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Hot take here, judging by the company, but I think Biden’s doing great. He’s moved the federal government in a more progressive direction than any presidential administration since Lyndon Johnson, and I’m confident with more Democrats in the legislature he could do even more.
Simultaneously, the opposition has become so dangerous that it’s absolutely critical the Democratic coalition remain together. There are always going to be criticisms you can level against any leader. I certainly don’t agree with Biden 100% of the time. But if you check out the other hot takes here, making Biden out to be the devil, or saying they’ll never vote for him…those people are trying to elect Donald Trump again.
Biden is definitely doing much better than I expected. No question. Nowhere near the Bernie Sanders type that we need, but a pleasant surprise.
In another time, I probably would go on a rant about Boomer politics killing us slowly. But since Republicans have literally become fascist lunatics, Democrats have to stick together no matter what.
History has shown us just how bad things can get under fascism, and these Republicans are dangerous, stupid, and cruel, and stupid. And yes, I know I put stupid twice.
In another time, I probably would go on a rant about Boomer politics killing us slowly. But since Republicans have literally become fascist lunatics, Democrats have to stick together no matter what.
God, isn’t that the truth. If you told me in 2012 that Mitt fucking Romney, theocrat and corpo cocksucker extraordinaire, was going to be one of the least fascist members of the GOP in 10 years, I would have laughed in your face.
Or that we’d be happy with Liz Cheney?!
For real - coming to the realization that Liz was basically the only adult in the room that is the GOP who was willing to take any semblance of a leadership position staunchly against, you know, conducting a fucking coup was a bit of a shock for me.
I have no problem with democrats ‘sticking together’ as far as voting blue next election, but don’t sit back after you’ve done that.
The seeds for fascism in the USA are the same ones that were in Germany when Hitler rose - rampant inequality and poverty leading to desperate people leading to christian nationalism, and later fascism. I hate to break it to you but a Democratic party with no one to the left of them has no incentive to fix the root problems, and every incentive to stay on the take and then escape to their favorite country with their wealth if they push it too far.
Campaign finance reform, election reform, labor reform … pick a cause and find some friends. We cannot have a democracy without working for it. Fascism will rise in the absence of effort.
What we need is a left-wing candidate to win a primary, and pull the party to the left the way Bush and Trump pulled their party to the alt-right
I’m just impressed he didn’t crack down on the left first thing.
Not snark here, I had worried he would.
It’s the #walkaway all over again, which really was conservatives saying that they won’t vote for democrats “again”.
I don’t know if I’d say great, but he was considerably less disappointing than I’d feared.
Ultimately, we need an overhaul rather than incremental change - but bet your ass I’m voting Dem for every Federal office come 2024, Biden included. The overhaul the fascists promise, after all, is not one that can be reversed.
but bet your ass I’m voting Dem for every Federal office come 2024, Biden included.
And just a reminder, why don’t we all get warmed up voting in our local elections in 2023.
I have to admit, I was definitively in the “they’re really gonna make me vote for Joe Biden?” Camp, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised. His work with the railroad union really solidified it, where sure, don’t love the strike breaking, but the post-strike negotiations end results was certainly a win for those same rail workers.
Man I’m so fully employed that I have three part time jobs. All of which I need to pay rent. Pretty sweet!
No I do not have health insurance.
Oof life is a grind but if you can surround yourself with the right relationships/community and keep putting your best foot forward things will get better on the job front.
Yeah I’ve worked my way into a profession where if you’re not the lucky 1/500 that gets the full time, tenure track job, you’ve just got to work at 2-3 different universities part time, with no insurance. There are worse choices I could have made, but academia was not a good one. At this point I will never have a full time job unless I change professions; once you’ve adjuncted long enough you’re essentially toxic to any hiring committee. And as far as I can tell, I unlike other industries, personal and university connections are actively detrimental; it reflects poorly on a department to hire people who’ve got a connection to the department.
That’s really sad. My father entered into academia in 1960, got tenure in a reasonable amount of time and, by the time he retired, was making a really good salary, able to afford things like taking us on a two-week vacation to Italy. I have a friend whose husband is in academia and suffering similar problems from you. What the hell changed and why?
