• bossito@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Oh America, come on:

    • end (and stop exporting) that vicious tipping culture of yours. Just pay decent wages to people in customer service.

    • change the design of yours bills, make them easily recognizable, with different colors and sizes like normal curencies.

    • take religion out of the money.

    • and since I’m at it, end gun culture and disarm your people. Also SUVs, end that too. And introduce controlled prices in health services, regulate, regulate, regulate, till it becomes a functional system affordable by everyone.

    Thanks. I would love you so much more.

    • RaoulDook@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Americans will never be disarmed. Look up the process for changing a Constitutional Amendment when you feel like learning something new sometime.

        • RaoulDook@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Did you read about the process to change Amendments? Do you think there’s any chance that 3/4 of the 50 states in the USA would ever vote in agreement to abolish their own right to bear arms? I’m confident enough that will not happen that I will bet you $5000 that it does not happen in the next 30 years.

          • Snekeyes@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            27 times already. I’d say the math works. The Repubeicans are at their end. This is their last kicks. They know the world is changing and they are not in favor. That’s why they have the corrupt syrpeme court in a attempt to get in what the minority wants.

            • RaoulDook@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              You’re not very informed if you think only Republicans support the right to bear arms.

              • Lev_Astov@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                Yeah, historically it should be the people-focused parties that really want the people to be armed, not the business-focused parties. Of course the people-focused party here is also the big-government party, so that muddies things.

    • GlendatheGayWitch@lib.lgbt
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      1 year ago

      The motto of the US is in god we trust, which is why it’s on money. It became the motto in the 50s when Christian nationalism became a prominent position, which is the root of the evil that is the gop. The gop would need to be a minority in government in both houses of Congress in order to change the motto, unfortunately.

      It’s a change that is definitely needed, however the Christian nationalists are controlling the conversation, as was designed by McCarthyism. In TX, schools are required to hang a poster that says the motto if it is donated by a citizen. In the last legislative session, there was also a bill that would have required every classroom to post the ten commandments.

      It is going to take an effort to go vote by the populace at large. In 2022, only about 80% of the Voting Age population was registered and of that 80%, only ~46% cast a vote despite the fact that it was a major election. A large portion of the judicial branch, almost all of the executive branch, and the entire legislative branch of TX were up for election and we only got 37% of the Voting Age population to the polls. Even with polls open for at least 9 hours a day the first week of voting and 12 hours the second week and final day of voting. Being the first state to have early voting, it’s common knowledge that there is virtually no line during early voting, but we still don’t have turnout.

      Anyway, on top of needing people to go to the polls, we need a cultural revolution that rejects far-right ideology. McCarthyism purged centrist and left leaning ideology from the country and we are only in the last couple decades starting to see more centrist policies come into play.

      • Marcy_Stella@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        A major problem with voting in this country is that it’s not a national holiday, If your working minimum wage you likely can’t afford to take the time away from work which means politicians that campaign on a higher wage lose preventing a wage rise creating a loop. The people that are best suited to vote are those that are well off and retired and statistically they lean republican because of people not wanting to help others disadvantaged while seemingly forgetting that they used those programs to get there. People working at minimum wage or even generally low wages and paycheck to paycheck just can’t afford the time to vote and their best chances are mail in voting which republicans know, that’s why they’re pushing so hard against them to make it as inconvenient as possible, because if its easier to vote in person and the people you don’t want voting cant vote in person then you just eliminated them from the voting pool by circumstance.

        There is also a lack of push for midterms and local elections, the presidential race is very big and public and made a whole spectacle, like you can still remember the 2016 and 2020 elections but be honest with me, what can you remember about the campaigns of the 2018 midterms. The 2022 midterms were basically an exception to the rule because the abortion ruling happened so close and it created such visible lines in the sand but I truly think if the abortion ruling happened in February 2021 not long after Biden got into office the turnout for 2022 midterms wouldn’t have had as big of a turnout because it wouldn’t have been in the public mind quite as much, the debate on abortions is still big but its mostly shifted to individual states rather than country wide at this point.

