Respectful Politics Thread (Let's Just See)

[LittleJerry92]

To be fair, I can attest that last part and say I have my fair share of friends who are of color that say Trump is doing such a great job with his presidency.

(Cue up shocked Pikachu faces from the shocked extreme left)

 

[MuppetsRule]

I went in for my annual physical today, and they evidently have added a new procedure during the initial check-up: asking questions about depression. According to my doctor and nurse, they say it's something that they started doing within the last year, because not enough patients who have depression are talking about it, or noting symptoms associated with it.

Now, I'm not going through depression at the moment (been there before, though; twice), however I did underplay some of my answers and responses, because among the questions they have to ask now are if you're worried or concerned about the possibility of losing your home, and if you're worried or concerned about not having enough money to afford to eat; the former, thankfully, doesn't apply to me because this place has the only decent landlord in all of America, but the latter has been a problem for almost all of 2019 - though, again, I underplayed my response, and simply said it's a struggle, but getting by.

I can't help but wonder if Trump's economy is even worse than it seems, because these are some very, very specific questions, and these questions are now part of standard procedure . . . why else would you have to be asked about the possibility of losing your house or not being able to afford to eat? Just how many people out there are faced with these particular problems that they're having to be asked about them now at a check-up or physical at the doctor's office?

I continue to see people praising Trump for how great the economy is right now, how it's stronger than it's ever been before, how it continues to strengthen, and how Trump's tax breaks have been wonderful . . . but once again, the only people I see singing these praises are white collar workers, big businesses, and the wealthy . . . otherwise, everyone else is suffering and barely able to keep their heads above the waters of poverty. The notion that "the rich get richer, the poor get poorer" does sound silly, and even childish, I'll agree (like "turn around, don't drown"), but it's highly, highly accurate whenever a Republican is President, and again, this is one the main reasons why I never vote Republican: they never help anybody but their own kind, and their own kind are the rich and wealthy.

You went to the wrong doctor. You really need to go see your eye doctor. Cause your view of the country is seriously clouded by your political view.

 

[MWoO]

Sooo.... your doctor decides, a year ago, to ask about questions regarding depression and poverty and you see this as a sign that the economy is terrible, regardless of anything that is reported.

So, I get that you are personally having issues. However, as has been pointed out many times, your personal experience does prove or disprove the average experience in the US.

Unemployment is at record lows, and it's not because people are working 2 jobs because that is not how unemployment is measured. The upswing of the economy started with Obama and is continuing under Trump. We are seeing the average income increase. The economy is doing well. Yes, businesses are seeing a great deal of the effect, but guess what? Businesses are the ones employing people. Some are taking the profits and running, but many are using the tax break to hire up and make improvements to their business infastructure.

What we need is less jealousy and mire fiscal responsibility. Knowing how to budget, learning skills that will get you into jobs that pay well. We need to push a culture of self betterment, not socialism.

 

[Blue Frackle]

You went to the wrong doctor. You really need to go see your eye doctor. Cause your view of the country is seriously clouded by your political view.

 

[fuzzygobo]

When we had our taxes done, it turned out there was a tax break that benefitted me. Because of my injury (last year I fell and broke my hip) I only worked 3 months out of the whole year. No workman's comp because it didn't happen at work. Temporary disability only lasted six months. My wife had to dip into her savings, and we had a lot of help from our church (those Bible thumping hypocrites Censored is so enamored of).
As hard as things are, we still get by. And with some tax break that only benefits the rich.

How did a chump like me qualify?
1. The closest I ever came to a white collar job was a manager trainee position that lasted three months.
2. I'm not exactly the type that would run a Fortune 500 company.
If you need help, going to church is a good place to start. It has always been the goal of houses of worship to help the least among us.
It can't hurt to try.
But if you fall back on the excuse "There is no church mosque or synagogue that will help me", I ain't buying it. If you can have the only decent landlord, a decent church shouldn't be too far behind.

 

[fuzzygobo]

Oh, and as far as Republicans go, the biggest push to the middle and working classes came during Reagan's first term.
The worst president in recent memory was Jimmy Carter, who during his term the economy was in the toilet, and his botched foreign policy didn't help matters.

Too bad you never got to witness this. Only some grizzled old farts like............me!

 

[D'Snowth]

I'm gonna take a moment and weigh in on this:

Once again, I'm gonna play the part of Switzerland here and take a neutral stand on this.

On the one hand . . . I actually get the point Chase is actually trying to make here: it's called being frugal . . . and I very much live as frugally as possible - now more than ever. Like, take going to a restaurant, for example - it's not something I do all the time, but if I do, I usually don't go for the add-ons like appetizers or desserts or anything like that, and I'll only take a salad if it actually comes with the meal (as some places do), otherwise I'll forego it, since it costs extra. When it comes to grocery shopping, one thing my mom instilled in me is couponing and scoping out sales and deals - she was doing those before couponing even became a mainstream thing - I can easily save upwards of $30 or more in a trip to the grocery store with coupons (paper or digital) and other sales. Heck, I've even discovered a gallon of milk is actually a dollar cheaper in Walgreen's than grocery stores, so I get milk there instead. I don't buy new clothes or under garments or anything unless they're just absolutely shredded or falling apart. They actually make a grounded, solid point here.

On the other hand, I also understand the criticism and backlash they're facing, because the way they worded and structured this really does come across as yet another example of mocking those who are struggling in a very smug, demeaning, and condescending way - much like the other age-old argument made by the rich and wealthy that working class people need to "stop being so lazy and work harder if they want more money" (despite working class people being the ones working five or more jobs at the same time and still barely making ends meet).

 

[fuzzygobo]

I'm the same as you. For as long as my wife and I have been married, she was always into coupons and bargains to stretch a buck.
The only part I don't get is tweeting with my bank (I do have a Chase account).
My finances are nobody else's business, and Chase has no right airing their views in a public forum. If they did that to me,it would cost them my account. I'd take my money and give Bank of America my business.

 

[MWoO]

Its not like this was a real conversation between Chase and a customer...

This ad is targeted at people who claim they have no money, but spend it on convenience. When I was without a job, my expenses were super low because I stopped eating out or ordering, cut out any subscriptions to services I didnt need, and stopped myself from impulse buying. I bought essentials and made cheap yet healthy bulk meals.

Now, I have a job that pays almost as much as my old job, work less hours, and has less responsibility. I've gone back to bad spending habits and bought stuff I don't need, have ordered take out, and even take cabs in sometimes because I decides an extra 30 minutes of sleep was worth it. My bills went way up.

Is frugality the answer to every single person? No. Is it the answer to a lot of peoples problems? Yes.

I remeber a show from years ago where a family would have an expert review their finances. The one that sticks out is this one family where the wife and husband both worked to make ends meet. When they had everything reviewed they were told that is one of them just quit, they would have more money due to how much they spent on child care and premade food they ate because there was no time to cook. It was really eye opening to how earning more money doesn't always put you in a better position.

 

[fuzzygobo]

A lot of people get in dire financial straits by living beyond their means. Not just buying clothes and eating out, but buying gadgets, getting their hair and nails done, impulse buying, maxing out their credit cards (credit card debt can kill you), as George Carlin put it, "people spending money they don't have on things they don't need".
I remember a few years back a member on here posting in three different threads about how her parents gave her a gift card, and in one fell swoop she blew it all on stupid crap she didn't even want. It's an expensive lesson, but how else are you going to learn?