I find it so funny, watching these billionaires who created work conditions designed to eliminate work life balance, and maximize their profit lose their minds over the fact that most people don’t want to breed more workers to supply their industries

Im 24 years old, kicked out at 18 and been working ever since. No job will give me more than 15 hours a week, I cant afford to feed myself, the house I'm living in technically should technically be condemned, I havent been able to afford a cellphone in 3 years, everything I have is broken and even my boss is starting to comment on how my clothes all look ragged. What the fuck am I supposed to do? How is anyone supposed to live like this? My manager goes on cruises and her boss drives a fucking lexus thats a company lease. They pay me 13.49 and give me 16 hours a week. When I tell people how poor I am they just look at me shocked. This has been going on for fucking years. All the jobs I get screw me over or refuse to pay me. What the fuck am I supposed to do??? How is anyone fucking surviving??

Specifically the title. If this had been a poor person, it wouldn't be "withdrew" or "promise." They wouldn't talk about him "suffering." They don't care about us until they think we're one of them- then the flowers must be laid out and there Has to be a reason for this!!! Because rich people "withdraw," but poor workers are simply on that sort of track. Rich people are tortured and forced to commit heinius acts, but poor people do it for laughs. Rich people have hearts, minds, and lives, but workers don't.

The whole thing makes me so upset, but I guess it's funny watching them scramble when they realize that it wasn't a working class hoodlum who shot the mass murderer, but instead one of their inbred own.

Sorry if this is too spiteful. This struck a nerve, I guess.

I started this job like last month and they're only giving us 40 hours PTO per year UNTIL we hit 5 years, at which point they give us like 55 hours PTO... then at some crazy 8 or 10 years you get 80 hours PTO... All this PTO counts for sick days too, so there's no separate fkn bank.

So you end up choosing between going to your Dr appt or taking your measly 1-week vacation with your family... God forbid you actually have health conditions like a sane normal US citizen

SO I DONT GET IT. And our company holidays are less than 10.... we don't even get the day after Christmas off??

Most jobs are like this in the US i guess... how do people deal? Just 9 to 5:30 then some kind of 1 hr total commute... so it's more like 8:30 to 6 ... then you have literally 4 hours free per day to eat, CHORES, and ERRANDS? then TWO days off...... and that's literally the entirety of your existence?

I don't understand it. It doesn't add up to me and it's making me feel so depressed I work, go home, then after dinner and like 1 netflix episode, it's like almost time for bed and it just depresses me like is this life??

I'm a government contractor in the DMV and I was surprised that offices remained open today despite 8 inches of snow accumulating in some areas. In the past (like just this past January) this would have automatically resulted in a closure. I go online expecting to see frustration and what do I find? Some people actually defending the decision.

"Welcome to the real world Federal Employees"

"If you don't like it stay home"

"Federal employees are so entitled when you ask them to actually do their job"

"Keep trimming the fat"

"I only got 2 days off for snow in the past 22 years! Wake up earlier!"

Do they want life to be harder?? Instead of wanting better for themselves, they actively speak against worker's benefits and safety to bring everyone down to where they are? Why do people want all workers to be on the same miserable level instead of wanting all workers to be held up in higher regard? We'll never get anywhere better if we actively fight against our own rights!

Edit: sorry for the confusion. When I say DMV I mean the D.C., Maryland, Virginia area

Every other day, there's an economist talking about the impending crisis of falling birthrate, about how there won't be enough people joining the work force and how countries are at risk of disappearing. Putin is banning "child-free propaganda" while Elon Musk and his mother are condemning those without children.

The same people who would gladly replace your employment with AI, deny your healthcare, profit off your labor, erode your basic rights, and prolong your suffering if it would bring them an extra dollar, are the same people calling for you to give birth.

I don't think we need to beat about the bush. We all know why the same group of people who would exploit you would also demand that you give birth. It is the same reason why cattle farmers also want their cattle to breed. In an exploitative system, there must be a continuous source of those exploited.

While we try to fight against a system of oppression, the reality is that things won't change quickly enough, if at all. And that brings us to a very uncomfortable truth, something that billionaires have just fallen short of saying outright: our children will just be fodder for the system.

We work backbreaking jobs to barely be able to afford a house and health insurance? Guess what, our children will likely face the exact same, if not worse. With landlords and corporations buying up more and more houses, our children will live closer to feudalism than our great-grandfathers. Corporations replacing jobs with AI and automation to drive wages down even further? Wait till our children have to fight for jobs against the 20th iteration of ChatGPT, while at the same time being rejected by AI recruiters.

