Comments by "Aaron Okeanos" (@AaronOkeanos) on "Robert Reich" channel.

  1. I think we need to include income inequality into the determination of how "well" an economy is running.
    441
  2. The tragedy is most people want the same: A decent life, safety, fullfillment, a nice environment to live in, enough income to not have to worry about money, a decent home, a family, one or two cars, some luxury now and then some vacations now and then. Enough money to pay for the kids and their education and give them a decent start into life. That's all. And you don't need that much money for it. We could all have that if we would distribute what we create together better.
    242
  3. I really wished more people especially Republican voters would be aware of that. I can understand their natural fear of the unknown and even to not want to see people in their environment who doesn't look and speak like them but they should make an opinion and decission based on correct informations. Not allowing the GOP to fear and manipulate them to gain favor based on lies.
    193
  4. And if you ever doubted the importance of voting ask yourself why the GOP is trying everything to make it harder to vote.
    171
  5. Please think of regulations as your protection against them (establishment, corporations, banks, billionaires, government itself). Regulations are game rules, limits how far they can go on you. This is why they want to get rid of them.
    123
  6. I stumbled over a statement in a television series some years ago I thought initially was wrong and naive because it is counter-intuitive. But the more time passes the more I realize we always come back to it: "The more you share, the more you be plentifull." - TV-series "The Expanse"
    83
  7. Introduce spending limits on campaigns. It drains the swamp a bit. Make donations more transparent especially on trust-funds and PACs and potentially legal firms hiding the idendity of the real donors. Consider publicly funded campaigning so the politicians don't owe favors to private donors.
    76
  8. This means even if they would prevent all asylum seeker from coming to the US the problems like fentanyl, crime, housing, low wages and problems finding a job would not change a bit.
    64
  9.  @karlhungus545  Did you see the word "safety"? Have you any idea what this all includes? It includes healthcare, justice, protection, human rights, the rule of law!
    26
  10.  @Zetirix  It worked for 100 years why is it suddenly not good enough anymore and needs to be made harder?
    17
  11. There is another issue involved. It is illegal to let people work for less than minimum wage. But there is practically no enforcement. Without consequences bosses exploit this immediatly because it is cheaper.
    16
  12. Consider a Live-Stream in the future please. But use the opportunity to engage with the viewership, e.g. Q&As, AMAs, reacting to posts, etc.
    10
  13. I would be interested how you think about the idea to bind all wages, pensions and benefits automatically to the inflation rate? Meaning they have to rise at least by the inflation rate automatically once a year so. This would make inflation almost neutral to people on earned income (= working people). And made inflation mostly a problem for money hoarders.
    10
  14. Longer. You need new judges and another generation to show people integrity again.
    9
  15. There is an approach which might work. The EU is adopting it to grow itself because the EU needed to find an alternative to growing by taking what your neighbour has (military conquest). The concept is called egoistic altruism. Using the wish to have more to grow the piece of the cake for everyone instead of taking the cake from your neighbour. Technically it's core policy is regional development. Take from the richer regions to give to the poor as investments and developments. And it's working well so far better then most realize making the EU Single Market the biggest and wealthiest market on the planet.
    8
  16. - 90% tax on all income above 400,000$ per year (meaning each 1$ after 400k is only 0.10$) - redefine income to not only include wages, benefits and pension but also rents, dividends, trust fund payments - remove the deductability of stock buys and sells and loans against each other - tax loans on stocks properly to discourage this practise - tax each transfer on the stock to discourage speculation
    7
  17. Vote better people to Congress. People who do not take Corporate money and who are willing to make laws protecting us. Laws which are so precise that not even SCOTUS can "interpret" it away.
    6
  18. Let's say "reformed" because you need someone watching over the rules. But only the rules. Not making policy. A good example would be the Germans "Bundesverfassungsgericht". It was "designed" after bad experiences with Hitler and contains a lot of Anti-Fascism and Anti-Corruption meachnisms.
    6
  19. But it is illegal to pay less than minium wage. So it should not make a difference if American or immigrant. The problem is not the immigrant but the boss. He breaks the law and gets away with it.
    6
  20. The problem are the wages. Inflation can only be offset longterm with higher wages and times of high inflation can only be compensated with times of high wage increases. And this is only half the story because the GDP is growing but inflation-corrected wages are not rising meaning someone is stealing wealth. The only wage Congress can control is the minimum wage. Unless they pass a Federal Law like for example saying that all wages, benefits and pension have to rise at least by inflation every year. This would neutralize inflation for working people living on earned income.
    6
  21. Automation? I don't know about the mining industry but the oil drilling industry replaced 61% of their jobs with automation already. This is why you see people getting layed off although America drills more oil than ever (even under Trump).
    5
  22. The problem is the market is not free anymore. No fair competition, monopolies, oligopols, price synchronizations, etc. Capitlism in it's final phase is seeking to undo the market.
    4
  23.  @Justincase625  What has market economy to do with socialism?
    4
  24. Unfortunatly Biden is not the best candidate to advocate for. Yes he is above average compared to the last 5 presidents but Biden also stands for stagnation, the status-quo, "we basically change nothing" and a lot of broken promisses. Considering how bad Trump is it is disappointing how badly Bidens performs and this is telling another story. Still voting is voting for the person you disagree with the least. It's that simple. And I do hate that the Democrats have not someone better to offer and use Trump as some kind of blackmail to get Biden. And it might backfire badly. Anti-Trumper will vote against Trump but not against any other GOP candidate. And don't even try to come at me with the argument of encumbancy. Trump was also encumbant. It didn't help him.
