I don’t think I agree with this premise at all, unfortunately.

The article describes extraction or manufacturing as the sole ways to increase “actual wealth” (apart from government works) but it’s just sophistry to embed the author’s biases against the value of information and services. That’s because services and white collar jobs both (a) can represent intrinsic value, and (b) can both directly and indirectly be subject to international trade.

To explain, the author would define manufacturing a refrigerator as “actual wealth,” but the knowledge of how to do so as not “actual wealth,” even though the knowledge is equally a prerequisite for the refrigerator, and is a more valuable unit for trade with other nations or economic growth.

The conclusion about focusing on long term “wealth” creation is fine, but that premise isn’t necessary to get there and detracts from the credibility of the argument.

I think you’ve just coined 2025’s tagline.

Yup. They fired the Abrego attorney who had the temerity to admit to the court that his deportation was in error. It’s a liability to be honest.

I mean, New York is a close analog, and the relatively minor gerrymander in Democrats’ favor was struck down, which is a large part of why Republicans control the House.

So you’re right that Democrats tried, but also Democratic (and democratic) judges nullified the gerrymander.

I guess it’s classic that they gave up political victory to have the moral high ground. So might as well give them that much?

I think of this moment probably once a month and I don’t know how to make it stop.

I had to read the headline and source twice to believe this wasn’t the Onion.

What I’m saying is, while I feel for you as an individual human being who seem nice and reasonable, I lump you with the problem and I fully blame you for it as an American.

You don’t seem to understand that you certainly do not feel for me as an “individual human being who seem[s] nice and reasonable” if you think you have the right or moral ground to blame me for Trump because the people around me joined his cult - it’s the diametric opposite of acknowledging me as an individual.

You just seem to keep repeating “as a nation” as if that hand-waving abstraction somehow makes it sensible to blame every single person in America for Trump. Test your premise even a little. Are American children also responsible for Trump? What’s the principle? Do they somehow gain the original sin of being an “American” and therefore culpable for Trump at 18? Is that midnight Eastern Time or Pacific Time? How about people who lost the right to vote? How about Americans who naturalized after the election? Is it getting complicated yet?

Because that’s life, it’s complicated, and applying the label of “American” to two drastically different people doesn’t somehow waive your duty to engage in moral inquiry before you engage in moral condemnation.

Well, two ways this can go.

Option 1: Yes, well you are a [insert name of country you are from], and despite that [insert thing the worst person from that country is doing that neither of us likes], so we are also fed up with you.

Cool, by acting exactly as you, now we both hate each other because of things other people are doing, despite neither of us being directly responsible for the things we jointly oppose.

Option 2: You think a little more about this and maybe understand that not every American is part of the problem, and in fact we’re even more horrified than you because [looks around] we’re living in the hell that’s spoiling your nice view. And maybe you also realize it’s pretty counterproductive to abuse, threaten and isolate the very people who are in America now and who agree that Trump is a cancer on this world.

If you can take a moment to wean yourself off the high of righteous indignation, you’d see we who are trapped here with Trump are the ones most directly being abused by him.

So why exactly are you doing the same as Trump and abusing us too? Don’t you think you should also worry about the ethical implications of your own actions?

Go home and sacrifice his hand to the demon lord Anthraxus in exchange for more power?

Trump, but more likely one/some of his sycophants, explained how hard-line immigration enforcement could help in removing political opposition with the help of a corrupt and stacked Supreme Court

It’s definitely Stephen Miller. Zero doubt. He is the true believer in racist/white supremacy and the New York Times’ recent story had multiple anecdotes about the DOJ and DHS/ICE being directly controlled by him, while Bondi and Noem are only interested in making TV appearances.

Right but… you know 90 out of 100 Americans on Lemmy didn’t even vote for him and oppose him?

I kind of just read your message as: Hey, domestic abuse victim, you need to figure out your abusive spouse who you’re forced to live with pronto! Their abuse spills over and it’s making a mess everywhere.

Pretty sure many of them are LLMs by bot factories with an interest in the US tearing itself apart, and the prompt is, “Write a reply to {post}. Agree and amplify what is said, but make more racist and divisive.”

I really only notice that for your tongue.

The contest won’t be over who can imitate Trump the best. It’ll be who can use Trump as a martyr best. They all know Trump is the glue that holds their machine together.

You’re confusing him. It’s not a big deal, he’s some guy and we’re just two people on the Internet, but he’s a left populist, not a “both-sides-er.” He’s fed up with institutional politics becoming ineffective, not with people being too “left.”

I’ve been watching him since the beginning too, I wouldn’t say that 10 years ago, but this is where he’s at right now.

The modern fascist terraforming plan is:

Step 1: Flood the zone.

Step 2: Population gives up and tunes out.

Step 3: Remove all remaining checks to power.

Step 4: Purge all political and social undesirables.

The funny thing is, Stephen Miller and the rest realized they can do the steps in parallel, each one reinforcing and normalizing the others.

The most valuable and hardest thing we can do is not give up resisting. But pace yourself, find some good in the world and give it some of your attention every day. They’re relying on wearing us down.

I assume it’s going to come out of DHS or ICE-allotted funds.

So…I agree. Yes, it’s our tax or debt burden, and yes, that’s infuriating. But the money has already been stolen from us. Now the only question is, is that money going to be used to accelerate fascist policies like the end of due process or not?

So drain the bank, please. Every dollar for judgments or settlements is a dollar not spent on racist, unconstitutional immigration policy.

Hmmm, I have been skeptical of AI, but it looks like it’s getting smarter.

They can’t, and either way, with Bondi in control, she can decide what the DOJ says. I can’t think of a reason not to expect she’d change what the report contains or concludes, forever distorting that history in favor of Trump.

Would expect nothing less from MiniTrue.