this post was submitted on 20 Apr 2024
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Memes

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

This may be a joke but i think linux and foss had a severe impact on my political/economical opinions

[–] [email protected] 26 points 5 months ago (1 children)

This meme's text has figures about "now" but doesn't note that it is mostly a paraphrased quote from Deus Ex, a video game set in a fictional dystopian version of America in 2052. The speaker is not in fact talking about 2024 America. But even for the past figures, I would want citations.

The first part seems to be talking about tax sources as a portion of total taxes raised, which isn't easy to search for. I did find a table that cited whitehouse.gov and recorded income collections compared to total GDP at least. It did peak in 1945, but only at 7.1%.

The US Bureau of Labor doesn't seem to have records on self-employment before 1948. The only thing I could find talking about self-employment in 1900 was a blog post that said it was 50%. 90% self-employment sounds like a lot of subsistence farming and odd-jobs work, which isn't exactly the ideal economic model.

The Deus Ex part is part of a longer conversation, but here is the relevant section:

JC Denton: Just answer the question.
Leo Gold: Don’t believe me? It’s all in the numbers. For a hundred years, there’s been a conspiracy of plutocrats against ordinary people.
JC Denton: Do you have a single fact to back that up?
Leo Gold: Number one: In 1945, corporations paid 50 percent of federal taxes. Now they pay about 5 percent. Number two: in 1900, 90 percent of Americans were self-employed; now it’s about two percent.
JC Denton: So?
Leo Gold: It’s called consolidation. Strengthen governments and corporations, weaken individuals. With taxes, this can be done imperceptibly over time.
[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

That game gave growing up me an unrealistic expectation that ventilation systems went everywhere.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The fact that a worker who barely makes ends meet pays 10-20 times the taxes Amazon pays is... Fascinating in a dark way.

Similar to feudal peasants that used to pay up in the form of free labor and produce, while their noble overlords enjoyed massive privileges and zero taxes.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago (2 children)

The fact that a worker who barely makes ends meet pays 10-20 times the taxes Amazon pays is… Fascinating in a dark way.

That is absolutely not a fact, lmao.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

It is wrong because it should say 'more than 10-20 times..'. 10-20 times 0 would still be 0.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

Am I the only one here bothered by that weird improper hyphenation?

[–] [email protected] 23 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Picture is wrong, my panties would be on the floor (I'm a dude)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

The remaining question is whether you have the rest of the outfit

[–] [email protected] 27 points 5 months ago

Human beings may not be perfect but a computer program with language synthesis is hardly the answer to the world's problems.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 5 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Republican House:

LoL

Blue Dog Dems Everywhere:

LOL

[–] [email protected] 21 points 5 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The GEP gun is the most silent way to eliminate Manderley

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

Get PILLS against my orders! Get moving!

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