    4
  25. A lot of problems go back to something very simple: How much of the revenue which is created by the workers is shared with the workers. Solve that and a lot of problems disappear on it's own.
    4
  26. Rewarding failure and incompetency is really bad. I mean you not only not punish these guys they get a reward for it and are practically encouraged to do it again in the next company.
    4
  27. People lost the focus was is the goal and what really matters. Democracy, autocracy, monarchy, oligarchy, the rule of law, human rights, freedoms these are all just means to achieve something. And this something is what unites us all ... we just debate about the best way there and the best system to avoid a collapse. If you could guarantee us a capable, competent and good minded authorian leader would get us there without misusing the power for himself and not keeping the power forever and really just use it to "get us there" than an authorian regime or a king could be more effective even than democracy. Unfortunatly the moment you free a person from the consequences of his/her actions things go bad ... always. Because we are flawed beings and subject to genetic programming a couple hundred years cannot overcome unless you keep everyone well fed and happy. If not you get problems eventually leading to your end of power.
    4
  28. Excellent video. The first time I directly watched some of your videos. Your name dropped a couple times and your videos popping up in my recommendations for a while because of similar media but I never expected it to be this well done.
    4
  29. They can because there is no police reform bill. It is always the problem that there is simply a Federal Bill missing saying how things should be. This leaves the matter to the executive (president, governor) and judiciary for "interpretation".
    3
  30. It's a little more complicated than that especially in America. People have reasons to think they need something else. Preserving the status quo and refusing any changes in order to keep the system of corruption and bribery alive hurt America badly. It lead to a decline of the middle-class and a wealth-drain not seen in human history ever before. And it's an unsustainable model. Civil unrest, revolution and war will be the result if changes are not implemented quickly. And if democracy is refusing to change things people will flock to alternatives. It was always like that in our 12,000 years of relevant history.
    3
  31. Actually I would blame Hillary Clinton. If she hadn't lost or perhaps not even run there would be liberal majority in SCOTUS today. America would still have Roe vs. Wade and presidents not partially above the law.
    2
  32. - The US never drilled more oil than under Biden. Under Biden America not only drilled more then ever but also more than everybody else on the planet. So do you feel energy independent already because if not more drilling is not the answer. - There is no green new deal. There is not even a draft for it. - Noone is printing money this is a simplified concept for people with a small brain. - Biden is not controlling prices. If you want that you need to change to communism planning economy. Do you want that? - Companies balance sheets are showing the costs have hardly changed but the profits exploded what does that tell us?
    2
  33. Believing already makes you vulnerable to this. Reason and the truth are the worst enemies of Fascism this is why as the first action of them getting power is making it harder or impossible to see or hear the truth. This is why books getting banned, scientists and intellectuals are ousted, ridiculed and ultimativly removed and media is getting controlled. Everything which can provide the truth or seeding doubt.
    2
  34. For the record: Fascism = Control by intimidation and the threat of violence = A statesform of bullies If you give "them" what they want they will come back asking for more until one day they want something from you you don't want to give them.
    2
  35.  @mikemetague7973  Their lies are not meant for us here being aware of things the lies are for those who are not aware.
    2
  36.  @Justincase625  And you apparently missed the lessons about monopolies on the supply-side.
    2
  37. Criminals cannot apply for asylum in America ... let alone cititzenship.
    2
  38. The reason why I support liberal and progressive policies is not because I am an ideologue or a socialist or even a communist the reason is because they shown to be having a better economical outcome and improve life and society at the same time almost as a side-effect. But I can understand the reluctancy of adopting it. The benefits are long-term and very hard to measure because they come indirectly back to you. If you need evidence check Europe.
    2
  39. He is not only polling badly in swing states but also blue ones. This could turn into an epic disaster with Trump not only having the presidency but the GOP also controlling House and Senate.
    2
  40. Well the numbers are higher than usual but this happens across the globe. The EU has also extreme high numbers recently. So there is a problem but not the problem the GOP is saying.
    2
  41. Populism thrieves when there are a lot of problems and in environments where the truth is not respected anymore.
    2
  42. I think of them more as allies with parasitaric characteristics to each other. But they don't realize it. Corporations love the exploitation and especially the free workforce along the way of fascism. Fascists need the money and resources because exerting order and control is unnatural and requires constant effort. This is also why all fascistic endevours are doomed to fail at some point.
    2
  43. Sometimes I think Biden is like Bismarck. There are so many parallels to almost exactly 100 years ago. I fear history is repeating itself.
    2
  44. Why would Mexico give money to another country? This committment was to fund their own side of the border ... themselves. Noone ever said the US would get anything and frankly money isn't the problem in the US.
    2
  45. What is a fascist in your opinion? What is a marxist in your opinion?
    2
  46. I know the truth often sucks and is not at all what you want to hear. But why attack the messenger? It isn't helping you. The message comes from other sources too.
    2
  47. Please read your civics a little more. Congress is making laws. The president implements them. And judges make sure the other two do not break any laws Congress made.
    2
  48.  @themightykabool  I'm happy to oblige. Courts and judges are bound to the laws. The less precise laws are the more room for interpretation there is. The problem are not the judges but the laws. However if you have judges who break the laws or "overinterpret" them because they want a certain outcome they become corrupt and should be removable.
    2
  49. Congress has ... not Biden.
    2
  50. But this is precisly the problem. America deserve a candidate who has not these issues .
    1