Comments by "Buz Off" (@buzoff4642) on "The Ezra Klein Show" channel.

While simultaneously berating the poor, as cover for the rich's resentment over their dependency on them.
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@BOSSDONMAN "pretending that BB generation were doing a lot " I think you misread spider's post.
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@AmeliaSmithbooks Patriotic Millionaires say the answer is tax the rich. While that'd be a great start, we also need Living Min Wage.
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@fuerstmetternich1997 "failed spectacularly" when behaving responsibly? As in elite weren't making Max Profit?
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@fuerstmetternich1997 Similar around the globe. Globalism's intent, buy low eastward, sell high westward, is causing (as Sir James Goldsmith accurately predicted) chaos, political/cultural/economic chaos. He made rounds alarming over the passing of GATT, and it went forward anyways. In the US, Ross Perot, candidate for US president, same experience regarding NAFTA. Forewarned, and ignored. As always, "follow the money", as in who benefits...billionaires.
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@kreek22 Gaza.
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It is the cause. There's only one way to get rich: take far too much from far too many in exchange for far too little.
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@BOSSDONMAN True. But, additional stressors these days. Top of the list, tenuous employment, & wage value tanked.
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@haz4dc394 Third world does not charge citizens to have their feet on the earth. US, property taxes or rent. Can't afford that? State takes the kids.
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Anti-abortion puts them right back there: breeding stock.
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As an American, 330M people here can't keep supporting billions in China and India, and the billions collectively elsewhere. If tariffs mean production of our own consumables, so be it.
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@sunbeam60 Is scandinavia productive? All that Ikea malarkey have Made in China, Bangladesh, etc on it.
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@dreamcoyote "Increased productivity" is an elite-favorable term for making everyone work longer hours, for less.
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@faustinreeder1075 "Leave then" First, who died and left you king? Second, you're immigration law illiterate.
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@righteousmammon9011 You are US illiterate. Average start for new worker is 2 weeks a year. It takes decades at one employer to achieve 6 weeks vacation, if ever, far longer than employment stability at any one employer.
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"Europeans look in horror at how US companies..." Are you kidding? Euro, like the US, offshored their worst practices to Far East.
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@26skogen It's corrupt, to the point of being unable to hide it. And the corruption has caused enough damage that the public is thrashing, economically, and therefore in their voting. Because regardless of what they do, they keep finding themselves thrown deeper into a hole, by policy. Succinctly, we're back to taxation without representation.
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@ GDP is extraction of more work hours for less pay, which suits those living off of unearned income, aka "capital gains". Welfare state, by/for/of the elite.
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@ "Economic models are certainly about " theory. Unaccountable unscientific theory.
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@ "...have any relevance to the long term success of a country" Define success.
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@DrFunk-rk6yl "as a political issue", because it was made one, by industry, in this case, fossil fuel industry. Marijuana, alcohol industry. etc.etc.
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@ If you don't see connection between industry, with purchased legislator's legislation, then no, it wouldn't make sense. Much of our legislation is made political, because any arguments based on "promoting the general welfare" isn't in alignment with Max Profit industry. Most notably, climate change. But politicizing is not unique, to fossil fuel.
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We?
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Capitalism may be okay, we don't know, because what we have is corruption.
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@brucemai1429 Corruption under any economic system doesn't free people. And an immigrant coworker from a communist country asked, "What's a layoff?" She was being freed, from her income, eh?
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Spot on. I tell people, "No faith." 18 years of steady employment, steady husband? No faith.
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@asocialscientistresponds I seem to remember from college sociology that sociologists are not suppose to release information that may hurt those they're studying. Neoliberalism is an economic political philosophy. On what basis is that a slur?
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The only broad subsidy, besides WW2 vets, is mortgage interest deduction and property tax. Those are still in effect. And still nothing equivalent for the poor.
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Or, fix the decline in the public welfare. That was one of the points of self governance, in the declaration of independence: "promote the general welfare".
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@lepidoptera9337 What is this presumption, more money/fewer kids, based on?
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@lepidoptera9337 From what I've read, it's tied to educating of women. Yes, that means more money in the households to do so, but, it also means access to birth control, and not being a source of birthing labor, for subsistence farm living.
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@lepidoptera9337 Globalism destabilized economies of all involved. Much of the West, citizens have leaned into few or no kids.
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Far too much speculation in this. Ex - coupons, who the heck even has a local newspaper any more - unemployment, redefined in early 1990s, to exclude the long term unemployed - sticker shock, 100% price increase on somethings, yes, seen as greed gouge - college degree cost, wild jump in costs There is hardly a household that's not stung by one thing or another. It is ignorant to say Americans wouldn't do [x] work. Construction has long been one of the better paying jobs, before importing wage theft labor. And there is no good reason Ag can't grow up, and fix their work terms.
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You may've decided that's what it means, but to a globalist, it means free[-loading] trade. After dropping off the imported goods in the US' ports, the wealth is carried off to tax shelters. "Irish headquarters" my hiney.
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@ Defunding police is wrong in states where they murder citizens, but defunding education is right? Defunding life saving meds for the poorest on the planet is right? Bail reform for non-violent offenders is wrong? Exactly who's been enacting federal fiscal lashing for free speech? Trump. Illegally present, agreed, though it's at least 12M, and so where's the consequences to illegal employers...[crickets].
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@casualsuede It's not just EU banking on US' high priced consumer market.
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Industry. Growing population equals growing profits. Yes, had they not imported a glut, shrinking population would've brought down prices, and likely, population, wages, employment would've all stabilized.
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@DrCruel Do your homework. You're part way there.
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It has to do with being well aware our situation is precarious. Most Americans are well aware we're but one missing paycheck from living on the street. Very likely so around the planet now that Max Profit's gone global.
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He discounts the damage from shipping toothbrushes, hair combs, etc. from the other side of the planet, for no good reason. Economic damage, environmental damage. Israel is not a good example, as they've been bleeding Palestinian of labor and land for decades.
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Tariffs are a sign the public's had enough of the importer predation. Name 1 good thing about shipping toothbrushes from the other side of the planet. Along with the billing of US public for military escort of the cargo on the high seas.
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@lamontkhoza2856 Importer wholesalers to the US got cheaper products, not the public buying retail. Tech industry is develop it once, sell the one thing over and over, reskin the GUI on occasion using the cheapest of H1/OPT/CPT visa'd workers, and pitch it as "new", insanely high profits and the one product that's no returns. Steve Jobs, a lurch forward, the rest on his coat tails. Re: innovative, do tell. I've a phone that needs daily babysitting/attention, plugged in, surveillance on my household, occasionally goes out the door with me to use a map, has a calculator. Incredible numbers of them at work, diminishing productivity. The government never had any plans for those losing their jobs due to the onshoring of a labor glut and the offshoring of what could be offshored. Left high and dry, populist revolt is inevitable.
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@spxram4793 You falsely presume I meant MX/CA/etc., when I mean the predation is from industry in service of Max Profit.
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@ International trade solely for lowest price [x] isn't useful trade, and I'd even call it destructive.
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@StoccTube "The US has grown incredibly wealthy" Clarification, national and international elite has grown incredibly wealthy. Quite different than generic "the US". re: F35 Yes, US governance trashed, by the arrogance of one, who's surrounded himself with equally arrogant and governance illiterate. BANG! The other nations fire back, cancel, cancel, cancel. Quite the void for Russia and China to step into and take advantage of. "why are they ..." They being the little boys running Washington, operating on the epitome of greed, Project 2025.
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