Generally speaking - There was a huge change a while back in how schools were getting money. Originally the government was paying 75% and the institute only needed to make the last 25%. Then things started to change and it flipped, so now most schools get 25% or less in funding and have to make up the rest of the 75%. (I’m generalizing numbers but they aren’t too far off). This drastically changed how things were ran and just like a business that’s gone private to public they are now trying to make money however they can.
They also got rid of/are limiting most full time jobs and have just increased adjuncts & grad students workload significantly. There is a block on all fulltime hires unless someone retires at at least 3 universities near me. Additionally most adjuncts make a pittance and have little/no say in their schedule or classes. Even when the department does try to accommodate, they generally have their hands tied by higher ups. Oh and schools will cancel required classes before the first day because of “low enrollment” (more than 12 people was the lastest requirement at one near me). Mind you that most students don’t get notified of their financial aide until the first week of school and can’t enroll until they have financial aide secured.
Again generally speaking - nowadays working a minimum wage job has better benefits, stability, and pay than being an adjunct. Even the poster you responded to said they have to work at multiple universities to get by - all without insurance. It wouldn’t be bad if it was only for a short while, before moving to a fulltime position. Yet I know of many qualified adjuncts (with goals of fulltime) that are hitting double digits in their adjunct positions waiting for an opening to go fulltime. Academia is unfortunately very different than it used to be.
That’s really sad. I’m really sorry to hear it. I know my dad was always disappointed that neither my brother nor I went into academia, but it sounds like we made the right choice.
If one were to ignore the getting a position part, other changes include but are not limited to:
-an increase in people killing teachers/students/staff at nearly all levels of learning institutions. It’s not limited to the US and guns either (although they do make up a large portion).
-an increase in students showing outright disrespect or violence in a classroom to anyone but especially authority figures.
-due to the pandemic many teachers/staff died or retired, so there was a loss of guidance/mentors/knowledge as well as changes in policy/how things function.
-the abysmal shift in school work accessability during the pandemic created a general lack of knowledge/routine that would have formerly taken place during that time period. This means instead of being able to teach roughly the same curriculum for each class/each semester as one may have done for years, one must instead rework the course for a few grade(s) lower to accommodate the difference or fail a lot of kids that don’t have home support. (Additionally some teachers were already having to incrementally adjust curriculum each year since the No Child Left Behind Act was enacted).
-teachers/professor have been villainized in recent years by politicians and general pay/funding/grants have decreased (or rather never increased as the years changed).
-tenure tracks are going away in some places.
-the school or university could simply shutdown for numerous reasons in the middle of the semester with little to no notice given staff/teachers/students.
Sounds like it’s more than beyond time for non-tenured professors to unionize.
Why are you working part time jobs?
I can’t get full time jobs. I’ve only ever had one and got laid off. Theyre also harder to get because your employer has to pay for health insurance if you work more than 28 hours per week.
I’m also a weird case cause I’m an adjunct professor. Precarity comes with the territory.
Why not quit being a professor and use your doctorarte degree to get a salaried position?
You will absolutely make more money.
Full time jobs hardly ever work with a part time job. Finding times to fit usually means two part time jobs than a full time and part time. Plus businesses get jealous when you don’t dedicate your life to them.
The goal should be zero employment. Making people work to justify their existence is the antithesis of what we’ve fought and suffered for a hundred thousand years to achieve.
The goal should be zero employment.
Hunting and gathering is still working to justify your existence.
With the pretty huge difference that when they got enough for everyone, they stopped and lived life.
We on the other hand, sit there and try to find ways to complete our work day despite having completed our goals, we even work more than what the world needs, driving up profits for our masters and throwing away what isn’t used. And yet we still can’t feed everyone despite producing more than enough, because it would be less profitable to spread those resources equally.
Lol this is just unhinged man. You’re really arguing to go back to hunter-gathering. I thought you were kidding lol
Not even worth an argument. No one is going back to that en masse.
Move to Alaska. Hunt and gather all you want.