        • GlendatheGayWitch@lib.lgbt
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          1 year ago

          I do remember 2018 because it was a huge race in TX with Beto going against Cruz.

          I understand that it can be inconvenient, but most people aren’t at work from 7 AM-7 PM when the polls are open for an entire week. Some are even open an hour or two later (law allows polls between 6 AM and 10 PM and we should be pushing for those late times). People just don’t wake up early or leave for the pills before or after work. I’ve lived in all the major cities in TX besides San Antonio and have never waited more than 15 minutes to vote. There’s a lie going around that it takes forever, when that’s only true on the very last day that you can cast a vote. I’ve seen posts on social media from poll workers saying that there were no lines during early voting at all.

          I can understand not making it the first week of voting when they are only open from 8-5, but with some effort, most people should be able to make it when polls are open 7-7.

          Should we have mail in voting? Yes. Should we have polls open until 10 PM on weekdays and polls open on the weekend (as already allowed by law)? Yes

          We just aren’t going to have some other those things until people use the system that’s already in place and vote.

      • MisterFrog@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Could have sworn I was “E Pluribus Unum”.

        After a quick search I see they changed/never officially adopted it.

        Lame, so much cooler!

      • diyrebel@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 year ago

        I got kinda lost w/the religion and money bullet. It’s a bit abstract. Is that about churches escaping taxation?

          • orclev@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            It’s cold war era propaganda, it’s not even that old. There was a belief at the time among certain circles that since the USSR outlawed organized religion that the US needed to embrace organized religion even harder and to drive that point home we should put “In god we trust” on all our money. A lot of the US’s current issues can be traced back to cold war propaganda surprisingly. Boomers have been stewing in that garbage their entire lives and it rotted their brains to the point where you can reduce them to frothing incoherent rage by just saying “socialism” around them.

    • BigNote@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      I keep forgetting that there are people who still use cash.

      • deadsenator@lemmy.ca
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        1 year ago

        I love using cash. I feel like I am thwarting The System since it keeps pressuring me to use credit cards or some other form of electronic currency. I mean I use some of those too when necessary, but I use cash whenever possible.

      • dan@upvote.au
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        1 year ago

        A lot of low-income households in the USA don’t have bank accounts and only use cash.

        • Meowoem@sh.itjust.works
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          1 year ago

          It amazes me how far behind America is simply because they hate poor people so much, passing regulation to ensure people have fee free access to banking services? Same answer as anything ‘nope, fuck the poor’ it’s crazy too because it’s greed of people saying ‘why should they get something for nothing!!!’ but everything to do with banking is more expensive and worse in the US, even cash machines charge a couple of dollars to get your money.

          I think tipping culture is a weird social hierarchy thing too, like people love to feel like they’re a higher strata then their server plus have that control over them ‘your wages are in my hands, peasant, now serve me like the lord of the manor!’ everywhere else there’s a camaraderie with workers and I think it feels a lot nicer, the waiter isn’t trying to upsell or get into your graces to earn a dirty penny they’re just doing their job and interacting with you on a fundamentally human level.

      • bossito@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        And more are welcome. The war on cash must stop. Shopping should be a private matter.

    • Imgonnatrythis@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      The first and the last bullets are never going to change sadly. Tipping is only on the increase, guns are just like an inherent part of America now - kids are getting slaughtered by them daily and it’s just like normal. Gun control is a laughable proposal in the US. If it hasn’t changed with all the reasons to change, it’s not going to. SUVs are actually becoming MORE popular. Healthcare is fucked.

    • Thorny_Thicket@sopuli.xyz
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      1 year ago

      Agreed, though keep your filthy fingers off my gas guzzler

      Edit: people calm down. I’m just joking - it’s actually a diesel

    • los_chill@programming.dev
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      1 year ago
      • Tipping isn’t bad. Being underpaid is bad. If we as consumers want to add a little more for good service, I don’t see a problem.

      • Make dollar coins a thing again.

      • Remove presidents too.

      • Guns are for weak people. 100% of gun owners I know are massive cowards. Tell your friends. If we can’t get legislation, maybe we can change the culture. SUVs are fine, it’s the massive pickup trucks that are getting out of hand. Give us the Hilux already, and make it electric. Healthcare should be universal and single-payer. End the health insurance industry.

