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max1461 · 10 months

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I think there are three large classes of socialist concern, which are not reducible to each other and which require different types of solutions. I would describe them as follows:

Distributional concerns — Markets tend towards inequality, and thus even in times of abundance fail to allocate resources to people who need them.

Concerns over autonomy — Private control of resources, especially when it is highly concentrated, comes at the cost of the autonomy of those who don't control the resources. As a significant special case of this, private control of the means of production deprives workers of autonomy over their own work, which constitutes most of their waking lives. Concentration of property in the hands of the few leaves most people with no choice but to sell their labor, turning them into workers deprived of autonomy in the above sense.

Humanistic concerns — Markets optimize for specific outcomes and, furthermore, the desirable properties of market economies are predicated on the existence of firms which optimize for profit. In both cases these optimization procedures are premature; they do not factor in the full human condition and thus come at the cost of many things which people find desirable.

In my view, a successful socialist program must at least attempt to address all three of these concerns. Often when debating other socialists, I feel that they err by focusing on some of these concerns to the exclusion of the others.

I have listed these concerns in order of how difficult I believe them to be to solve. Concern (1) can, in fact, be solved relatively easily even within a liberal economic system, by implementing massive redistributive taxes that equalize wealth. I want to stress that this proposal is still radical by the standards of any nation on earth today, but a solution is easy to imagine. And all these problems are interrelated; solving (1), for instance, would go a long way towards remedying (2).

Concern (2) can also, I think, be solved or at least greatly mitigated under a market framework, though not a classical liberal one. Replacing private firms wholesale with worker co-ops would go along way towards addressing (2), and in combination with the above solution for (1) provides I think the easiest to conceptualize vision of what a workable socialist (socialist enough) economy might look like.

Concern (3) is by far the hardest to address—it is in essence just the alignment problem as applied to economic systems. Suffice it to say, the problem remains open.

A common theme I see in debates between certain (usually more liberal-leaning) practically-minded socialists and certain (usually more radical) utopian-minded socialists is that the practical socialist will propose some solution that aims to address (1) and (2), and the more utopian-minded socialist will respond with vague and often not particularly coherent accusations of insufficient radicalism. The practical socialist will often then reply by dismissing the utopian's criticisms as nothing but hot air, as unserious radical posturing. But I think this represents an unfortunate misunderstanding. That utopian is often pointing at something real, even if it is articulated in a way that offends more pragmatic sensibilities. Concern (3) touches on every part of human life, I think it's fair to say, and though the habit of incoherently blaming everything that goes wrong on capitalism is not that useful, it doesn't point at nothing.

The alignment problem is not solved in the general case, but there are things we can change about a system to try and make it more aligned with specific, known goals. So the job of a good socialist (or really, anyone interested in any kind of political reform) should then be to listen to the ways in which people are dissatisfied with their lives, even when articulated poorly, and try to accrue an understanding of the most recurrent and significant ways in which the present system fails to satisfy people. Then you can look for specific tweaks that will more readily accommodate the things people in fact seem to want. But crucially, this task in empirical—you cannot come upon the most desirable tweaks rationally. It's also empirical in a way that is difficult to approach with any kind of scientific rigor. You have to listen to people, and try to understand them on their own terms. You have to try to understand where people are coming from even if they phrase things in a way that you very much dislike, a way that irritates you or makes you feel threatened.

As I've said before, "listen to marginalized voices" is oft-misused, but not actually incorrect as a description of the practical obligations of anyone who wants to consider themself a leftist.

#society

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farmergilesofham · 7 months

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The Vanguard Swimsuit Fic Part 6: Interlude

"...And you want me to clear this?" "Yessir."

The Guardian had always maintained a certain level of respect for Commander Zavala in their frequent interactions, one which had never truly extended to any other member of the Vanguard, Dark or otherwise. Confronted, once, on this point, they had said: "If I had your job, I'd have run away a thousand times by now." Little comfort for the commander now, as he sat beleaguered and worn out at his desk, flipping through the Guardian's unexpected proposal, maintaining the strained silence for a little longer. Oh, how Zavala had missed silence, these past few weeks.

Unfortunately, he could also see the right of it - the Eliksni Quarter was still in need of expansion, proper water diversion, irrigation, and a laundry list of other issues that needed to be solved sooner rather than later; the Dreaming City still remained a mercantile non-entity, only sending aid when it was deemed 'stricly necessary' by the Queen, and attempting to start up interplanetary trade chains with NeoMuna as the city still lay under siege was proving almost too much to handle. And, to top it all off, the Last City's morale had taken a sharp nose dive to an all-time low, given the persistence of the Witness' portal, and the unfortunate rise of rumours about Eris' recent transformation. Now, in a coincidence he may once have attributed to the Will of the Traveller, here lay an answer to all his problems, alongside a neat way to redistribute the pooled wealth of the vast number of Guardians active in the field for whom the Eververse and Ada's synthweave had never quite been desirable enough. The only question now would be getting the participants' permission in an appropriate manner; the marketing would handle itself, given the extensive reach of the guardians' many inter-planetary communications networks. Some of them still pinged data off defunct WAR-SATs, leaving net-traces which Master Rahool had submitted for Vanguard review some years prior. The thought of the lost dignity in doing this flitted through Zavala's mind, but was stamped down with the hard reality of the situation. And so, his attention returned to the official document of proposal. It could have been phrased a little better, but at least the Young Wolf had managed to keep any egregious spelling mistakes out.

"Fine. I will have the Cryptarchy run this out into a proper document, and then we'll set a date."

"But- but they'll tell everyone! You know how bad they are at keeping other people's secrets!"

Zavala smiled. Slayer of Gods or no, this Guardian still had a lot to learn about actually leading people, and using one's resources efficiently. He got out of his chair, and walked to the window, the bright reflections of sunlight throughout the City shining in his eyes.

"That is the point."

"Oh. Okay."

The silence stretched on a little longer, different this time.

"Hey so would you mind b--"

"I have already appended my signature. I will be there, if I have time."

"Oh."

The Guardian's face cracked into a smile, clearly visible even through their watery reflection on the window glass, mirroring the Commander's own as he turned back to face them. The Guardian leapt up, swung on their cloak, and skipped right out the office. From the end of the hall, barely heard in the echo, came a bright

"THANK YOU!"

The Commander sat back down, and sifted through another sheaf of papers. One of these days, he would have to get a new laser printer. But for now, the sun shone on those written words, and the old Titan felt, for the first time in days, quite content.

xxxxxxxxx

Hello and welcome to part 6! Or, part 5.5? Part \\//? Who knows!

Hope you enjoyed this. It's taken me a reeeeeeaaaaally long time to get back into writing these, and I cannot guarantee that part 7 will even come out this year. But.

See y'all next time. Bring a good coat, and a hat.

#destiny 2 #destiny the game #destiny titan #destiny fanfiction #the vanguard swimsuit fic #destiny guardians #destiny 2 lightfall #bungie #the big bad destiny calendar fic #commander zavala #zavala #the guardian #young wolf #destiny vanguard #yeehaw fucklechucks #I'm back

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indirecticn · 2 months

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ROBIN HOOD AU HC:

Asgard never left Midgard and kept a heavy presence there beyond the age of the vikings.

As such, most of the monarchies served by Asgard's pleasure. Skirmishes between nations were considered only when they began to truly encompass a global footprint. Such things were then brought under the eye of Asgard who would ultimately back a ruler or.. be the reason an empire fell.

Most historical things that happened still did but maybe SLIGHTLY different and could always be traced back to influences by Asgard. Please note that it was likely the gross ass n/zis thought they would be favored and were VERY VERY WRONG and Asgard entered the war with America which ended it all VERY quickly.

