Skip Navigation
InitialsDiceBearhttps://github.com/dicebear/dicebearhttps://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/„Initials” (https://github.com/dicebear/dicebear) by „DiceBear”, licensed under „CC0 1.0” (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)SK
Posts
3
Comments
250
Joined
2 yr. ago
  • It isn't a defense at all. You said you didn't understand. Abused people (or peoples) becoming abusive in turn is a common process, and that phrase is commonly used in such a way that searching on it will reveal many studies of the process, and what has been tried (successfully and unsuccessfully) to short-circuit it.

    Understanding is not absolution, though. You can both see how the genocide of Jews led to fears, politics, and colonial interventions that contributed to Israel's genocide of Palestinians, and also condemn that genocide and those perpetrating it (which I absolutely do). But not understanding the motivations makes any problem easier to effectively resist or solve, as you can use that knowledge to determine where and how to apply pressure and create a lasting rather than a temporary change.

  • I was skeptical of your numbers, so I did the math:

    Taking the first article I found newer than 2022, US billionaires have about $6.22 trillion of wealth ± recent stock market changes. UBI of $1000/month is most commonly estimated to cost $4 trillion/year.

    US budget in 2024 was 6.8 trillion, but 1.87 trillion is in social security and income security programs UBI would replace, so the net change would raise the budget by 2.17 trillion to 8.39T. So 8.896 months - more like nine months than eight, but surprisingly close.

    Of course, that assumes all other taxes are wiped out, which nobody has ever proposed. I can't find a number anywhere for total income tax paid by billionaires, so we'll be generous. OMB estimates billionaires pay an average tax rate of only 8.2%. Their wealth increased 2.9 trillion over 7 years, so ignore compounding and call it 414B/yr. And pretend it's all taxed (which it isn't - most isn't considered income). That's 33.9B in income taxes the IRS doesn't collect after wiping out the billionaires. That reduces IRS revenues collected from 5.1T to 5.06T (being generous again with the rounding). That buys us another 7 months of government funding.

    Alternatively, doubling the effective tax rate on the top 1% earning over 3.3M/yr from 26.09% to 52.18% would balance the budget including the new UBI. Get the effective tax rate on billionaires to match and you can start paying off the national debt. All without touching the middle class or even lowering anyone's income below 1.65M/yr.

    Don't get me wrong - taxing billionaires out of existence is certainly a moral imperative - it just isn't necessary to fund UBI.

  • Rodents. Most people don't compost properly - they leave out the cover material on the sides and top, and still believe the myth that compost needs to be turned.

    The fruit smell attracts rodents. Enough cover material keeps the smell in and the edibles inaccessible. Then you can compost most of the foodstuffs you're normally told not to (fruit, animal products, dairy, etc.). Oil is still a no-no, as I recall.

  • ADHD memes @lemmy.dbzer0.com
    Skydancer @pawb.social

    From the "This is only news to neurotypicals" department

    politics @lemmy.world
    Skydancer @pawb.social

    A summary of the current US elections in the language and reporting style US media routinely uses for reporting on elections in the global south.

    World News @lemmy.ml
    Skydancer @pawb.social

    Israel rescues four hostages in operation Palestinian officials say killed more than 200 people

    amp.cnn.com Google News

    Comprehensive, up-to-date news coverage, aggregated from sources all over the world by Google News.

    Google News

    The Israeli military rescued four hostages in a special operation in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza, that Gazan authorities said killed 210 people and injured more than 400 others.

    Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv, were rescued by the Israeli military, intelligence and special forces from two separate locations in Nuseirat, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Saturday.

    All four were kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7.

    “They are in good medical condition and have been transferred to the ‘Sheba’ Tel-HaShomer Medical Center for further medical examinations,” the IDF added.

    An Israeli policeman from a special counter-terrorism unit was killed in Saturday’s rescue operation, according to Israeli police.

    News of the rescue came soon after Israel’s military said it was operating in Nuseirat and other areas of central Gaza, where heavy shelling and artillery fire was reported.

    At least 210 people have been killed as a result of the re