2 ms·

Your comment shows the problem with assuming that the Democratic Party == left. It does not, at least not on the economic front, not since FDR, which is why you

Your comment shows the problem with assuming that the Democratic Party == left. It does not, at least not on the economic front, not since FDR, which is why you get the sort of compromise 'centrist' solution that is Obamacare, which actually takes a lot of cues from what were right-wing proposals, (i.e. Romney). The left wants single payer/medicare for all, which polls extremely well, not crappy compromises. There should have been at least a public option, but precisely because Obama was no leftist, he took even that out. Bernie Sanders actually polls well among the working class people you're talking about. P.S. The notion that there is some significant amount of people who 'choose not to work' is... laughable. Life on benefits its not the comfortable sort of life you seem to imagine it being. In fact many people on benefits DO WORK, and they're struggling despite it. You can blame them for working minimum wage jobs, (like everyone can be an entrepreneur), however the real problem might be that the minimum wage has not kept up with the increases in productivity and inflation.

leereeves 8y ago
I'm not imagining anything; I'm speaking from personal knowledge. I grew up in poverty. Poor people aren't a distant mystery to me; they've been my friends, family, classmates, and neighbors most of my life. (Not so much coworkers because I was fortunate to enter the tech industry.) I've known many people who prefer to live on benefits and take pride in their ability to work the system. That life may not seem comfortable by SV standards, but they like it. They have no intention of working hard and earning a more expensive life. Of course, I've also known many poor people who worked hard to improve their lives. People who advanced by going to night school while working full time, or through hard work and loyalty for an employer, or by living simply and investing what money they had. But I rarely see policies that help that kind of person from either party.
- AsyncAwait 8y ago
  > I've known many people who prefer to live on benefits and take pride in their ability to work the system. Yeah, sure, but there's always going to be people taking advantage of any system. Does that mean no system is worth having? I mean there's a tremendous amount of waste at the Pentagon, for example, yet the right always seems to rather be focusing on punching down, rather than up.
  - leereeves 8y ago
    Some systems are worth having. Taxing idle wealth instead of productive work would be a good system. Rewarding work instead of cutting off benefits would be a good system. The system we have helps people who don't work but does little to help poor working people and IMO isn't worth having.
    - AsyncAwait 8y ago
      > Taxing idle wealth instead of productive work would be a good system. I actually 100% agree with this. I am pleasantly surprised you support this, since many on the right tend to protest taxing wealth more.

leereeves 8y ago

I'm not imagining anything; I'm speaking from personal knowledge. I grew up in poverty. Poor people aren't a distant mystery to me; they've been my friends, family, classmates, and neighbors most of my life. (Not so much coworkers because I was fortunate to enter the tech industry.) I've known many people who prefer to live on benefits and take pride in their ability to work the system. That life may not seem comfortable by SV standards, but they like it. They have no intention of working hard and earning a more expensive life. Of course, I've also known many poor people who worked hard to improve their lives. People who advanced by going to night school while working full time, or through hard work and loyalty for an employer, or by living simply and investing what money they had. But I rarely see policies that help that kind of person from either party.

AsyncAwait 8y ago
> I've known many people who prefer to live on benefits and take pride in their ability to work the system. Yeah, sure, but there's always going to be people taking advantage of any system. Does that mean no system is worth having? I mean there's a tremendous amount of waste at the Pentagon, for example, yet the right always seems to rather be focusing on punching down, rather than up.
- leereeves 8y ago
  Some systems are worth having. Taxing idle wealth instead of productive work would be a good system. Rewarding work instead of cutting off benefits would be a good system. The system we have helps people who don't work but does little to help poor working people and IMO isn't worth having.
  - AsyncAwait 8y ago
    > Taxing idle wealth instead of productive work would be a good system. I actually 100% agree with this. I am pleasantly surprised you support this, since many on the right tend to protest taxing wealth more.