Asgardians and Vanir are considered a higher class of being and thus are often in roles of higher regard even when said roles are on Midgard proper.

After the second world war the grip on the world got tighter as Odin was tired of these global wars. The division between classes became pretty noticeable, with those heavily supportive of Asgard gaining the most favor and aiding in keeping certain Vanir and Asgardian politicians in power by the means of popular opinion.

(Aka "i should KEEP running this country, your majesty, the people LOVE me" and it's like, but do they really? or is it that money talks??? hmmmm.)

In the 60's a movement began called The People of the Realm Eternal, headed up by mortals and mortal mutants in particular. This movement aimed to give the power back to the mortals and supported the full withdrawal of Asgard from Midgard. It began peaceful but there are various little cells that are more violent and have caused issues.

The division between mutants and non-mutants was not nearly as big a thing in this world, but it's still mildly there.. only non-mutant asgardian supporters tend to be those that dislike the mutants, and a lot of it has to do with asgard not liking any midgardians that are powerful enough to take on asgard born warriors or even asgard's finest noble lines that have blood-lines tied all the way back to celestials.

Loki questioned the status quo way more than Thor, however did so privately out of fear of what his father would think and because he already seemed to be falling into thor's shadow, thus his rep as the trickster/god of lies, ect, was already tarnishing him bit by bit.

He did not let the Jotun in on Thor's coronation day, but rather this seemed to be done by a group of mutants intent on bringing down Asgard from the inside. However, when he went to the treasure room to stop them with his father he accidentally touched the casket of ancient winters in an attempt to wrest it away from a giant. it was then his true form was revealed.

His anger and fear brought about the truth, that he thought the PotRE were more right than not to ask for Asgard to leave midgard, given that midgard was the largest realm under their "rule" and had so many intricate cultures and kingdoms that it didn't need a single ruler to keep peace, and that all asgard was doing was keeping the more corrupt asgardians and vanir in power because odin was too blind to see it.

He learned the truth of his own parentage and thought it possible he was not abandoned but perhaps had been stolen outright, to be used as a bargaining piece in talks with Jotuns at a later time.

Before he could be exiled properly (and powers stripped) he was saved from such a fate by one of the mutants who had helped the Jotuns get into the realm... Nightcrawler. The mutant teleported Loki away and the prince was introduced to a galactic arm of The People of the Realm Eternal.

Loki eventually took up an offer to join them and was soon leading his own three-man crew that did jobs that interrupted Asgard supply lines and took it upon themselves to redistribute stolen wealth of the upper class.

The crew consists of Loki Laufeyson (a prince either which way it's looked at but he never uses the title), Kurt Wagner aka Nightcrawler, Valkyrie, and Remy LeBeau aka Gambit.

#hc #robin hood au #a LOT is up in the air and easily changed #and quite a bit is also for dr-foster to build upon as she sees fit!

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dmagedgoods · 1 year

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Hello, your majesty! I know you've only recently taken the throne in Mendev, but I was curious if you had any particular policy plans you plan on working toward. How do you want your rule of the country to be remembered?

“An excellent question.”

With his elbows resting on the table, he folds his hands.

“Right now, Mendev is a torn country after the dreads and privations of the Crusades. What it needs most, is a compassionate but strong and determined leader to unite it with a clear course and goal.

Queen Galfrey’s reign, may she rest in peace, never seemed to reach as far as it should have. The nation is divided in its cities’ separate interests and their Commanders take liberties and only focus on improvements and threats right in front of their own door. – An understandable approach, given the fact that the efforts of the former Royal Council seemed to end at the borders of Nerosyan as well, but an approach I will exchange for a system of collaboration and and collective strength. The Commanders of Mendev’s settlements will find themselves confronted with a stricter set of laws and regulations, but can also expect benefits and support in matters of security, reconstruction and logistics.

The attacks of the demon hordes, regional disagreements and internal battles for power left the state fragile. I will use all available resources to stabilize the situation and aid the people who lost and suffered the most, but simultaneously I will implement harsh punishments for scavenging, corruption, and other forms of criminality.

I expect the transition to a civilian government to go smoothly after this long and exhausting war and the biggest change will be the establishment of a parliamentary body representing the interests of the people. It will offer them a chance to participate in political decisions with direct influence on their lives.

We need to redistribute Mendev’s wealth, improve infrastructure and to revise our tax system to stand true to our plans. The Lord Regent already has some bold but nonetheless auspicious ideas to raise the national budget and to restructure the management of public affairs.

Furthermore, I plan to implement a far-reaching supply system, meant for farmers, merchants, and craftsmen, to revitalize the economy, until they recovered from the crises.

I won’t attempt to disguise that we have a hard and rough way in front of us. But confidence and willpower among our people increased with the threat of the worldwound gone. And I will lead them into an era of reconstruction and creation, of progress, and most importantly: peace and stability. The future we will shape is worth fighting for.”

#don't make him talk politics omg #😂#he doesn't shut up for hours #knight commander salvadore #oc: salvadore #my ocs #ask salvadore #thank youuu #💕

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nokingsonlyfooles · 11 months

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More Art? AGAIN? Maggie Can Be Anyone She Wants to Be, Including a Bird Person.

This is the illustration for Tin Soldier #9, Short Subjects on an Eye: Bird Person. It's been through some changes!

Hee-hee, I like this one too. I think I may finally be figuring out how to draw this way! Maggie screwed up her latest attempt at turning into a bird, but that's not gonna slow her down. Erik needs a new eye and Milo and Hyacinth need some metal to make it, so why not repurpose her mom's Imperial Medal of Honour? It's not like she's using it. Get out there and redistribute that wealth, kiddo.

This one looks way more body horror and I'm thrilled with it. If you, as a reader, need to know why everyone doesn't learn how to turn into an animal, there ya go. Same reason everyone doesn't put their hand in an industrial extruder. Yes, it will come out in an interesting new shape, but the process just isn't any fun. (She'll get it right eventually! She's almost got it!)

The pen-and-paper version is, of course, embarrassing.

I think she's got her arms folded there, I dunno.

The shaded version is an improvement, but too stiff. I tend to start over from the beginning, so I'm still working the kinks out when I come around to Bird-Maggie.

Looks kinda like one of those posed Victorian photos. The new one is more, "Hi, everyone! This is just a normal Tiw's Day for me! Some body horror, a little light treason, and a bag of chips!" As, I think, it should be.

I put an obvious magpie in this image instead of a generic bird, but I don't think that's a real spoiler. You already know this person is going to be a bird with zero respect for property rights, no dignity, and limited combat potential. Her mother, the golden eagle, will be less-than-thrilled. (And her dad, the sailor, will delightedly feed her chips.)

#illustrations #art evolution #tin soldier and soldier on #body horror #yes i do like Rick and Morty but i don't get along with people who like ONLY Rick and Morty

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eaglesnick · 1 year

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THE MORAL ECONOMY (Part 1)

I was listening to the news on Saturday when a man trying to get football supporters to Wembley said he was having difficulties because of the rail strike. Luckily, he had managed to book some coaches but they had cost twice as much as normal because of increased demand due to the strike.

Nothing very unusual about that you might say but is it really acceptable to raise prices simply because of an increase in demand? Or is raising prices when no extra costs have been incurred by the seller pure greed? None of us like the grotesque profits being made by energy suppliers using the excuse of war in Ukraine: it is blatant war profiteering. But is the act of doubling or trebling the price of a coach trip to Wembley because of a rail strike any different?

