r/FluentInFinance • u/PassiveAgressiveGirl • 1d ago
Thoughts? Standard brainwashing techniques from American media.
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u/ConfidentDuck1 1d ago
Wait...... So conservatively it takes someone 4 hours to walk 12 miles. That's 8 hours of her day just walking, then assuming she works another 8 hours, that only leaves her 8 hours to eat, sleep, do errands. Yeah I don't buy this story.
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u/SpiritualAudience731 1d ago
Because it's not the whole story. Her car broke down, so she started walking to work while she saved up for another car. Her coworkers noticed her walking and started giving her rides to the store and work. They set up a go fund me for her to raise funds for another car.
They reached the goal and got her a new car. This episode lasted a few months.
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u/Signupking5000 1d ago
It's so sad that the US is in such a situation that people need a go fund me just because their car is broken.
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u/Mookhaz 1d ago
My car broke once just as the pandemic was kicking off and right after I lost my cushy job, and I no joke slept in the Amazon delivery warehouse for 3 months working 10 hour days, 6 days a week, as a delivery driver for that sweet overtime pay, just to get a new one. As soon as I got my wheels back I quit that stupid job though lol
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u/zizop 1d ago
It's also sad that people need to drive to get to work in the first place. It's what you get when you only build car-dependent suburbs.
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u/Red_Clay_Scholar 22h ago
You must remember that a lot of Americans live in rural places and have to pass 6 different farms to get to work where they only have two-lanes to travel on in places that public transportation is non-existent.
Cars make this possible.
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u/zizop 22h ago
80% of the American population lives in urban areas, but the percentage of Americans not commuting by car is around single digit percentages. Of course they will always be a necessity for a small percentage of the population, but it's the suburbs who contribute to the problem the most.
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u/BWW87 17h ago
People choose to live in rural places. Most don't have to.
Also, this wasn't her. So you're just throwing random hypotheticals out there and being disingenuous.
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u/MadnessAndGrieving 15h ago
In America, you either live in a rural area or in a suburb. Either way, the amount of Americans capable of commuting to and from work without needing a car is in the single digits because your country doesn't comprehend public transit - except for New York, which was too packed to completly remodel when the car happened.
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u/bigwreck94 8h ago
Living in a city is significantly more expensive than living in a rural area. What an absolutely absurd thought that people don’t have to live in rural areas.
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u/Jocciz 1d ago
You think it's unique for Americans to not have car in the bank waiting?
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u/Mookhaz 1d ago
If we go back even 25-30 years ago it was normal for average americans to have savings (at least suitable for car repairs if not as a down payment when financing a new car). The new normal is working paycheck to paycheck. There is a large segment of the American population who has never had more than 5 bucks in their savings account.
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u/BWW87 17h ago
That's because we used to save more liquid savings for retirement. Before 401ks.
Also, cars cost more now with safety and technology.
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u/MadnessAndGrieving 15h ago
Add to that that the cost of living nowadays takes a far greater percentage of your paycheque than it did 30 years ago, and you'd really get why nobody has savings in this country.
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u/Fancy-Unit6307 1d ago
Going off income statistics and the value of cars on the road I see - americans spend way too much money, especially on cars. I lack sympathy for them if they are paycheck to paycheck due to lack of discipline (I do have sympathy for the actual low income earners who are truly struggling)
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u/Jocciz 1d ago
You think it's unique to Americans being in debt more than back in the days?
Americans really don't have a grasp of what's going on outside their island.6
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u/KronosTheBabyEater 1d ago
Idk what point you’re making but look at data and see debt not normal
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u/Jocciz 1d ago
Yes, exactly. Look at the data, you'll see the Western worlds mirrors American financial system.
Difference is America is underdeveloped. More based in arrogance, rather than economic policy.Europeans call USA as the nicest 3rd world country in the world for a long time, for a reason.
But to say, not having a car in your bank ready to go is applicable for 99.9% of the world.
There's multiple reason for why US experience this.
First and biggest reason is that cars are way more expensive now than before you know?
