Political Discussion

Bull Shannon said:
Yesterday I was experiencing chest pain exacerbated by breathing. Lacking immediate options beyond the ER (and not entirely sure this was a cardiac event) I went to ZoomCare (a regional urgent care chain). The doc took my symptoms and history, stepped out for a sec, and let me know he'd called an ambulance. After a normal-looking EKG but high blood pressure (hm I wonder why), I elected to have my wife drive me to the ER. After some blood draws, x-rays, and a stint in a bed in the hospital hallway, I was given some meds and discharged.

I'm feeling fine now but am trying to establish a relationship with a Primary Care physician so we can further investigate and, at the least, work on my blood pressure. They're all booking out at least four months; one place said they're free in May but suggested I try their teaching hospital, which may take people sooner; I asked to get on the May date and I'd cancel if the teaching hospital could get me in sooner, but they transferred me asap. After a conversation with a receptionist (who was quick to remind me they had many other calls to get to) at the teaching hospital informing me there's no guarantee the doc I'd see would be an actual Primary Care physician (like they could be a dermatologist but at least they could prescribe or refer), I called the first place back and suddenly they were only booking in June (but other places are booking in October and November).

So I've got the urgent care bill, the EMT bill, the ER bill, no answers, and a whole lot of fear and extra stress.

Great system we've got here. Capitalism truly breeds competition and innovation.
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This is infuriating and I'm so sorry you're going through this. I can't believe more people haven't gone all John Q on our terrible and expensive medical system.
 
Interesting conversation to be had about whether or not something should be a public utility or be a service provided by a private company for profit.

In the topic of today's discussion is landline phone service. Much of our landline phone infrastructure is made of aging copper lines that are at least 50 years old. And with the rise of mobile phones, the number of people who still have landline phone service is in decline.

Thus, providing landline phone service is not profitable at all any many areas.

Verizon has already sold off much of it's landline phone service in rural areas of the North East and got out the game.

AT&T is taking steps to ensure they can pull out of offering the service even if they don't end up with a buyer. They are actively working to changing laws that would prevent them from being able to discontinue the service altogether. California is one such place. California has laws on the books currently that would prevent AT&T from being able to do this. Landline phones are considered an carrier of last result underlaw, and service must be available in case of an emergency. AT&T is working to change that law or get an exemption. And they have a lot of lawmakers on their side. AT&T's landline service is operating at a loss, and if it is going to continue to operate, all the lines would need to be replaced eventually. Should the government require private companies to operate at a loss or should the state take up the funding it or allowing companies like AT&T to pull out?

Many people in rural California are protesting saying "don't let them disconnect us". They live in areas that have no cell phone service. And because these rural areas are not considered profitable, none has rolled out fiber Phone/Internet/TV service in the area. They would be stuck relying on satellite service as their only option.
 
RenegadeMonster said:
Despite what experts are calling a strong economy, there is an unusual amount of layoffs happen right now. More than would be expected based how wallstreet is performing. Especially in the tech industry.

In the past week we have seen large layoffs at Google, PayPal, iRobot, Okta, Zoom, SNAP, Trend Micro and more.

The Washington Post today had a story about Tech Layoffs, and how many senior level people who were laid off over the last year are unable to find jobs in tech. At least anything with a decent salary and have given up and landed jobs in other fields. Widespread layoffs in tech started at the end of 2022 and continue to rempt up with Q1 of 2024 already being entered into the books for worst quarter for job losses in recent years.

Because layoffs are so widespread, there are more people looking for tech jobs than there are jobs open.

One of the major driving factors of tech layoffs has been salary resets. Corporations feel that salaries for workers are too high and not competitive when compared against the global job market. They are looking to optimize their cost structures. Let someone with a high salary go and replace with someone with a lower salary.

Thus people who were laid off who had good salaries are unlikely to find anything that pays at much again if at all.

Another thing being talked about is a lot of these companies have been utilizing other tools to reduce staffing levels to get the high paid workers out the door. And that biggest tool is requiring workers to return to the office. Workers do not want this, and are being resistant when there is no need for them to be in the office, especially when they have moved to the burbs or further away over the last 3 to 4 years when being allowed to work from home. This is driving many to quit, but perhaps an even larger number to be fired.

Tech companies are indeed firing people who do not following the return to the office mandate. And by going this route, they have cause for termination, which means they don't have to offer any severage package, and in many states, don't have to pay into unemployment because these workers would not be eligible to collect unemployment due to being fired for cause.

It blows my mind that it's like that in most places. Here in MA, employers will never fight a unemployment claim because the state will always give it to them anyways. It's not worth the companies time. But in other states, they will and almost always do. In most states if you were fired for cause or performance you are not eligible to collect unemployment benefits.