Milton Friedman, economic guru to Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Regan, argues that the business of business is to maximise profits for the shareholders. In his 1970 paper "The Social Responsibility of Business is to increase Profits” he argued that corporate managers should:

“conduct the business in accordance with [shareholders’] desires, which generally will be to make as much money as possible…"

Although the title of Friedman’s paper contains the phrase “social responsibility” he is quick to dismiss any notions of social justice. In the very first paragraph of his paper he argues that people who believe business has the social responsibility of "providing employment, eliminating discrimination, avoiding pollution" and other "social ends” are socialists and therefore the enemy. Businessmen who talk of anything other than maximising profits for their shareholders are described as:

“-preaching pure and unadulterated socialism. Businessmen who talk this way are unwitting puppets of the intellectual forces that have been undermining the basis of a free society these past decades.”

The Tory love affair with Milton Friedman’s economic views that started with Thatcher has never been stronger. The rise of the Tory right has seen a resurgence in neoliberalism as an ideology - the notion that free-markets and competition are the prime and natural organisers of society, wherein the “market” sorts society into a natural hierarchy of winners and losers and that any attempt to change this "natural order" is counter-productive.

Dominic Raab, Liz Truss and Savid Javid all seek to " implement the ideology in its most extreme form”, said the Guardian way back in 2019. We all know what happened to the economy during the short reign of Liz Truss, and we all know what happened to the right-wing bully Dominic Raab. But although these two extremists have been found out, the doctrine of maximising profit at all costs still has widespread support, not only amongst the Tory faithful but also within the Labour leadership.

Sadly, the Labour Party is no longer a socialist party, intent on redistributing wealth and looking after the welfare of ordinary working families. Instead it has once again become a slightly watered-down version of the Tory Party and neoliberal economics, where maximising profit, WHATEVER the cost, is the primary goal.

Am I exaggerating? I think not. We know that only yesterday Starmer was claiming to be Blair “on steroids”. We also know that Margaret Thatcher regarded Blair as her greatest legacy to the nation as he and his Labour government adopted the same doctrine of free market economics as she advocated. Make no mistake, Starmer is also prepared to put corporate and business profit before people. But don’t take my word for it.

Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have set about convincing firms that they are the party of profit, writes Cameron’s skills tsar and ex-CBI chief Paul Drechsler.” (Independent: 13/02/23)

When the ex-boss of the CBI,the UK’s largest employers organisation (now in its final death throws due to sexual scandal and harassment within its ranks) praises the leader of the Labour Party for his commitment to business and maximising profits you know something has gone seriously wrong. When one of David Cameron’s top aids tells Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves that Labour is becoming THE party of business, then ordinary working people are in trouble.

The Labour Party may still exist, but it is in name only.

#uk politics #keir starmer #rachel reeves #neoliberalism #socialism #economics #proft motive #social responsibility #Milton Friedman #social responsibilty #moral economy

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potted-dandelions · 1 year

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"And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country," is a bold admonishment, one which Americans have failed to live up to in the face of social pressure to elect those candidates who promise to give us the most free stuff.

Way back when JFK spoke those words, they were welcomed by patriotic Americans across the nation. People want to be useful, to contribute, to make a difference in the world, and the United States has traditionally been a place where that attitude is encouraged and even rewarded.

So don't ask why the USA lacks universal healthcare. Ask why do Americans uniquely donate so much more of their income to charity than the rest.

Partly it's because we're better paid, but largely it's to support our communities while maintaining our sense of individuality. Here's the thing: when the sovereign attempts to buy its citizens' loyalty, people discover that loyalty can be sold, and that insight is devastating to our inherent patriotism. Entitlement programs compel us to ask what our country can do for us, to reject JFK's admonition.

Americans have long understood that governments exist primarily to govern and secondarily to provide what social services only governments can. We begrudgingly accept government as a necessary evil while we work to provide for ourselves and take pride in our ability to do so. As young and pioneering as our culture is, we've acquired a frontier spirit that has worked so well for so long that we are loathe to abandon it. So we still look out for our neighbors in lieu of the dole, only applying for government services when better options are unavailable.

That's why Americans have the highest rate of individual charitable donations in the world. Charities let us provide for the needy and enjoin us to personally help our fellow citizens get back on their own two feet. But our own government cynically competes with us on that score.

I realize how jaded this sounds, but the government dole is a vote-buying scheme disguised as charity. Ideally, taxpayers would feel like they've contributed something useful to humanity for having paid their taxes, but instead it engenders a blithe have-the-maid-do-it mentality.

Truthfully, government welfare programs aren't that much more wasteful or less efficient than the average charity organization, but if a charity wastes revenue, we can always redirect our donations to another one or simply stop donating outright. Taxes by contrast are compulsory.

Americans are keen to wasteful government spending since we have no choice but to pay up, but since we're also human beings, we always want more government benefits for ourselves. Thus are more Americans becoming greedy socialists these days and it's killing our frontier spirit.

Alas, I fear the flame of our charity is threatening to snuff itself out in the face of socialist greed. Charitable giving is harder to fit into the household budget when the government takes so much and then uses it to buy our loyalty. Wealth redistribution is lethal to charity.

There ought to be a constitutional amendment which states that if the people can adequately provide for themselves and each other, the government cannot butt in and directly complete with any charity. Oh wait, there already is, and it (the 10th) was ratified over two centuries ago.

Our 'federal' government transformed itself into a national government so gradually that nobody has lived long enough to notice. Now, Uncle Sam has his hands in far too many domestic matters. Welfare, Medicare and social retirement funds are rightly matters for states to decide. States, after all, are far more accountable and accessible to 'We the People' than our distant and opaque federal government. We deserve more of a say in the dispensation of our tax dollars and far more transparency than federal entitlement programs provide.

As it is, most of us tend to just pay Uncle Sam and then leave him to his own devices, blindly trusting that he's got things under control, only checking in on him every two to four years. This have-the-maid-do-it attitude has an antidote: if you want it done right then do it yourself.

Unlike all federal entitlement programs, you can directly contribute your time, your diligence and your oversight to many charitable organizations by volunteering. You'll accomplish far more for your fellow man in that way than by simply paying your taxes and hoping for the best.

And you'll forget what the government owes you when you see your donations and your personal efforts make a real difference in your community. You'll embody John F. Kennedy's "Ask not what your country can do for you" mindset and you'll abolish socialism from your heart.

It's entirely possible to eliminate all federal entitlement programs and replace them with some combination of state entitlement programs, charitable organizations and a robust insurance industry. It's something we should do so our federal government can embrace federalism again.

It's long past time we stopped thinking of the government as our Uncle Samta Klaus come down the chimney with gifts of free healthcare, pensions, and family leave. He only wants your loyalty and he'll buy it with your own taxes. Give your loyalty instead to your fellow Americans.

Give more than your loyalty. Give also of your income, that which you can spare, and give of your free time as well and it will signify that your loyalty is not for sale because it already belongs to your community, your nation and your God. Blessings shared are blessings earned.

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dreaminginthedeepsouth · 1 year

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Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal Constitution

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

February 3, 2023

Heather Cox Richardson

Last night, former vice president Mike Pence came out and said it: “I think the day could come when we could replace the New Deal with a better deal.”

Privatizing Social Security is his plan to address the growing national debt by cutting expenditures, at least in domestic spending. “It’s absolutely essential that we generate leadership in this country that will be straight with the American people, that will take us off this trajectory of massive debt that we’re piling on the backs of those grandchildren,” Pence said at the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors summit in Washington, D.C.

Another way to reduce the debt would be to raise taxes on corporations and the very wealthy, even to where they were before the massive tax cuts Republicans passed in 2017, but current-day Republicans oppose taxes, claiming they redistribute wealth from hardworking people to those who want a handout. They believe that cutting taxes to enable those at the top to accumulate wealth will enable them to invest their money in businesses, creating more jobs. Wealth will trickle down, and everyone will do better.

