And then in 1984 they voted for Reagan even more

https://ropercenter.cornell.edu/how-groups-voted-1984

Baby boomers are 1946-1964 Gen X is 1965-1980 Gen Y is 1981-1996 Gen Z is 1997-2012 Gen alpha is 2013- present

But is it also the average household salary? Most boomers were single income. Then in the late eighties early nineties people realized that you could get higher mortgages in a double income, and as a result houses got a lot more expensive. Also, interest rates have declined a lot since the eighties, which also allowed people to borrow more.

The Korean War “ended” in 1953 the oldest boomer would have been 7 year olds, about half of them were the right age for Vietnam but even with that only about 2.7m served in some capacity for the Vietnam war with a lot in non combat roles there were 76m baby boom era so less than 4%

We didn't start the fire

I'm not sure about voting but probably about being elected

I wonder if you'll still firmly believe that when you retire.

If you need to wait 18 years to vote you shouldn't be able to vote once you are 18 years from average life expectancy (as in life expectancy is 80, you can vote until you're 62, not after).

Imagine how much focus would be put on healthcare if that were the case...

And dint forget, no matter who you voted for you're still a dirty American and FUCK YOU for existing at a time when your country sucks more than usual. It doesn't matter how you voted or what your beliefs are.

And also if you can't move out of the country it's your fault for not..... Something. I guess.

And also depending on what community you're in, SUPER FUCK YOU for deciding to leave your country instead of fixing it.

And of course, as we can already see, every single shortcoming of your country is CLEARLY your fault or at the very least you deserve to be punished for your country being shitty in any way, whether it started long before you were born or not.

That's what happens when your country won't shut up about how great they are. Or rather, won't shut up full stop.

"USA! USA! USA! NUMBER ONE!" Is so fucking annoying, of course non-Americans remind you you're only number one in percentage of the population in prison.

America is a shit country that feeds its population "patriotic" propaganda from the day they are born until the day they die. You literally make a pledge every day at school. That's cult behaviour.

Lemmy just opens your eyes to the rest of the world, where you're no longer in the bubble of America. Lemmy isn't the problem, you're just finally hearing the voices of those outside the USA, unfiltered.

This is from Scotland, in 1983, the sentiment now hasn't changed much.

I'm sorry that this comment is so harsh because you're just tryna live your life and already sound down about being told how shit your country is. But Americans need reminded that we don't "hate ya cuz we ain't ya" or jealous or whatever, as a nation you're just insufferably obnoxious and commit heinous crimes whilst making out you're the saviour of the world, the good guys, the world police. When you're institutionally arseholes. You won't even submit to international criminal courts or uphold most human rights. America is a bully nation that is finally reaping what it's sown.

If you're an American reading this and you're fucking fuming at what I've said and want to throw hands, good. Use that anger to create positive change in this world. Organise unions, strike in solidarity, stand up for others, become politically active, change your country for the better. Stop enabling greedy consumerist behaviour and excusing rapists, racists, and murderers. You may just be one person, what can you do? But I'm just some dude on the other side of the planet having a bored rant whilst taking a shit and I've managed to get you to read all this. Do something to improve your community, encourage others to do the same, many many incremental changes combined can make a large difference. Finally fucking live up to the tagline "land of the brave", because you sure as shit don't deserve it so far.

You frame it like those are the only two choices. They aren’t. The third choice is capital flight.

People constantly forget that governments don’t have godlike tax enforcement powers. In the real world people avoid taxes via a million different avenues. Absconding with their money for greener pastures is a last resort but it happens constantly.

Take China for example. Taxes are way lower than the US yet capital flight is such a huge problem that the government has enacted Capital controls. Yet capital flight from China continues largely unabated.

So what this means in practice is that if you want to have a 91% top corporate tax rate in the US without a gargantuan capital flight problem you’re going to need a government that is way more powerful and draconian than either the US or China is right now.

Now you might say “what if I just let everyone go and get the money back when they try to sell things to the US?” Well that’s basically what the US under Trump is doing right now, via tariffs. But then you tack on the capital flight beforehand and that means all the big companies, all the great jobs, leave the country before prices skyrocket. This is how you impoverish the US to third world status.