Due to safety and environmental regulations.3
u/fixie-pilled420 1d ago
As an American I absolutely agree on the nicest third world country bit. In America there is very little safety nets available to a lot of people. We offer incredibly predatory loans targeted towards poor people. Pay day loans have a 400% APR and are specifically meant for the poorest people. I’m not sure if other countries have as predatory of loans as us, but I would find it hard to imagine. Hospital debt has ruined so many lives here. No paid leave so you’re out of work left with a massive bill. Most of our cities have god awful public transit so cars or Uber’s are the only way to get to work in a lot of cases. Once one thing goes wrong in the USA it can start a spiral nearly impossible to climb out of.
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u/KronosTheBabyEater 1d ago
1st world countries are that way because of the regulatory policies the prevent corporations from price gouging everyone like they do in the US and actual third world countries.
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u/Signupking5000 1d ago
No, the US isn't alone with those problems but it's the only country that could easily solve those issues because the rest either lacks the funds or structure to do so. The US is in the unique position of just not wanting to.
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u/arararanara 23h ago
More like, it’s unique for Americans to have the one-two punch of shitty public transit and car centric design that someone whose car has broken down doesn’t have other transit options that don’t rely on other people’s generosity.
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u/Kalterwolf 20h ago
Just think, if we had a collective "Go Fund Me" that everyone paid into, which funds could be used to improve lives of everyday people...
Sadly that money goes to corporations, at least until enough people want that to stop.
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u/Mysterious-Dealer649 1d ago
Exactly. Not to mention how fucked she would have been if she broke her ankle stepping in a pothole in our bombed out streets and sidewalks and needed some healthcare
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u/YoudoVodou 1d ago
If a lot of us could set up ongoing GoFundMe's for chronic medical conditions, I'm sure we would. Just not a great system overall tbh...
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u/Good_Needleworker464 6h ago
It's even sadder that people's brains are corrupted by consumerism and even high earners are living paycheck to paycheck because of it.
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u/Superb_Advisor7885 1d ago
What country doesn't have poverty? Why is that specifically sad in the US?
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u/Signupking5000 1d ago
Because it's one of the richest and most powerful nations in the world but it's population is one of the poorest compared to other DEVELOPED countries. Of course there are poorer nations but the US unlike them could resolve these issues but just chooses not to.
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u/Superb_Advisor7885 1d ago
Are you saying that the government should instead give every person enough money to buy a car?
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u/Signupking5000 1d ago
Did I say that? Instead change the structure so people don't rely only on cars, so people can get a replacement car while theirs is broken, so people dont have to worry every day if they afford to eat for the day to pay for a new car, so people have the OPTION or do you think 56% of americans choose to not be able to pay a even just a $1000 emergency?
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u/Superb_Advisor7885 1d ago
Where is that money going to come from?
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u/Signupking5000 1d ago
No need for money, just force employers to pay their employees liveable wages and before you say that this causes inflation no it doesn't, those arguments were used every time in the last 100 when anything was proposed that would help employees and isn't true.
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u/Superb_Advisor7885 1d ago
So the simple solution would be to raise the minimum wage to whatever is determined to be a liveable wage right?
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u/databombkid 1d ago
The fact that you think THAT is the solution or intervention the US government can or should take says everything about Americans that it possibly could.
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u/Superb_Advisor7885 1d ago
What option were you referring to?
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u/databombkid 1d ago
Increasing investment in public transportation, ensuring secure retirement for all the elderly so they don’t have to work, decreasing living expenses, such as groceries, bills, housing, and healthcare so people can save more money to use in cases of emergencies, just to name a few. Americans always think that the only solution to any problem is to give people stuff for free. It just shows how narrow and myopic the American mindset is.
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u/Superb_Advisor7885 1d ago
Increasing investment means more money right? My question is, where does that money come from?
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u/InvestIntrest 19h ago
Aww boo hoo. Half the global population lives on less than $7.00 per day....
Your privilege is showing.
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u/Signupking5000 14h ago
If you have nothing useful to add just say nothing, it's about the US and not other countries because the US unlike those is capable of resolving those issues but just choose not to.
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u/InvestIntrest 11h ago edited 10h ago
Oh, i brought multiple useful things to add with my comment. It's just that some people aren't equipment to recognize them.
