3 ms·

I agree that a significant LVT would be extremely welcome. Perhaps even more so than UBI. I'm open to suggestions, but we've passed the point we were in from 1

I agree that a significant LVT would be extremely welcome. Perhaps even more so than UBI. I'm open to suggestions, but we've passed the point we were in from 1950 to 2000 where any mediocre person could work hard and be guaranteed a middle-class life. And that's wrong, not to mention very threatening to our democracy.

philwelch 7y ago
I'm sure that by some economic measurement, any mediocre person today could still work hard and earn enough to afford the same standard of living as the middle class of 1950. The main problem is that this isn't actually possible to pull off, since it costs 10x as much for things like housing and medicine that aren't necessarily 10x better. There just isn't the option to buy the crappy version from 70 years ago.
- burfog 7y ago
  Medicine from 70 years ago can be superior to modern medicine. Which would you prefer if you couldn't breathe on your own, an iron lung or a tube jammed down your throat?
  - philwelch 7y ago
    By what authority and rationale do you feel so strongly about intubation, I wonder? Could it be that the entire medical profession is wrong and you are right?
    - burfog 7y ago
      There are obvious reasons that have nothing to do with quality of care. Iron lungs are physically large and heavy. They are expensive and difficult to move. Health insurance doesn't want to pay extra for your comfort. With an iron lung you can talk and eat. There is minimal difficulty; simply time your sentences or swallows to match the action of the iron lung. There is also no danger of tubes damaging your vocal cords. The choice of technology is obvious, depending on how much patient comfort is valued. It is clear that the modern system doesn't give a damn if patients are miserable.
astura 7y ago
>from 1950 to 2000 where any mediocre person could work hard and be guaranteed a middle-class life. This is a fantasy. I personally know a lot of mediocre hard working people, mostly baby boomers. None had or have a "guaranteed" middle class lifestyle, and many don't have a middle class lifestyle at all, even now. One moved to a retirement community to "retire" and had to get a job. Another is currently without heat.

philwelch 7y ago

I'm sure that by some economic measurement, any mediocre person today could still work hard and earn enough to afford the same standard of living as the middle class of 1950. The main problem is that this isn't actually possible to pull off, since it costs 10x as much for things like housing and medicine that aren't necessarily 10x better. There just isn't the option to buy the crappy version from 70 years ago.

burfog 7y ago
Medicine from 70 years ago can be superior to modern medicine. Which would you prefer if you couldn't breathe on your own, an iron lung or a tube jammed down your throat?
- philwelch 7y ago
  By what authority and rationale do you feel so strongly about intubation, I wonder? Could it be that the entire medical profession is wrong and you are right?
  - burfog 7y ago
    There are obvious reasons that have nothing to do with quality of care. Iron lungs are physically large and heavy. They are expensive and difficult to move. Health insurance doesn't want to pay extra for your comfort. With an iron lung you can talk and eat. There is minimal difficulty; simply time your sentences or swallows to match the action of the iron lung. There is also no danger of tubes damaging your vocal cords. The choice of technology is obvious, depending on how much patient comfort is valued. It is clear that the modern system doesn't give a damn if patients are miserable.

astura 7y ago

>from 1950 to 2000 where any mediocre person could work hard and be guaranteed a middle-class life. This is a fantasy. I personally know a lot of mediocre hard working people, mostly baby boomers. None had or have a "guaranteed" middle class lifestyle, and many don't have a middle class lifestyle at all, even now. One moved to a retirement community to "retire" and had to get a job. Another is currently without heat.