I was thinking more “fuck bombs and guns and f32s and israel etc” but the tiny fraction spent on good stuff is cool i guess. “voting” as if your vote hasnt been disenfranchised through gerrymandering, suppression and supreme court meddling. half the country’s roads are falling into disrepair from that infrastructure crisis we keep failing to address. Tell running water to the state of michigan. token natural preservation projects that are constantly being encroached.
And yet when taxes are cut they manage to cut the roads and parks and welfare but not the guns and bombs. And they don’t even bother keeping taxes low for the poor, just slash them for the rich
wait, why are we fighting? I think we might actually agree. How do you get from (I’m heavily inferring here, correct me if I’m wrong) “yes, vote is suppressed, yes, our infrastructure is falling apart, yes our programs are underfunded, yes the military budget is obscene” to “our taxes are good actually?” Maybe I’m being unspecific. I like the programs you’re describing, I hate how their budgets are dwarfed by obscene bullshit. I want good infrastructure, I want a single-payer healthcare, I want a robust welfare system, I want a functional but small military. Where do we actually disagree, and if we do agree as much as I now suspect, why not jump on the “no taxation without representation” bandwagon?
Because people get wrapped up in the no taxation bit and get taken for a ride on that. I’m on the “cut military spending, fund social programs, and increase democracy” bandwagon. I’m on the “representation or fucking else” bandwagon.
Comrade. We’re definitely on the same team here; It’s not like I’ve ever not payed owed taxes (though I’ve been fucked out of a refund a few times). So, I don’t know about you, but I’m sure not feeling well represented. How does one go about the “or else” bit?
Honestly I’m not sure. I work to build alternative power structures and to propagandize to those who aren’t on my side. And by alternative power structures I largely mean unions. But there’s also shit like ballot measures and amending state constitutions. My state banned abortion and we made it a constitutional right in response. Where you have the means to do nonviolent direct democracy use it.
And yeah I’m terrified. Governments are coming after people like me specifically end it’s about to get real bad and idk what to do. It’s not like I can shoot a cop. So I just try to encourage people to know how to run and hide. And I guess you can always read oss sabotage documentation. They had techniques for subtly sabotaging workplaces.
The internet has definitely become a means of performance rather than action.
But I’ll add with another reason I am pro taxation, because it reinforces the idea that we who can pay taxes have a responsibility to contribute to society and shared goods. I’m not demanding free shit, I’m demanding collective payment of things that make society better.
we who can pay taxes have a responsibility to contribute to society and shared goods
if I thought that’s where my taxes went, I would be right there with you. Every time I’ve ever tried to talk seriously about a union at any job I’ve had I’ve been “unofficially warned” or just outright fired. Last time I remember getting seriously involved in community organizing, we got the fracking ban passed, and the fracking company got the state involved and overruled our successful ballot measure. I have honestly lost my faith in… well, democracy specifically and humanity generally at least.
I want to organize. I don’t even mean I want to be an organizer, but rather part of an organization. I don’t want free shit either, I want the shit I paid for. I want not roads but robust public transportation networks. I want community centers, funding for arts and science, public gymnasiums, education through postsecondary (since jobs will pretend most need a college education), etc. I don’t see a path to those things without an enormous organization- a union, if you will, of citizens. A network of networks..
I’m rambling incoherently, I think, and am struggling to maintain a single line of thought. My sleep meds are kicking in finally. Thanks for taking the time.
Okay, considering the whole “perpetual surveillance of the entire internet” thing we have goin on, I’m not surprised you don’t answer the question. Let me ask a completely different question: Are you noticing the same problem that I am, where whenever you point out these obvious problems with society and say “what can we do about this” people start suddenly toeing the party line and whistling stars and stripes? I’ve thought about trying to find a discord or something, but again, “perpetual surveillance of the entire internet” thing we have goin on. I’ve thought about taking to the deep web, but the whole “child porn, hitmen, guns and drugs and conspiracy theorists and infiltration of exit nodes etc” thing turned me way off. Nobody wants to organize in IRL. I’m serious. Do we just stand back and watch? Try and stay out of it, keep heads down? Hope we aren’t targeted by “policy changes?”
That’s got nothing to do with his stance on censorship. Also, fuck taxes.
Yeah fuck roads and national parks too. Fuck voting for free and running water. Hate that shit.