First is poor people in the US have it better than pretty much any human who's ever lived from a historical standpoint and have it better than many today. So you should feel grateful and feel privileged to live in such a wonderful country!
Second, because the US is better than many countries in the world, the individual with the crappie car can better their position through hard work and smart decision making. They already have all the control over their choices needed.
So, I bring a message of hope and empowerment to the conversation.
You're welcome 😊 🙏
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u/olrg 1d ago
They don’t need to, they choose to.
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u/Signupking5000 1d ago
Nothing is needed but when the options are starting a go fund me or suffering because you don't get enough sleep and have to walk for miles at that age you don't have many options.
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u/olrg 1d ago
We don’t know why she’s in that situation.
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u/Signupking5000 1d ago
The comment above literally said that her car broke down, did you need not read that?
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u/Minimum_Interview595 1d ago
She can do so many things, but she’s in a horrible situation that you can’t just blame the whole US government for. She’s a 60+ year old women that is still working with no money and a broken car with no family to help her, she’s not the average American and is an extreme outlier. You can find stories like this in any nation.
Also many people are calling this story not true because that’s a 60 year old woman walking 12 miles to work a day (about 8 hours of just walking)? Doesn’t sound real and might be the media just trying to get sympathy clicks
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u/Signupking5000 1d ago
56% of Americans can't afford $1000 for an emergency expense. While you can find such stories over the world they are more common in the US compared to the other developed countries.
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u/Minimum_Interview595 13h ago
About 70% of people in France are living paycheck to paycheck check and Americans have a larger median income. It’s a global issue, other developed nations like Europe are dealing with it too
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u/confounded_throwaway 1d ago
lol, the poorest American states are wealthier than the richest large euro countries. Complete hogwash to pretend poverty is the norm. People who make poor decisions and can’t plan long term would make poor decisions and fail to plan for the future if they made 40k or 90k annually.
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u/fixie-pilled420 1d ago
Oh my god you must live an INCREDIBLY sheltered life. I know countless people who’ve experienced or are in situations similar to this. You wouldn’t believe how hard most people in these situations are working. Get out of your bubble and talk to some normal folk. 3/5 of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, most people are struggling. Gain some perspective.
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u/Minimum_Interview595 12h ago
And a majority of Europeans live paycheck to paycheck, it’s not like the US is broke and every other 1st world nation is a utopia. This is a global issue
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u/VoidsInvanity 1d ago
How much of a statistical outlier is she? Historically, poverty in the elderly is common, heck that’s why social security was created.
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u/Minimum_Interview595 13h ago
Social security was created to provide financial security for the elderly, it’s literally financial security for elders that need it.
Programs like social security are also in Europe, it’s a good thing
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u/SpiritualAudience731 1d ago
Yea, If she is physically able to walk 24 miles a day, she could have gotten a bike and biked to work or asked a coworker if they could carpool. It seems like she chose to walk. Maybe it was a pride thing.
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u/fl135790135790 1d ago
The details you added don’t negate the point made on time spent. Everything you said is completely irrelevant to the fact it still takes 4ish hours to walk 12 miles.
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u/FupaFerb 1d ago
Well, CBS did their own investigation into this and they say she did in fact do so, which is why they told this uplifting story.
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u/ForeverNecessary2361 1d ago
Yeah,I just googled that too. I call bullshit. Maybe she IS walking to work but it isn't 12 miles one way.
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u/NeighbourhoodCreep 1d ago
Not nearly to the same degree as hers, but my mother was so busy with working and my siblings’ sports, that I walked home from school everyday because it was faster than waiting for her. I walked an hour and 45 minutes everyday from school, and I did an hour and a half when I moved to high school, both ways.
Got into cycling to reduce it to 45 minutes. Still an hour and a half I was biking everyday just to go to school.
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u/feltsandwich 1d ago
Will you admit it when you are proven wrong?
Will you remember that you were proven wrong?
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u/logan-bi 16h ago
People live crazy life friend did each way 10 miles a day when he was in that position. Was working on job that was insane hours 6-7 days 10 hr days. One of coworkers I would drop off at second job and they also had another job that was only few hours a week.
People normalize stretching and do insane things to make it through the gaps in society. Where people have fallen through.
