looking down on 'em

[Anon1787]

Now, the GOP is not even bothering to hide objectives like cutting SS and Medicare, and is offering no actual plan to confront inflation. 

That you fail to see how cutting our old-age entitlement programs (which has been a standard Democratic line of attack for decades) would affect future inflation suggests that you don't very much about macroeconomics either. Besides, the GOP doesn't need a plan since gridlock will help to prevent adding any more fuel to the fire. All that's necessary is that the crowd of voters have enough common sense to apply the brakes (mixing metaphors).

How did we get here?

I'm trying to figure out how it came about that the Democrats, who were the working stiff's party, and the Republicans, of country club fame, switched constituencies! I'm  not even sure when this started, never mind why. I suppose the beginning can be traced to the time of the Reagan Democrats. I further suppose that the Democratic party has tried to make up for the votes lost then in a rainbow coalition of small groups. That cements the opposition of the working stiffs, I believe.

Blame the New Left's long march through the party and the sharp reduction in unionized manufacturing jobs. Nixon started exploiting it by pitting the "silent majority" against McGovern's platform of "acid, amnesty, and abortion."

[clean]

I have not voted FOR anyone in years! 
I have already voted AGAINST many when I went to the polls last week.

There is no middle anymore.  The Democrats have gone too far one way, and the Election Deniers in the Republican party too far in the other. 

I lost a lot of little respect I had for the Republican Party when they would not even have a hearing for the Obama Supreme Court nominee more than a year before the election.  Of course they said, "if things were reversed, we would not have hearings for a Republican Nominee either".... Then Justice RBG died, and they rammed through a nominee with weeks, much less months left in the Trump Administration. 

I am closer to Social Security that it now concerns me.  I may well not collect Social Security until I am 70, so more than a decade away, but that means to me, that there is more than a decade to derail my retirement plans!  I wont live on Social Security, but IF they screw it up before I retire, I may have to work years more. IF they do it AFTER I retire, (but well before 70, when I plan to begin collecting), then I can not undo that decision!

As it is, inflation, which I blame equally on both the Trump and Biden administration as they both started the money printing presses, is another tax. 
(Inter Thread Alert)
Social Security income cap just increased 13000 from 147K to 160 K   (almost $1000 in additional taxes IF you had exceeded the cap).   That is more than a summer class!  I just got a real pay cut of more than a summer class!  And I am not allowed to teach an additional summer class to catch up!  (And we got zero - in both $ and % raises this year! with limited expectations that we will get anything next year!  .... The administration was alerting us that one reason that we should be happy with no raises, is that they didnt increase our insurance costs - because the employer's share increased, but they didnt pass that on to us!... so we should be happy that we didnt get a take home pay cut!!)

[mahagonny]

There is no middle anymore.  The Democrats have gone too far one way, and the Election Deniers in the Republican party too far in the other. 

They may have, but I will add, 'election denier' is a liberal media straw man term. They are trying to tie the skepticism over election integrity to the ugly specter of holocaust denial.
No one denies that elections were held or that people have been put in office as a result of the agreed upon result. Questioning whether elections were run with meticulous care is nothing new. It's needed, within reason.
Trump did not have proof, but he is still entitled to his opinion.

[marshwiggle]

I honestly don't think most middle-class peeps look down on the plumber or mechanic, but they want their kids to wear business suits and hang diplomas on their office walls.  My brother-in-law wears a blue shirt with his name on the pocket and, while he seems to have given up, my father-in-law, a former engineer, regularly embarrassed him about his job.  This attitude filters down.

And this isn't partisan or ideological; it's just human nature. I have no idea how to counteract that.

[RatGuy]

I honestly don't think most middle-class peeps look down on the plumber or mechanic, but they want their kids to wear business suits and hang diplomas on their office walls.  My brother-in-law wears a blue shirt with his name on the pocket and, while he seems to have given up, my father-in-law, a former engineer, regularly embarrassed him about his job.  This attitude filters down.

And this isn't partisan or ideological; it's just human nature. I have no idea how to counteract that.

There's a weird phenomenon that occurs whenever I talk to locals or non-academic family members about the job. The conversation is something like:

"Teaching students is such important work."

If it were that important, I'd be making more than 40k/yr. Obviously it's not a valued profession.

"If you work hard, then you'll get paid more like (college professor from TV show who makes a zillion dollars and has an office)"

Actually, I haven't had a raise or COLA in 10 years, mostly because very few admins or voting citizens believe I deserve one.

"Maybe voters would appreciate you more if you didn't brainwash students with your socialist ideology."

Brainwash? I can't even convince them to bring a pencil to class, or to buy the textbook.

"Which is such a shame, because education is so important."

[mahagonny]

"Maybe voters would appreciate you more if you didn't brainwash students with your socialist ideology."

