#USpol #Norway #taxes #tax
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@faliate @davidaugust In Germany, though examination by an ophthalmologist is free, glasses are usually not covered, except if you're practically blind without them.
@ysegrim @davidaugust
This is why I wish my grandparents never left Germany. Also, one of the reasons why I want to migrate back to Germany. Besides the culture and food, there are many great things about Germany. -
@faliate
I average about 8 or 9 years per set of eyeglasses.@LibertyForward1 @faliate @davidaugust that may not last forever. At a certain age you might benefit from new glasses every 2-4 years
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@nazokiyoubinbou
That's okay. I just wanted to see whether we have the same idea. Education can be a better way out. If we cab educate the people and the children the importance of togetherness, we can address such a challenge. Because they want us divided, that's why the children even at school are not allowed to help each other during tests and exams. Can i share with you about my project?@nuwagaba2 @nazokiyoubinbou I just wanna chime in that I agree education is (a large part of) our way out of this. If it wasn't an important tool for liberation, oligarchs wouldn't have done so much to prevent and destroy it. I'm not sure exactly what needs to be done, but I know we all need to heal, learn, and prioritize community (local or global or both) over isolation and competition
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@davidaugust@mastodon.online @TheComfortableSpotPodcast@mastodon.social
Have you seen our American Military? They no longer have muskets and bayonets any more. They have tanks and MRAPs and an unlimited supply of weapons and ammunition.
Do you honestly think any American, let alone even a "well armed milita" (words in the 2nd Amendment) can honestly stand up to the US Military? ISIS tried. Al Qaeda tried. The Taliban tried. And they were a helluva lot better armed (not to mention their home-turf advantage) and they couldn't.
So what makes you think any American citizen can?
This is no longer the 18th Century.@mike @davidaugust to be honest, my original comment was in jest, but history does show that nations built on fragile democratic systems and deep internal divisions can unravel quickly — and when that happens, institutions, including the military, don’t always remain unified. 1)
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@mike @davidaugust to be honest, my original comment was in jest, but history does show that nations built on fragile democratic systems and deep internal divisions can unravel quickly — and when that happens, institutions, including the military, don’t always remain unified. 1)
@mike @davidaugust Comparing this to ISIS, Al-Qaeda, or the Taliban misses the point. Those weren’t conventional wars, and in the case of the Taliban, the outcome after 20 years is an even stronger Taliban in Afghanistan. The real risk in a constitutional crisis isn’t a militia “beating” the U.S. military in open combat — it’s political fracture and divided loyalties within institutions themselves. History suggests that kind of breakdown is far more plausible than a Hollywood-style showdown.
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@nazokiyoubinbou yeah. Same expense but no benefits.
For somebody else's benefit
@nazokiyoubinbou -
@LibertyForward1 @faliate @davidaugust that may not last forever. At a certain age you might benefit from new glasses every 2-4 years
@DerPumu @faliate @davidaugust I would love to replace them that often, but I'm generally only able to scrape enough money together every decade or so
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@nuwagaba2 @nazokiyoubinbou I just wanna chime in that I agree education is (a large part of) our way out of this. If it wasn't an important tool for liberation, oligarchs wouldn't have done so much to prevent and destroy it. I'm not sure exactly what needs to be done, but I know we all need to heal, learn, and prioritize community (local or global or both) over isolation and competition
@raphaelmorgan
That's right. The best way of preventing a prisoner from escaping is by not letting him know that he's a slave. Are the people aware that their freedom is slowly being taken away? -
@HarryMutt
Democracy is slowly vanishing which makes people not to enjoy the rights they once fought and are now paying for. What can bring power back in the hands of the people?I disagree with the vanishing. Democracies worldwide are under attack from antidemocrats. The US oligarchs. The Russofascists. The Chinese capitalist communists. To name only the biggest fish here.
They all see democracies as an obstacle in their power games. They are funding and supporting especially right wing parties with propaganda and fake news aiming at dividing the EU, to weaken it and to destroy it, the largest entity of western democracy in this world. BUT, democracy is not receding. It's bending like a tree in a storm. The more it is under pressure, the more do people realize how important it is. Strong civil societies can withstand such attacks. But it's not an easy task, no question.
But ironically, here in the EU, and seemingly in Canada and other places, the orange attacks kind of make it easier. Dump is the best helper to revive the silent majority, so to speak. By being so immorally disgusting, by being a vulgar, corrupt idiot, big-mouthed, and empty of moral values, and completely free of empathy, he shows everybody what we HAVE and don't want to lose.
When it comes to the global south, I don't know enough to have an educated opinion. Probably, it all has to start with grassroot campaigning and convincing people that these strongmen I listed are not the solution but the problem.
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I disagree with the vanishing. Democracies worldwide are under attack from antidemocrats. The US oligarchs. The Russofascists. The Chinese capitalist communists. To name only the biggest fish here.
They all see democracies as an obstacle in their power games. They are funding and supporting especially right wing parties with propaganda and fake news aiming at dividing the EU, to weaken it and to destroy it, the largest entity of western democracy in this world. BUT, democracy is not receding. It's bending like a tree in a storm. The more it is under pressure, the more do people realize how important it is. Strong civil societies can withstand such attacks. But it's not an easy task, no question.
But ironically, here in the EU, and seemingly in Canada and other places, the orange attacks kind of make it easier. Dump is the best helper to revive the silent majority, so to speak. By being so immorally disgusting, by being a vulgar, corrupt idiot, big-mouthed, and empty of moral values, and completely free of empathy, he shows everybody what we HAVE and don't want to lose.
