When I fly I shop by price. so when I go to KS that means I fly United. when I go to Chicago it usually means American. Non-stop is also important if I can get it.
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When I fly I shop by price. so when I go to KS that means I fly United. when I go to Chicago it usually means American. Non-stop is also important if I can get it.
If you are perchance referring to the 85006, I have no idea what you are talking about. Care to clarify? RobQuote:
Originally Posted by ToomuchStuff
I think they are referencing your suggestion that everyone should have a smartphone at the ready to record video whenever people are being wronged.Quote:
Originally Posted by gimmethesimplelife
Fair enough, Jp1. What threw me off were the words "mandated" and "funding" - I don't get how this ties into my zip code. What you have posted, however, not only do I agree with, but is along the lines of what I mean. RobQuote:
Originally Posted by jp1
So, you are a fan of unfunded mandates?
I think this is how Trump got elected. The idea that the government should give people healthcare, free phones, food and so on. Because there are many people who get up every morning, go to work to the best of their ability, pay the mortgage, pay taxes and so on. Yet they see people getting assistance with the very things they are struggling to provide for their family. Plus paying taxes. And watching their health insurance premiums increase, and good paying jobs disappear by going overseas or done by non union shops or illegals paid under the table.Quote:
Originally Posted by gimmethesimplelife
As as they see their middle class life slip away, along comes someone who will "make America great again". Rallying against regulations, immigration that only makes the population browner, and even strong independent women who might want to control their reproductive cycle. The perfect storm.
I doubt most most of the posters here feel like those who have lost jobs, have an illness or left by a spouse should end up in the gutter. They might need some help to get on their feet. But I think the concept that tax paying Americans should pay for phones of better quality than I have as a tax payer, to record wrongs done by people who get up every day and try to maintain law and order. Of course there are a few bad apples, some people who have gone over the edge for one reason or another, but basically they do a job I would never have the guts to do.
It's all about perception and attitude. People who are abused in the hands of the police have a point. But if you do protest follow the letter of the law. And make sure what you are protesting is sensible and realistic.
Unless I missed it I don't think rob ever said that the gov't should pay for people's smart phones. Only that everyone should have one so that they can film wrongs.
And also, unless I missed it, Trump was the one promising to create trumpcare that was going to provide better coverage for way less money. Perhaps no one points this out because everyone knew that he was lying through his teeth when he made that promise so they didn't take it seriously.
And thanks, flowerseverywhere, for being the only person on this board honest enough to admit that trump's anti-immigrant stance was based on his supporters disliking of the skin color of the majority of our current immigrant population.
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Originally Posted by gimmethesimplelife
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Originally Posted by gimmethesimplelife
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Originally Posted by bae
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Originally Posted by gimmethesimplelife
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Originally Posted by bae
Start with page 9, post #82, through post #99 on page 10. He is using language without a clue what it means. Mandatory means force of law, and there have been cases over it, because if it is mandated, then it also has to be paid for. My income would classify me as working class. (above poverty, below middle) Rob, incorrectly lists his social class in the same as economic class, as my "social class" would be in a vastly different category, then my income.Quote:
Originally Posted by jp1
I am still waiting for him to come up with the money, to pay for myself having a smart phone. I still use a candy bar style phone, with no texting (blocked, even), that costs me around $60 to $100 a year on a heavy year. A smart phone is a luxury, to me, not a necessity.
the rest of us knew how complicated it was and it was not going to happen. And as I believe Alan has pointed out it seems impossible without some rationing. And getting the insurance companies out of the mix. And the government contracting directly with drug companies so they can't increase the price of life saving medicine by 200% in a year.Quote:
Originally Posted by jp1
For some fun morning reading here here is the Donald's 100 day contract with America to make America white again. I am even tempted to print out hats. Note how major money was going to be redirected at infrastructure. How is that going? I am not thinking the swamp has been drained very much, just different predators.