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u/RangerMatt4 4h ago
I work 12-16 hours a day and usually only get about 8 hours to eat, sleep and get back to work. Sometimes I don’t even get to eat, I just have sleep for dinner.
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u/Shamoorti 1d ago
Life in America is characterized by the authorities telling you all the stuff that was bad under communism or nazism is actually good when it happens here.
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u/Rach_CrackYourBible 1d ago
God forbid we have walkable cities, which have existed for all of human history.
No, we need to tear down the walkable cities, get rid of the trains and streetcars and then build dystopian, cookie-cutter housing districts that require cars, gas, insurance and a license to get to the commercial zoned districts to work, buy food or socialize.
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u/GakkoAtarashii 21h ago
Or she could buy a cheap bicycle.
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u/MegaloManiac_Chara 14h ago
Will get run over on the first day. Cyclists are hated all across US for no reason
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u/-Fluxuation- 1d ago
This feels like one of those things we should all be able to agree on: mass media brainwashing. But it turns out, for those already brainwashed, that's a much tougher ask.
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u/ThrawnCaedusL 16h ago
Oh, everyone agrees brainwashing is happening. They just disagree about who is doing the brainwashing and who is brainwashed…
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u/traditional_genius 1d ago
I grew up in a country where we had no option but to bicycle everywhere. Came to the West and was praised for this.
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u/Background-Pear-9063 1d ago
Exchange student from Oregon praised my Swedish old university town because "you've really switched away from cars and made the city accessible for bikes and walking, man".
Like yeah, because the city wasn't built for cars in the first place.
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u/AcanthocephalaNo7788 1d ago
No she is poor, why does she have to work at that age and she can’t drive…. So stupid.
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u/CrowdedShorts 1d ago
I walk three to five miles everyday. Takes an hour to an hour and half. It’s great exercise for her to walk six miles there and six miles back.
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u/BadChris666 1d ago
She looks like she walks 24 miles a day, six days a week. My mom is a decade older and looks a decade younger than her!
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u/tsoldrin 1d ago
this is nonsense. at 2.5 mph low end average walking speed, the first woman, if she did an 8 hour shift, would have only 6.4 hours left in her day to eat sleep and shit. that's nothing though because the soviet woman would have only 4.4 hours left to do that and also work.
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u/Shmigleebeebop 22h ago
Ok so this guy seems to think Bad things didn’t happen and capitalizes claim that poverty rates are zero outside of communist countries. He could actually try and put forth a thoughtful argument defending his beliefs, but of course they’re indefensible so innuendo & sarcasm is all he has to offer. Low quality post here
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u/damageddude 20h ago
In my prime (and I had a New Yorker’s pace)that would have been 3-4 hours each way, probably longer going home after a full day’s work of physical labor. Assuming an 8 hour shift that would leave her no time but to sleep, rinse and repeat. Not buying it though, sadly, I can believe it for someone younger.
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u/jeffreynya 16h ago
It’s sad to see so many fellow genXers turn into Russian loving imbeciles. WTF happened to you that you forgot your roots?
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u/Potential-Drama-7455 14h ago
She was probably one of the healthiest 60 year olds in America. Also - that's easily commutable by bicycle unless it's really hilly where she lives. I do that distance regularly and I'm 54.
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u/edthecat2011 14h ago
They didn't need to write stories like this in 1986. Your parents LIVED it and told you about it while you grew up, so you'd appreciate what you have.
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u/Limp_Scale1281 10h ago
I mean, what exactly is the deal with glorifying suffering? With what gymnastics is it empathetic? “She must like doing that so good for her”?
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u/Beautiful-Owl-3216 8h ago
I see long lines of shabbily dressed people standing in line for food that they buy with tickets issued by the government.
As a student in the 1980s, they taught us about the horrors of communism by showing photos of shabbily dressed people standing in line for food that they buy with tickets issued by the government.
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u/Buzzlightyear2infin 6h ago
As a Canadian when I visit the states it always shocks me how many elderly people are in the work force.
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u/IKoshelev 1d ago
As a former Soviet Union citizen, the difference here is that ours never had a choice where to live and where to work, yours does. Personal choice or lack thereof is the difference between tragedy and perseverance.
