Why should my tax dollars help forgive Fannie Mae/Freddy Mac debt when they won't forgive mine? (self.reddit.com)
submitted 4 months ago by lateralus to reddit.com
charlesgrrr 202 points 4 months ago[-]
Because this is modern America, so get back in line and get back to work, and when you go home make a dinner out of processed food and watch some fucking TV.
lulzjunction 72 points 4 months ago[-]
this is america, if you don't like it vote, talk to your congressman, senators, and if it really bothers you become socially/politically active (i.e. something more constructive than intellectual masturbation). fucking tv is sexy and processed food is delicious - indulge in both if you'd like to. or don't. this is america, you're free to choose what you put in your body and how you entertain yourself.
Cophet 179 points 4 months ago[-]
Aye, we are indeed blessed with many choices, for so many things. Thirty one flavors of ice cream, hundreds of television channels, and thousands of DVDs to choose from.
All of which are designed to blind us to the brutal manner in which we're being fucked by the five hundred biggest conglomerates in the country, the two political parties that run the country, and the upper one percent that owns the country.
Go on. Write your congressman. Call your senator. Ask nicely and maybe they'll use lube.
ludwig1024 17 points 4 months ago[-]
No, it's just commented out so it can be ignored by the Manchurian Compiler.
quit_complaining 5 points 4 months ago[-]
There's been too much murder, not enough martyr... Why is it no one wants to impress Jodie Foster?
kristopolous 15 points 4 months ago* [-]
Rand Corporation Stationary Header Goes Here
Dear Senator So-And-So,
My name is Jewish sounding name here. You may remember me from the meeting you had at the board of directors for the Global Christian Broadcasting Corporation; you know, the GCBC; controlling the politics of the all the Christians in the country. Anyway, I and my friends at Clear Channel and AIPAC have decided to contact you with regard to Place request here. I hope we can come to an agreement soon as there is plenty of information that you wouldn't want to see fall into the wrong hands. I hope you can make it up to Bohemian Grove in August, I have a lovely casserole dish you must try.
Sincerely,
<name here>
Bilderberg Group, Inc.
kristopolous 3 points 3 months ago[-]
How do you get more points then me? Not fair.
elustran 7 points 4 months ago[-]
All right.
What the fuck can we do, then? What avenue of complaint is left to us? How do we curtail our march into deeper plutocracy?
I'm tired of this bullshit. I'm just as tired of fatalists who give no glimmer of hope as I am of people getting crushed by insane and/or corrupt politicians and megacorporations.
dahlberg123 19 points 4 months ago[-]
The problem with revolution is that you have to actually revolt; not just sit around in the internets and talk about it.
klauskinski 3 points 3 months ago[-]
didn't machiavelli say something about populaces that revolt are always tricked into it by someone who has something to gain as they are invariably worse off after the revolution than they were before?
i suppose it would be pretty cool for a while if my friends and i had a bunch of automatic weapons and food (and booze) stockpiled...
but there probably wouldn't be any internets...
simian_wreckage 1 point 3 months ago[-]
The only weapons we really have are our wallets and the sweat of our labor. We clamp down like that, the economy fails and even the rich sit up and take notice. It's not an elegant solution but it works.
charlesgrrr 3 points 3 months ago* [-]
Really? Can I smoke pot? Can I eat fresh vegetables on minimum wage? What if I think the voting process is rigged? What if I don't think Congress gives a fuck what I write them, what then? Do I leave? What if I don't have any money? At what point does it become okay with you for me to complain in public, and to make a statement about modern American life?
mschy 49 points 4 months ago[-]
this is america, if you don't like it start a company and make sure to run it for maximum profits. Once your company is huge, give millions of dollars to congressmen, senators and their favorite "charities". Promise them high-paying no-work jobs once they're out of office.
Then piss all over the people who think that grassroots activism works worth a damn.
Mauwer 27 points 4 months ago[-]
"The fact is we're all sitting in a big galley, pulling at the oars with all our might. you can't tell me different!... Sitting on nails and pulling like mad. And what do we get for it? Nothing! Thrashings and misery, hard words and hard knocks. We're workers they say. Work, they call it! That's the crummiest part of the whole business. We're down here in the hold, heaving and panting, stinking and sweating our balls off, and what do you see?! Our masters having a fine time with beautiful pink and perfumed women on their laps. They send for us, we're brought up on deck. They put on their top hats and give us a big spiel like as follows: " You no-good swine! We're at war! Those tinkers in Country No. 2! We're going to board them and cut their livers out! Let's go! We've got everything we need board! All together now! Let's hear you shout so the deck trembles: 'Long live Country No. 1!' So you'll be heard for miles around. The man that shouts the loudest will get a medal and a lollipop! Let's go! And if there's anybody that doesn't want to be killed on the sea, he can go and get killed on land, it's even quicker!" Lous-Ferdinand Celine 'Journey to the End of the Night'... just started this tonight, seemed appropriate
klauskinski 1 point 3 months ago[-]
wait till u get to the part where he describes the transition from youth (statements like the above being part of it) to middle to old age.