https://assets.donaldjtrump.com/_lan...ontractv02.pdf
I agree--you only have to look at Steve Bannon and Jeff Sessions to figure that out. Even W Bush recently came out against the racism inherent in the current administration--without naming names. He, after all, famously has "brown" nieces and nephews. That Atlantic video pointing out that certain white male voters are apparently terrified of losing their grip on power to the scary "other" was telling, also.Quote:
Originally Posted by jp1
Yes, those of us in the "reality based community", to recall a quaint phrase from the more innocent times of the W administration, know that healthcare is complicated and expensive and that republicans don't give a flying fig about regular people beyond lying their asses off to them to get their votes so no good changes were going to happen. But I can't even tell you how many articles I've read where trump supporters are stunned at how they are now likely to be hurt by trumpcare. And we don't even really know what trumpcare is because trump is so unconcerned about this issue that his only goal is to pass a bill. Any bill. Regardless of the contents of it. He's such a good negotiator that without even worrying about the bill's contents he'll be able to claim that the new plan is the best plan. A very beautiful plan. Thankfully the likelihood of that happening is as small as his hands.Quote:
Originally Posted by flowerseverywhere
Exactly. Rob misused the word, and got beat up for it by a number of people. I don't recall him ever saying "yes, now that I understand the word mandatory better, I think the state should be buying everyone a smart phone."Quote:
Originally Posted by ToomuchStuff
For all of you drooling over the free obama phone it is a cheap flip phone. YOur income must be very low to qualify. A good friend of mine at 57 had to retire from the state because of severe MS. She worked her whole life at low paying jobs and unfortunately for her only 11 years with the state. That gave her a whopping 900/month pension of which 500 went to pay for her health insurance. She had to wait till 62 to get SS. She did not qualify for disability SS because she retired from a state that did not pay in. I tried to get her low income housing, etc and was always rejected. Without that cheap, free phone she would have had no phone service. Luckily her sister died young and left her 60k which she used to supplement her income until 62. It was not accessible where she lived in a one room and bath so she was basically stuck home. By the time you are qualifying for free stuff your life is basically in the toilet so don't waste your time being envious. Ironically we finally got her into a decent, accessible apartment because she qualifies by having more $ . If you are too poor they don't let you in but if your income falls within guidelines you can get in and not have to pay full market rate which is really expensive where we live.
Thanks for telling your friend's story. And the "Obamaphone" hardly started with him. Basic telephone service has been available to the poorest among us at least since the sixties.
There is no need for the state to buy anyone but the poorest of the poor a phone these days - a basic entry level smart phone can be yours for free for switching to Boost or Metro PCS, with low data plans including unlimited text and calls for $30 a month. This freebie cheapie smartphone may not be the best one out there but it is indeed good enough to take video to download in the event of filming wrongs. I'd even go so far to say in this rare case here the free market actually works! Is anyone on the floor after this statement? It is indeed a rare statement coming from me and I don't believe (mostly) in turbo-charged capitalism that we all suffer under currently but in this one isolated case, it works in the sense that almost anyone can afford an entry level smartphone with video capability sufficient to protect themselves from America. RobQuote:
Originally Posted by jp1
i know that but for many Trump voters their perception was they were working so hard but lowlifes, illegals and lazy people were living high on the hog on the backs of the middle class. Illegals were taking their jobs. Regulations closed the coal mines. Foreign aid robbed us of updating our infrastructure. And every candidate talks about government waste. I think that we are not drooling over others having free phones, but rather discussing some of the social issues that are confronting all of us.Quote:
Originally Posted by Teacher Terry
Perception is 90% regardless of how it actually is.
So Rob understood the legal term mandated, and still chooses to tell people how to spend their money, and that is OK?Quote:
Originally Posted by jp1
Around these parts, when the "Obamaphone" thing happened they set up tents several places, including one of the closest gas stations to me. They were signing up everybody, that includes those whose income didn't qualify. Those signing them up, weren't getting in trouble, but those who signed up could later be charged with fraud. I saw no need to commit fraud.Quote:
Originally Posted by gimmethesimplelife
The phones they provide are smart phones, and they cost more then mine.
Two months of that is what my year will cost me this year. That doesn't even count the other differences between them. You didn't like what or how United treated people, yet you have this love for an electronic phallus , that the more people play and stroke it, the more information they are providing to Google/Apple, whichever company provides the OS and connections. You choose no privacy and are happy to be a product to be marketed to?
You expect me to give up my privacy, that to me means the same as federal mandates to the state, I expect your funding of it!
Check your privilege.Quote:
Originally Posted by gimmethesimplelife
I live in a county that by some measures is often the poorest county in the state. $30/month of expense isn't doable for many folks. I've had people show up at meetings of our water and power and sewer system to seriously make their case that rate increases of $2-$5/month were going to be a problem for them. I've worked with our affordable housing organizations here, and helped people work their budgets. $30 may sound like chump change to you, but it isn't.
Oddly, they never point fingers at the high-rolling grifters at the top, who are scamming us out of billions with their tax avoidance and subsidies.Quote:
Originally Posted by flowerseverywhere
Actually you have to question whether Obamaphones were a freebie for the poor, or just another scheme to shove money into the pockets of the wealthy. It's interesting so much flak was dedicated to who got phones, but very little over who got the money for the phones - or how much:Quote:
Originally Posted by JaneV2.0
The richest man in the world, Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, is making millions in profits from a government program that supplies poor Americans with free cell phones.
http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/26/tech...e-free-phones/
Most people do seem to have a smart phone here (take public transit it's what everyone is doing on it, staring at their phones). But those who don't have a smart phone often have some kind of internet connected device (a pc, a laptop etc.) with internet connectivity at home which amounts to the same thing for most practical purposes (say you need the internet to look for a job which many do - either will suffice). Yes there are those without any internet connectivity that those who study social problems like to talk about a lot, and I don't doubt they exist, but also smart phones are as common as dirt, and not much of a wealth marker.
