DonkeyCigars

Yea; which is why after this thread the second most active real estate thread is “which town is the next Austin”. For better or worse, lots of folks here got lucky that Austin has exploded the way it has and have benefited and been made millionaires out of sheer luck. Sure there may be some of us who can say we are passionate and well read about real estate trends and development but foe the most part we had day jobs and built or bought a house and improved upon it and maintained it for ourselves and family same as we would have if we lived anywhere. I guess it brings me to the axiom of life: It’s always better to be lucky than good.

Wasteful spending of tens of trillions upon trillions of dollars = the only way to not treat people like crap to you; got it! There is a place for welfare and government support and spending. I don’t think anybody would argue against that. The discussion and disagreements are around where do you draw the line? What is the floor? What is the minimum acceptable benefits? What are basic American rights? Those are fair (and very difficult) questions and will vary on personal values and beliefs and both learned and lived experiences. To act as you do is to disqualify yourself from being someone to take seriously when discussing these matters, as you prove to have the temperament and emotional blinders of a 5 year old. You are no better than and in fact by your responses I can deduce you are an everymanTrump in that regard. But, philosophically, I guess we all come to take on characteristics of the things we fixate upon and, whether it’s a positive love or a negative hate, the idolization and worship exerts the same energy and effort. at any rate, good job becoming that which you hate.

I guess you did, but just like free community college tuition, poor people are overwhelmingly the beneficiary of the welfare defense and job program as well. Not a lot of middle to upper middle class folks joining the services as an enlisted, non-OCS track. The only difference is that if (acknowledging it’s a big if) the defense spending and investments are done well enough, there is a utility for everyone. Astronomical welfare for the sake of the poor has a social benefit (e.g lower crime, lower healthcare costs, etc.) in a vacuum, but on the balance when you look at the scorecard review, it’s an outsize gain for some and a net negative for others, which was my main point in taking the headline of that study with a bathtub of salt.

This board is full of people with good educations, decent communication abilities, and a median age of like 44 years old or whatever Gen X is-- of course the median income is going to be $200k+ per person and it's just what the demographic here is. if you are an outlier (a rich person or a poor person) just take it with a grain of salt and move on. There shouldn't be any confusion about why certain topics, like tax, get discussed in a narrowly focused sense that affects most of this community.

Define huge. Also, if those things are huge, then what do you call the welfare programs? Is there a word for the ratio and size? Maybe whatever it is astronomers use to describe size and scope, like AU's? I ask because what I read was In June, a bipartisan bill that would inject $90 billion into US tech and science research over five years passed the Senate. This is a step in the direction, but a it represents a a 0.1 percentage point bump, per calculations in the AESG paper, compared to 1+ percentage points. Is this what you are referencing though?: https://www.wsj.com/articles/senate-approves-250-billion-bill-to-boost-tech-research-11623192584

No, that's not what I said, to your question. I'm saying there is an obvious spin by couching the term there for the headline of the paper-- not sure that is even debatable. Also "Taxpayers recoup 51bn of their initial investment of $100bn" is a funny way to say there is a negative ROI and Taxpayers are actually at a net loss of $49bn.

Did you happen to catch how the term "Society" was defined? Didn't seem 100% honest there. I think it's more truthful to say the cost of $100bn would generate $800 bn in benefits to the poor/impoverished and that should be good enough as a headline and thesis/abstract because the fact is, this is a net negative for taxpayers of -$ 48.9 bn. or ~$49 cents on the dollar (page 3).

Listening to your feedback-- and understanding intention versus impact on marginalized people of society and underrepresented minority groups-- like aggies on longhorn messageboards-- is absolutely something I'm committed to. I will be doing some introspection as you suggest. Amen.

I'm so sorry. I'm listening to the community and can--and will-- be better. I'll take some time away form social media to reflect for you.

Just weird all the way around: 1) Was initially called domestic abuse -- but really doesn't seem to be any. He yelled at his FIL and beat on his property, he didn't hit his wife or FIL. Weird that it's domestic abuse for in-law too and not just regular assault or whatever, but I guess that is the law 2) I need to know-- what in the world did his wife's father say to enrage him like that and want to fight him? Did he say the 49ers suck or that he likes Crabtree or that he's not the best CB ever? I hope this comes out because I gotta know what the impetus was there. 3) Super weird situation for the loving wife here-- caught between your husband and your dad and now the cops. Oof. 4) Sarcastic comment about how this couldn't have happened to a more humble guy haha

Apologies to all; I have heard the feedback and now understand I made an error in communicating and I was unclear. That was not my intention and not my character. I'm listening and learning and commit to you all and my employer that I will do better and will be looking into better communication training because this is not who I am. Again, I'm sorry to you all.