Do more with less still seems to be the motto. How many years can we keep asking for this out of employees before everything collapses?
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Twentytwo said:
Well this is some good news. Now let's see if the Supreme Court will carry Trump's water like I suspect they will.

www.cnbc.com

Appeals court denies Trump immunity in DC election case

Former President Donald Trump in the election meddling case faces criminal charges including conspiring to defraud the U.S. and obstruct an official proceeding.
www.cnbc.com www.cnbc.com
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I wander in here every once in a while, inevitably just read, bite my digital tongue and move on..........not due to what you guys are saying, but more so the constant "cheery" news we're reporting.

So my quick and simple contribution to all this, somethings gotta give and it will, it's getting really close to people in power deciding what side of this insanity they want to be on, and be remembered for.
 
AnthonyI said:
I wander in here every once in a while, inevitably just read, bite my digital tongue and move on..........not due to what you guys are saying, but more so the constant "cheery" news we're reporting.

So my quick and simple contribution to all this, somethings gotta give and it will, it's getting really close to people in power deciding what side of this insanity you want to be on and remembered for.
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I mean, as somebody whose industry (natural foods) has been ravished by the 1, 2 punch of inflation (destabilized the companies actually producing the food) and high interest rates (has made getting the investment required for companies to recover impossible) and is now unemployed and finding the job market barren (applying to a Snap Chat sales position two days before they announce mass layoffs says everything)....

We are getting really close to the people opting for fascism. And I truly think half of what corporations are doing right now is aimed at getting Biden out of office and pushing people towards that choice. But don't blame me, I campaigned for Bernie. Twice.
 
DownIsTheNewUp said:
I mean, as somebody whose industry (natural foods) has been ravished by the 1, 2 punch of inflation (destabilized the companies actually producing the food) and high interest rates (has made getting the investment required for companies to recover impossible) and is now unemployed and finding the job market barren (applying to a Snap Chat sales position two days before they announce mass layoffs says everything)....

We are getting really close to the people opting for fascism. And I truly think half of what corporations are doing right now is aimed at getting Biden out of office and pushing people towards that choice. But don't blame me, I campaigned for Bernie. Twice.
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Oh, there's no doubt there's an "agenda" from corporations, big business and the ultra rich.........

cha·os
/ˈkāˌäs/
Noun
Complete disorder and confusion.

This is the goal
 
DownIsTheNewUp said:
I mean, as somebody whose industry (natural foods) has been ravished by the 1, 2 punch of inflation (destabilized the companies actually producing the food) and high interest rates (has made getting the investment required for companies to recover impossible) and is now unemployed and finding the job market barren (applying to a Snap Chat sales position two days before they announce mass layoffs says everything)....

We are getting really close to the people opting for fascism. And I truly think half of what corporations are doing right now is aimed at getting Biden out of office and pushing people towards that choice. But don't blame me, I campaigned for Bernie. Twice.
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What I really hate, is that you have so many Boomers are are well off who are okay with everything that's going on. "It's how things work". And "CEO's primary responsibility is to shareholders" and they get paid to make these decisions / layoffs to improve shareholder profits.

It drives me crazy that people are so content with "that's just the way things are" rather than take a step back and look around. Things are getting worse and worse as time goes on for the workers. We need to have a shift in how things are done.

The Washington Post just had an article about how bad moral is working for Google these days. Working for Google use to be what everyone wanted to do. It very much had a tech bros vibe, great office culture, foosball tables in office and what not.

Today, working for Google is being forced back into the office, and constantly stressed out about will you survive the next layoff. Everything is micromanaged. There is no office culture anymore or fun and games. Many people also saw pay cuts during the pandemic.
 
Hemotep said:
www.yahoo.com

Biden angrily pushes back at special counsel's report that questioned his memory, handling of docs

A special counsel report released Thursday found evidence that President Joe Biden willfully retained and shared highly classified information when he was a private citizen, including about military and foreign policy in Afghanistan, but concluded that criminal charges were not warranted. The...
www.yahoo.com www.yahoo.com
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I love the GOP cries of double standards over his not being charged, like it has nothing to do with the fact that he corporated while Trump did everything he could to obstruct. Funny how that can make a difference in consequence.

Most importantly, though, is that both of them are way too fucking old and mentally questionable to run a country!


And, also, for good measure, Epstein didn't kill himself.
 
Sadly, no surprise there. What did we really expect.

What was a surprise was all of the opinion pieces saying the SCOTS has to act here by banning Trump from the ballot, there is no other outcome they came come too while preserving their legitimacy.

I was like right... Never gonna happen.
 
I mean come on... He's not there enough to be the fucking president. And obviously Trump is a nightmare, but the blame lands squarely at Dems feet for forcing this old man on us.
www.yahoo.com

Eight Words and a Verbal Slip Put Biden’s Age Back at the Center of 2024

When President Joe Biden appeared at a last-minute news conference Thursday night, he hoped to assure the country of his mental acuity hours after a special counsel’s report had devastatingly referred to him as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” Instead, a visibly angry Biden made...
www.yahoo.com www.yahoo.com
 
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