Republicans like Pence believe the federal government should stay out of economic affairs, letting individuals make their own decisions in free markets (although the concept of a “free market” has always been more theoretical than real). Any federal attempts to regulate business or provide a social safety net are “socialism,” they claim, although they have largely forgotten how that argument was established in the United States.

This argument is what gives us the story Kayode Crown reported yesterday for the Mississippi Free Press: thirty-eight of Mississippi’s rural hospitals, more than half of them, are in danger of collapsing because Governor Tate Reeves refuses to allow the state to accept an expansion of Medicaid. The hospitals are required to treat all patients who need care, but since many patients are uninsured, without the expansion of Medicaid the hospitals don’t get paid.

On Monday, Reeves warned Republican lawmakers not to “cave under the pressure of Democrats and their allies in the media who are pushing for the expansion of Obamacare, welfare, and socialized medicine.” “Instead, seek innovative free-market solutions that disrupt traditional health-care delivery models, increase competition, and lead to better health outcomes for Mississippians.” Last month, in a poll from Mississippi Today/Siena College, about 80% of Mississippi voters wanted Medicaid expansion.

This theory also says that the government should also stay out of the business of protecting civil rights, because state governments are the centerpiece of American democracy. That’s the idea behind yesterday’s decision by a panel of three judges of the right-wing Fifth Circuit. They ruled that a federal law prohibiting people who are under a domestic restraining order from owning a gun is unconstitutional.

In the 2022 New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen decision, the Supreme Court said that the government must prove that any gun regulation is “consistent with this Nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation,” and because the Constitution’s Framers didn’t stop domestic abusers from possessing guns, we can’t either. As Ian Millhiser points out in Vox, it was not until 1871 that a state court determined that “a husband has no right” to beat his wife.

Slate’s legal reporter Mark Joseph Stern notes, “There is no real doubt that the 5th Circuit's decision is going to lead to more abusers murdering their wives and girlfriends. It will also increase mass shootings. Domestic abuse[rs] are vastly more likely to commit heinous acts of gun violence.” Millhiser says it is very likely the Supreme Court will take up the case.

Under the Republicans’ theory, the country has seen wealth move upward dramatically, hollowing out the middle class and leaving it vulnerable to leaders who have attracted voters by telling them that minorities and women who want “socialism” are to blame for their loss of power.

Today an audio file from November 5, 2020, just after the presidential election, was leaked that shows members of Trump’s campaign staff in Wisconsin acknowledging Trump’s defeat before Andrew Iverson, who led the Wisconsin team, said, “Here’s the deal: Comms is going to continue to fan the flame and get the word out about Democrats trying to steal this election. We’ll do whatever they need. Just be on standby if there’s any stunts we need to pull.”

Iverson now runs operations in the Midwest region for the Republican National Committee.

In contrast to the Republican theory, President Joe Biden and the Democrats have revived the theory embraced by members of both parties between 1933 and 1981. That theory says that the federal government has a role to play in the economy, regulating business, providing a basic social safety net, investing in infrastructure, and protecting civil rights. Rather than freeing capital for those at the top, Democrats want to invest in ordinary Americans who will, they believe, spend their paychecks, thus building the economy as they move money directly into the hands of their neighbors.

Today at a Democratic National Committee finance event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Biden explained that “when we build from the bottom up and the middle out, poor folks get a shot, the middle class does well, and the wealthy still do very well.” We have to invest in ourselves again, he said. “How…can you be the most successful, powerful nation in the world and have third-rate infrastructure?... How can you attract business and commerce and keep things moving?”

“[W]e used to invest 2 percent of our G[ross] D[omestic] P[roduct] in research and development…. But about 25 years ago we stopped.” Investment dropped to 0.7 percent of GDP, he said, but now the CHIPS and Science Act will jump-start that research and development again. The administration is also bringing supply chains home and rebuilding foreign alliances. And Biden told the wealthiest people in the room today that they were paying an average of 3% in taxes and needed to pay their fair share. “I don’t want you to pay 90% again”—the top marginal income bracket in the Eisenhower years—but at least 15%, he said.

Between 1933 and 1981, Americans of both parties shared the idea of using the federal government to level the social, economic, and political playing fields. The current Republicans are rejecting that vision, reclaiming that of the business-oriented Republicans in the 1920s. Under Biden, the Democrats are trying to rebuild that shared vision, returning the parties to fights over the kinds and limits of government policies, rather than fights over whether they should exist at all.

Biden told his audience that “once every three, four, or five generations, there’s a fundamental shift in world politics and national politics” and that we are in such a shift now.

“What will happen [in] the next three or four years [is] going to determine what this country looks like for the next four or five decades…. We’re laying down a foundation, because the world is changing—dramatically changing. And we have a choice.”

—

Notes:

https://news.yahoo.com/pence-calls-for-social-security-reform-private-savings-accounts-181754393.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/02/03/january-jobs-labor-market/

https://www.mississippifreepress.org/30720/as-mississippi-hospitals-fail-leaders-kill-medicaid-expansion-efforts-again

https://flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/Fulghamv.State_.pdf

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2023/2/2/23583377/supreme-court-guns-domestic-abuse-fifth-circuit-second-amendment-rahimi-united-states

Steve Vladeck @steve_vladeckThe Fifth Circuit strikes again: Unanimous panel (Jones, Ho, Wilson) strikes down the federal statute prohibiting possession of firearms while subject to a domestic violence-related restraining order; holds it violates the Second Amendment under Bruen:

8:03 PM ∙ Feb 2, 20231,392Likes789Retweets

https://assets.nationbuilder.com/firearmspolicyfoundation/pages/3970/attachments/original/1675361904/United_States_v_Rahimi_Opinion.pdf

Mark Joseph Stern @mjs_DC

There is no real doubt that the 5th Circuit's decision is going to lead to more abusers murdering their wives and girlfriends. It will also increase mass shootings. Domestic abuse are vastly more likely to commit heinous acts of gun violence.

slate.com/news-and-polit…

8:23 PM ∙ Feb 2, 20231,119Likes554Retweets

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2023-02-03/trump-campaign-wisconsin-promote-election-lies

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/02/03/remarks-by-president-biden-at-a-democratic-national-committee-finance-event/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/02/03/january-jobs-labor-market/

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#Social Security #Social Safety net #Letters From An American #Heather Cox Richardson #GDP #gun violence #Corrupt GOP #Criminal GOP

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keres-dndoc · 1 year

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keres

meet keres (she/they/fae), my lunar sorcerer in a homebrew 5e game based on Dragon Age!!

Keres was born in a very odd manner. They were exactly 3 weeks early, and active labour lasted the same 22 minutes as the full double lunar eclipse. Keres has blue skin, and when she was born their head was topped with purple peachy fuzzy hair. On their forehead, is a white upside down crescent moon that faintly glows. Horrified by the implications, as both her parents were human, Keres’s mother Marie didn’t hold this newborn baby for the first month of their life.

At age 3, Keres started to show signs that faer magic was brewing, but for the most part it was tame. No attempt was made to hide them from other people in the city, but their parents did “accidentally” spread the rumour that Keres was just, found on their doorstep, and they were so kind to take the baby in, and they’d feel bad abandoning it now, even though it does have magical tendencies out of the chantry’s control.

At 16, Keres' life had not much improved. When puberty hit, they started growing antlers, leading them to believe that their magic stems from Ghilan’nan. While they are a bit religious averse due to the intensity of their parents, they want to find comfort in the thought that Ghilan’nan could be guiding them home, wherever that may be. When they overheard their parents talking about seeking anti-magic solutions, to restrain Keres’ innate magic, they grabbed what little they could and ran away. Keres felt that this magic was the one thing they needed to hold on to above all else. Not once did they consider a circle. To Keres, magic was innate, and to their parents it was to be restricted. There was no other option.