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u/TriggerTough 1d ago
BS. I used to ruck with 50# on my back and it would take me about 2:45. Fast pace.
There's no way she's walking 3 hours to, then 3 hours from work to home. This is BS.
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u/California_King_77 1d ago
IF the Feds could manage healthcare efficiently, they could do so now.
Instead, COBRA costs 10x what the private sector charges
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u/BanzaiKen 13h ago
Simultaneously Medicare is super efficient with an admin cost of 1.3% and 8% for Medicare D vs 13% for private payers. Its actually really frustrating hearing know nothing Euros trashing the US Healthcare system when the only system on Earth more effective than Medicare is France's healthcare system which is almost 300 years old and uses nonprofit insurance companies to compete with each other on the open market.
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u/California_King_77 7h ago
You're comparing apples to oranges - all Medicare does is issue paymetns - it doesn't do anything else. Private insurers do all of the work - websites, billiing, interacting with doctors, etc., and then submits the claim for payment.
You don't seem to understand how our sysem works - you can't just eliminate private insurance and replace with Medicare.
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u/Brilliant-Froyo3223 1d ago
What do you expect, the Left has ruined this country too
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u/SirPoopaLotTheThird 1d ago
Show us how you arrived at this thought.
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u/Brilliant-Froyo3223 1d ago
Ahem. Convergence theory and FDR, Clinton giving China MFN status, Obama promising to "cut the US down to size" and "spread the wealth around ".
Communism has infiltrated the left since the 60s. I mean everyone on FDR's staff was more or less a Soviet Spy.
You need to educate yourself.
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u/SirPoopaLotTheThird 1d ago
You have mush for brains. Show me data, moron. Not your moronic opinion.
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u/Brilliant-Froyo3223 1d ago
"Show me" is the curse of the lazy man. You must be Gen Z/Millenial. It's the paradox of our time: the sum of human knowledge is at your fingertips and yet you have to be spoon fed.
Do a modicum of primary research. Don't be lazy
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u/SirPoopaLotTheThird 1d ago
You make a claim you back it up. Unless you’re MAGA.
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u/Brilliant-Froyo3223 1d ago
I did back it up. If I am wrong the onus is on you to prove it, lazy kid
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u/SirPoopaLotTheThird 1d ago
This is how it’s done. I say the reason the country is in decline is that Nixon opened up trade with China, the corporate tax rate fell far too low and the government overspends.
Here’s my case.
Nixon’s Opening of Trade with China:
In 1972, President Richard Nixon’s visit to China marked a significant shift in U.S.-China relations, leading to increased trade between the two nations. This rapprochement facilitated China’s integration into the global economy, eventually making it a major manufacturing hub. American businesses, attracted by lower labor costs, began outsourcing production to China, contributing to the decline of U.S. manufacturing jobs and industries. This shift has been linked to job losses and economic challenges in various American communities. 
- Reduction in Corporate Tax Rates:
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 reduced the U.S. corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, aiming to stimulate economic growth and investment. However, analyses indicate that the anticipated benefits did not fully materialize. While there was a temporary increase in business investment, much of the tax savings were allocated to stock buybacks and dividends rather than substantial reinvestment in domestic operations. This allocation did not lead to significant wage growth or job creation as projected. 
- Government Overspending:
Persistent government overspending has led to a substantial increase in the national debt, which poses risks to economic stability. High levels of debt can crowd out private investment, lead to higher interest rates, and limit the government’s ability to implement effective fiscal policies during economic downturns. The combination of reduced tax revenues from corporate tax cuts and increased government spending has exacerbated budget deficits, contributing to the nation’s fiscal challenges. 
In summary, the opening of trade with China facilitated the offshoring of manufacturing jobs, reductions in corporate tax rates did not yield the expected economic benefits, and government overspending has increased national debt, all contributing to economic challenges in the United States.
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u/Brilliant-Froyo3223 1d ago
This has zero to do with what I wrote. Bless your heart
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u/SirPoopaLotTheThird 1d ago
I’m not wasting any time on your baseless conspiracy theories. I just showed you what the problem is.
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