      We are trying…

      Edit: Please tell me why you disagree, don’t just downvote me. Downvote is not a “disagree” button. I’m just trying to share my thoughts the best I can.

      • Amilo159@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Tipping had devolved from customers saying “I’ll give something extra for extra service” to restaurants saying “since you pay for the food, why don’t you pay for the staff too?”

        Only real way to get rid of this culture is to ban it to start. Workers need to demand living wages at the same time as ban comes into effect.

        • diyrebel@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          1 year ago

          Only real way to get rid of this culture is to ban it to start.

          A ban would be a bit extreme. Is tipping banned anywhere?

          For me, the fix is to establish a fixed tip like some parts of Europe used to have. E.g. $1—2 per person for good service regardless of bill. This would accomplish two things:

          • The tip cannot be an income supplement (thus wages increase if the resto wants to have staff)
          • There is still a quality control signal in place

          Tipping isn’t bad. Being underpaid is bad. If we as consumers want to add a little more for good service, I don’t see a problem.

          The two are at odds with each other; that’s the problem.

          • deejay4am@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            I think in this case, “banned” is referring to “paying workers below minimum hourly wage because they’re expected to make up the difference by convincing our patrons to generously donate +20% of their dinner bill”, not “citizens will be fined/incarcerated if they give someone money of their own free will”

            • diyrebel@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              1 year ago

              That would make sense, but then why did they follow that with “Workers need to demand living wages at the same time as ban comes into effect”?

              • Eldritch@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                Because it logically follows. If the businesses have to stop relying on customers to pay their employees what they are worth. Someone should have to pay their employees a valid living wage. And that logically would be the company.

                • diyrebel@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                  1 year ago

                  Right but that’s not the logic I replied to. @Amilo159@lemmy.world proposed a ban on tips, not on below min wage payments, then wrote as a separate statement that higher wages should be demanded. So @4am@lemmy.world’s interpretation was an incorrect interpretation – though it’s the right idea.

                  You seem to be viewing tips as an all-or-nothing proposition. When in fact you can have a tipping culture that is not used as a crutch for wages (as most of Europe demonstrates).

      • Iron Lynx@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago
        • Tipping is bad, since it has been taken to the logical extreme of making the customer directly responsible for paying staff, instead of the money going into the business’ coffers, to be redistributed as wage from there.
        • Actually not gonna complain about this one, but that does not take away from the fact that you need to inspect bills of the US dollar for what magnitude of currency it is. Be it a dollar, a fiver, or a hundred, they all have the same size and colour. Unlike more sane currencies, where each denomination of bill has a different size and colour, making it readily apparent if you’re holding five, twenty or a hundred of it.
        • Not gonna say anything about this.
        • SUV’s are trash. And so are modern Pickup trucks. Source of my points, if you care
          • They hog fuel & pollute excessively.
          • you can’t see shit out of them, especially right near the bumper.
          • As a result of a stiffer frame and higher ground clearance, they’re more fatal in a crash with people, or even regular cars, both for the other party and for their own occupants. And because they’re big, heavy & unwieldy, they’re more likely to end up in a crash in the first place.
          • they hog space on the road, making traffic and parking worse
          • they weigh a fuckton, making road maintenance more expensive
          • there are vehicles out there that can do what an SUV or a Pickup truck can do, but much more efficiently & cost-effectively
          • The people most likely to vehemently insist these abominations are supposed to keep existing have been found, by market research, to be obsessed with status, be less likely to volunteer, have no strong connection to their community, be less giving, be less oriented towards others, be more afraid of crime, be more likely to text & drive and be more likely to take risks while driving. In other words, SUV fanboys are assholes.
            • When, a decade or so ago, one researcher put plastic animals along the side of the road, to see which ones people were more likely to hit, some people purposely went out of their way to run over them. Those people were in 89% of cases SUV drivers. The timing is relevant, since at the time, most American car makers still sold regular cars.
          • Most SUV’s and Pickup trucks end up being used for exactly nothing you would need them for.
      • Katos@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Gun owners aren’t cowards, being afraid of guns makes you a coward. Learn to handle guns so you don’t have to piss yourself in fear.

