5 ms·

VOTE MOTHERFUCKER Local government politics work. State politics even kinda work. The fact that murder is on your list but not voting is mind boggling.

Henchman21 2y ago
I vote. I am 50. I have voted in every election I was able to. In my life my preferred candidate has won exactly twice: Obama’s second term and Biden’s first. This includes local, state elections, and national. To quote George Carlin: “If voting mattered, they wouldn’t let us do it”. Trump lost in 2024 but took the win because his cronies disqualified enough voters in enough states to win. So, please, spare me. We’re up to violence already. You’re just well behind the times unfortunately.
- gxs 2y ago
  Don’t mean to be antagonistic here, but do you have a source for the claim that trump took the win? Would be really curious to see how this could be proven or at the very least convincingly induced.
  - Henchman21 2y ago
    Go look for how many ballots were disqualified in the swing states?
    - TheDong 2y ago
      I googled around, but I couldn't find an authoritative source showing either the numbers disqualified, the reasons, and that those ballots were majority not-trump ballots. Can you provide a source for that data for a specific swing state of your choice?
- wat10000 2y ago
  Contra Carlin, if voting didn’t matter they wouldn’t be putting so much effort into making it harder.
- lukan 2y ago
  Your argument is, violence is an option, because your preferred candidates don't win as much as you like? I would see a point in saying voting is pointless, because no matter who you vote for, all end up on the payroll of the people doing enshitification. But not because your side always loose. Because this then won't likely change when you turn to violence - your side will be still the smaller one and we tried the whole voting thing, to not have all arguments solved with bloodshed.
- kortilla 2y ago
  “My preferred candidate only one twice” is the hallmark of a “only the federal govt elections matter” midwit. The federal government is the least effective way to lead on regulatory change. California has demonstrated leadership this way repeatedly. >So, please, spare me. We’re up to violence already. You’re just well behind the times unfortunately. There have been nut-jobs saying this and inflicting violence since the beginning of the country. Then there are people who actually affect change. Pick a side.
rixed 2y ago
Ok, maybe something less desperate than voting but appropriate in this case: create a competitor to disrupt the suckers? Maybe using the same API?
- TheDong 2y ago
  The users of the sub-par app are captive, the hospital or insurance company is mandating it, and neither the doctor nor patients are free to choose a competing app. If you create a technically better app for the users, people still won't be able to use it unless you also are chosen by those higher up, and since there's likely already a strong existing relationship between the executives at the existing company and at the medical compan(ies), that means creating a competitor also will require building a lot of social capital with the decision makers, taking them to dinner and on golf trips, and so on. It will take years of your life, millions of dollars (since a 1-man company will never be seen as legitimate enough to provide a medical app, you'll need a large company with many employees), and the chance of success is minimal. I don't see how this is an "appropriate" response to a bad app.
  - rixed 2y ago
    I was just thinking of a better front end for the same API that trifticon mentionned. Still a lot of work of course, but may not require as many approvals. I wish we lived in a world where all these APIs were open, regulated, and everybody could compete on the implementation on both sides... One day, if capitalism survive technofeudalism...
- autoexec 2y ago
  Even avoiding the problems with getting a foothold into this space any start up that tried to do the right thing would get bought up by someone else and enshitified until it was just as bad if not worse. There's more money to be made by screwing over the public than by not screwing them and our entire system is centered around making the most money at any cost and placing money over every other concern.
TheDong 2y ago
Where can I vote for "Medical establishments should have an accessible-friendly browser-accessible no-javascript webpage for all functionality"? I see the "democrat" and "republic" checkboxes, but I don't see the magical third "Good apps, and also health insurance companies have to cover medical claims without questioning whether my doctor is competent, denying each claim once, and requiring 3 months of arguing on a phone" I've been voting, and as far as I can tell every option I have ever been able to vote for has been fully in support of crappy apps and crappy healthcare.
- TylerE 2y ago
  Democrat is the only sane choice if you want a functioning government. Republicans have departed reality.
  - autoexec 2y ago
    There are no sane choices. We're only stuck with republicans now because democrats were happy to maintain a status quo that was keeping them rich but wasn't addressing the needs of the people. The dems might throw us a bone now and then, but they weren't willing to make the kind of meaningful changes that might threaten their power or the interests of the corporations and industries bribing them. Now we're left with folks who just want to pillage everything they can and burn the rest to the ground.
- kortilla 2y ago
  >Where can I vote for "Medical establishments should have an accessible-friendly browser-accessible no-javascript webpage for all functionality"? Get off your ass and start a ballot measure. If you want to literally vote for a direct regulation that’s the way to do it. Alternatively, start talking to state legislators and get them to support a bill doing it.
TeMPOraL 2y ago
> The fact that murder is on your list but not voting is mind boggling. It's not. Unlike voting, it has a nonzero chance of improving the app situation. In this situation, instead of anything on the list above, I recommend going to press/Twitter and stressing the angle that this bullshit actually ruins people's lives permanently (or kills them prematurely).
autoexec 2y ago
> The fact that murder is on your list but not voting is mind boggling. for hundreds of years our government and the corporations who bribe them have worked to limit the influence of the average person on the laws and regulations that we live under. After seeing our broken two party system, the gerrymandering and voter suppression, the open bribery, the lack of integrity or accountability, the inability/unwillingness of congress to do their job, and the growing list of laws and policies most Americans support and problems we want solutions for that get ignored time and time again while laws are being passed to appease corporations and industries, I really don't blame people for thinking that their ballot box is not the solution to their problems. When people feel they don't have a way within the system to get the things they need they'll look for ways to get them outside of the system. Our government used at least put in the effort to give the appearance that working within the system could be successful, but these days they barely bother to do that. Personally I still like to hold onto hope that voting can make a difference, especially at the local level, but it's a hard sell these days and getting harder all the time.
- kortilla 2y ago
  You’re talking about national elections. California has demonstrated time and time again that it’s able to regulate businesses and impose environmental regulations beyond the federal government