They made ends meet by pickpocketing drunk tavern-goers, and performing small gambling swindles (minor illusion and mage hand are quite good for this) and singing songs to sailors and merchants alike on the docks of Aren.

They were one day, while trying to catch some sleep in the halls of a thieves guild, approached by Shay, a captain of a ship. They said that they’d been watching Keres swindle the people around here, and with light fingers like that, fae ought to make some good out of it. So, Keres joined his pirate crew. He taught them how to size up a target for what they’re actually worth, such as to pickpocket from wealthier types, to give back to the poor (sometimes ourselves, sometimes others). He taught Keres that it’s not really stealing if they needed it more, and Keres understood that profoundly. They never meant to stay on the ship so long, it was only meant to be temporary, but the crew heard them sing their song ‘The Moonlight Lament' and they fell in love with them, and in turn Keres fell in love with their new family too. In order to lay low, fae never exceeded too far on the ship, preferring to stay on as boatswain at most.

One day, when the ship was docked for repairs, Keres was exploring this small town. They were staking out a Chantry, attempting to determine if there were any decent targets for their latest plan to redistribute the wealth. However, they got caught in a bit of a shitshow when a young boy set the place ablaze. Seeing something in him that Shay had once seen in Keres, fae helped them escape authorities and brought him back to the ship. Keres introduced him as her replacement, as they overheard something about Tevinter (a place they knew by name, but knew nothing else about). A chantry-member spoke down on the place, but to Keres that was the appeal. They want to know if they can learn more about the magic they seem to possess. So they left the ship with a heavy heart and headed on their way with nothing but their backpack and pet rat they met on the ship, Vinnie.

They left the ship a year before Present Day, having arrived in Tevinter. They still laid on the outskirts of society, but their presence is well expected in the library. In their readings, they have become particularly fascinated with Lusacan, an Old God; the Dragon of Night. Keres feels this to be a kindred spirit, but they didnt have the courage to read on, fearing what fae might find. In Tevinter they make a living as a clerk in a small magic shop, run by an old man named Piel (p-ee-l), who is going blind. Not much in stock beyond a healing potion and a small selection of common items (at least, common in Tevinter where magic is more prominent), but it’s the first time Keres has ever made honest work of themselves.

Piel’s oldest daughter is coming to look after him, and Keres feels ready to move on knowing that he will be in safe hands. That being said, they are unsure of where the next step is. Feeling no ties to any specific place, Keres feels certain they’ll follow whichever path seems right, and if all else fails, there is a ship they can call home. They fear there might be a higher calling waiting for them, but worst than that, there is nothing, and it has all been a trick of fate.

They receive a letter, calling them to Aren, to aid in a rebellion effort to unseat a boy king who has thrown the nations of Aren and Orlais into war. Keres doesn't have a specific direction they desire to go to next, so they respond to this letter and go to Aren. There, they meet the rest of the party, which includes a member of their pirate crew, and the boy who set a chantry alight, among others.

Our tasks begin small, collect ingredients, escort important people. This escalates, when a prophecy is made by the Seer of Thedas, naming us The Starforged Seven, and predicting the return of a spider queen (it's lolth, it's fucking lolth). We aided the Princess in her escape of Aren, and have brought her into Orlais. We have made an ally of the sworn sword of the seer, a woman named Ferne. Keres, mayhaps, is forming more than friendship with her. Our journeys had us save the village of Redcliffe from swaithes of undead and demonic presences, attract the attention of an important spy council, and arrive at the front lines between Aren and Orlais. Most recently, we faced a band of very unsavoury types, and the one Keres once rescued from the law, and have now become quite close to, met his end. He has been resurrected, but it us unknown where. We don't know when we will see him again, but Keres has hope it is soon. Partly because she misses him, and partly because some of the party members are dating him, and Keres doesnt want to hear them mope for too long.

#dnd #dnd 5e #dungeons and dragons #dnd oc #dragon age #sorcerer #lunar sorcerer

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the-eternal-quest-for-balance · 8 months

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This WON'T be a popular message to those who are used to binary or reactionary thinking but I've got to say this. Covid-19 was not the real pandemic. It was a dress rehearsal for what may be the real pandemic. Everyone is already giving their "I will not comply" declarations and making sure to disregard any future pandemics but I have to advise caution here. Not many people remember things prior to the latter end of the Pandemic but I remember vividly the horror that the SARS-CoV-2 virus was before it began to mutate and become mild. There's a lesson here. We were blessed. Yes there were idiots in power who abused their positions and turned it into a free-for-all wealth redistribution and power consolidation operation, but the real threat of the virus loomed early on and while things weren't as bad as they could have been for most of us, this WAS a bioweapon in the sense that it caused mass casualties compared to the overall global population. Considering that this thing accidentally breached that BSL-3 lab in Wuhan, I'd imagine that China has several worse pathogens they've been testing. They already said that they'd be constructing more in the coming months and years. With this in mind, we must consider that China still has the WHO under their thumb. They're now, (Thanks to the Biden Administration) arguably MORE powerful with their new allies in Russia and strengthened BRICS alliance complete with currency plans and oil trading medium. The one thing that stands in their way is the US and its allies. But much like what has happened in only 3 years of Biden's reign, the strength of the US can be diminished from within, and what better way to do it than to remix an old hit from a few years ago. Assuming that the other Biolabs they have where they've been conducting GoF research (Some with the blessing of US entities) its reasonable to assume that they have some even deadlier pathogens of the chimeric variety tucked away, possibly with a similar if not longer incubation period than COVID, but also with added virulence. Given that Conservatives are primed to disobey any and all health based directives from the government and Conservatives oppose the puppeted and compromised Democrats, who arguably would make China's time becoming the premier global super power easier, the vested interest for China would be to delegitimize and destroy Conservative and Libertarian thought and credibility at any cost so as to soften the US up and let it collapse under its own authoritarianism & central planning. That's why I believe the nextpandemic will be the REAL pandemic brought to you by Xi and the CCP. They don't think short term like many of us Americans. If you're familiar with China, you know they think in centuries rather than decades.

Using the data that they have stolen from all our communications and from the platforms we call "The public square" they know that if they were to release some actually deadly viruses and lean on the WHO to keep it quiet or provide false metrics and stats like they did in the FIRST pandemic, that they'd easily be able to get it to the US and from there, let it tear through the liberty-minded who would completely disobey ANY calls for lockdown or cautious movement. This is a tendency that we've build up and can easily be used against us by any savvy evil dictator with enough balls to attempt it. The minute the bodies would start dropping, you'd see a counter-reaction and possibly collapse of conservative sentiment and credibility altogether because the situation was not approached with caution to begin with. This is the absolute worst case scenario as it would not only thin our numbers and cause untold amounts of strain on the economy, but would also usher in a NEW AGE of despotism by the ruling establishment who would more than likely thank China for defeating their pesky adversaries. This is why I'm eternally vigilant when it comes to the possibility of any sort of pandemic. I don't rest on my laurels for having survived the past pandemic because the rules never stay the same and reliance on old behavioral patterns, while it can be time-saving and a good guide, make you predictable when you have enemies plotting your destruction. This doesn't mean we take any and every vaccine, lick boot, and obey all orders from the gov't. Far from it, I don't trust them either. But at the same time, you have to be wary and not stupid enough to try and virtue signal to the grifters on the right by saying "It's just the flu" when there's a chance it may not be. Just a simple warning... Don't let your guard down.

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dnallohleoj · 11 months

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One of the biggest cop-outs to any discussion on attempts to improve society that I hear is "I don't want the government to use my tax dollars to pay for that!" or "That's not the government's job!"

What do you want the government to spend your tax money on, then?

No, seriously. What do you want that money spent on?

