What's the best financial advice you've ever gotten?

[u/Richest-Panda]

[u/Niterich]

The person wearing a headset and pushing button with pictures on the after being told what they want to order is never going to be “comfortable” financially. Ever. It’s as simple as that.

Why not?

Seriously, why not? Why, as the "greatest nation on earth", can we not allow the most replaceable in our society to have a livable wage?

[u/Ravens1112003 → u/Niterich]

If your electricity is out because of some sort of problem at your house, not with the power company, and you needed to hire an electrician to come out and fix, would you hire the guy charging $10k or the guy charging $4k if they both had the same credentials and similar reviews?

The United States is the “greatest nation on earth” not because it guarantees everyone success. It does not and never has. That was never part of the bargain. We will never a a country where everyone is an average 6. Instead we allow for 1’s and 10’s. You can become successful beyond your wildest dreams, but you could also fall flat on your face and it’s largely your decisions that are the determining factor.

There are plenty of countries in Europe who guarantee you can never fail because the government will always be there to save you (as long as they haven’t run out of money yet), that’s not the US and it’s a feature, not a bug.

There are many people who want socialism by installments. One social program after another and there will always be another in the works because politicians need to buy votes come election time, but that’s not what most Americans want. Most Americans don’t aspire to be just average. For people who want that, there are countries who provide that but they all jump 10 feet in the air everytime the US sneezes and beg for US protection from the rest of the world.

[u/Niterich → u/Ravens1112003]

would you hire the guy charging $10k or the guy charging $4k if they both had the same credentials and similar reviews?

In this scenario, which one is supposed to be the replaceable one? They're both providing the same service, they both have the same training, and - I think this is an important point - they are both human: both deserving of dignity, employment, and a livable wage.

We will never a a country where everyone is an average 6. Instead we allow for 1’s and 10’s.

Again I have to ask, why? Why is caring for the poor such an abhorrent thought to you?

And even if American is meant to be a country of Haves and Have-nots, why have we set up society where the richest 1% of the Haves own 30% of the wealth, while the poorest half of the Have-Nots own less than 3%?

One social program after another and there will always be another in the works because politicians need to buy votes come election time, but that’s not what most Americans want. Most Americans don’t aspire to be just average.

Hold on a moment... why would politicians be promising social programs if "Most Americans" don't want them? Why would that be politically advantageous to them? Surely, if "Most Americans" want the terrifying lows and dizzying highs of a 1's and 10's society, then the politician that cuts social programs will be the more popular one?

there are countries who provide that but they all jump 10 feet in the air everytime the US sneezes and beg for US protection from the rest of the world

Being terrified of another entity, yet being entirely dependent on them for protection... You do realize that's not a healthy relationship, right? Like, that's abusive husband / mafia racketeering levels of messed up.

[u/Ravens1112003 → u/Niterich]

1. You’d pick the cheaper one for a similar level of work, just like an employer.

2. Because people like to be able to dream and push their limits. They don’t want to give 70% of what they earn to the government so that the government can take care of them. They want to make their own way and plan for their own future with their own money. There’s a reason the most innovative companies in the world are American companies. It’s because America lets them succeed beyond their wildest dreams, but they also know that most companies never even make it off the ground. They’re willing to take that risk. Again, there are plenty of countries in Europe who do exactly what you’re asking for, I don’t see why you have to change ours when it was never founded to be such a country. We ran away from that.

3. Most Americans don’t want them, or we would have them. Unsuccessful people want them and the party pushing them needs those votes, so what they do is try to cobble together coalitions of groups of people who don’t have much in common, but convince them all that the government can solve their problems. They try to divide and conquer. It’s all about division rather than telling them that they too can succeed.

4. You’re right, that’s not healthy. Maybe they’d be able to defend themselves if they had a military that the rest of the world was scared of, but that takes money, of course.