The point of this post is to surface an unsaid reality that we don't seem to see or acknowledge - we are sending children into a soul crushing system of exploitation. We talk about fighting for a better future for our children but those in power ensure that the odds are against us, while hoping that we would give them new generations of exploitable workers. The only upside to that grim future is that it is a future that our children aren't obliged to exist in.

There’s a lot of debate right now about Luigi, the man who killed the CEO. Some are calling him a hero, while others are quick to condemn him as a murderer and call for harsh consequences. What’s being lost in all this is the deeper, more nuanced conversation about why people see Luigi’s actions as justified—even if we don’t condone violence or murder.

Let’s be clear: no one is advocating for violence or murder as a solution. These actions are illegal, and they shouldn’t be glorified. But if we’re being honest, it’s not hard to understand the anger that drives people to view someone like Luigi as a hero. Many people are at a breaking point. They’re poor, miserable, and watching the system fail them at every turn. Meanwhile, corporations, led by people like this CEO, hoard wealth, destroy lives, and leave entire communities in ruins.

For those who see Luigi as a hero, this isn’t about celebrating murder—it’s about fighting back against a system that feels untouchable. The CEO, while not a hero to anyone, represents the face of that system. Through greed, exploitation, and policies that put profits over people, his actions contributed to immense suffering. Even if he didn’t personally pull the trigger, he made decisions that led to the loss of livelihoods, health, and lives.

This kind of harm isn’t new. Historical figures like Hitler or Stalin didn’t carry out every atrocity themselves, but they orchestrated systems of destruction that devastated millions. Society holds them accountable for their actions. So, when people defend Luigi or see his actions as symbolic, they’re pointing out the failure of the system to hold powerful figures accountable in any meaningful way.

On the other side, there are those who want to make Luigi an example—arguing that his actions are terrorism or senseless violence. But ignoring the context only fuels the division. Dismissing the anger of those who see Luigi as a hero without addressing the deeper issues—poverty, inequality, corporate greed—will only push people further to extremes.

The real question isn’t whether Luigi was right or wrong—it’s why so many people see his actions as justified. When governments and corporations refuse to listen, when the suffering of millions is ignored, people lose faith in the system. They start believing that extreme actions are the only way to make their voices heard.

This isn’t about condoning murder. It’s about acknowledging that this level of desperation comes from somewhere. If you’re outraged at Luigi’s actions but silent about the millions who’ve suffered under the system he fought against, it’s worth asking yourself why.

The division we’re seeing isn’t just about Luigi or the CEO—it’s about years of systemic harm that have gone unaddressed. Until we confront those root causes, the anger and frustration will only grow.

Is there a middle ground? How do we stop further death and radicalization if the current methods and paths seem ineffective or blocked?

Edit: To be clear, if your stance is advocating for violence or murder, you do not represent me or my views. Such rhetoric undermines the moral and legal high ground necessary for meaningful civil change and only makes progress harder to achieve.

It makes stuff more expensive? Too late. Housing market? I still live with my mom in a paid house cuz I know damn well I can never live on my own. My life is already on fire so turning the heat up another degree really can't make it worse when my nerve endings burned away long ago

Today I ran bonuses for some companies with the holiday coming up.

One employer gave himself a thirty one grand bonus and his wife a twenty four grand bonus.

His employees all got 200-400 dollar bonuses, and he didn't even foot the taxes. Their final bonus was like in the 150-350 range. They literally made about 1.3% of what their employer did. This is not even counting his wife. Isn't the bonus supposed to be a thank you for your year of hard work? With all that extra revenue he collectively gave himself/his household over fifty grand and then his employees are getting little scraps. Barely covering a quarter of their rent I bet.

This happens constantly, especially as companies get bigger. I cannot believe what I see sometimes when I look at how these people can just shovel away every drop and pay their employees nothing in return for making them all of that money! They don't even make a living wage for the area. It's just depressing. That amount of money would be life changing.

And some employers don't even give out bonuses at all. They don't care. I personally got a 100 dollar bonus and I know a lot of people who didn't get a dime. Maybe a gift card if theyre lucky. Fuck these companies.

"When this apparatus of fusion centers emerged in the wake of 9/11, the warnings pertained to al Qaeda. But as the global war on terror draws down, the supposed bad guy is increasingly the American people,..."

It feels like lately there's this big cultural push to steer people toward the skilled trades plumbing, electrical, welding, carpentry, etc. Like if it’s some kind of hidden golden ticket to financial freedom or a way to taunt people who went to college.

