2022 Midterms

[Malkiah]

Denying the impact of a sharp increase in money supply is just obviously ridiculous.

what is it that you think is being denied, exactly?

https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/c...profit-margins

that isn't a sharp increase in money supply, or fiscal policy, or supply shock, or rising demand, or retail worker's wages.
that is corporations jacking up prices spontaneously because they can.

if you think that your claims of 'money supply' can excuse that, please provide the logic behind how and why that is.

edit to add:
since you seem to be having trouble grasping this, i'm going to spell it out in a way which i consider to be insultingly child-like:
you are correct that monetary policy, world events, consumer behavior, etc etc, have caused market fluctuations.
you are correct that currency fluctuations exist, and that prices of goods in the world are unstable due to to a myriad of global factors.

however, not one single thing you've posted in this thread for almost 2 pages now even acknowledges (much less addresses) the contention that the actual real-world price to consumers for these products is not rising in relation to those factors, but rather rising exponentially more due to... well, i call it corporate malfeasance, you may call it good business practices. guess that depends on your perspective.

so, address the *real* issue spectral... either deny that consumer price increases have exceeded production costs (as several people have contested, and i think rather compellingly), or else explain the magic behind how increased supply costs and decreased currency valuation results in excessive record-breaking net profit.

[Spectral]

what is it that you think is being denied, exactly?

https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/c...profit-margins

that isn't a sharp increase in money supply, or fiscal policy, or supply shock, or rising demand, or retail worker's wages.
that is corporations jacking up prices spontaneously because they can.

if you think that your claims of 'money supply' can excuse that, please provide the logic behind how and why that is.

I think you've claimed that the change in prices is "100%" a product of corporate greed. This seems trivially false. Do you agree that some price changes are accounted for by changes in money supply and fiscal stimulus? For example, the price of houses increased sharply in 2020 and 2021 - do you think that's a result of profiteering or (at least in part) market changes driven by policy?

[Edge-]

CARES was the largest fiscal stimulus in American history and 2021 appropriations included more relief. The total fiscal stimulus consisted of over $3 trillion; in no sense could this be considered "fairly trivial".

So connect those dots for us.

Just saying "there's a lot of money!" isn't it. Most of the CARES act money hasn't even been distributed yet.

No one alleges that this coincidentally coincides with record profits - inflation policies cause increased inflation expectations, which trigger price spirals.

So...companies acting as if there's massive inflation and padding their bottom lines are actually causing said inflation? Weird!

This was a fairly predictable outcome for everyone other than the dishonest pricks that made claims about "transitory" inflation.

Yeah, because corporations can make it non-transitory by maintaining prices that are not reflective of actual market costs.

It's all, "BUT THERE'S A LOT OF MONEY!" vaguer without actually connecting the dots.

[Canpinter]

Are we really having to debate if oil companies might just be greedy and price gouging? Like what's next is water in fact wet?

[Spectral]

So connect those dots for us.

Just saying "there's a lot of money!" isn't it. Most of the CARES act money hasn't even been distributed yet.

Are you sure you're not thinking of the wrong bill? The majority of CARES money was disbursed quickly. In all, about $4 trillion in actual budgetary outlays have taken place as Covid relief spending.

So...companies acting as if there's massive inflation and padding their bottom lines are actually causing said inflation? Weird!

Yeah, because corporations can make it non-transitory by maintaining prices that are not reflective of actual market costs.

It's all, "BUT THERE'S A LOT OF MONEY!" vaguer without actually connecting the dots.

You're describing exactly how price spirals work in high inflation environments and acting like it's a ridiculous explanation. Yeah, when you spike both monetary supply and fiscal outlays, the predictable outcome is a high inflation environment, driving inflation expectations, and continuing price spirals. It's weird that people are relearning this.

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Are we really having to debate if oil companies might just be greedy and price gouging? Like what's next is water in fact wet?

Everyone is greedy and "price gouging" whenever they can. Oil companies are greedy in 2022 and they were greedy in 2018, 2012, 1998, and 1960. What one needs to explain price changes is what changed - something that's stayed the same isn't a compelling explanation at all.

[Malkiah]

I think you've claimed that the change in prices is "100%" a product of corporate greed.

no, i've claimed that the excessive profit is the result of corporate greed - if that wasn't clear, i'll take some responsibility for that for not elucidating that sufficiently.

