same old stan

[Lachlan]

"essentially" ending something is not what you initially claimed. You made it out like there were no homeless people in Finland. That was not the case. I'm not denying you can greatly reduce bad things, but ending them is just a fantasy that many wish were possible. Now maybe if someday we get some fancy sci-fi tech like the replicator from star trek or something similar it would be another story, but unless such a thing is possible to be made, and we eventually make it, ending our problems will only be a fantasy.

As for the drugs. Yes. They are a problem. But each individual needs to be wary and skeptical of what they consume and use on their body. There are always going to be people seeking to exploit you. So don't take drugs or eat food unless you're ready to accept the potential risks that come with it. Is what they are doing unethical? Sure probably. Is it illegal? Not as far as I know.

If I could get one fictional technology from any fictional universe it would be a working star trek replicator. Even if I could not figure out how it actually works I could probably sell it for like a billion dollars and my god would that be useful. Only downside I would see apart from me being stolen or killed for it would be later generations would not bother learning basic cooking skills at least like I have.

[Lachlan]

Yes you're right. I'm not angry that my grandma was refused the meds she needs, or that they raised the price of inhalers to $500, or that I now have a $2500 bill from that ambulance I had to call, or that the music I've released is targeted by bots and subsequently taken down, or that my neighbor was evicted after her landlord committed insurance fraud in her name, or that the leaders of the party that's supposed to represent me don't give a damn about what the people want because they're paid off by billionaires. I'm not angry. Clearly I'm just jealous because I wish I was rich.

That's it? That's all you got?
I have a list of trials and tribulations that would fill this topic for days.
I could cry and moan or I do what I did and work through them making the best decision I can and move forward or minimizing the backtrack.

What on God's green earth makes you think you are so special that your life should not see hardship?
STFU and quit whining, and you may develop into a man.
This whiney image does not build character or allow you to learn.

Finding out your music sucks is probably a good thing.

My daughter would stand in front of a mirror and lip sync Taylor Swift for a portion of her life swearing she was going to be the next her,
It was cute until it wasn't.
Then I had to turn the music off and told her to sing without it.
Once she heard the difference and realized she was nowhere close
I explained it was not lack of talent but lack of training, and I couldn't afford to make her dream a reality.

Find something you like I told her
So she latched onto interior design, which she is good at
but our location makes that a tough gig

Then she latched onto to nursing because for the past 3 years
She had cleaned her papaw's fist sized open wound on his head from cancer and changed his diapers with her mom
and I did his physical therapy and bathed him
She didn't realize til he died how much she enjoyed spending that time with him
Now, as a nurse, her papaw is forever there.

Will she realize her million dollar dreams?... probably not
but she will live decently and enjoy her job, which is the true blessing
Because I can't think of all the hours I've worked anywhere I was that blessed
but I was blessed by being able to provide, which is another type of blessing

Hard work is the key but family is the motivation

There is never time for whining when you are busy building
I said what I said

I get the points you are making but I think there are some things I would like to address. Me or you have no idea how good Leo's music is. It could be crap, could be the greatest thing you ever heard but it is so easy for people to pirate things posted online even if your music is copyrighted and protected. It only takes once person to steal the music and pirate it somewhere else and soon you are not getting any money because everyone is just listening to the pirated version instead of buying a legit copy.

It's true working hard will get you far more ahead being lazy and I have definitely noticed people seem to have less work ethic than I do. At my previous jobs in retail and hospitality some people just did not seem to work as hard like if they finished all their tasks they would just relax and go on their phones while I would always ask my team leader or manager if there was anything else that needed doing. The only time when working I recall I had a lot of time to relax was one shift where I got put on an emergency/ late notice shift in the shoe section first thing in the morning and I did 3 transactions across 3 hours and 2 of them where an elderly couple that came back and bought another minor thing and because it was morning there was nothing to clean or organize for anything so I literally stood there for half my shift doing practically nothing and got paid to do so lol.

