zero standing to sue. The loan forgiveness order was probably illegal but they didn't even wait for a case that made sense.
Another commenter explained how it was stopped, but he was only going to forgive some for people below a threshold. AOC and Sanders are trying to forgive all for everyone and make it free moving forward. AOC was very vocal about Biden not taking it far enough
She's right -- He didn't take it far enough. By him saying he would forgive $10k for those earning less than blank, meant he believed he had the power to forgive student debt. With that power, he was like, "nah fuck most of 'em. Drown in your debt." I've said it before and I'll say it again -- Biden was a huge disappointment.
I certainly hope AOC continues to work for the people and not turn into a greedy bastard.
Anyone have a link to the actual disclosure document? I can't seem to find any way to actually view it. This just doesn't seem to pass the smell test. She's making a salary of $174k per year and has been in Congress for 7 years. I wonder if this excludes retirement accounts like 401ks and IRAs. That would make sense. But I would expect her to have at least $100k in a retirement account by now. I mean she did go from working as a bartender to being a member of Congress. That kind of jump in pay usually lets one really up their retirement savings at least.
I mean, congress has a really nice retirement package if I recall correctly. Maybe she is just banking on that
She needs to keep a home in both DC and NYC, two of the most expensive cities for housing. That will eat up a LOT of income. She also has student loans to pay.
She has a relatively high paying job, and this is as far as she's gotten. Imagine the average college graduate, who is probably making far less that $100k annually.
Student loans are crushing our economy, and thousands more students graduate every year with the same millstone around their necks, and our children economy. It is a National Security Threat that will only grow worse with time. Student loan debt makes EVERYONE susceptible to bribes, espionage, and corruption.
Are 401ks subject to disclosure? Also, 175k isn't that much when you live in DC. I know that's a joke to a lot of people, but DC is crazy expensive.
Edit: https://www.ethics.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/financialdisclosure
That's a senate page, but it might still apply. The TSP is not subject to disclosure, neither is an IRA in normal situations. I think AOCs retirement probably doesn't have to be disclosed and hopefully is pretty stuffed.
I seem to recall this was from a few years ago. At this point, I wouldn't hold it against her if she's made more money. Big name politicians can make extra money through things like speaking fees and book deals. Honestly, I'd be surprised if any famous politicians aren't taking speaking fees. Plus, her salary is $174,000/year according to Wikipedia.
I like to at least pretend in my head that I'd be an ethical politician were I ever elected (a job I would never actually want), and if somebody offered me a speaking fee that was sort of the average amount a politician might get, I think I'd still be able to convince myself it wasn't a bribe.
Most elected positions don't pay enough in the U.S. today. This is expecially true in state legislature where most politicians start before attempting a national run. The only people who can afford to run for underpaid positions are either independently wealthy or corrupt. For example let's look at some of the most corrupt states in the U.S.
Texas - state senators & representatives $7,200 salary and $221/per diem when in session.
Louisiana- senator and representatives $16,800 + $178/per diem and $6000 slush fund.
Utah - state senators and representatives $0 salary and $301/per diem.
Nevada - State senators and representatives $0 salary and $130/per diem.
This lack of pay for positions is deliberate to keep "working class" out of government. It lead to open corruption and conflict of interest being normalized.
Initially politician wasn't supposed to be a career. It was a side hustle you did after planting and after harvest. Which exains some of the session schedules you see today that seem odd.
I'd argue that we need to get these offices back to being what you do outside your day job again. Whatever that means in modern society. However, if were going to make the mistake of letting it remain a career path. We do need to pay accordingly. While codifying actual laws against graft. Not just unenforceable "norms".
Most Americans get two weeks off a year, if they're lucky. There's no way to make this "outside your day job."
They're 100% is. But it 100% requires addressing what you just talked about. There needs to be a new labor movement. Where terms are renegotiated again.
It was designed so that wealthy landowners could attend sessions more easily. Just like the u.s. senate does not represent the population, but the land area. The writers of the national and state constitutions were almost all wealthy landowners.
In my opinion, given the size of the population and the complexity of the economy, full time politicians who are paid very well combined with draconian anti-graft laws are needed.
Yeah I remember during one of Bernie's presidential runs it was some sort of "gotcha" from the right that he made about $1M in a year. Like.... okay? He'd be pretty fucking dumb if he didn't make that at a bare minimum from his popularity.
"She doesn't have the mountain of ill-gotten personal wealth required to understand the commoners and their struggles."
Actually some idiot previously made fun of her for just this. Some people really deserve to be fiddled by daddy Trump all their life
MAGA wants it both ways. On one hand, they want to accuse her of being a corrupt millionaire, but when she proves that's a lie, they make fun of her for not making more money.
She’s not perfect, but she is at least coming from a place where she is aware of the challenges facing regular people. If everyone in congress was like that we’d be in a much better situation.
She... she has 66k in bank accounts? I hope they're at least in CDs or high yield savings; although I guess she gets a pension.
CDs? Compact discs?
Certificate of Deposit, a type of savings account that generates higher interest than a regular savings account.
If you believe that I would like to invite you to go watch some pro wrestling with me.
I think a society should be judged by its "lowest" members. If those are living well, everyone else will likely live a good life as well.
Might get there faster if politicians would have to live on minimum wage alone.
Just imagine how much more money she could have if she just took AIPAC money!
Sooo... Big fan of AOC and Hogg, but the original tweet (I know, I am showing my age here) doesn't value-judge the holdings, just lists them.
I would have been horrified if she'd had the numbers of a Mitch McConnell or Nancy Pelosi. The current Congress and Administration show very clearly why having people with lots of money run the country is a terrible idea.