This seems trivially false. Do you agree that some price changes are accounted for by changes in money supply and fiscal stimulus?

of course - pandemics, wars, global supply and transportation of raw materials, etc etc... tons of things have been happening that of course consumer prices are going to rise.
and if corporate revenues were the only thing rising proportional to those costs, that would also be understandable - if you're just looking at bulk numbers that's a natural consequence.

the fact that net *profit* is rising dramatically, and what that means in terms of how companies are charging for their goods, is the thing i'm being contentious about and blaming on corporate behaviors.

For example, the price of houses increased sharply in 2020 and 2021 - do you think that's a result of profiteering or (at least in part) market changes driven by policy?

well that's a whole other thing, and kind of funny you use that as your example given that the housing market is another sector being completely rat-fucked by corporate malfeasance, making it disproportionate to any material condition.

[Spectral]

no, i've claimed that the excessive profit is the result of corporate greed - if that wasn't clear, i'll take some responsibility for that for not elucidating that sufficiently.

That could be true, granted.

[Edge-]

https://twitter.com/JohnCornyn/statu...34234628177920

If Paul Depape has overstayed his visa and was illegally present in US, will Biden administration seek to deport him as part of the consequences of the assault of Paul Pelosi?

In which Republicans continue to try to find ways to blame Biden and Democrats for the consequences of their own extremist rhetoric.

I will once again ask: Trump had four years to deport him apparently, why didn't he?

[Poopymonster]

But they will believe the president is in charge of the gas tax, because they sow willful ignorance, and are unable to see the reap.

This is the new United States. Willful ignorance leading the charge into caring about all the wrong things.

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More and more we're seeing election deniers up for positions of power in which they would be in charge of certifying elections.

What are the words to O, Canada again? Asking for a friend.

My Gen X self recalls it. The American public school system plus television covered it.



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ha! i had not seen that one before and am instantly quite a big fan, thank you.


i mean fuck, even leaving behind 'alternative' systems and just having capitalism except we act like it's not the 1700s anymore.
there's a gradient, and somewhere between "star trek" and "the relationship between belgium and the congo in the late 1800s" we should be able to get by pretty well.

it's profoundly disturbing to me that the unchecked animal hoarding of wealth is not a predilection of our species that we have deigned to start to address yet, given how detrimental that has been to our shared history.

I'll fuck you over to get more for myself?
It's been a thing since a homicidal green grocer singlehandedly destroyed 25% of the worlds population to try to get ahead.

[RaoBurning]

And previously I've been fairly dismissive of that shit since I waded pretty deep into the community and saw that A) It was built upon right ring reactionary and "I DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS AND IT JUST MAKES ME ANGRY" bullshit and B) it...just wasn't that serious (excepting those that faced actual harassment), especially outside the niche gaming part of the internet.

Clearly I was wrong on that, and I'm "man" enough to admit when I'm wrong.

If I haven't recommended it before, the YouTube playlist "The Alt-Right Playbook" from Innuendo Studios has at least one video that tackles this pipeline and breaks it down nicely. It's also a really snazzy resource on how fascism develops and operates to have in general. I've watched the whole thing a couple times, at least.

[Malkiah]

I'll fuck you over to get more for myself?
It's been a thing since a homicidal green grocer singlehandedly destroyed 25% of the worlds population to try to get ahead.

right, it's weird to me that of all the socially obsolete impulses humans have as a result of evolution, we have taken steps to address many of them but that's a big one we have totally ignored.

[cubby]

The House is an almost guaranteed flip to Red, and the Senate is not only competitively leaning Red, it's highly likely to slide over.

The next two years will be a litany of national lies and conspiracy theory discourse of the worst kind. MGRetard might actually make the Ethics committee, and will almost certainly make the Oversight committee - because she's udderly worthless otherwise (yes, I spelled it the way I meant it).

Expect weekly Impeachments, a virtual halt to all meaningful legislation, the fillibuster will die almost immediately, leaving Biden to veto countless ridiculous "bills" that would utterly wreck this county.

The fuckfest that is the GQP is about to take over their second branch of government, and that will almost certainly lead to the third in 2024. Praised be.

[Flarelaine]

We're all individuals over here

...I'm not.

[Somewhatconcerned]

The House is an almost guaranteed flip to Red, and the Senate is not only competitively leaning Red, it's highly likely to slide over.

The next two years will be a litany of national lies and conspiracy theory discourse of the worst kind. MGRetard might actually make the Ethics committee, and will almost certainly make the Oversight committee - because she's udderly worthless otherwise (yes, I spelled it the way I meant it).

Expect weekly Impeachments, a virtual halt to all meaningful legislation, the fillibuster will die almost immediately, leaving Biden to veto countless ridiculous "bills" that would utterly wreck this county.

