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  1. Z

    U.S. 2024 Presidential Election Season kicking off...so who are you betting on??

    The problem with this hypothetical is something you sorta touched upon: there's no way for a meaningful third party to exist in a first past the post electoral system. Perhaps a third party could rise to prominence, but as a matter of necessity, it will come at the cost of another party. A...
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    U.S. 2024 Presidential Election Season kicking off...so who are you betting on??

    Two things can be true at once. Crime is in fact a huge problem in blue cities. SF just recently passed measures to fight crime after years of letting it slide. But yes, I do agree that the GOP leaves a good amount of their constituents behind as well. The point I'm trying to make here is that...
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    U.S. 2024 Presidential Election Season kicking off...so who are you betting on??

    Outside of the otherwise blue states, they aren't, but there's other factors that go into how those areas end up doing. Politicians love to cite the number of jobs created in a given quarter or year, but what you rarely hear about is where those jobs are located in the country. If you have...
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    U.S. 2024 Presidential Election Season kicking off...so who are you betting on??

    Hah, well there's a bit more nuance to it than that. Most counties in California vote red, but the most populated ones are solidly blue. Same goes for NY and most other states. That's really the political divide in the US anymore, rural vs urban areas.
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    U.S. 2024 Presidential Election Season kicking off...so who are you betting on??

    Mostly at Von's. If you've seen The Big Lebowski, it may ring a bell. Keihan is generally correct about the cost of living in California and other densely populated states, though. Most of the population of the US lives in New York or California, so it's not outrageous to use them as examples...
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    U.S. 2024 Presidential Election Season kicking off...so who are you betting on??

    https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/APU0000708111 Here you can see eggs went from $2 on average in 2020 to almost $5 in 2022. This chart claims the price has since dropped, but at least where I live they're still $8 a dozen. Most food has gone up in price, but eggs for sure are the most noticeable.
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    U.S. 2024 Presidential Election Season kicking off...so who are you betting on??

    If the cost of something has gone up over 100%, a few percent inflation isn't going to significantly offset the increase in cost. It may sound hyperbolic, but it's actually going on in the US right now.
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    U.S. 2024 Presidential Election Season kicking off...so who are you betting on??

    It's clear that the cost of necessities have increased, whether you factor inflation or not. It's also clear that the circumstances which make housing for instance unaffordable today were also present five years ago. I think what's happening to most people is that they're spinning their wheels...
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    U.S. 2024 Presidential Election Season kicking off...so who are you betting on??

    Energy is another big one for sure, though at least where I am that's been a problem since at least 2019. I get that people romanticize the pre pandemic era for how relatively easy it was, but I don't think 2019 was particularly great for most young people especially. People just entering the...
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    U.S. 2024 Presidential Election Season kicking off...so who are you betting on??

    More that I've already made most of my big purchases long ago and don't really need to make more for the foreseeable future. I keep things relatively simple compared to most people I guess, but that may also be why my credit score starts with a 7.
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    U.S. 2024 Presidential Election Season kicking off...so who are you betting on??

    Way ahead of ya. I barely buy anything besides necessities at this point. I make more now than I ever have yet feel compelled to spend less than ever. I'm every economists worst nightmare.
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    U.S. 2024 Presidential Election Season kicking off...so who are you betting on??

    Real median income is a better indicator of how well most people are doing, and that did in fact peak in 2019. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEHOINUSA672N https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEPAINUSA672N Again, though, this is hardly a glowing endorsement of the overall economy at that...
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    U.S. 2024 Presidential Election Season kicking off...so who are you betting on??

    I have to wonder what you're basing this off of. Some indicators such as the stock market may suggest this is the case, but inflation and cost of living suggest otherwise. I'm sure there are stats out there that can paint the current economic situation in the US positively, but as someone who is...
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    U.S. 2024 Presidential Election Season kicking off...so who are you betting on??

    Funny thing about Samoa: they actually don't want to be recognized as a state. Among other things, it would impede their ability to reject Chinese people from purchasing property, have forced prayer at certain times of day, etc. All I'm saying is that everyone should be careful what they wish...
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    Apps (Bumble, Pairs, Tinder) vs the Bar game and Day game

    I can only speak for myself, but when I have a day off, most of the time I'm trying to preserve energy, not spend it. I don't think for a moment this holds true for everyone, though I still have to wonder how so many people can have enough free time/days off that something like day game becomes...
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    Apps (Bumble, Pairs, Tinder) vs the Bar game and Day game

    Day game is a mystery to me. Not the act of going around talking to random women, no, I mean how the fuck does anyone have that much time during the day to just meander around and chat people up? Does nobody have a job? Obligations of any kind? When I was still living in Japan, this one chick I...
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    What is love for you?

    It's hard for me to say that love or sex represent any one thing to me. Sometimes, the two are complimentary or intertwined. Other times, they're completely separate from each other. What I can say is that any time I've been able to experience the convergence of the two, it's been nothing short...
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    Mongering coming full circle

    The Jordan Peterson school of thought: clean your room before you try to change the world. While it may be well intentioned, the problem with this is that even if everyone cleaned their room, there'd still be no shortage of problems in the world that require more than self improvement to solve...
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    Mongering coming full circle

    I think I've been more than reasonable since I came back to this thread. If anything, this is an attempt to make it clear that I was not in a typical headspace when I made it. Also, I'm pursuing other women and have been for years. Just because I'm willing to give this one I particularly like...
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    Mongering coming full circle

    I understood it, but it wasn't funny (sorry). I also don't see how just with what I've shared so far anyone can say that she doesn't sound like someone with deep seated issues. Not to say I can't deal with that to an extent, but there's clearly more than a few things off about her, for whatever...