Couldn’t possibly be that some people can do math and realize that “free” is going to cost a lot more than the status quo?

How does it benefit society as a whole? It’s a huge financial reward for irresponsible behavior. The people that behaved responsibly, considered their options, considered the expense, considered their prospects, considered their own ability, and made an informed decision based on those things are, by and large, fine.

Nearly every dime that goes to someone that shouldn’t have been eligible comes from the paycheck of someone that worked for that dime and probably would have preferred to keep it? Waste in government programs is bullshit because it costs everyone with non-zero, non-negative, tax liability money.

I once sold some freelance development work for 20k. I thought I was getting away with murder because it took me four nights over two weekends to get it done. The company I sold the work to went on to sell licenses for that work for around 15-20k each.

Do you get paid relative to profits? Does anyone you know get paid relative to profits? How many rank and file workers have ever been paid relative to profits?

The generational garbage that gushes around GMG really is nonsense. I’d bet that Corvette’s primary demographic has been Gen X for quite some time. The midlife crisis car thing didn’t come out of nowhere. Midlife... Like 40. Like the low end of Gen X and hilariously close to the high end of Millennials.

There are a stunning number of people in the GMG sphere that do not understand that large sums of money do not belong in checking or savings accounts.

77% of student debtors owe 40k or less. 6% of student debtors owe six figures or more. That’s as of last year so which reality would you be referring to?

What about all the payroll and property and other taxes? Or do those only count when we’re talking about the half of the population with zero or negative income tax liability

The measurements that appear on the sidewall of a tire are ratios. That 235/35 has 82mm of profile and the 190/40 from the GTI only has 76mm. In absolute terms the 190/40 is the lower profile tire.

Complaining about shareholder value makes me wonder whether people understand that companies exist solely for the purpose of creating value for their owners. Nothing anyone is talking about changes that. Even socialism, real socialism mind you, only changes who the owners are and not the company’s primary focus.

I’m pretty sure that Amazon Prime itself is the trick to get you to buy more...

Seems like this is one of those things where people will eventually look back and be reminded that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. 

I followed your conclusion like one step down the logical road. You believe what happened to you is predatory and and exploitative. You believe the credit card company deserves some (or maybe even most?) of the blame for what happened? Presumably that means you believe that in a more “fair” system something would be…

What is the age when people are old enough to be accountable for their choices? What are the other rights/privileges that shouldn’t be afforded to people below that age? How do you account for the fact that age and maturity aren’t really the same thing? Take away the government incentives and the political pressure to…

Focus. When I got tired of writing checks each month I downsized my living arrangements and my social life. Trying to juggle everything just makes for mediocre results.

It’s kinda funny that all the “financial gurus” essentially offer the same advice. Could it be that money isn’t actually very complicated and people knowingly screw it up?

Everyone needs to stop thinking about saving as something you do with “extra” money. Saving is an obligation that’s at least as important as housing. Pay. Yourself. First.

Filtering is probably fine. I wouldn’t vote for lane splitting.

I hate it when people talk about “deserving” things that are lifestyle choices. No one “deserves” to retire. It’s a lifestyle choice you make for yourself. You either prioritize that lifestyle choice in your working years to enable it or you don’t.