Also f this false equivalency bs.
I was thinking more “fuck bombs and guns and f32s and israel etc” but the tiny fraction spent on good stuff is cool i guess. “voting” as if your vote hasnt been disenfranchised through gerrymandering, suppression and supreme court meddling. half the country’s roads are falling into disrepair from that infrastructure crisis we keep failing to address. Tell running water to the state of michigan. token natural preservation projects that are constantly being encroached.
No, I insist: Fuck taxes.
And yet when taxes are cut they manage to cut the roads and parks and welfare but not the guns and bombs. And they don’t even bother keeping taxes low for the poor, just slash them for the rich
No, I insist: fuck anti taxists
wait, why are we fighting? I think we might actually agree. How do you get from (I’m heavily inferring here, correct me if I’m wrong) “yes, vote is suppressed, yes, our infrastructure is falling apart, yes our programs are underfunded, yes the military budget is obscene” to “our taxes are good actually?” Maybe I’m being unspecific. I like the programs you’re describing, I hate how their budgets are dwarfed by obscene bullshit. I want good infrastructure, I want a single-payer healthcare, I want a robust welfare system, I want a functional but small military. Where do we actually disagree, and if we do agree as much as I now suspect, why not jump on the “no taxation without representation” bandwagon?
Because people get wrapped up in the no taxation bit and get taken for a ride on that. I’m on the “cut military spending, fund social programs, and increase democracy” bandwagon. I’m on the “representation or fucking else” bandwagon.
Comrade. We’re definitely on the same team here; It’s not like I’ve ever not payed owed taxes (though I’ve been fucked out of a refund a few times). So, I don’t know about you, but I’m sure not feeling well represented. How does one go about the “or else” bit?
Honestly I’m not sure. I work to build alternative power structures and to propagandize to those who aren’t on my side. And by alternative power structures I largely mean unions. But there’s also shit like ballot measures and amending state constitutions. My state banned abortion and we made it a constitutional right in response. Where you have the means to do nonviolent direct democracy use it.
And yeah I’m terrified. Governments are coming after people like me specifically end it’s about to get real bad and idk what to do. It’s not like I can shoot a cop. So I just try to encourage people to know how to run and hide. And I guess you can always read oss sabotage documentation. They had techniques for subtly sabotaging workplaces.
The internet has definitely become a means of performance rather than action.
But I’ll add with another reason I am pro taxation, because it reinforces the idea that we who can pay taxes have a responsibility to contribute to society and shared goods. I’m not demanding free shit, I’m demanding collective payment of things that make society better.
if I thought that’s where my taxes went, I would be right there with you. Every time I’ve ever tried to talk seriously about a union at any job I’ve had I’ve been “unofficially warned” or just outright fired. Last time I remember getting seriously involved in community organizing, we got the fracking ban passed, and the fracking company got the state involved and overruled our successful ballot measure. I have honestly lost my faith in… well, democracy specifically and humanity generally at least.
I want to organize. I don’t even mean I want to be an organizer, but rather part of an organization. I don’t want free shit either, I want the shit I paid for. I want not roads but robust public transportation networks. I want community centers, funding for arts and science, public gymnasiums, education through postsecondary (since jobs will pretend most need a college education), etc. I don’t see a path to those things without an enormous organization- a union, if you will, of citizens. A network of networks..
I’m rambling incoherently, I think, and am struggling to maintain a single line of thought. My sleep meds are kicking in finally. Thanks for taking the time.
Okay, considering the whole “perpetual surveillance of the entire internet” thing we have goin on, I’m not surprised you don’t answer the question. Let me ask a completely different question: Are you noticing the same problem that I am, where whenever you point out these obvious problems with society and say “what can we do about this” people start suddenly toeing the party line and whistling stars and stripes? I’ve thought about trying to find a discord or something, but again, “perpetual surveillance of the entire internet” thing we have goin on. I’ve thought about taking to the deep web, but the whole “child porn, hitmen, guns and drugs and conspiracy theorists and infiltration of exit nodes etc” thing turned me way off. Nobody wants to organize in IRL. I’m serious. Do we just stand back and watch? Try and stay out of it, keep heads down? Hope we aren’t targeted by “policy changes?”
Guess I’ll die 🤷♀️