The diversity equity inclusion and eternal life staff make as much noise as they can to show how necessary they are and how society needs to change, and the public thinks their nonsense is coming from the faculty. That and the fact that Kimberle Crenshaw, Robin DiAngelo et al were or are public intellectuals with tenure, so the public thinks the rest of are keeping busy churning out garbage ideas like theirs.
ETA: I bet the average person has never heard from a single source which they would be inclined to connect with the academic world, regarding a question like 'has the value of diversity to the results of innovation and excellence, just maybe, been a little overestimated?' Despite the fact that there are academics who have things to report. The lay public can't be blamed for thinking there's indoctrination. From their vantage point things like 'diversity' 'inclusion' etc. are just a mantra and pressure not a real dialogue.

[Wahoo Redux]

I honestly don't think most middle-class peeps look down on the plumber or mechanic, but they want their kids to wear business suits and hang diplomas on their office walls.  My brother-in-law wears a blue shirt with his name on the pocket and, while he seems to have given up, my father-in-law, a former engineer, regularly embarrassed him about his job.  This attitude filters down.

And this isn't partisan or ideological; it's just human nature. I have no idea how to counteract that.

As I've posted, Town vs. Gown is nothing used. 

As I type this, I'm watching a rerun of Frasier on Hulu.  Its S2 E18---"The Club."  It's a story about an exclusive club (not really a Seattle scene in the real world) that both Crane brothers want to join.  The twist is that there is only open seat.  They are competing with the existing members through puffery about, among other things, degrees and academic pedigrees.

[Anon1787]

I am closer to Social Security that it now concerns me.  I may well not collect Social Security until I am 70, so more than a decade away, but that means to me, that there is more than a decade to derail my retirement plans!  I wont live on Social Security, but IF they screw it up before I retire, I may have to work years more. IF they do it AFTER I retire, (but well before 70, when I plan to begin collecting), then I can not undo that decision!

As it is, inflation, which I blame equally on both the Trump and Biden administration as they both started the money printing presses, is another tax. 
(Inter Thread Alert)
Social Security income cap just increased 13000 from 147K to 160 K   (almost $1000 in additional taxes IF you had exceeded the cap).   That is more than a summer class!  I just got a real pay cut of more than a summer class!  And I am not allowed to teach an additional summer class to catch up!  (And we got zero - in both $ and % raises this year! with limited expectations that we will get anything next year!  .... The administration was alerting us that one reason that we should be happy with no raises, is that they didnt increase our insurance costs - because the employer's share increased, but they didnt pass that on to us!... so we should be happy that we didnt get a take home pay cut!!)

Pyramid schemes implode when there aren't enough new patsies to sustain it. The baby boomers are likely the last generation to receive full benefits as S.S. is likely to become insolvent when Gen X begins to retire (Medicare is in worse financial condition). So the sooner that these programs are "screwed" with, the better.

[dismalist]

I am closer to Social Security that it now concerns me.  I may well not collect Social Security until I am 70, so more than a decade away, but that means to me, that there is more than a decade to derail my retirement plans!  I wont live on Social Security, but IF they screw it up before I retire, I may have to work years more. IF they do it AFTER I retire, (but well before 70, when I plan to begin collecting), then I can not undo that decision!

As it is, inflation, which I blame equally on both the Trump and Biden administration as they both started the money printing presses, is another tax. 
(Inter Thread Alert)
Social Security income cap just increased 13000 from 147K to 160 K   (almost $1000 in additional taxes IF you had exceeded the cap).   That is more than a summer class!  I just got a real pay cut of more than a summer class!  And I am not allowed to teach an additional summer class to catch up!  (And we got zero - in both $ and % raises this year! with limited expectations that we will get anything next year!  .... The administration was alerting us that one reason that we should be happy with no raises, is that they didnt increase our insurance costs - because the employer's share increased, but they didnt pass that on to us!... so we should be happy that we didnt get a take home pay cut!!)

Pyramid schemes implode when there aren't enough new patsies to sustain it. The baby boomers are likely the last generation to receive full benefits as S.S. is likely to become insolvent when Gen X begins to retire (Medicare is in worse financial condition). So the sooner that these programs are "screwed" with, the better.

Full benefits have, what, 10-15 years to go? If nothing happens, a 20% benefits cut automatically.

The two parties are playing chicken with each other, each hoping the other will blink first by raising contributions [in some form] or keeping to the lower benefits by statute.

One possible outcome in a game of chicken is that both parties crash. They will want to avoid this, so I prognosticate a bilateral commission, along the lines of the Greenspan commission, 1983. I know there was a failed, more recent effort, but the emergency wasn't close enough.:-)

Of course the retirement age will be raised, but I have no idea what else will be done.

[Larimar]

Pyramid schemes implode when there aren't enough new patsies to sustain it. The baby boomers are likely the last generation to receive full benefits as S.S. is likely to become insolvent when Gen X begins to retire (Medicare is in worse financial condition). So the sooner that these programs are "screwed" with, the better.

Yep. I'm Gen X, and I don't think Social Security will be there when I retire. Probably it will technically still exist for a while yet, but I picture payments worth less than the postage it would take to mail them out. Maybe those that are richer than me will be able to have a cup of coffee once a month. What I think I can hope for is pennies for my loafers. Or maybe there's a wishing well somewhere around here.