Bae, is right that many people can't afford 30/month. We had to supply income proof to get the phone and I think that more important then the phone being free is that there was no monthly charge. It was about 6 years ago so not sure if this is correct or not.
My community just engaged in a large fund-raising effort to fund the increase in size of our library. Much of the new space will be used for facilities to allow those in our community who have no access to the Internet/cell phones/computing to be able to engage The Bold New Digital World. Believe it or not, there are people walking around here, who have jobs, who somehow have found housing with the low wages and high housing prices, who do *not* have cell phones, Internet, or nice Macbook laptops.Quote:
Originally Posted by Teacher Terry
My brother-in-law had two of those phones, he sold them both and then was refused a third. Boy was he pissed at having to buy minutes from Trac-Fone.
BIL sounds like a low life-Ugh!
Yes, in many ways, but mostly just an opportunist. He'll vote for anyone who gives him what he wants.Quote:
Originally Posted by Teacher Terry
I don't think my phone has video. I can take pictures though. I just wanted the cheapest thing that I could make a phone call with.
I can legally carry something more persuasive if I felt threatened though. And I could access it much faster than looking for the proper buttons on a phone.
Access, while moving and using, in < 1 second. Not for the phone, for some older technology. Phone takes forever, by the time the screen unlock happens, all the notifications pop up to irritate me, and then flipping through to the right app, while wondering if I need to take my glasses off to see the little text/buttons. Other technology, just look for the red dot....Quote:
Originally Posted by dmc
I don't know about other states, let me start off by saying that much. I do know that here in Arizona, when I was first on Medicaid, I was automatically eligible for a cheap flip phone with 250 minutes just for having a Medicaid card - same also held true at the time if I presented a food stamp card - bingo, free phone for a year with 250 minutes a month, which lasted for one full year before needing to renew by showing a Medicaid card or a food stamp card. Here in Arizona it's very easy to get a free phone provided you are receiving some sort of assistance.
Also about the $30 a month - I don't deny that this is hard to come up with for many people. I know people in the 85006 who donate plasma to afford their free smartphone with the $30 plan. Their general thought is that it's worth it to donate plasma to protect themselves from American police via smartphone video. Rob
The petty scams of the poor pale in comparison to the massive wealth transfers of the rich.
That sounds like a great plot for a movie!Quote:
Originally Posted by gimmethesimplelife
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv9MESOwQUg
Perhaps. Unfortunately it's the reality of US citizenship for many people today. RobQuote:
Originally Posted by bae
Could you put a number on it? Of the people who sell their blood to pay for their smartphones?Quote:
Originally Posted by gimmethesimplelife
Most of the people in my life I've known who sold their blood did it to pay for food, or rent, or various forms of entertainment. Never seen someone donate blood for their data plan before. Still, at the rates AT&T charges...
If your neighbors are selling blood to pay for phones to protect themselves from the police, while also living in a high crime area. Why aren't you convincing them to flee south. I'm sure Mexico would welcome them with open arms.
Many do go back to Mexico once they have worked here and saved some buckage - it's cheaper for them there and they can get out of working quicker this way. RobQuote:
Originally Posted by dmc
People are struggling in the 85006 Bae.....people in the 85006 like anywhere do what they have to do to get to the next day. But donating plasma is a relatively easy way to pull in $250 or so a month - I know as I used to do it and still do from time to time. Some of my neighbors donate as a side income stream to save money or for specific bills, and I know several people who donate twice a month just for their $30 cell phone plan with smartphone with video capability, for reasons I don't really need to go into yet AGAIN at this point. RobQuote:
Originally Posted by bae
I just had a thought - with all the latest Trump scandals, if the process of Impeachment does (or does not) move along, certainly there will be some intense protests coming up! So there's something to be grateful for right there. Rob
I think the one thing that this disaster has created which is positive is that people are waking up and getting involved politically. They can no longer stand to just watch what is happening in our country. I know people that have never been to a protest in their lives that are doing so now.
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Originally Posted by LDAHL
The turn of which century? Seems like political humor has always been laced with negative sarcasm that may have it's own constructive purpose, but does get tiring after a while.
“The political and commercial morals of the United States are not merely food for laughter, they are an entire banquet.” Mark Twain
I visited an old friend's FB page to see her joyfully describing her attendance at the local Women's March--"My first one in 67 years!" Honestly if I had to guess, I would have guessed her to be a Republican, but a couple of anti-Trump memes displayed on her wall made me wonder. If there's anything redeeming about this deplorable getting elected, it's that he's really galvanized the apathetic among us.Quote:
Originally Posted by Teacher Terry