Fine, you don't like the idea of spending it on student loan forgiveness, providing shelter for all homeless people, making healthcare somewhat more universal? that's on you. I'm not gonna argue the merits of those things on a practical level, because it doesn't matter to you that you, personally, would benefit. It doesn't matter if I can objectively prove that every single person alive would benefit. You have an ideological opposition to the idea of the GOVERNMENT providing that benefit. Or you just hate the idea of people getting things without proving to you that they earned it, idk. You know which one suits your situation better.

But be practical for a second. You know that you're gonna pay taxes no matter what. It'd be criminal not to, and you're not a criminal, right? So what DO you think that money should be spent on? If you actually took a look at a breakdown of where your tax dollars went, would you be happy with it? What changes would you recommend?

Please note I'm not going to accept "I'd prefer no taxes" as an answer, because this isn't a hypothetical. Taxes are a certainty of the system. You tear down the government and install a new one, it'll fall apart in no time with no income. You install no government without complete destruction or redistribution of the existing wealth first, and the people with the most financial power just swoop in and take over, and THEY'LL tax you. But under our current government, you DO have the power to vote for representatives who would answer the question the same way you do, or at least closer to how you'd answer them.

Personally, I think that AS a taxpayer, I and all my fellow taxpayers are owed damages for decades of bad policy that has lead to an overall decrease in individual wealth, save a handful of outliers. That's lead to a decline of public health, especially as a pandemic continues to run rampant through the population - now completely unchecked. That's lead to a lack of certainty in the future for literally anyone and everyone under 40. That's possibly put our planet on an irreversible path to inhabitability. But if damages are out of the question, then I think a course correction is literally the least we could do.

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reddancer1 · 1 year

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HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

February 3, 2023 (Friday)

Last night, former vice president Mike Pence came out and said it: “I think the day could come when we could replace the New Deal with a better deal.”

Pence was talking about Social Security—a centerpiece of the New Deal—saying: “Literally give younger Americans the ability to take a portion of their Social Security withholdings and put that into a private savings account.” Privatizing Social Security is his plan to address the growing national debt by cutting expenditures, at least in domestic spending. “It’s absolutely essential that we generate leadership in this country that will be straight with the American people, that will take us off this trajectory of massive debt that we’re piling on the backs of those grandchildren,” Pence said at the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors summit in Washington, D.C.

Iverson now runs operations in the Midwest region for the Republican National Committee.

* TOO BAD, THEY SHOULD PAY 90% AGAIN!!!

From the White House, Biden noted that the “strikingly good” new jobs report issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics this morning proved that his vision of society works. It showed an astonishing 517,000 new jobs added in January, the twenty-fifth straight month of job growth. Unemployment fell slightly to 3.4%, a low last seen in May 1969 (not a typo). Between 1933 and 1981, Americans of both parties shared the idea of using the federal government to level the social, economic, and political playing fields.

The current Republicans are rejecting that vision, reclaiming that of the business-oriented Republicans in the 1920s. Under Biden, the Democrats are trying to rebuild that shared vision, returning the parties to fights over the kinds and limits of government policies, rather than fights over whether they should exist at all.

Biden told his audience that “once every three, four, or five generations, there’s a fundamental shift in world politics and national politics” and that we are in such a shift now.“What will happen [in] the next three or four years [is] going to determine what this country looks like for the next four or five decades…. We’re laying down a foundation, because the world is changing—dramatically changing. And we have a choice.”

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avatar-state-kate · 2 years

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While Anna Delvey (it any scam artist) conning billionaires and big banks out of money is funny and satisfying to watch as someone who will never be part of the 1% I just can’t get behind the folk hero-fication of these scam artist as the kind of life they are inspiring us all to take for ourselves requires putting people below you. Like sure Anna Delvey can say she takes what she wants and we can be like her if we just had the guts, but like literally we can’t all con a stay at a luxury hotel because who then will operate the hotel? Who’s labour would support us?

The show is entertaining, the expose articles are gripping, and while they may not be your villains don’t be mistaken - these people are not your heroes

#like even fyre fest which was so fun to watch also involved all of the low level employees who shoveled sand on a parking lot getting stifes #any folk hero of capitalism is not a hero for the proliteriate #these are not Robin Hood’s redistributing wealth these are capitalist playing out a bourgeoisie fantasy #don’t get confused though I don’t think Anna is evil she’s just what the system attempts to mold us all into #she recognized that the only way ahead is to exploit and con others #which means she can’t be a role model #annoyed that the show had this ‘she inspired me to go after my dreams’ tone #anna delvey

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myherowritings · 3 years

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PART 3. ACCIDENTAL SUGAR DADDY?

SUMMARY. Todoroki Shouto was a wealthy, young CEO who inherited his father’s enterprise. You were a barista at a local cafe who wouldn’t mind some extra cash. One day, Shouto came in during an early morning shift and tipped you such a large sum of money, you were certain it had to have been an accident. To your surprise and complete pleasure: It was not.

PAIRING. ceo!todoroki shouto x barista!reader

WORD COUNT. 2.4k

GENRE. ceo/barista au, fluff, eventual smut

WARNINGS. none in this chapter

A/N. happy new year y’all! :3 i hope you have a good 2021 and here is some flirty ceo!shouto for u to enjoy as we enter the new year hehe ;) thank you for reading and i hope you enjoy! xx sof

SERIES MASTERLIST

“I heard you dropped by this weekend,” you said as a greeting, a playful smile on your lips. “Looking for me?”

If the tips of his ears didn’t tinge pink, you would have guessed Shouto was completely unaffected by your words.

“Mn.” He drew his attention away from your gaze and pointedly adjusted his cufflinks. “Good morning to you too.”

You laughed, accepting you wouldn’t get anything out of your attempt at teasing. “Morning, Shouto. How was your weekend?”

The cafe was quite busy this hour, but Miyazaki took over the other register to alleviate the stress (though, what she really said was so you and pretty boy—who happened to be rich rich—could talk). Whatever the reason, you were glad for a small break whenever you could get it.

“You could say it was busy,” he replied, sounding a bit tired. For the first time since you met him, you actually noticed how exhausted he looked. You wanted to put cucumbers on his eyes and lay his head down on your lap to coax him to sleep. Nonetheless, he smiled softly at you. “And yours? I hope you were able to have time to rest and relax.”

You nodded. “I just slept a lot and caught up on the shows I missed throughout the week.”

“The real way a weekend should be spent.”

His voice was teasing but he didn’t sound mocking. Just...somewhat playful. There was something about his tone that made you want to hear it again.

“Something tells me you need a weekend away where you could just relax and do nothing,” you commented, tapping the back of your pen to your chin. “Do you not have any days off at work?”

He considered this. “Depends what you mean by day off.”

“If you have to ask that, that probably means you don’t have a day off, huh?” you said with a frown, holding your hand over your chest as you sighed dramatically. “You poor thing. Overworked and tired. Maybe I should steal you away one weekend and get you to just relax.”

You were only half-serious.

“Maybe you should,” agreed Shouto, sounding full-serious.

“Maybe I will,” you blurted before you could stop yourself. Maybe you could if you actually had his number… Then, feeling shameful you said, “But, ah, anyway, what can I get for you today? We actually have cheese danishes again!”

His face brightened. “You do? I’ll take five dozen.”

With a laugh you took down his order. You really weren’t sure where all these pastries were going when he bought it, but judging from his expression, you figured it must be somewhere good.

“And for your drink?”

“This time I’ll have a large green tea with almond milk, please.”

You nodded but tilted your head to the side in question. “No coffee with extra shots of espresso today?”

“I add too much sugar and creamer to my coffee,” he admitted sheepishly. “And with all the baked goods I’ve been eating I realized I may have had an excess amount of sweets lately.”