Another thing I noticed about my generation is that some people just spend, spend spend while I've always saved my money all my life and the only things I buy is a video game or 2 while on sale and food at my university for lunch because it's far more convenient for me to do that then make my own lunch every day I go to the campus. Even though I don't have a job at the moment because I'm studying full time (and employers around me are wanting 4-5 days a week minimum which I cannot do) I've saved enough money that I can pay off three quarters of my student loan for my whole degree.
The past few years I've noticed job ads for the same positions at the same companies come up again and again after they have closed despite hundreds, sometimes thousands of suitable candidate applying. I'm not sure if that is happening in America but they are legit job ads being readvertised again and again.

I think it's important to note though my generation is still very young and young people are less mature and should learn the good values of hard work and saving money over time just like all previous generations before us did.
However the fact is that wages compared to cost of living have not been keeping pace with each other. Either cost of living needs to go down or wages need to go up.
As for houses, numerous countries including Australia have a housing crisis. Not enough homes are being built to keep pace with population. Now I mean Melbourne is a really unaffordable city to live in but even in the most outermost suburbs 3 or 4 hours away from the CBD housing prices are still somewhat expensive even for a small house designed for couples or small families. Another thing exacerbating housing shortages is I think less and less people are becoming builders meaning a smaller and smaller workforce to actually build the houses. Materials are also more expensive now as well.
Now it could still be possible that one day I might own a house because my parents could become guarantees (not sure if this is the correct term) so they can help me pay back the home loan if I get into financial trouble but people who come from poor families who can barely put food on the table despite working hard they won't ever achieve a good standard of living. I have been blessed to have been born into an upper middles class family but more disadvantaged people may never be able to climb up and better their standards of living because they don't have and never will have higher training or education qualifications.

So yes hard work and good financial sense is good but if you are starting from rock bottom you will never get further than someone born with more advantages.

[Meliva]

you may get ahead of someone born with more advantages. Just depends on the choices made. If a person born to a billionaire makes enough bad choices, they could wind up broke and destitute-very unlikely mind you, you'd have to be a grade A idiot or have just ungodly bad luck, but it's possible. Just as it's possible for people to climb their way up, people can fall down. Some people are born higher up on the ladder then others, but if they do nothing their whole life, they won't move up or down. If they do stupid things, they'll go down. Sure, a lot of people born higher up on the ladder will probably stay ahead of you. So, just try to get as high up as possible, and help ensure your loved ones will start off at a higher spot then you did. With some luck and good decisions, your family will climb that ladder, and go to greater heights.

[Dmanwuzhere]

Yes you're right. I'm not angry that my grandma was refused the meds she needs, or that they raised the price of inhalers to $500, or that I now have a $2500 bill from that ambulance I had to call, or that the music I've released is targeted by bots and subsequently taken down, or that my neighbor was evicted after her landlord committed insurance fraud in her name, or that the leaders of the party that's supposed to represent me don't give a damn about what the people want because they're paid off by billionaires. I'm not angry. Clearly I'm just jealous because I wish I was rich.

That's it? That's all you got?
I have a list of trials and tribulations that would fill this topic for days.
I could cry and moan or I do what I did and work through them making the best decision I can and move forward or minimizing the backtrack.

What on God's green earth makes you think you are so special that your life should not see hardship?
STFU and quit whining, and you may develop into a man.
This whiney image does not build character or allow you to learn.

Finding out your music sucks is probably a good thing.

My daughter would stand in front of a mirror and lip sync Taylor Swift for a portion of her life swearing she was going to be the next her,
It was cute until it wasn't.
Then I had to turn the music off and told her to sing without it.
Once she heard the difference and realized she was nowhere close
I explained it was not lack of talent but lack of training, and I couldn't afford to make her dream a reality.