When it comes to the global south, I don't know enough to have an educated opinion. Probably, it all has to start with grassroot campaigning and convincing people that these strongmen I listed are not the solution but the problem.
@HarryMutt
It would be easy for people to join together and fight for themselves if they knew that they're being deceived , blinded and brainwashed to an extent of being unable to know that they're being enslaved indirectly within the system. Won't people find out when it's too late to make a change? -
@HarryMutt
It would be easy for people to join together and fight for themselves if they knew that they're being deceived , blinded and brainwashed to an extent of being unable to know that they're being enslaved indirectly within the system. Won't people find out when it's too late to make a change?Isn't education the best weapon against propaganda? You can only brainwash people who are not aware of the facts, and are unable to differentiate between facts and fiction. The problem is when people have not learned critical thinking and self-reflection.
And I don't mean conspiracy theorists who probably think they were the best critical thinkers available. In a complicated world, simple answers are usually wrong. But understanding the complicated ones is often tiresome and hard. That's why conspiracy theories from UFO nonsense to antivaxxer lies are so en vogue in some circles. In the best case, they are simply misled into believing nonsense. In the worst case, they are purposely led away from more important issues.
What I mean is that the ability to reflect on information and weigh different sources against each other and come to an educated conclusion based on PLAUSIBILITY and KNOWLEDGE is the best antidote against brainwashing. Education!
Take the antivaxxer movement. Their ideas are backed by NO scientific evidence. RFK's agitation against measle vaccination, for instance, has led to an epidemic in the US. Children have died from a disease that was practically eradicated. Even more have permanent damage. But those numbers are CONCENTRATED within those who won't vaccinate their children. QED
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@DerPumu @faliate @davidaugust I would love to replace them that often, but I'm generally only able to scrape enough money together every decade or so
@LibertyForward1 @DerPumu @davidaugust
Right. My glasses broke six years ago, I cannot afford an exam, nor have the funds to get one.
If taxes go towards medical expenses, it should extend to the nearly blind as well. The longer we go without glasses the worse our eyes get. I know that is impossible in the US. However, for the countries that do have a universal health care, maybe petitioning the government departments that run these programmes and asking them to extend the medical benefits? -
Isn't education the best weapon against propaganda? You can only brainwash people who are not aware of the facts, and are unable to differentiate between facts and fiction. The problem is when people have not learned critical thinking and self-reflection.
And I don't mean conspiracy theorists who probably think they were the best critical thinkers available. In a complicated world, simple answers are usually wrong. But understanding the complicated ones is often tiresome and hard. That's why conspiracy theories from UFO nonsense to antivaxxer lies are so en vogue in some circles. In the best case, they are simply misled into believing nonsense. In the worst case, they are purposely led away from more important issues.
What I mean is that the ability to reflect on information and weigh different sources against each other and come to an educated conclusion based on PLAUSIBILITY and KNOWLEDGE is the best antidote against brainwashing. Education!
Take the antivaxxer movement. Their ideas are backed by NO scientific evidence. RFK's agitation against measle vaccination, for instance, has led to an epidemic in the US. Children have died from a disease that was practically eradicated. Even more have permanent damage. But those numbers are CONCENTRATED within those who won't vaccinate their children. QED
@HarryMutt
You're right and am so impressed by your critical thinking skills. Unfortunately, in placeslike my own country, the government feeds people with the information it wants them to hear. The illiteracy levels are so high where a very big number of people can't be deceived and besides that, people are distracted through entertainment, sports and social media which makes them unable to pay attention to the reasons behind and policy. Can I share with you about my project? -
@davidaugust me- "yeah, the tax is higher, but things are actually taken care of, maintained, and you don't need to pay $2500 a year in taxes."
My dad- "I'd rather not pay taxes."He doesn’t care if anything works? I doubt that. I don’t doubt he may tell himself that, but I doubt it is true.
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@davidaugust plot twist. Gofundme destabilizes governments to drive up adoption
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@davidaugust hilarious in a laugh, but actually crying kinda way
@effariwhy you. Weeping through laughter.
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@davidaugust@mastodon.online
I don't think Americans pity anybody else's tax rate. You don't think most Americans don't know our for-profit healthcare system sucks? Do you think Americans honestly want to launch GoFundMes? SCOTUS has made it all but impossible for actual Americans to do fuck-all about anything. Citizens United basically allowed every politician to be openly bought and paid for.@mike @davidaugust Oh, I disagree. I think the vast majority of Americans fully embrace the propaganda. We lost the popular vote. Trump actually gained support among the youngest voters because they believed Trump would make the economy better.
We saw what Trump did the first time, and we STILL lost! American voters are morons.
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@davidaugust AND you get the freedom to walk the street at night and not having to arm yourself because everybody else is armed.
You get the freedom to trust that police officers have proper training and actually know the laws they are supposed to enforce.
You get the freedom to send your kids to school and college without going broke.
You get the freedom to drive your car and not have to use failing infrastructure.
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@ScotInTraining @davidaugust Very sad, but true! Here’s that info:
Chart:
“Maternal Mortality in the U.S. Far
Outstrips That of Other Industrialized Nations” -
@mike @davidaugust Oh, I disagree. I think the vast majority of Americans fully embrace the propaganda. We lost the popular vote. Trump actually gained support among the youngest voters because they believed Trump would make the economy better.
We saw what Trump did the first time, and we STILL lost! American voters are morons.
@Extra_Special_Carbon@mastodon.world @davidaugust@mastodon.online
The fact that stations like Fox News and Newsmax are legal and are allowed to flat-out lie and brainwash a large swathe of the population is at least partially to blame.