        SUVs are for bad drivers that need to be in giant vehicles to feel safe due to their own inabilities. Some large trucks are acceptable for work purposes but SUV manufacturers use legislation for work trucks made years ago to get away with ignoring safety standards.

        Electric cars aren’t better for the environment in our current ecosystem. You might not be burning fuel in your car but you’re burning coal at the power plant. Beyond that all you’ve done is make yourself more dependent on the power grid. If you are one of the very few people with self sufficient electric in your home you can skip this one.

        Free healthcare doesn’t equal good healthcare. People in places with free healthcare have to wait ages for treatment and may be turned away from treatment if the government is over their saving your life budget. The insurance industry could use some work though, hospital bills increase because they can get that money from an insurance provider, this fucks anyone without insurance because most people don’t realize they can negotiate those prices down.

          • Katos@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Counter counter point: You can make a gun easily. Look up the looty.

            Making guns illegal only keeps them out of the hands of people willing to follow the law. People who want to kill people with guns and commit crime do not care that they are not allowed to have a gun.

              • Katos@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                Well, we’ve recently explored the legalization of weed due to the fact that you can just grow it and it’s not that harmful. Other drugs I mean that’s quite a conversation to have but maybe one worth having.

                Bombs don’t have a great use in the normal everyday market, but fireworks are used for agriculture and dynamite is used for construction. So they aren’t really illegal, just regulated.

                We do have access to poisonous gasses again for agriculture and some for home use for bug extermination again this leans towards regulated not outright illegal.

                Outlawing stuff just because we’re scared of it doesn’t make sense. Instead providing people with an education on what their scared of can protect them from someone who wants to use those things against them.

                You could break down my garage door with a car or run me down in the street with one but we’re not outlawing vehicles. You know how to operate a vehicle and can see it’s practical uses you’re not scared of them. You don’t need to be afraid of them even though you’re much more statisticly likely to die due to a car then a gun.

        • Umbraveil@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Electric cars aren’t better for the environment in our current ecosystem. You might not be burning fuel in your car but you’re burning coal at the power plant. Beyond that all you’ve done is make yourself more dependent on the power grid. If you are one of the very few people with self sufficient electric in your home you can skip this one.

          You really have to factor in the refinement and transport of fuel though. And then needing to drive to the pumps and the additional maintenance ICE vehicles

          And not all energy is created by burning coal. There are solar, hydro, wind, and nuclear. In fact, only 20% of our energy comes from coal, https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=427&t=3.

          I can’t speak for every state, but California has only one coal plant and an abundance of renewable energy generation. Including what consumers dump back into the grid.

          I love our EV, and encourage others to buy one. They aren’t perfect, but it’s about incremental improvements. The next problems to solve is battery improvements, long-term battery resource sustainability, and building a more durable and less polluting tire.

          • Katos@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Though yes, California does have the least non-renewable power generation. Can you say the same for other states?

            Additional maintenance is negligible when compared to the price of battery replacement.

            I don’t think there are many people making trips in their vehicle just for gas. With a gas station on nearly every corner you’re able to easily stop on an existing trip to refuel.

            When the power grid fails due to a natural disaster gas power is all you’ve got. With the limited range you have, is it worth the risk to try to drive somewhere for power?

            I’m not against hybrids provided you can still get a reasonable amount of mileage off the gas. But like you said, we need massive amounts of improvement on batteries before we’re ready for mass adoption and for EVs to really be a viable replacement option.

        • PurplebeanZ@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          You seem to be forgetting that places with socialised health care also have private healthcare and private insurance available so it’s the best of both worlds. Everyone can get treated regardless, but you can also go ‘premium’ if desired.

          • Katos@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            So I can pay for others healthcare in my taxes and pay for additional healthcare for myself because the “free” healthcare I’m already paying for doesn’t do enough for me? Wouldn’t it just make more since to pay for private “premium” healthcare off the rip?

            Nothing is actually free. It all comes out somewhere. I’m a big fan of not relying on others and the government to support me.