Find something you like I told her
So she latched onto interior design, which she is good at
but our location makes that a tough gig

Then she latched onto to nursing because for the past 3 years
She had cleaned her papaw's fist sized open wound on his head from cancer and changed his diapers with her mom
and I did his physical therapy and bathed him
She didn't realize til he died how much she enjoyed spending that time with him
Now, as a nurse, her papaw is forever there.

Will she realize her million dollar dreams?... probably not
but she will live decently and enjoy her job, which is the true blessing
Because I can't think of all the hours I've worked anywhere I was that blessed
but I was blessed by being able to provide, which is another type of blessing

Hard work is the key but family is the motivation

There is never time for whining when you are busy building
I said what I said

I get the points you are making but I think there are some things I would like to address. Me or you have no idea how good Leo's music is. It could be crap, could be the greatest thing you ever heard but it is so easy for people to pirate things posted online even if your music is copyrighted and protected. It only takes once person to steal the music and pirate it somewhere else and soon you are not getting any money because everyone is just listening to the pirated version instead of buying a legit copy.

It's true working hard will get you far more ahead being lazy and I have definitely noticed people seem to have less work ethic than I do. At my previous jobs in retail and hospitality some people just did not seem to work as hard like if they finished all their tasks they would just relax and go on their phones while I would always ask my team leader or manager if there was anything else that needed doing. The only time when working I recall I had a lot of time to relax was one shift where I got put on an emergency/ late notice shift in the shoe section first thing in the morning and I did 3 transactions across 3 hours and 2 of them where an elderly couple that came back and bought another minor thing and because it was morning there was nothing to clean or organize for anything so I literally stood there for half my shift doing practically nothing and got paid to do so lol.

Another thing I noticed about my generation is that some people just spend, spend spend while I've always saved my money all my life and the only things I buy is a video game or 2 while on sale and food at my university for lunch because it's far more convenient for me to do that then make my own lunch every day I go to the campus. Even though I don't have a job at the moment because I'm studying full time (and employers around me are wanting 4-5 days a week minimum which I cannot do) I've saved enough money that I can pay off three quarters of my student loan for my whole degree.
The past few years I've noticed job ads for the same positions at the same companies come up again and again after they have closed despite hundreds, sometimes thousands of suitable candidate applying. I'm not sure if that is happening in America but they are legit job ads being readvertised again and again.

I think it's important to note though my generation is still very young and young people are less mature and should learn the good values of hard work and saving money over time just like all previous generations before us did.
However the fact is that wages compared to cost of living have not been keeping pace with each other. Either cost of living needs to go down or wages need to go up.
As for houses, numerous countries including Australia have a housing crisis. Not enough homes are being built to keep pace with population. Now I mean Melbourne is a really unaffordable city to live in but even in the most outermost suburbs 3 or 4 hours away from the CBD housing prices are still somewhat expensive even for a small house designed for couples or small families. Another thing exacerbating housing shortages is I think less and less people are becoming builders meaning a smaller and smaller workforce to actually build the houses. Materials are also more expensive now as well.
Now it could still be possible that one day I might own a house because my parents could become guarantees (not sure if this is the correct term) so they can help me pay back the home loan if I get into financial trouble but people who come from poor families who can barely put food on the table despite working hard they won't ever achieve a good standard of living. I have been blessed to have been born into an upper middles class family but more disadvantaged people may never be able to climb up and better their standards of living because they don't have and never will have higher training or education qualifications.

So yes hard work and good financial sense is good but if you are starting from rock bottom you will never get further than someone born with more advantages.

Hi, how are ya, nice to meet you. I am Rock Bottom.
By the time I was 24, I had spent more time incarcerated from youth to adulthood than I had on the streets.
I came up in the ghetto and was a gang member, a thief, a robber, and later a dope dealer.
I had no social or economic skills beyond the little I had picked up from good places between incarcerations.
I had no work ethics and no skills, and really no future.

In prison, I was forced to dig tree stumps for 13 cents an hour to expand the nice green acreage of the prison.
Oddly enough, that's where I picked up my work ethic.