Mr. Larimar disagrees with me, but I'm not willing to trust the bureaucracy.

Larimar

[secundem_artem]

Perhaps we could consider a few compromises:

D's can place all the gender neutral bathrooms they want, but R's will be allowed to bring AR 15's into them.

D's can legalize abortions on the R's condition that only future Muslims, gays, transexuals, and atheists will be aborted.

D's can build all the windmills, solar arrays etc. they want to prevent climate change, but the R's will transport the raw materials on great big noisy trucks that are fueled by coal, diesel, and ground-up endangered species.

That kind of thing.  Win win.

Either that or a Texas cage match where AOC and Ron Johnson are handcuffed together and each given a lead pipe with instructions to beat the other one's brains in.  Last ideology standing wins the presidency and the congress.  Repeat every 4 years.

In any case, a pox on all their houses. 

[Stockmann]

And we do need to acknowledge that it is not just the hard working blue-collar worker who is vulnerable to propagandistic manipulation.

This hits close to home - and I'm not even American or living in the US. There was an election here in which plenty of profs voted in a way reminiscent of turkeys voting for Christmas. I had a discussion with a (now former) friend in which I pointed out a candidate's track record. This led to an outburst on her part. This wasn't what ended the friendship (I dropped the rope over an unrelated issue - at least not obviously related, as I can't speak to her motives) but, regardless, it's hard not to look down on academics who pull this kind of shit (and there are many of them in these parts), precisely because with their elite education, supposed experience with critical thinking, etc, they should know better, instead of voting purely out of tribal identity instead of out of enlightened self-interest. Interestingly, most of the local academics I know who didn't vote against their own interests either have colorful pasts (one who was an elite athlete, another who worked in a bunch of fields and jobs before becoming an academic) or had very elite upbringings, while those who merrily voted like lemmings seem to have overwhelmingly grown up as solidly middle or upper-middle class, attended public schools and universities, and have never worked as anything other than academics.

[dismalist]

...

This hits close to home - and I'm not even American or living in the US. There was an election here in which plenty of profs voted in a way reminiscent of turkeys voting for Christmas. I had a discussion with a (now former) friend in which I pointed out a candidate's track record. This led to an outburst on her part. This wasn't what ended the friendship (I dropped the rope over an unrelated issue - at least not obviously related, as I can't speak to her motives) but, regardless, it's hard not to look down on academics who pull this kind of shit (and there are many of them in these parts), precisely because with their elite education, supposed experience with critical thinking, etc, they should know better, instead of voting purely out of tribal identity instead of out of enlightened self-interest. Interestingly, most of the local academics I know who didn't vote against their own interests either have colorful pasts (one who was an elite athlete, another who worked in a bunch of fields and jobs before becoming an academic) or had very elite upbringings, while those who merrily voted like lemmings seem to have overwhelmingly grown up as solidly middle or upper-middle class, attended public schools and universities, and have never worked as anything other than academics.

This is the story of the rationally ignorant voter.

Do I benefit from my vote? Possibly muchly, multiplied by the probability of me determining the outcome of the election, which is zero.

Costs for voting in an informed manner? Hell, would have to become an expert in many things. Very, very costly.

Since I'm not going to determine the outcome of the election, why get informed?

Political parties know this. That's why there's the appeal to emotion instead of policy. Lot's of "we" and "they", and so on.

That's also why I don't talk to my neighbors.

[mahagonny]

Of course the retirement age will be raised, but I have no idea what else will be done.

More street fentanyl to reduce the number of SS recipients.

[marshwiggle]

And we do need to acknowledge that it is not just the hard working blue-collar worker who is vulnerable to propagandistic manipulation.

This hits close to home - and I'm not even American or living in the US. There was an election here in which plenty of profs voted in a way reminiscent of turkeys voting for Christmas. I had a discussion with a (now former) friend in which I pointed out a candidate's track record. This led to an outburst on her part. This wasn't what ended the friendship (I dropped the rope over an unrelated issue - at least not obviously related, as I can't speak to her motives) but, regardless, it's hard not to look down on academics who pull this kind of shit (and there are many of them in these parts), precisely because with their elite education, supposed experience with critical thinking, etc, they should know better, instead of voting purely out of tribal identity instead of out of enlightened self-interest.

This is based on the unproven assumption that a person's "enlightened self-interest" aligns perfectly with their values. Raising taxes on fuel would not be in my "self-interest", since I own a non-electric vehicle, but I may support it in the effort to mitigate climate change.

This is one of the reasons I get annoyed by the unions who supposedly "represent" me. They would consider it in my "self-interest" for the university to take in tons of underprepared students, for instance, to keep enrollments high, and thus keep my job secure.  The fact that this would make my job a nightmare is not something which can be discussed. (Much less the idea that I might simply support limits to enrollment for other philosophical reasons which may be even less obviously in my "self-interest".)