The fuckfest that is the GQP is about to take over their second branch of government, and that will almost certainly lead to the third in 2024. Praised be.

Yet Democrats will never ask themselves, "How did we become even more unpopular than the likes of Trump MTG, Oz, Walkerz etc"

Zero introspection.

[Endus]

Yet Democrats will never ask themselves, "How did we become even more unpopular than the likes of Trump MTG, Oz, Walkerz etc"

Zero introspection.

That implies the problem lies with the Democrats, and not the overt bigotries and fascist abuses desired by the segment of the population voting for the representatives you mentioned.

[Somewhatconcerned]

That implies the problem lies with the Democrats, and not the overt bigotries and fascist abuses desired by the segment of the population voting for the representatives you mentioned.

Exhibit A.

[s_bushido]

Yet Democrats will never ask themselves, "How did we become even more unpopular than the likes of Trump MTG, Oz, Walkerz etc"

Zero introspection.

And yet fascist bootlickers will never ask themselves, "How can we constantly pretend that our side of the aisle doesn't retain power solely through voter suppression and electoral manipulation...all while crying that elections are actually fraudulent and rigged when we lose?"

[The Stormbringer]

The House is an almost guaranteed flip to Red, and the Senate is not only competitively leaning Red, it's highly likely to slide over.

The next two years will be a litany of national lies and conspiracy theory discourse of the worst kind. MGRetard might actually make the Ethics committee, and will almost certainly make the Oversight committee - because she's udderly worthless otherwise (yes, I spelled it the way I meant it).

Expect weekly Impeachments, a virtual halt to all meaningful legislation, the fillibuster will die almost immediately, leaving Biden to veto countless ridiculous "bills" that would utterly wreck this county.

The fuckfest that is the GQP is about to take over their second branch of government, and that will almost certainly lead to the third in 2024. Praised be.

As has been mentioned, polls can be misleading, as they only tend to poll 'likely voters'. If we don't have a lot of 'unlikely voters' coming out of the woodwork for this election, I'll lose even more faith in humanity. Not to mention potential swing voters who might've gone with Republicans before their rights were stripped, but have been strongly reconsidering since they were.

Call it copium or hopium or desperation. Honestly, you wouldn't even be entirely wrong, but not having any hope just leads to doomerism, and I refuse to fall back into that trap.

[Fugus]

Yet Democrats will never ask themselves, "How did we become even more unpopular than the likes of Trump MTG, Oz, Walkerz etc"

Zero introspection.

Since you are Somewhatconcerned, allow me to point out all the lies the GOP have said about the Democrats.

1) Tried to say Obama was destroying jobs and the economy after he left office even though he left with 7 years of consecutive growth while complaining the recovery was too slow while in office.

2) Shut down the government multiple times and blamed the Democrats for it. Were planning on doing it multiple times under Trump as well until Trump took credit for it and killed that chance for them.

3) Launched multiple sham investigations into Clinton with the only intent being to smear her as each one cleared her every time.

4) Repeatedly lie about how taxes, the economy, and the world even works through their networks.

5) Repeatedly deflected from their own failures and that of Trump blaming the Democrats for them, case in point, them kidnapping children on the southern boarder.

If you were really somewhatconcerned, you would actually address the facts instead of spreading lies.

[cubby]

Yet Democrats will never ask themselves, "How did we become even more unpopular than the likes of Trump MTG, Oz, Walkerz etc"

Zero introspection.

That's not the issue at all. It's people willfully believing lies, and embracing their bigotry and hate and violence rather than trying to make the world a better place.

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Exhibit A.

You can post all the "gotcha" bullshit you want, but you seem to be smart enough to realize that the U.S. has become a culture war, and that's now driving the entire political discourse - with one side, the hate-filled and ignorant GQP, refusing to do anything helpful.

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As has been mentioned, polls can be misleading, as they only tend to poll 'likely voters'. If we don't have a lot of 'unlikely voters' coming out of the woodwork for this election, I'll lose even more faith in humanity. Not to mention potential swing voters who might've gone with Republicans before their rights were stripped, but have been strongly reconsidering since they were.

Call it copium or hopium or desperation. Honestly, you wouldn't even be entirely wrong, but not having any hope just leads to doomerism, and I refuse to fall back into that trap.

You're very much correct - polls can only tell us so much, but they do tend to be accurate for the most part, especially the way fivethirtyeight does it. Of course, we won't know until it's over - hell, it could turn out to be much worse, with the Red Wave taking more seats than is indicated. The uncertainty of polls goes both ways.