Before responding to your point specifically, which I think is good, I want to say "The CTC isn't bad and I'm not mad about this and think it's fine how this is going right now", so you can skip the rest if you are going to try and mischaracterize me. Now, between you and I: I read that analysts are saying this CTC is a boon to Wal-Mart and Nike (their words, take the implications as you see them if the shoe fits on who gets these credits). The point being, I agree with you, because just stimulating the economy to buy things, while important for necessities and sundries for day to day living, is not going to be a good use of tax dollars and increased spending if it's to further enrich Bezos or Nike shareholders or LVMH and other fashion houses (the latter being more typical with a lump sum versus a monthly, lower stipend). That being said, raising taxes on the rich is going to be the left's suggestion, but we know that there are so many tax loopholes that the rich won't pay for it and that the politicians aren't going to not close those, so then the left will say "make the investors pay for it by hiking the capital gains tax" which will disincentivize investors (people are not inherently altruistic, has long been my thesis), hurting the economy even more. I think we need to do this to help poverty, glad it's being done. But I think now more important than looking to stretch out these welfare programs indefinitely, the need is to invest our national dollars into R&D. You mentioned Private billionaire space programs and I thought of this I read:

sorry! i typo'd "think" for "thin" and it was quoted before I could edit so, yes, clearly it was impossible to understand intent there and obviously I must have damaged the part of the brain that regulates communication!

Just an observation from this year; not a criticism or even a comment isolated to this one clip. Just interesting to see his unique personality and draw some inferences over time.

This is a good post.

It's very strange how he's so think-skinned and impulsively reacts and then almost immediately realizes he shouldn't and reframes it as a joke or a nothing-burger. It's an amazing skill.

This story makes so much sense on how and why you are such a Stakhanov party man for the big tent, centrist Democratic party with nary a critical or negative word to say in all your breathless defenses the past year. You are an alumnus of the fraternity!

Yea, not sure what the benefit of this is. It's 6 one way and half a dozen the other for those who qualify, right? It's not in addition to or growing the pie, it's just redistributed timelines. The benefit is I guess gaining interest on it for 6 months before paying it back? Getting smaller monthly increments so you are less likely to blow it on a Miami Spring Break vacation in one purchase and more apt to spend it on things you need in life, the kids back to school clothes and supplies and repairs and paying down debt? Were people asking for this? If so, how/why? I'm honestly not sure how this is a benefit or a better situation than getting a lump sum in March or April like they currently do rather than splitting it up unless I'm not understanding it fully and maybe there is free money in addition to in there somewhere...otherwise this seems like a false benefit in a rearranging the same chairs on the deck of the Titantic and will probably backfire if people don't know that is what this is and will be surprised when their lump sum isn't so lumpy in the Spring.

Thanks bro!

For those who would never, help me understand the cultural moment they are having. These are non-famous housewives who live together in a house like Big Brother or the Real World and who do things? Are there events or contests? Every clip or meme or gif I've seen seems to be them in a kitchen around an island or at a table, so is it more like Red Table with Will Smith and his Mother in law where they just gab about topics and gossip? Are these people D list celebrities first and so then they are asked to join the panel or are they casted and then by virtue of being in the house they get internet fame from people who watch trash TV and further the social and moral decay of the world we live in? It's just so confusing and I've actually seen a few episodes of KUWTK like 10 years ago, so I'm not sitting in judgment.

Playing golf if you aren't a kid or an old. It's a 3-5 hour time commitment all-in (commute, check-in, playing, eating, etc.) and there is so much more to do or get accomplished or spend the finite amount of time you have in the day. Is it like therapy for some people or something or there are mental wellness benefits? Every time I'm out there socially or on the weekends, I think of the opportunity cost of what I'm missing out on in life. Even when I have to be out there for work on the clock with a client or my boss or team(e.g. "getting paid to golf"), I have to make up the time missed actually working on deals in the evenings or weekends. I get it when you are retired and have nothing better to do and it's a fun game to play with your retired friends.

Yep, had a friend just do this and in 4 hours got it done. Friend was on the verge of having to cancel a very expensive family vacation. Congressperson's efficacy is amazing in this one aspect, for sure.

Organizational Change Management (OCM) is the hardest part of any transformation. And these changes and transformations need strong leaders and leadership. The biggest fail trap it seems, and we saw this in the 1860's, is with countries versus organizations, there is no real way to cut bait and say "Thanks but no thanks, I don't believe in your leadership or values and strategy and goals and would rather take my talents elsewhere", so you can rebuild and transform with those who want to stay on board and move in the direction you want. The New World was that, but we ran out of real estate. Maybe Bezos and Branson can usher in the age of space colonization. How crazy would that be? The ultimate white flight. "Ugh, this country is the worst. Pack your things, we are going to Mars, got a job at the new Amazon Universe HQ on Olympia Mons making $500,000 Moondars."

Well regardless of the metaphysics behind life, I think that there are cultures were children are destroyed before they've had a chance to be autonomous thinking beings or have agency. Their butterfly wings are touched or plucked fresh out of the chrysalis and those places exist in pockets all over America, and the world, and are sad, hopeless reminders of humanity's inherent wickedness.