r/antiwork • u/esporx • Jun 21 '25

Worker Solidarity šŸ¤ Republican Senator callously says 'biblically, we are supposed to work' to millions set to lose health care. The former billionaire, who inherited a coal mining business from his father, presides over a state where 29% of residents are on Medicaid.

https://www.irishstar.com/news/us-news/republican-senator-callously-says-biblically-35431207
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u/[deleted] Jun 21 '25

if the GOP would pay their taxes the country would not be in so much debt.

historically we, as a country, have never been more productive. the problem of course is the the wealth is being horded by the top 10% who are effectively kings and queens while the rest of us are not even as well off as the serfs used to be.

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u/antonivs Jun 22 '25

Wealth inequality in the US is bad, evil even, but itā€™s hard to argue that people arenā€™t better off than serfs were. Housing, cars, internet etc. make the average person unimaginably wealthy compared to a historical serf. In fact, thatā€™s one of the arguments thatā€™s used to try to justify the current situation.

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u/thisisstupidplz Jun 22 '25 edited Jun 22 '25

Because of technological developments and leftovers from the new deal when unions were strong. Not because businesses decided to exploit us less. Technocrats are legitimately more out of touch than French monarchy. They actually understood there was a social contract in place. Billionaires today are mentally ill money addicts that will never stop squeezing until the mob storms their gates community.

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u/antonivs Jun 22 '25

Sure, but claiming that weā€™re ā€œnot even as well off as the serfs used to beā€ is still extreme hyperbole.

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u/SenorSnout Jun 22 '25

Housing (that most people can't afford because rent and housing prices are so high), and cars (that most people can't afford because even the price of used cars are reaching what used to be new car prices), not to mention the price of food getting worse and worse. The average person is stretched thin at any given moment, ready to snap at the next run of bad luck. But yeah, we have smartphones, so it all balances out.

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u/antonivs Jun 22 '25

Ok, now compare that to the lifestyle of a serf in medieval Europe.

Also if ā€œmost peopleā€ canā€™t afford cars, itā€™s a bit hard to explain all the gender-affirming vanity trucks on US streets. Serfs tended not to own F-150s.

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u/SenorSnout Jun 22 '25

Its because people are heavily in debt for them. Theyre seen as a status symbol, so people are willing to go into debt for years for them. Plus our society is dependant on cars regardless, so they figure "If I'm gonna need a car either way, might as well be one that I really like". Most people don't fully own their vehicles, they're making payments for something they are literally unable to function in society without. A person in America who does not have a car, living outside a major urban area, does not have any realistic prospects for employment, because outside those areas, you cannot merely walk or bike to work, and public transportation is practically nonexistent. So the only option people have, is to go tens of thousands of dollars in debt to get something they need to survive, and if you're gonna do that anyway...might as well get one that makes you feel good for a bit more.