Well, he is currently the most popular republican hopeful. I don’t claim that it was smart and likely they hold political values that make me cringe... But the villian here it Trump.

Well, obvious you’ve never stepped foot in a real one.

Pathetic! Light weight! Sorry! < Some of Trumps favorite words..

Problem is he only need it to last 4 or 8 years. It is easy to get short term gains that people like (like... The Bush Tax cuts), but much much harder to make unpopular choices that have lasting benefit at immediate personal cost (like Bush I’s tax raises or paying off the debt instead of cutting taxes).

You want to make the US the next Trump Steaks? Or Trump Airlines?

Tahiti? Where’s the profit in that?

Yes yes yes, but again overlooking that this is a well oiled scam backed by a big name percieved to have expertise in this area. In this scenario, the weight of the lies told by the scammer affects the individual’s responsibility. They may not be all that bright, but they got scammed. That makes them victims, not…

You are bad at analogies. A better analogy would be if someone was selling a device that forced cars to stop for them (remote hacking/voodoo/whatever) and then stepping in front of a car. Yes, the person shouldn’t have bought it, but ultimately it is the snake oil salesman who is at fault for lying about what is being…

You are attacking the victim.

And some people want him as PRESIDENT!

On the contrary, it was probably a bunch of middle class folk trying to get ahead and who made the mistake of thinking Trump is a self-made man. In the end, they just ended up lining his pockets in exchange for nothing.

Problem is, the line between “sensible gun owner” and “crazed nut with a gun” can be crossed at any moment and people who start out as the former can over time be radicalized by certain ideologies (like “Trumpism” or Christian fundamentalism). The real question is whether the cost outwieghs the benefit.

If Jesus had an AR-15, he would be alive today.

Well, it kind of IS an evil corporation that did this. Look, if a terrorist put a bomb in a market that activated when you opened a lid and a shop keeper then opened the lid, you wouldnt blame the shop keeper, would you? No. You would blame the bomb maker.

That overly long post was me.

That is a lot to respond to, especially on a mobile device. However, since you are being civil I will respond tonight when i get home to a keyboard that isnt owned by my employer.

Again, third way capitalist here. Capitalism does have its upsides, but it is best paired with a government that actively treats the necessary and inevitable ills that comes with it (as well as takes care of things that the market doesn’t really cover, like roads).

Note that they mention “passive leisure”. Yes, the rich watch less TV, but my real point here is that the rich have a choice while the poor do not.

I should unpack that statement a little: By needs, I mean that the market conditions are such that if you work hard, then you have -at the very least- access to life that is not in want. By want, I don’t mean “I wish I had a Ferrari”, I mean, “I know where my next meal is coming from, I know that the roof over my head…

See? This is exactly what I am talking about. You are perfectly happy with paying people slave wages and willing to justify it. You think the people who make your shirt worry about not being free to express the artistry of their metaphysical soul?