Henchman21 2y ago

I vote. I am 50. I have voted in every election I was able to. In my life my preferred candidate has won exactly twice: Obama’s second term and Biden’s first. This includes local, state elections, and national. To quote George Carlin: “If voting mattered, they wouldn’t let us do it”. Trump lost in 2024 but took the win because his cronies disqualified enough voters in enough states to win. So, please, spare me. We’re up to violence already. You’re just well behind the times unfortunately.

gxs 2y ago
Don’t mean to be antagonistic here, but do you have a source for the claim that trump took the win? Would be really curious to see how this could be proven or at the very least convincingly induced.
- Henchman21 2y ago
  Go look for how many ballots were disqualified in the swing states?
  - TheDong 2y ago
    I googled around, but I couldn't find an authoritative source showing either the numbers disqualified, the reasons, and that those ballots were majority not-trump ballots. Can you provide a source for that data for a specific swing state of your choice?
wat10000 2y ago
Contra Carlin, if voting didn’t matter they wouldn’t be putting so much effort into making it harder.
lukan 2y ago
Your argument is, violence is an option, because your preferred candidates don't win as much as you like? I would see a point in saying voting is pointless, because no matter who you vote for, all end up on the payroll of the people doing enshitification. But not because your side always loose. Because this then won't likely change when you turn to violence - your side will be still the smaller one and we tried the whole voting thing, to not have all arguments solved with bloodshed.
kortilla 2y ago
“My preferred candidate only one twice” is the hallmark of a “only the federal govt elections matter” midwit. The federal government is the least effective way to lead on regulatory change. California has demonstrated leadership this way repeatedly. >So, please, spare me. We’re up to violence already. You’re just well behind the times unfortunately. There have been nut-jobs saying this and inflicting violence since the beginning of the country. Then there are people who actually affect change. Pick a side.

rixed 2y ago

Ok, maybe something less desperate than voting but appropriate in this case: create a competitor to disrupt the suckers? Maybe using the same API?

