Is it really so hard to believe that’s exactly how millions upon millions of people go about living their lives?
Yes, that does seem completely insane to people like you and me who don’t tolerate that level of willful ignorance in ourselves, but to someone else that’s all just noise that they tune out.
Ever heard the phrase, “Hell is other people“? I’m slowly starting to believe this existence is a punishment.
It’s looking increasingly likely that the US Department of Justice is going to succeed in their antitrust efforts against Google. Currently, Mozilla gets something like 85% of their funding from Google for being the default search engine in Firefox. That may be deemed anticompetitive behavior by a judge, at which point Mozilla will be left with very little funding compared to their current situation.
I’d bet these actions are in anticipation of that happening.
That’s just standard in Russia
And the usual longterm Republican obstructionism strikes again.
I’m no fan of his, so this isn’t a defense. Until Congress changed the way the USPS is funded in 2022, they’ve been absolutely screwed and kneecapped on purpose so that private carriers aren’t outcompeted. They now no longer have to reserve retirement money for their employees decades out from that employee’s hiring date, but it’s such a massive ship to turn around that it hasn’t happened yet.
I do not understand why Biden would have kept DeJoy in his position.
That’s correct, which is how I ended up on foot. In fact, all new carriers are contracted. They then dump on the contractors because they’re not federal employees.
At the time I had a 16-year old vehicle, so using that for work wasn’t really an option. Since my only way to avoid using that clunker was to apply for a city carrier position, I did. I figured that still meant I’d be driving a white mail truck (for which I did still have to pass driving certification). Instead I got sent to a downtown office where I was given a big van that we parked and left while delivering on foot.
Last summer (if I’m not mistaken) was the hottest on record. There was hardly ever a clear weather day that I didn’t end up literally soaked in sweat. Oh, in my own clothes too because they don’t give you any uniforms until you’re past your 90 day mark. They actually don’t issue uniforms either. You get an allowance so you can order your own through one of several contracted companies (of varying quality).
Like I said my van had broken AC, so it was a big metal oven all day long. High humidity too. Because I was a contractor, days off were rare and never more than one at a time. They can work you up to 11 days in a row. I did also have a large dog try to attack me. Many do hate mail carriers and will attack on sight. We had to carry mace.
They don’t really tell anyone this stuff up front because it doesn’t pay well enough to nearly kill yourself over. I really did almost pass out a couple of times despite never having done that before and despite drinking at least a gallon of water every day.
And that is the story of how I discovered I was born with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
I was a mail carrier briefly in 2023. It gets three degrees below Hell in the summer here. It was 110 outside and 125 inside my truck with broken AC that they wouldn’t fix despite the union contract stating the trucks have to be kept in good repair.
I now work an office job again because I was probably going to drop dead working in those conditions for 10-11 days straight with no day off. Carrying mail - especially on foot like I did - is a brutal job you guys. They deserve this agreement.
Just like a doctor to take credit for a good job done by a nurse
Yeah, do it!
I had a similar touch when I was younger. I’ve worked for Circuit City, Toys ‘R’ Us, and Blockbuster Video. Sadly, Best Buy somehow survived.
Thank you for that article! He’s a truly good writer, and I read a couple more of his entries before I bookmarked his site.
I suppose they could have had evidence that the positive reviews were paid for and manufactured. Not that I trust Google to do anything that isn’t to their direct benefit.
Several times I’ve had to wait for months on healthcare in the US system. This is such a weak argument against a socialized system.
That data is made of averages which aren’t worth a lot when you discuss people’s feelings about the economy, and also not everyone is getting a raise equally. Many don’t get one at all and those people are definitely still dealing with prices being higher.
Additionally, the cumulative rate of inflation over the last four years is over 20%, so unless my annual salary rises to be at least that much higer than it was four years ago then my real buying power has still decreased. It doesn’t matter that the average raise is outpacing inflation if I never receive enough raises to at least keep up.
States with laws that are hostile to workers - as mine is - make it hard to find employment where your employer will increase your pay to at least track inflation. This kind of thing gets lost in the discussion of averages.
Just because a person might have a wealthy neighbor while they live in poverty doesn’t really mean that, on average, everyone is doing fine. It still means some are still hurting.
From the article:
Though the central bank now believes inflation is largely defeated, many Americans remain upset with still-high prices for groceries, gas, rent and other necessities.
The comment on this article that you were originally responding to was most certainly one of frustration with this situation, not one aimed at the Fed’s decisions about interest rates. I feel that frustration too.
It kinda doesn’t matter if the Fed made every single right move if this was still the outcome for a large swath of America. People are going to be voicing frustration every time an article about the economy is posted.
I have an B.S. in Economics, by the way.
Okay, but only if he lives on a vegan diet.
Inflation may have fallen, but prices haven’t. Additionally, my annual pay is still $12k below where it should be had it only kept up with inflation over the last four years, no raises included.
Anecdotal data isn’t worth much, but I think it’s clear that Americans largely feel the same pressures.
This was an underlying plot point in Metal Gear Solid 2.
I don’t think it was a bluff, unfortunately. Neither do I think they should not criticize the Republicans for their behavior.
Your existence might be a blessing, but I live in constant pain with genetic diseases that I couldn’t prevent and can do very little about. The cost of healthcare has nearly bankrupted me multiple times, and Trump being elected again is most definitely not going to improve any of this for me.