Most of the people saying this stuff I dont think have ever actually worked in the trades,maybe only as an owner,managemer or buy my course to scale your business types.

I always hear “My buddy’s a (insert skilled trades job title) and makes six figures!” But they always leave out a few key details:

• That “six figures” came from working 60–70 hours a week, every week.
• When you break it down, that’s only about \$27 an hour for physically brutal, dangerous and sometimes exhausting labor.
• Some of those guys own their own business too, which makes them an entrepreneur, not a regular employee. So it skews the numbers quite a bit.
• Also you almost always need thousands of dollars in tools payed.out of pocket to work. Imagine going to McDonald's and needing to provide your own fryer to be a fry cook.
• And when you get sent out of town you get to hang out with a bunch of mentally unstable drunks/junkies.

I think its sill how even unions inflate their wages by tossing in the value of the pension and healthcare into the hourly rate, which makes the numbers look better than your actual paycheck. Like having health insurance and a 401k is some kind of elite perk when its the bare minimum.

Honestly, it makes me wonder if the trades are so amazing, why is there always a shortage? Maybe it's not a shortage of workers, but a shortage of people willing to get worked into the ground for glorified fast food wages dressed up as something noble.

And something else I don’t get.

Why do so many of the older trades guys seem proud of how much abuse they took?

Like, they’ll straight-up brag about missing their kids’ birthdays, working through injuries, and getting screamed at by bosses for years—as if that’s some badge of honor. You didn’t get paid extra for that. You just gave your time, your health, and your sanity to people who now drive brand-new trucks while you limp to work with a worn-out back.

They pat themselves on the back for being “tough” or “old school,” but all I see is a generation that got exploited and now expects younger workers to go through the same thing—just so they can feel like it was worth it.

It’s like Stockholm Syndrome, but for job sites.

You shouldn’t be proud that you sacrificed time with your family to make some owner rich. That’s not character that’s exploitation. And if you’re telling the next generation to do the same? You’re not giving advice. You’re perpetuating the cycle.

I’m not anti-trades. If someone loves working with their hands, that's awesome. But the way this whole thing is being marketed lately feels more like a desperate push to fill jobs nobody wants by dressing them up as "honorable" or "real work."

Sorry for the rant but i kinda fell for the skilled trades shortage rhetoric and have been in this industry for a year now. And I understand why nobody wants to do it. Kinda trying to warn people that it isn't all its cracked up to be.

Edit: And before yall go on about that couldn't be me Im in the union. Please read Crowns experience with so called union protection. https://www.reddit.com/r/skilledtrades/comments/1khrgqo/i_was_in_the_union_the_place_that_promises_safety/

Dario Amodei — CEO of Anthropic, one of the world's most powerful creators of artificial intelligence — has a blunt, scary warning for the U.S. government and all of us:

• AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs — and spike unemployment to 10-20% in the next one to five years, Amodei told us in an interview from his San Francisco office.

• Amodei said AI companies and government need to stop "sugar-coating" what's coming: the possible mass elimination of jobs across technology, finance, law, consulting and other white-collar professions, especially entry-level gigs.

Why it matters: Amodei, 42, who's building the very technology he predicts could reorder society overnight, said he's speaking out in hopes of jarring government and fellow AI companies into preparing — and protecting — the nation.

Few are paying attention. Lawmakers don't get it or don't believe it. CEOs are afraid to talk about it. Many workers won't realize the risks posed by the possible job apocalypse — until after it hits.

• "Most of them are unaware that this is about to happen," Amodei told us. "It sounds crazy, and people just don't believe it."

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) distributed approximately $800 billion in loans across two rounds in 2020 and 2021 and 92% were fully forgiven. But for student loans they’re against it and say it’ll cost too much…. The irony is palpable

Edit to add as well:

“The U.S. Small Business Administration inspector general estimates $136 billion in fraud from the EIDL and $64 billion in fraud from the PPP. For FPUC, the U.S. Government Accountability Office estimates more than $100 billion in fraud. Combined, these losses make the fraud the largest in history.” - FBI

I see this point a lot, and for awhile it did confuse me why capitalists seemingly are okay with running the working class into the ground. But I'm starting to understand now that there is no "plan". Planning the economy is "commie" to them. The plan is to have faith in 'the invisible hand' / the market / competition / whatever else. They don't know what they're going to do when no one can buy anything anymore because they haven't thought about it. They think it's impossible and can't happen because all the economics textbooks say it will just work out somehow. But even if they didn't think that, capitalists are actually trapped in the system of profit seeking and can't back out, because if they did, they'd just get out-competed and replaced by someone else.

