the swiss do subsidies, and in a way this is how expanded medicaid works: you get a free plan that's fulfilled by a private insurer like blue cross.

the problem is that to qualify for medicaid expansion you have to constantly "prove that you're poor" to your own state. which is a bad incentive.

the chicago boys would prefer that you get free money to spend as you please rather than a government program with the massive bureaucracy that it entails. eg healthcare vouchers for an insurance plan.

they invented the earned income tax credit for example.

eta: oh, and friedman had a huge role helping to end conscription, which he considered to be the basis of "an army of slaves."

Except the way it was implemented here not only didn't involve free money, it didn't give two shits for marginally decent wages either. And don't even get me started on the AFPs (Pension Funds Administrators), all private, and all forcing you to let them handle your coins until you're pretty much DEAD.

it could be worse, you could be getting a pension in bolívares



an empty chocolate wrapper is probably worth more

True enough, but it reminds me of this Bill Maher monologue in which he said Unitedstateseans who crap on the U.S. are crapping outside the bowl because nobody's trying to leave the States hanging from an airplane like they did in Kabul. So, Afghanistan is the bar now, Bill?

Hey, why are we the only two people posting on this thread anyway? Zombie apocalypse happened already or do I have to do something?

no idea in what context he said that but yeah we have net positive migration by far. we have people selling kidneys and crossing deserts to get in. so he's got a point.

not that all is perfect but cmon. the economic choice is between available options, not fictions like the big rock candy mountains. you probably know the song.

https://youtu.be/ovKk_kPmAk4


who cares, if the subject is good?

Rrrrright, but my point was that virtually anything compared to Afghanistan is gonna look good, and that on several areas -elections systems, healthcare, transportation, high-schoolers' performance, income distribution and more- you shouldn't go, Eh, we're fine compared to a failed fucking state.

Rock & roll, on the other hand, does make the U.S. #1, even with CBGBs gone. :cool:

Incidentally, I need some goddamn money ASAP not to get into the States but to buy the latest installment in Dylan's Bootleg Series (Vol. 17: Fragments – Time Out Of Mind Sessions [1996-1997]), announced today. Anyone looking for a kidney, please drop me a line. Thanks in advance.

see, this is why you need an afp guarding your retirement money xD

The "funny" (as in I laugh so not to cry) thing about these fuckers (who make GIGANTONORMOUS profits while you sit there like a mook with your shitty-ass crumbs of a pension) is their advertisement. "At AFP [insert the company's name here; "mine" is Habitat], your savings are YOUR savings!" No, you pieces of shit, I can't withdraw a single dime, and YOU are the ones either leaving my dough on life support there gathering a dollar per year or investing it in high-risk Wall St. bullcrap; either way I can't touch it. A legal Ponzi scheme like any other thank you very MUCH.

Man, what the fucking fuck...

Biden administration says Saudi prince has immunity in Khashoggi killing lawsuit

This old peg lost, by the way. Sorry, _tunic_. :D

one sec one sec... how is that afp worse than a state-owned, bureucratically-managed social security trust fund, where you can't withdraw a single dime either... but politicians can sign blank checks against your retirement funds which they depleted a long time ago?

the usa can get away with it only because of the reserve currency status of the dollar. without it? you'd get something better than bolívares, but not by much.

besides, fixed income investment is not high risk by definition. everything is risk, of course, the question is how that risk is managed. can they manage it better than you? of that i'm sure (no offense, but you'd blow it all in records). can they manage it better than your national politicians? you tell me...

ultimately, the security of your investments depends on the robustness of the world economy, not on a government's printing press. wall street is just a market to buy and sell pieces and obligations of businesses and governments. and it's the economic output of your lifetime purchases in that global market that keeps you eating in old age.

We have a new special counsel, ladies and gentlemen (we are floating in space).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Smith_%28lawyer%29

>> He was also the chief prosecutor at the International Court of Justice regarding war crimes in the Kosovo War. <<

- President Trump, how many Kosovans have you killed?
- NO PUPPET NO PUPPET YOU'RE THE PUPPET!!!

immunity stemming from being prime minister, yes. which apparently is the law, or something.

but it can't be denied that the saudis have had the usa by the balls for a long time now. i mean bin laden and the hijackers were saudi and nobody ever said anything about that... instead it was all kissy kissy with the saudi king and all aggro about fake iraq wmds.

now there's war with russia and a massive energy crisis...

why antagonize him further when you can't reach him anyway? this is just realpolitik.

(dependence on) the price of gas will kill us all.

1. I didn't say she would win this election, but that she would be the next President!


2. the elections were rigged.

Great. Just great.

Not to debase Marshall McLuhan's media theory, but the medium really is the message:

Truth Social? "Meh."

Twitter? "WHERE'S NANCY?! HANG MIKE PENCE!!"

I've seen some reports that Oompa Loompa doesn't have much interest in returning to Twitter, despite it being available again.

fuck twatter lol. i quickly stopped missing it. i hope it goes bankrupt.

on that subject, i wonder what will happen to tesla next. will customers look down on the maga-mobile? i mean... for me, that brand is forever tainted.

meanwhile, i saw this on bloomberg news:

https://youtu.be/CZAZpxVuROw

trump a "three time loser" per repuke mega donor ken griffin