TheDong 2y ago
The users of the sub-par app are captive, the hospital or insurance company is mandating it, and neither the doctor nor patients are free to choose a competing app. If you create a technically better app for the users, people still won't be able to use it unless you also are chosen by those higher up, and since there's likely already a strong existing relationship between the executives at the existing company and at the medical compan(ies), that means creating a competitor also will require building a lot of social capital with the decision makers, taking them to dinner and on golf trips, and so on. It will take years of your life, millions of dollars (since a 1-man company will never be seen as legitimate enough to provide a medical app, you'll need a large company with many employees), and the chance of success is minimal. I don't see how this is an "appropriate" response to a bad app.
- rixed 2y ago
  I was just thinking of a better front end for the same API that trifticon mentionned. Still a lot of work of course, but may not require as many approvals. I wish we lived in a world where all these APIs were open, regulated, and everybody could compete on the implementation on both sides... One day, if capitalism survive technofeudalism...
autoexec 2y ago
Even avoiding the problems with getting a foothold into this space any start up that tried to do the right thing would get bought up by someone else and enshitified until it was just as bad if not worse. There's more money to be made by screwing over the public than by not screwing them and our entire system is centered around making the most money at any cost and placing money over every other concern.

TheDong 2y ago

Where can I vote for "Medical establishments should have an accessible-friendly browser-accessible no-javascript webpage for all functionality"? I see the "democrat" and "republic" checkboxes, but I don't see the magical third "Good apps, and also health insurance companies have to cover medical claims without questioning whether my doctor is competent, denying each claim once, and requiring 3 months of arguing on a phone" I've been voting, and as far as I can tell every option I have ever been able to vote for has been fully in support of crappy apps and crappy healthcare.

TylerE 2y ago
Democrat is the only sane choice if you want a functioning government. Republicans have departed reality.
- autoexec 2y ago
  There are no sane choices. We're only stuck with republicans now because democrats were happy to maintain a status quo that was keeping them rich but wasn't addressing the needs of the people. The dems might throw us a bone now and then, but they weren't willing to make the kind of meaningful changes that might threaten their power or the interests of the corporations and industries bribing them. Now we're left with folks who just want to pillage everything they can and burn the rest to the ground.
kortilla 2y ago
>Where can I vote for "Medical establishments should have an accessible-friendly browser-accessible no-javascript webpage for all functionality"? Get off your ass and start a ballot measure. If you want to literally vote for a direct regulation that’s the way to do it. Alternatively, start talking to state legislators and get them to support a bill doing it.

TeMPOraL 2y ago

> The fact that murder is on your list but not voting is mind boggling. It's not. Unlike voting, it has a nonzero chance of improving the app situation. In this situation, instead of anything on the list above, I recommend going to press/Twitter and stressing the angle that this bullshit actually ruins people's lives permanently (or kills them prematurely).

autoexec 2y ago

> The fact that murder is on your list but not voting is mind boggling. for hundreds of years our government and the corporations who bribe them have worked to limit the influence of the average person on the laws and regulations that we live under. After seeing our broken two party system, the gerrymandering and voter suppression, the open bribery, the lack of integrity or accountability, the inability/unwillingness of congress to do their job, and the growing list of laws and policies most Americans support and problems we want solutions for that get ignored time and time again while laws are being passed to appease corporations and industries, I really don't blame people for thinking that their ballot box is not the solution to their problems. When people feel they don't have a way within the system to get the things they need they'll look for ways to get them outside of the system. Our government used at least put in the effort to give the appearance that working within the system could be successful, but these days they barely bother to do that. Personally I still like to hold onto hope that voting can make a difference, especially at the local level, but it's a hard sell these days and getting harder all the time.

kortilla 2y ago
You’re talking about national elections. California has demonstrated time and time again that it’s able to regulate businesses and impose environmental regulations beyond the federal government