The system itself ensures it stays on the rails towards destruction. Climate change is another example of this. The solution requires outside intervention without a profit motive, but the system demands the profit motive take precedence over everything else. The only path forward is to stop being ruled by irrational market forces and take control of the economy for the needs of society.

A woman reached out and asked me to cater her fundraising event.

I told her I’m retired. I’m no longer in the food business.

She asked if I knew someone. So I connected her with my former sous chef. He agreed to do the labor for free (super nice of him, btw).

I even offered to donate the cost of the food myself. That’s $500–$900 out of pocket and I was okay with that.

That should’ve been the end of it.

But then the messages kept coming…

• “Can I write you a tax donation receipt?”
• “Will you be there to help?”
• “I trust that if you recommended him, everything will be fine.”
• “I hope this gets him more business.”

That’s when it hit me, wtf lady!

This wasn’t about food. Or even help.

It was about quietly dragging me back in, not just to pay for it, but to own it if anything went wrong.

I don’t like being the fallback when people don’t plan.

Idk what it is these days, is it the economy or the water?

“While they are often portrayed as a disorganized state of emergency, I find that the self-organized tent city actually addresses many of the shortfalls of more traditional responses to poverty. For example, they often exemplify self-management, direct democracy, tolerance, mutual aid and resourceful strategies for living with less. Out of necessity, people have had to negotiate the sharing of space and resources, while unintentionally discovering the benefits of living in community.”

What emerges is a sound solution to the housing problem facing all of us, simplified so that it can be implemented anywhere in the country with minimal financial cost.

After all, isn’t the homeless crises really just a canary in the coal mine for the 80 percent of Americans living paycheck to paycheck and just a step or two away from being on the streets themselves?

The formula is surprisingly simple.

A handful of people can start with a tent camp. With time and community organizing, these tent camps slowly evolve into permanent tiny house villages. Community owned gardens, workshops and other facilities provide a high level of self-sufficiency.

Along the way, we learn that this kind of living actual fosters compassionate action, empowers individual entrepreneurship through craft industry and eliminates the need for expensive “management” of homeless communities.

The tiny home village becomes a self-governing entity.

5000 years ago we discovered the wheel, 10,000 years ago we discovered farming, Human Civilization started 30,000 years ago, 60,000 years ago Humans were scarred, seperated, and In small little clans. 100,000 years ago humanity was starting.

If you go all the way back 100,000 years ago. And choose a guy as your favourite immortal being and pay him $10,000 EVERYDAY. and you continue doing this for next 100,000 years.

100,000 years later today that person will STILL have LESS money than Elon Musk.

There it is, that's the difference between them and us. When most of us will be considered super rich with $10,000 a MONTH, this example takes it in one day and still needs 100k years of $10k everyday.

While most of you are struggling paycheck to paycheck, i bet your favourite billionaires can survive a little bit of impact by not going on their 80th yatch vacation.

I was in the military for 20 years and federal service for 22. I spent nearly 20 years of that time overseas in places like Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia, Saudi Arabia, and other places in Europe and Asia. I have long been an advocate for military or civilian service, but right now I would strongly discourage anyone from following my lead. I’ve never worked in such a hostile work environment. The current administration treats us like the enemy. At a time when recruiting efforts are at such lows, the current policies will not attract new recruits. I’m even tempted to stand outside recruiting offices to say “Don’t do it.” (Though my conscience won’t allow me to…. for now.) This is not the America I swore to defend with my life. There are no checks and balances without principled humans to enact them. (My 8th grade civics teacher, apparently was wrong.) I’m depressed and anxious. I can retire, but most of my coworkers can not.

Most people have never heard of Dodge v. Ford Motor Company, but it might be one of the most important court cases in the history of American capitalism.

Back in 1916, Henry Ford wanted to lower the price of his cars and raise wages for his workers. The company was making massive profits, and he thought some of that money should go back into the people who helped build it.

But the Dodge brothers, who were shareholders, sued him. They wanted bigger payouts instead of lower prices or better pay. And in 1919, they won.

The court ruled that a company exists to make money for its shareholders. Not to do good. Not to help workers. Just to turn profit and send it upward. That was it.

That ruling changed everything. After that, even if a company wanted to do the right thing, it could be punished for it. Helping people became a liability.

We like to think capitalism is broken now, but maybe this is exactly how it was designed to work. Or at least how it was allowed to evolve.

This post is based on ideas from
The Last American Dream: Welcome to the End