#USpol #Norway #taxes #tax
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@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. -
This isn't quite what I meant. What is the cost from the average citizen viewpoint? We need a comparison of the all taxes (national, local, sales, etc.) plus out of pocket health costs for a median family. Probably also better if it is done as a percentage of per capital income. Makes a much better argument that gets around the regional differences in salaries.
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@WiseWoman As much as I love having free healthcare, parental leave etc, people in EU countries fall for fascism every other week.
@davidaugust@j_bertolotti @WiseWoman @davidaugust Well, the #USofRael have been living under fascism forever, and yet don't get any of those things.
I don't know I kind of like my universal health care and strong unions things and still don't get fascists rulling my country. -
@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?@faliate @LibertyForward1 @davidaugust in many countries glasses are part of "free" health care. Here in Germany it's covered by the mandatory health insurance.
To be precise, that's not taxes going towards medical, over here, taxes are separate from health insurance, so politicians can't line their industrial friends' pockets with that money. -
@davidaugust When you are paying for private healthcare, you are also paying the providers margin.
That makes it much more expensive that tax funded healthcare systems that don't take profits. About twice as much in the US than in the EU, with poorer outcomes.American healthcare is much worse than "profit on top"
American healthcare is a protection racket whose purpose is denying care, so as to say "Nice lung you got there, you covered enough?"
Beside the hospital is an equally large deny services building whose purpose is to override doctors, prevent treatment, you pay for that too.
Another building beside that is "billing" to produce financially destroyed families to work below minimum wage.
You pay for that too.
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@faliate @LibertyForward1 @davidaugust in many countries glasses are part of "free" health care. Here in Germany it's covered by the mandatory health insurance.
To be precise, that's not taxes going towards medical, over here, taxes are separate from health insurance, so politicians can't line their industrial friends' pockets with that money.@DerPumu @LibertyForward1 @davidaugust
Oh wow okay! That's amazing! -
@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?Sure! I'm always curious to hear from other places. Although I'm not so sure that I myself are so impressed with my own skills.
That's the crux not only in your country. People seem to forget what's important, and with the advent of social media, the ways to get yourself lost in meaningless entertainment have exploded. Not that the mechanisms had changed. Even back 2 millennia ago, the Romans knew that "Bread and Games" will keep the poeple from rioting.
Only the media have changed, and maybe the attention span. Hence, a government that has the media in its hand can do bad things with them. Literacy rates are probably only one factor in this.
But I'm curious, what's the primary source of information for those people you are referring to? TV/Radio? Or their mobiles? And if so, how do they use the phones when they are illiterate?