With an understanding laugh you patted his hand that was resting on the counter woefully. “I can definitely relate to that. If too many sweets are bad for you they shouldn’t have made it taste so good.”

Shouto glanced down at where your hands touched, an expression you couldn’t quite discern on his face. Averting your gaze, you quickly pulled your hand back. Was that inappropriate of you? Did he find it too pushy?

“Oh— Sorry about that,” you said, rubbing your elbow with your opposite hand. “Got a bit ahead of myself there.”

“No, it’s fine.” He blinked once. “I didn’t mind.”

Unsure if he meant anything by that and unsure if you were reading too much into things, you simply brushed the topic off and moved on to getting his order in telling him the price.

“Paying by card again, I’m assuming?” you asked before hitting the appropriate button on the screen.

“Correct.”

By now the sight of the sleek and pretty credit card was one you grew rather fond of as he scanned over the payment terminal and signed his name. Was it weird you wanted to examine his signature more closely? Shouto seemed like the type of person who would have a fancy signature that somehow looked like art.

As per routine, you told him his order would be ready for pick up at his right and, before he left the register, he thanked you and gave you another $100.

Did it feel any less strange than the first time he tipped you? Not really, no. But you still weren’t going to complain about a generous tip from a willing customer.

Before he left with his cheese danishes and cup of tea in hand, he stopped by next to you with a small smile.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Y/N.”

You grinned back. “Can’t wait, Shouto!”

— ✩ —

This went on for a whole other week. By this point, he had given you over $1,000 in tip and you were starting to feel like you should give him something in return despite him assuring you he didn’t expect anything.

When you told your friends about the nice guy you met while you were working and they asked for the details, the first thing they said in response to your situation was, “Sugar daddy?”

Before they planted that thought into your head, you just took it as a rich businessman who hated the rich and believed in redistribution of wealth—you couldn’t complain about that. That made him even more appealing, if you must say. But once Kaminari and Ashido whispered those two words, you couldn’t help but see the comparisons.

You had no issues with sugar daddies or sugar babies; as long as they were two consenting adults, what did it matter to you? It just wasn’t something you were looking for at the time and you didn’t want Shouto to get the wrong impression or involve yourself in something you weren’t ready to.

As you commuted to work for your next morning shift, you told yourself today was the day you’d thank him one final time for the tips, but tell him you couldn’t accept anymore. You were sure he’d be understanding but you also hoped it wouldn’t deter him from coming to see you. That was the last thing you’d want.

“Mrs. Miyazaki,” you said between customers. “When Shouto comes in, do you think I can step away from the register to talk to him for a little? I promise it’ll be brief!”

She waved her hand dismissively. “That’s not a problem. Are you finally going to ask him out or something?”

You scratched the back of your neck. “Or something, yeah.”

Thankfully, by the time Shouto arrived today, it was later than he normally came, meaning rush hour was almost dying down.

“Good morning! Someone’s a little late today,” you teased. “Overslept?”

“I wish,” he sighed wistfully. “I had a meeting early this morning and it just ended. Didn’t have a chance to pick up some coffee or pastries beforehand.”

You frowned. “I’m sorry to hear that. I hope whoever was hosting the meeting at least provided you guys drinks and snacks!”

He paused. “He did, but… I just thought yours were better.”

Smiling at the compliment, you preened. “Well, I can’t say I’m not surprised. And I’m glad you were able to drop by still. Would’ve missed you too much otherwise.”

Again, you were only half-serious.

“Hm. I would’ve missed you too.”

And again, he seemed full-serious. Not that you minded.

After taking his order and watching him pay, you pulled him to the side, looking over at your boss so she knew what was going on. She gave you a brief nod as you turned your attention to Shouto.

A lapse of silence went by and he spoke up, “Did you have something you wanted to say?”

“Yeah, actually.” You wrung your fingers nervously, hoping you wouldn’t say anything to offend him since you knew his actions were coming from a kind place. “I just wanted to say… I’m not really looking for a sugar daddy right now.”

He blinked once. Then twice. “Pardon?”

You stared at him, unsure what to say.

“I— Sorry. I wasn’t… It’s not my intention to be a...sugar daddy either.” Shouto’s face flushed a bright pink that made your own cheeks warm up in response.

“But the—the money? I just… I guess I thought…” You winced.

So he wasn’t trying to pick up a sugar baby… Well, this was awkward. But regardless, you think you’ve gotten close enough to him to the point where it would feel weird accepting money from him.

“I’m sorry if I was unclear. It really is just a tip to show appreciation for your service here.”

You shook your head. “No! Sorry, that makes sense! My friends just said… And then I…” you trailed off, feeling a million times more flustered than when you started. “Sorry about that. The sugar daddy mishap aside, I still wanted to say that I really appreciate the tips you gave, but I don’t think I can accept them anymore.”

Slowly, he nodded, adjusting the collar of his dress shirt. “I understand. Did something happen?”

“No, nothing happened!” you were quick to assure. “I really am thankful, but… I think we’ve gotten too close for me to be comfortable accepting that much money, you know?”

Shouto tilted his head to the side, listening intently.

“Like,” you tried to explain, fiddling with your apron, “over the past few weeks I just think we’ve gotten to know each other more and I think of you as a friend of sorts now.” You peered at him through your lashes, hoping your words were making sense. “I think as a relationship develops—for me, at least—adding money into the mix can cause weird power imbalances if not communicated properly. And I just don’t want that for us.”

He thought through your words for a while before agreeing. “I get what you mean. I wouldn’t want to unintentionally make you feel like you owe me anything, so if you’re not comfortable with it, I can stop.”

“Thanks, Shouto,” you said with a beam, glad he was so receptive. Really though, what else did you expect? From your interactions with him you took him to be kindhearted and open. Of course he wouldn’t be upset over this. “But just to be clear, this doesn’t mean you should stop coming! Right? I don’t want to stop being your friend or anything!”

With a small laugh, he nodded. “Sure. I wouldn’t want to part with my favorite cafe. And I’d like to keep being friends as well.”

Those words warmed your heart. You really were nervous about this confrontation earlier; you didn’t want voicing your opinion to mean ending your friendship. (Although, if you sharing what you were comfortable with was enough to end a relationship, then you supposed it was bound to be a toxic and stifling one in the long run and it was good to know in the beginning to end it before it could grow.) Turns out, however, that you didn’t even need to worry about that. He was understanding and sweet and you were glad to have gotten this out of the way.

“Well, as new friends,” you said, gently nudging his side, “maybe we should get to know each other more? Exchange numbers… Hang out outside of this cafe…” You ran through some suggestions, almost bouncing on your feet in excitement. “I mean, I know you’re always so busy and might not have much free time to hang out. But— If you’re ever free one weekend…”

“I’d enjoy that,” he cut in, saving you from blabbering your mouth off and accidentally embarrassing yourself. “Didn’t you say you’d steal me away from work to relax? I’m still holding you to that.”

The beginnings of a smirk formed on his face as he looked at your flustered expression. Was he teasing you?

You huffed, pretending to be insulted by his playful mocking. “Guess I’ll really have to do it then.”

“Guess so.”

“Maybe you should give me your number first so we could plan it.”

“Okay.”

He handed you his phone and you handed him yours, both of your adding your numbers to the contact list. Smiling, you held the phone in front of the two of you to take a contact picture of yourself for Shouto’s phone. To your complete surprise, he laughed before promptly following suit and taking a selfie for his contact image.

“Cute,” you said when he handed you back your phone.

“You too.”

Placing your device back in your pocket, you looked at him, hand on hip. “Since when did you become such a smooth-talker? Am I going to have to guard my heart now?”

His only response was a shrug, but you could see hints of a smile playing on his face. The two of you seemed to be smiling a lot lately, you couldn’t help but notice.