Our first house came with a balloon payment of 25k after 2 years of making payments.
I accepted the unfavorable terms and barely got a refinance in time to not have to rob a bank or a drug dealer.

We now have 2 houses and will be selling 1 soon due to the increase in its value in the current market.

I laugh when I hear yall beeitch about 13 to 15 dollars an hour to flip a burger when I did back breaking work for less than half of that.
I chased jobs and experience, and in some cases, my work ethic reported by past employers got me jobs I would never have been able to get otherwise.
The problem with beeitching about the rules of any economy is more often than not it takes your focus and drive away from your goals.
And makes society see you as someone with little to no value beyond talk.

Where there is a will, there is a way holds more value than Where there are obstacles, I will cry all day.



Me and my better half have broken plenty of negative statistics for people from our socioeconomic background
because you are not defined by the norm if you refuse to be the norm.
Putting in more work and doing a great job for the same price as those around you will always catch an employer's eye.
Doing that despite hating having to pick up other people's slack is far better than crying about everything.

The end goal was always to better myself so I could better my family; already, they are far better off at an early age than I ever was.
Hopefully, they will do the same for their family.

[Dmanwuzhere]

I never bought the $8 coffees lol. I always make my own coffee at home but I was referring to how some people would tell Gen z and millennials their financial problems would go away if they stopped buying coffee every morning. Not to say I don't think it's not a good spending habit but there's definitely more at play than that.

There's more to the housing market than illegal immigrants. It more likely has something to do with the fact that we have an exponentially growing population but the amount of land we can develop on doesn't increase. Looking at data, there doesn't seem to be much correlation between the number of immigrants and the average cost of housing in a given year.

Luckily I have support when I need it from my family and am in a decently good living situation. That however doesn't prevent me from being grateful for what I have and acknowledging those around me who are not as fortunate. I have neighbors, friends, coworkers, and even some family that have been squished by the system. One even was homeless for a couple of months. I should also mention when I was a baby I was homeless for about 4 months and we stayed in a tent in a state park campground because we couldn't afford rent.

As for companies, let's start with insurance. Legally, you are required to have car insurance if you want to drive on public roads and you can't get your license without it. Just so happens that those same companies are parasites and will at all costs avoid paying what they are obligated to pay. Healthcare is another example. Per Obamacare, everyone must have healthcare. But once again, the companies that provide this insurance are greedy parasites that will do anything to take your money in premiums, deductibles and copays without paying the bills they are supposed to. Yes, we are forced to contract with them. It is the law. Basic necessities are also corporatized, an action which you defend, so therefore you are forced to contract them. Unless you want to go live in a hand built wooden shack in the woods and hunt rabbits for every meal, you have to buy food, you have to pay your water bill and your electricity bill. And your rent. Why is it that it's the things that people need the most that always get the biggest price gouges. For example they raised the price of my brother's epi pen to $500, and they raised the price of my grandma's insulin to $350. Each one costs about $.20 to make.

People getting rich off of the desperation of others is wrong. Doesn't matter if you're red or blue or neither, this has been a communally shared sentiment for a very long time, with the only people that disagree being the ones getting rich.

You can get your license here without insurance. You will just lose it if you get a ticket for not having it and do not get it before the court date.

The 2017 Republican-backed tax overhaul legislation reduced the penalty for not having health insurance to $0.



As for prices in private corporations regarding the epi pen, there are far cheaper prices and even cheaper if he has insurance other than Medicaid or Medicare.


EpiPen; EpiPen Jr. (epinephrine auto-injector) 0.15 mg; 0.3 mg About $650 cash price (two auto-injectors) Possibly save $300 on EpiPen or EpiPen Jr. Contact Viatris for brand name savings.