i showed the page to my grandmother (a melancholy woman of very few words) and asked her if that was how she felt and she said, "wow that's dark"
tinhat 1 point 4 months ago* [-]
Are you fucking kidding me? Listen, as I type this I am sitting here with cuts on my fingers and one on my thumb that hurts every time I hit the space bar. But that is because I am right now building my own house. A freaking nice comfortable and affluent house.
What I am saying is that I don't mind bending my back and doing some hard yakka. It makes a break from programming, sys admin and web development.
But, let me assure you, none of us in the developed world is "... Sitting on nails and pulling like mad."
If you think that you are you are completely deluded. This might sound harsh but you are part of the problem. Your ignorance shields you from the stark, dark and hard reality of what people and their families who are really suffering on this earth go through.
Tell me this. When you have a child, what is its chances of reaching adult-hood? Admittedly, if you are in the USA then amongst developed countries the chances are below par. But compared to some African countries it is not even worth thinking about.
The_Lawnmower 12 points 3 months ago[-]
So... What's your point exactly?
Don't complain unless you live in Africa?
Mauwer 2 points 3 months ago* [-]
I'm happy for you that you're building a nice home for you and your family. I too used to build homes. I worked during high school and college doing construction (began digging ditches and ended doing finish carpentry). It's a terrific skill, I have NOTHING against hard work. But you see, you are building a home for you. Your hard work translates directly toward the completion of your home. By comparison, the work you do every day (unless you're self employed) and I do every day allows us to buy things that we need (assuming that we earn a decent living) and some thing that we want but do not need. But we do not fully realize the fruits of our labors... instead we earn a fraction of that which we produce, the remainder (read:majority) is gobbled up our employers. The excerpt that I posted, that you responded to, deals with the fact as someone who works in corporate America (tho this was written prior to all that) is working more for the benefit of those at the top than for himself. We are earning less (in terms of real dollars, which have lost 40% of their value since 2001 when compared to major foreign currencies... our wages have not increased at this rate) while the ruling class is earning more. Wall st (where I work) will still make their bonuses while 401k's are dwindling in value, home values are crashing, the dollar is losing value, energy and food are becoming vastly more expensive. Who is feeling the pressure? You and I (arguably middle/middle upper class)? Or those in the upper class? We are the ones 'sitting on nails and pulling like mad' trying to make ends meet every day while sacrificing our time and energy like saps. Am I trying to provide an alternative? No... I'm simply stating that if you think that the average American who punches the clock or works as a corporate drone day in and out is not 'below deck' working for those 'above deck' than you are fooling yourself. I'm not talking about children or families... I'm talking about individuals... myself. While I may not be breaking my back in the sun for a living, I'm still breaking my back for a fraction of the value that I provide to my employer, I understand this and have resigned myself to this reality for the present term. Those are the breaks of the modern capitalistic society in which we live.
trimpton 2 points 3 months ago[-]
Apparently you have never tried to talk to your congressmen. They have a building full of interns who use a holding actions against you. They don't give a shit what you think unless you donated a shit load of money to their campaign. The most you get a tick on a piece of paper which is combined into a graph so that you voice is easy to ignore.
lulzjunction 2 points 3 months ago[-]
Apparently you have never tried to talk to your congressmen
yes, i understand the game, but i'm not going to take myself out of it before i even get the chance to play.
lulzjunction 1 point 3 months ago* [-]
t's important to note that the Federal Reserve is a private entity with no directly elected officials.
right, but the fed and the treasury dept are getting involved on this one
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said the Bush administration plans to ask Congress to enact legislation to temporarily increase the line of credit that the companies have with the Treasury. It would also allow the Treasury to buy stock in the companies.
entropyjones 1 point 3 months ago[-]
yeah.. because voting does shit.. Our congressmen and senators are real effective.
Effective at taking bribes.. Oh I mean,.. lobbying dollars.
mchrisneglia 2 points 3 months ago[-]
Yes, learn to vote so that you can waste your time not affecting a change while corporations continue to buy the cheat codes to America with your money while dictating fashion and telling you what you need to buy so you can be complacent and non-threatening to their established order, just like everyone else
sriramgopalan 1 point 3 months ago[-]
It is called compassion. Don't believe me? Ask your friendly neighborhood socialist. He can explain.