I’m not at all saying that, but you’re free to misinterpret it as you like
Yes and we should be doing less work than they did, not more.
Your life is massively easier, safer, healthier, and more convenient than theirs. Your life expectancy is massively higher. The trade off there is an interconnected and interdependent series of jobs.
You are welcome to go be a subsistence farmer or scavenging hermit at any point if youd prefer, but expecting all the same benefits without contribution is a bit odd.
There is a reason people choose even sweatshop labor over subsistence farming.
We aren’t having the same discussion. I’m talking about eliminating all work, including subsistence farming and sweatshop labor, not going back to hunting and gathering.
Then everyone just starves to death.
In 1776 years ago about 90% of the population were involved in farming. Today that number is under 2% and we have more food than we need to feed everyone. Working less does not mean producing less. It’s why we don’t mine coal by hand or haul goods on sledges.
That 2% goes to 0% and we get food how?
Or did you mean you just don’t want to work? Because we had that system too, up until a different American war about 90 years later
“Full employment” is a lie…
Maybe they used speech recognition. They meant fool.
certain industries are also paying less than when Biden first took office and costs for everything has gone up sometimes doubling
Walmart is just one example paying $4 less or more than a few years ago
why should this be celebrated? links below are what we are celebrating the ones above stalled out
It’s not helping me or anyone I know, so…
This was a well balanced article overall, considering the title. It does celebrate the low unemployment but balances it out by calling out cost related issues. Left leaning but not delusional.
Don’t believe your eyes and ears! You’re doing well! You’re all doing so well
Plus think of all the EXTRA jobs building the border wall will bring!
Fuck Biden
The economy is not doing well, I don’t care what statistics they use to try and lie about it. People are suffering.
If the economy was doing good, the feds wouldn’t keep increasing rates.
And to put cherry on cake, Biden did a photo shoot at the border wall last week and is expanding construction on something he promised to halt.
I’m getting closer to just voting for Trump at this point. Biden makes me so angry. Most important issue for me is immigration reform and foreign policy. Seems like Biden and Trump are identical in these two areas except for a disagreement on whether to turn off the money tap to Ukraine.
Found the worst take!
What’s better? The guy you know will try and fuck you or the one that promises he will help and then fucks you anyway?
The photo shoot at the border made me irrationally angry. You try and put yourself in the shoes and see how it feels to be one of the 12 million illegals or 600,000 DACA being promised something for decades by the Dems
Living in fear as states like Texas and Florida ramp up the use of illegals as scapegoats. Just to see the president you thought was on your side spit in your face
As a gay black man, I too will vote for trump because of a photo shoot.
photoshoot at the border. because he’s expanding construction on the border wall that TRUMP campaigned on. the same wall he said he would halt construction on.
if him and trump are the same, what difference does it make who i vote for? i only got the right to vote last year. i voted once in my state election for governor against desantis
what’s that idiom though… “fear not the enemy that attacks you, but the fake friend that hugs you”
you will never know the plight of these people. growing up in fear as the government becomes increasingly hostile to you while you are raised in school being taught about the “american dream” and “bring me your hungry your tired your weary” and “melting pot”
then someone like biden comes to give a little hope only to crush you and remind you that this country is a cruel and uncaring machine
So more people than ever are being forced to work or starve, all while earning less pay than any other time in American history? And all this is because Biden is a lame duck who either cannot or will not actually solve America’s problems? Oh, and more Americans than ever are working multiple jobs?
Sounds like cause for celebration to me!
Sorry what? In May, wages began rising faster than inflation for the first time in years. That stuff you just listed doesn’t just go away immediately overnight after decades of dumbass Ragenomics
You’re being pissed on and saying “at least it isn’t shit”
You’re the one pissing everywhere and now you’re threatening to start shitting everywhere too. Put on a diaper until you learn to use a toilet.
And you’re letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. Wages rising faster than inflation is a good thing. I’m not sure why you think otherwise.
I suppose you have a solution and are aware of a candidate who can put that solution into action?
Google “lame duck”. You used the term wrong.
