Farfromgeneva wrote: ↑Mon Jul 06, 2020 12:16 pm
jhu72 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 06, 2020 12:04 pm
Farfromgeneva wrote: ↑Mon Jul 06, 2020 11:44 am
jhu72 wrote: ↑Mon Jul 06, 2020 11:36 am
[quote=Farfromgeneva post_id=164258 time=<a href="tel:1594048778">1594048778</a> user_id=1206]
Rome is, I believe, the longest running hegemony in world history at around 400yrs. We are on around 250 now...
Question is who are the biggest threat to us like the Germanic hordes.
… they are already in the country, they call themselves "real Americans" -- those refusing to move forward thinking there was ever something known as the good old days. Unless we get our sh!t together real soon, we will be left behind, another nation or group of nations will lead the way. When you stop leading by ideas - you are done.
That’s been my philosophy sort of for years. Nothing is owed to anyone, take nothing for granted and earn your keep every day. I like looking at my mortgage balance draining downward (hyperamortization) and thinking that it’ll be a million dollar asset (Trajectory, it’s clear form high 8s now, bought at $530 in 2013 with a 20% down I earned from years of working weekends and way past midnight in my 20a while other friends enjoyed summer Friday half days and had roommates in NYC until they were 30) I’ll own free and clear (except taxes, insurance and maintenance) and proud that I could earn the money to be in this situation when I grew up in a home in upstate NY that may clear for little more than my mother bought it for in 1989 and well under $100k. Just complaining about the kiddies and how unfair life is because some Mexican works harder and more effectively for less money, get out there and be the best strawberry picker or metal fabrication specialist one can be.
It’s called merit based incentive systems.
America is most certainly not that today for all Americans. If anyone thinks it is, they are not paying attention.
I agree, but we should all work as much as we can for ourselves. I see a lot of MAGA folks who are distressed in their situations because they were complacent. I took advantage, if you think this way, of my male white privilege or whatever you want to define it as (I find the term white privileged pejorative, have to be a better description but in the grand scheme of problems people have complaining about an advantage is goofy) and am thankful for it. Recognize that there’s part of the population that’s structurally disadvantaged. Don’t care for wealth transfers principally as it allows for government to buy favor but recognize some is necessary, just would prefer it’s not managed by insular career politicians or frankly anyone who lives or works in the DC bubble but it is what it is.
Everyone should try their hardest and not whine, we should help those who are working to help themselves and let the ones who are crying and yelling and not utilizing whatever opportunity that comes their way “die on the vine”. What I see across the east coast and in my own business travels is the ones disadvantaged generally complain a heck of a lot less than the ones born into more favorable situations. Less law and regulation, IMO, and when we create or more realistically layer on, new laws they should be rifle shot targeted at supporting those who truly exemplify the American ethos which I often compare to Weber’s Protestant ethic and spirit of capitalism. Participate, work hard and utilize opportunities and we should support that while maintaining liberties for all of us.
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… yup, the secret is we should all be working hard for ourselves, but not working against classes of people. You can do both.