I drink your milkshake! a metaphor for capitalism

[rickyb]

But...I live in the US and I get 35? Why isn't it 0? Is this accurate?

35 by law, or what you won on the market?

im talking about which countries guarantee vacation by law. from what i gather in america, there is no law saying you are guaranteed at least 4 weeks off when you work FT. you can look up "no vacation nation" on EPI to see how well the US's market based approach compares to the rest of the west who plans out how much vacation workers get by law.

 

[dudebro]

People think that "by law" is some kind of magic. It isn't, because a law is just something a few people wrote on a piece of paper and held a little ceremony for the piece of paper. It's not magical, and it's not guaranteed. It's not guaranteed because, when those few, very powerful people want a NEW law, they just write some different stuff on paper and have another little ceremony. And just like that, your 30, or 25, or however many days it is, are changed. My 35 days could be changed tomorrow but I'm realistic about that. And I would try to win it somewhere else.

The problem with running everything in an overly socialist society, is that in theory, by the book, everyone works for everyone else and shares in the bountiful wealth created. In real life, giving a government this much power creates such a drastic power imbalance, that the powerful in government take for themselves first, and the less powerful suffer. That's why in Cuba, the populace is impoverished and the Castros are a little more "equal"....and sitting on billions in wealth. It's no different than capitalism, and based on empirical evidence it tends to be much much worse.

In capitalism, equal outcome isn't guaranteed, but people get some chance, and self selection determines (to some degree) the outcome. In government, it never appears that way. Your chance is codified by LAW.

 

[rickyb]

People think that "by law" is some kind of magic. It isn't, because a law is just something a few people wrote on a piece of paper and held a little ceremony for the piece of paper. It's not magical, and it's not guaranteed. It's not guaranteed because, when those few, very powerful people want a NEW law, they just write some different stuff on paper and have another little ceremony. And just like that, your 30, or 25, or however many days it is, are changed. My 35 days could be changed tomorrow but I'm realistic about that. And I would try to win it somewhere else.

The problem with running everything in an overly socialist society, is that in theory, by the book, everyone works for everyone else and shares in the bountiful wealth created. In real life, giving a government this much power creates such a drastic power imbalance, that the powerful in government take for themselves first, and the less powerful suffer. That's why in Cuba, the populace is impoverished and the Castros are a little more "equal"....and sitting on billions in wealth. It's no different than capitalism, and based on empirical evidence it tends to be much much worse.

In capitalism, equal outcome isn't guaranteed, but people get some chance, and self selection determines (to some degree) the outcome. In government, it never appears that way. Your chance is codified by LAW.

i think your making a big leap between saying we are socialists by having a law guaranteeing workers vacations, and what you said about the govt.

i agree its a terrible idea to let the govt have alot of power over the economy. the issue is really about power distribution, not capitalism vs socialism. right now under capitalism, the capitalists have all the power and govt too; and when i say govt that doesnt mean we the people.

im not sure about hunger in cuba, but they have a higher life expectancy than america, and so do alot of the EU countries which im sure you'd agree are more socialist.

they guarantee vacation laws in my country and its never changed since i started working as far as i know. id guess youre more likely to have your vacation cut at UPS than by govt.

 

[1989]

35 by law, or what you won on the market?

im talking about which countries guarantee vacation by law. from what i gather in america, there is no law saying you are guaranteed at least 4 weeks off when you work FT. you can look up "no vacation nation" on EPI to see how well the US's market based approach compares to the rest of the west who plans out how much vacation workers get by law.

35 because the market doesn’t work, right? I usually work less than 210 days a year. (As an employee).

(24/7 as a boss). Because you can’t turn off your mind.

 

[rickyb]

35 because the market doesn’t work, right? I usually work less than 210 days a year. (As an employee).

(24/7 as a boss). Because you can’t turn off your mind.

yea thats just at UPS. no vacation nation report says it averages out to less than 2 weeks on the market.

 

[rickyb]

35 because the market doesn’t work, right? I usually work less than 210 days a year. (As an employee).

(24/7 as a boss). Because you can’t turn off your mind.

report saying 50% of americans earning less than $30,000 a year

 

[DriveInDriveOut]

report saying 50% of americans earning less than $30,000 a year

Americans can't feel good about themselves unless they are looking down on others. Guaranteeing things like vacation time and living wage would mess that up.

 

[vantexan]

Americans can't feel good about themselves unless they are looking down on others. Guaranteeing things like vacation time and living wage would mess that up.

You must feel amazingly good about yourself then!

 

[DriveInDriveOut]

You must feel amazingly good about yourself then!

Your garbage life makes me feel like a king.

 

[vantexan]

Your garbage life makes me feel like a king.

As long as I don't have your life I can live with that.

 

[rickyb]

so last night one of our coworkers is temporarily demoted as punishment, and hes one of the africans who knows everything. not to be racist but the blacks know everything at my job and are the most militant therefore my favorite except the 2 who have no social skills.

anywho, i found out last night that in our collective agreement the company basically has to give us 6 months unpaid LOA upon sufficient notice. ive taken a LOA before but it was only for 1 month at a time and i got 4 months in a row last year. i think the management try to pretend like the union doesnt exist. and sometimes the collective agreement is mumbo jumbo.

unions need to do a better job of educating their workers on class war fare and economics / politics.

 

[rickyb]

last night i was talking to a fellow coworker about his relative whos a dietician at a hospital in san fran. he only gets 12 days paid vacation a year and that includes sick days apparently :S. nurses here start at 4 weeks. we even start with 20+ vacation and sick days and i dont work in a hospital and im really getting ripped off.

 

[dudebro]

Wife is a nurse. Works 156 12 hour days per year, 22 days (of the 156) as vacation, and is ordered not to come to work sick as she works with medically frail people. Downside of this is one of the 156 per week is a weekend, and Christmas, etc. are not days off if they're on the schedule, so she works every holiday once every 3 years.

 

[rickyb]

i read something that says ads for corporations are tax write offs.

corporations should pay a tax depending on the ad. polluting our minds. like a carbon tax. tax what we dont like.

 

[1989]

i read something that says ads for corporations are tax write offs.

corporations should pay a tax depending on the ad. polluting our minds. like a carbon tax. tax what we dont like.

Any “costs of doing business” is a deduction. You love the polluting economies.

 

[1989]

report saying 50% of americans earning less than $30,000 a year

What report? What source?

 

[rickyb]

What report? What source?

if you were smart enough to watch the show you'd know :S

 

[rickyb]

What report? What source?

do you have term deposits in america?

i was reading the local world famous socialist magazine and they were saying people should take their money out of the stock market and put it in term deposits. they have recommended putting money in a credit union and paying off all credit card statements which i do already.

its a bit of a silly book, but the issues i was reading have a bunch of really good recommendations to change the world for the better.

 

[rickyb]

my supervisor who is american hates trump but hasnt made the connection between trump and capitalism in decline for most people.

 

[rickyb]

poor getting poorer world wide according to oxfam the top source on inequality. says 10,000 people unnecessarily die every day because of it. people suffering is in the billions.

A new billionaire is minted every 2 days as the poor lose wealth