Authorized generic for EpiPen and EpiPen Jr. (epinephrine auto-injector). 0.15 mg; 0.3 mg About $100-$200 for a 2-pack; possibly higher or lower priced depending upon pharmacy; call ahead. Coupon may be needed. Contact Viatris for authorized generic savings.

epinephrine (generic for EpiPen, EpiPen Jr.) from Teva Pharmaceuticals 0.15 mg; 0.3 mg $30 savings coupon for a 2-pack using cost-saving card. Prices vary among pharmacies. Expected to be low cost but coupon card may still be beneficial; see TevaEpinephrine.com website for savings card.

Authorized generic for Adrenaclick (epinephrine auto-injector) 0.15 mg; 0.3 mg About $150 cash price at some US-based pharmacies; but can vary; call ahead. Insurance may fully cover generic option. $10 savings from Amneal Pharmaceuticals for patients with commercial insurance. Questions, call 1-330-757-8402.

Auvi-Q 0.1 mg, 0.15 mg, and 0.3 mg
Device offers voice instructions.

Using an online coupon, cash price is roughly $300 for two injectors at certain pharmacies.

$35 copay for commercially insured patients; $150 copay if no insurance or high deductible.

Many government insurance plans cover Auvi-Q with a low copay. Call 1-877-30-AUVIQ.


Symjepi 0.3 mg (0.15 mg strength discontinued) Cash price is about $270 for 2 syringes with coupon; one prescription includes two syringes.
Commercially insured and covered patients will pay $0 for each Symjepi prescription filled.

Not valid with government insurance (Medicare, Medicaid).

Patients without insurance coverage can receive up to $100 off each prescription.


neffy (epinephrine intranasal spray) 2 mg
Expected cash price is around $750 per two-pack inhaler device (using online discounts).

Eligible, commercially insured patients may pay as little as $25 per 2-pack with the copay card. Download copay card online at neffy.com

Underinsured and uninsured patients may pay $0 through the Patient Assistance Plan.

Contact ARS Pharma at 1-877-MYNEFFY (1-877-696-3339) for more information.

As for insulin prices, both the Trump and Biden administrations enacted $35 insulin price caps for certain Medicare recipients. Trump’s was first, but Biden’s applied to more people.
Executive Order 13937 by Trump in 2020
and PUBLIC LAW 117–169 in 2022 was passed under Biden


Funny to hear you beeitch about pharma having too much power via the dollar when you supported making them over 70 billion to fight Americans with a vax mandate.
But when it comes to your family, enough is enough
Lol cause and effect is a real thing.

[Leo]

In prison you get free rent, healthcare and food, so that $.13 isn't too much worse than $13 an hour in the real world where it doesn't even cover those things. What you gonna use that $.13 an hour for? Buying a cigarette off an inmate? Maybe a hit of some synthetic prison drug?

[Leo]

Btw, music getting targeted by bot playlists is a random occurrence and has nothing to do with how popular or unpopular it is. Spotify will remove any music it detects bot streams on, even if the owner never paid for the bots and isn't responsible. However they won't take down larger artists' music for bots, and sometimes they'll even deploy bots to those artists to boost their popularity. Half of the music on Spotify editorial playlists (playlists made by Spotify and marketed to the general public) are either AI generated slop or generic musicians contracted by Spotify and put behind false profiles to avoid paying real artists royalties and instead funnelling all the royalties back to themselves.

[Dmanwuzhere]

In prison you get free rent, healthcare and food, so that $.13 isn't too much worse than $13 an hour in the real world where it doesn't even cover those things. What you gonna use that $.13 an hour for? Buying a cigarette off an inmate? Maybe a hit of some synthetic prison drug?

I made wine so 13 cents an hour never was an issue for me
and on holidays I turned my wine into liquor.
But 13 cents would have never paid for shampoo and conditioner monthly let alone a tv radio long Johns Tylenol etc.

[Leo]

You just named a bunch of luxuries that $13 an hour can't afford. Jeez bruh

[Dmanwuzhere]

You just named a bunch of luxuries that $13 an hour can't afford. Jeez bruh

You mean don't afford because mommy or daddy buys it for the wee baby