“I should probably let you go to work now—and I should go back to mine.” You gestured to the growing line at the front of the store. Your manager looked like she had things under control, but you didn’t want to take advantage of her kindness. “You should text me later though. If you want.”

“I’ll do that,” Shouto promised, picking up his drink and pastry boxes from the side counter. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Y/N. And… I’ll message you soon.”

As you watched him leave the store, you were certain you had a silly look on your face as you stared in a trance.

“I’ll turn my phone off silent just for you!” you said to his back, hoping he understood what a momentous occasion this was. Your phone was always on silent (unless you were playing a game, of course). But for Shouto, you could handle hearing the obnoxious ringtone and text tone.

With an amused expression he nodded before waving goodbye.

Later on that day, at the end of your shift, you noticed a new message from a certain someone that made your stomach flutter.

Shouto: Hi there. It’s Shouto :)

You never knew those four simple words would be enough to keep the grin plastered on your face up until the moment your head hit your pillow to fall asleep. But, damn— Were you glad that happened to be the case.

a/n: whY WAS SHOUTO AND Y/N EXCHANGING NUMBERS SO CUTE idk that scene got me all blushy and :DDD HFJDKSF like taking a selfie with shouto and getting his number? only goal in life BFHFGF,, also y/n said no more tips how we feeling? ;o

what to expect in the next part:

an unwanted visitor ಥ_ಥ

shouto has a...proposition for y/n

FLIRTING FLUFF SO MUCH CUTENESS U MIGHT CRY

y/n struggles with their fEeLiNGs~

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volcanokids · 3 years

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Hey idk who needs to hear this but the shit going on with Robinhood and Gamestop right now should make you really fucking angry and I’ll tell you why

If you’re not up to speed on the situation, here’s some good posts explaining it. The gist is that using completely legal means, a bunch of individual retail investors (fancy words for normal ass people who, like the rest of us, have very little money) who invest on online brokerage apps (like Robinhood) bought stock in Gamestop after hedge funds worked hard to manipulate the market for their own gains. These average people interrupted the plans of these much larger hedge funds to essentially drive Gamestop’s stock price into the ground by buying all of the stock these companies had and holding onto it, which has now costed these hedge funds BILLIONS of dollars, and for once has disrupted their long standing practice of market manipulation to fuck people over and maintain the wealth of the 1%.

Otherwise average people with accounts on Robinhood, Fidelity, Webull, etc., have now taken and held a ridiculously huge amount of control over GME stock and the rich corporations invested into it and caused it’s growth to absolutely explode. I’ve seen COUNTLESS stories in which many of them turned hundreds of dollars into thousands, made enough much needed money to pay off debts, medical bills, or just to put into savings that they wouldn’t have gotten under other circumstances. They accumulated small fortunes and gave power back to the people, and best of all took that money directly out of the hands of greedy and corrupt billion dollar hedge funds.

But of course, there had to be backlash for this.

Last night (1/27), Robinhood took away its investors’ ability to buy any more stock in Gamestop than they already owned, and today has made its user base fully unable to trade Gamestop stock AT ALL unless it is to sell their already owned shares, like literally fully took away the button that lets you purchase GME stock, period. Straight up preventing trade like this to any degree in the free market, much less to favor billion dollar corporations, is incredibly blatant market manipulation which is very illegal, hence the class-action lawsuit that has already been filed against Robinhood. Hedge funds have lost literally BILLIONS of dollars to normal people trading stock legally, and Robinhood halting trade and making selling the ONLY option for Gamestop, AMC, and similar companies is their attempt at helping the hedge funds gain back their fortune after they failed to manipulate the market in their favor, and fucking over the average people who are invested on their platform in the process.

Retail investors—regular people—when this happened, lost THEIR ability to buy, and therefore continue taking back the wealth held by the hedge funds, but this restriction on Robinhood has NO effect on hedge funds, who have now been able to buy and sell all day today (1/28) freely. They used the opportunity to drive the price of Gamestop down again, essentially trying to bail themselves out after they manipulated the market and fucked themselves over in the first place. So, Robinhood, several other trading brokers, CNBC, and any other large corporation who has pissed on Reddit for “manipulating the market” have also now revealed their alignment with these companies, who are the reason the wealth in America is as disparaged as it is. They’re complaining, shifting the blame, even making up straight up lies about retail investors being involved in the alt-right to defame the people who have beat them at their shitty game.

People on Reddit saw the manipulation, played the game fairly, and hedge funds are STILL trying to fuck them over for daring to touch the fortunes that they have gained by their shady as hell practices and fucked up the economy by hoarding. Reddit saw an opportunity to actually literally redistribute wealth, and these companies are trying to put us all in our place and keep that from happening by extremely corrupt means.

Market manipulation has been going on for a very long time with very little pushback from the people who actually take the blow when the market tanks—i.e. lower to middle class people who can’t afford bailouts and end up broke and out of jobs when the market crashes. The crash of ‘08 was caused by big brokers doing illegal shit and fucking around with people’s money with absolutely no personal repercussions. No lawsuits (or at least no lawsuits that did fuck all about it) no jail time for anyone responsible, nothing. Not only has this Gamestop movement taken back some of the wealth, we are beginning to finally hold these companies accountable. Again, as of right now, a class-action lawsuit has been filed against Robinhood for their blatant market manipulation, and hedge funds invested in GME have lost over 5 billion dollars.

We always talk about eat the rich, fuck the 1%, redistribute the wealth. I know the stock market is confusing—it’s made that way on purpose—and I understand anyone’s personal reluctance to participate in the stock market directly because of the hatred for it’s capitalistic nature and everything it’s done wrong and every way it’s failed so many people. But, if you want to actually be a part of a movement that is literally taking billionaire’s wealth and redistributing it right now, show support on social media for the people putting in time and money to make this happen.

I am not qualified at all to give financial advice, and I can’t in good faith tell anyone to buy stocks, ESPECIALLY knowing many, many people do not have the disposable income to be able to do so. Do not spend money you don’t have. But the media is going to and has been altering the narrative, making the small investors look like they’re being corrupt. Do not believe them. They’re often paid out or owned by these big corporations in the first place, they do not give a shit about any of us, about ruining our lives, about taking everything we’re worth. They’ve done it forever. But the HUGE number of people buying GME, supporting, and cooperating with each other with the solitary goal of fucking over these hedge funds, fighting them and beating them at their own game is scaring the absolute shit out of them. It’s becoming a movement that’s being compared to another occupy wall street. It’s showing people they have the power to instigate change and could legitimately lead to an entire restructuring of the system if we play our cards right. Of course changing one capitalist system into another capitalist system is not ideal nor is it the goal, but this whole thing has very quickly become a movement backed by A LOT of people who have knowledge about the system, have seen it work and seen it get corrupted in real time, acknowledged exactly where it fucks us all over, and are beginning to break it down by exposing a huge and obvious instance of corruption at the hands of billionaires.

If you can do nothing else, educate yourself about all the fuck shit these companies are doing, rally support on whatever social media you use, keep posting diamond-hands-we-like-the-stock-gme-to-the-moon-memes, put pressure on the brokerage apps like Robinhood who are manipulating the market and let them know there will be hell to pay. Robinhood is sitting at a well deserved one star review on the google play store for their shitty actions and has gotten burned over and over on twitter, lots of investors are planning a mass exodus and closing their Robinhood accounts when all this shit is over, as WELL as the lawsuit, and all of it has garnered the attention of some very influential figures who now have our backs. All of the repercussions they’re facing is the direct result of our outrage and backlash. Be outraged with us and let’s make real fucking change.

GME to the fucking moon everyone 🚀

#gme #gme to the fucking moon 🚀🚀🚀#gamestop #wall street #stocks #im sorry this is so long fdhjfbhjfarw pwease read it

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