biodork

:thumbsup:

Finally heard back on the interview, and it's 2pm tomorrow (!!). Super exciting, but also stressful because I need to prepare tonight (and pack for heading to the airport tomorrow evening) and be able to leave work for a little bit (hopefully unnoticed) tomorrow afternoon. AAAAAHHHHHHH

Amen, sista. And sorry about the job... hope that's gotten better since then. That blows. Even more reason to wish you good luck on the interview! My complaint: after seeming super interested and wanting to schedule an interview with me ASAP, I haven't heard back on the other job since Tues. evening. WTF, people? Why you gotta leave me hanging?

lol I'm with you on the selfies. I saw the LGs at the store when I went to get a new SIM card, and they looked fantastic. I've liked all my LG phones in the past, too (and LG makes both the N5 and the N5X), but my experience with the N5 was so positive that I didn't even consider another phone this time around.

Nice. I'd had the Nexus 5 for 2 years now and could have happily kept it longer, but I just upgraded to the Nexus 5X (I didn't want something as big as the Nexus 6) and so far I'm really happy with it. My dad will be inheriting my Nexus 5, so it's a win-win. Only bummer is I had to buy it outright for $299 rather than through T-Mobile's equipment installment plan since Google decided not to release them to the carriers. Womp womp.

Good luck! I was contacted for an interview late this afternoon, too. :) I have no idea if the pay will be anywhere close to where I'd need to be able to leave this job, but it could be a good fit and I'm excited to find out more. They wanted to schedule for sometime in the afternoon this week (!), but I can't be available early enough so we're going to try for early next week instead. Fingers crossed here, too!

On this, we can agree. Cheers.

Good point, and I think you're right.

There are always going to be unintended consequences and unforseen loopholes; that's why things like the ACA should be viewed as a work in progress. We propose changes. We amend as necessary to address the undesirable consequences of those changes, much like Apple and Windows release security patches and version updates. That it won't be perfect the first time doesn't mean we shouldn't try to make things better than they are now.

I don't disagree that employees taking extended leave poses an issue for the employer, and I'll admit to having felt in the past it was audacious of some women to complain about their employer's reactions to their pregnancy (my boss would not my pleased if I told them I was going to take 6 weeks of consecutive vacation). I think that allowing both mothers and fathers to take leave would go a ways towards decreasing that stigma, but it still poses a problem, and disproportionately for smaller companies, as you said. Perhaps there would be an exemption below a certain number of employees, or the cost of paying the leave would be partially offset by tax credits. But if people truly believe it's in the best interest of the child, isn't it worth trying to figure out a way to make some version of that work? I know quite a few friends who've ended up dropping out of the workforce altogether because the cost of child care was such that they would at best break even by continuing at their jobs. There are no easy solutions, but it's a worthwhile endeavor.

Well said. Highmark laid off my stepmom's entire department of claims processors to send those jobs to India. Because clearly having ESL speakers processing medical claims is a great idea and will improve business. Imagine how little they're paying those poor bastards if it's still cheaper for Highmark to send people to India to train them all, and also give out severance packages to the people here who were laid off? They deserve to earn a living wage, too.

:wub: It's not the wrong way just because it's not the same way you're going. I agree 100% with the first bolded paragraph, and in the second bolded I don't disagree that this has been done in the past by the Democrats. Where I differ is that I believe Sanders is different and wants to find ways to improve the people's chances at getting ahead (like by making education more accessible), not just give people handouts to keep them in that bottom 15% of the population. Separate point: the same Republican candidates who would rail against gay marriage because of the perceived importance of the traditional nuclear family would probably be staunchly opposed to requiring employers to provide paid 1 year maternity / paternity leave for new parents. Why is that?

Agreed, but Zadorov was also a teenager.

It's nowhere near socialist enough IMO. When people fall further into poverty while continuing to work hard and hold gainful employment, it's because the system in place allows this to happen. We need systems that will make it possible for everyone to be able to get by on their own merit and without the need for public assistance by getting people educated, better paying jobs, and health insurance so people don't go bankrupt with a major illness. Unrestrained capitalism got us into this mess; we need to adjust the rules to fit a global market so everyone benefits.

Would this be a bad thing? IMO this is a desired outcome, although I would not consider the US being "weak" by refusing to always have to step in.

You're right that people will always find away to abuse the system to their advantage. But we know that the current system isn't working; why throw up our hands and not consider alternatives (or at least major overhauls to the existing setup)? I don't want to see a nanny state where the government controls everything; I want a blend of capitalism and socialism with programs in place to make sure everyone is getting their basic needs met and businesses can be profitable without being exploitative.

I realize that it is currently; I disagree that it should be the case going forward. Other countries need to pull their weight as well and not hold out for us to go in and fix everything. We should not be the world's police.

I am often told I'm guilty of underselling things due to lack of confidence in my opinions, and my choice of wording may have been a manifestation of that. I don't like to make absolute statements because I'm painfully aware that there is almost always more to know about a situation than I do at present, and I appreciate the diplomatic way in which you (correctly) point this out. That being said, my "feeling" is based off of things like knowing that it's perfectly legal for a company to "move" it's location for the sole purpose of avoiding taxes here (corporate inversion). That should piss of small business owners here who are pulling their weight and paying (more than?) their fair share, and that is the sort of thing that I would consider extreme capitalism, along with absurd levels of CEO compensation from companies who would fight tooth and nail against minimum wage increases. It's nauseating that we've allowed a economic system such as this to not only exist, but flourish.

Thank you for this. I can appreciate that people have different views, and it's easier to understand yours when articulated this way. I won't pretend to have spent large amounts of time researching Norway's economy and comparing it to ours, nor to have a clear idea of exactly how I would go about doing things here (I leave that to the politicians). And I'm not any more thrilled about paying additional taxes than you are; I simply feel that it's the right thing to have those more fortunate contributing as they are able to help those who are not. The way those tax dollars ultimately get used heavily determines how good I'll feel about paying them (i.e. I'm on board with helping people get an education, but I don't think we need to keep spending infinitely on our military). I feel that it's corporate abuse of extreme capitalism that has brought the social programs into harsher relief because more people are finding themselves in need of them. Are there some people who abuse welfare? Absolutely. But I think there are far more people who would rather not need it and are unable to get ahead because the economy is rigged for the people at the top. Closing a lot of those loopholes that allow corporations to make profits without fairly contributing to their own workers and society at large would go a long ways towards leveling the playing field and allowing those who want to be self-sufficient to do so, IMHO.

Go right ahead; I loved Liger's quote so much that I stole it from him (with proper attribution, of course), so I have no real claim to it. :) I'm not attempting to make the argument that we should be exactly like Norway, for reasons that you and d4rk (thank you) pointed out. That doesn't mean there aren't some aspects of socialism that are worth considering and attempting to find a workable approximation for the US. Too many people seem to feel that because the economy is working well for their own families that it isn't broken, when in reality there are more and more folks being left behind, and not for lack of effort. Change is sorely needed, and I'll be happy to have my own income taxed at a higher rate if I should be so fortunate as to make it into a higher bracket. (edited for typo) Interesting stuff here - thanks.

No point in arguing with you if you're not going to read past the title of the article.

Great stuff, Jo! Take it easy on yourself and enjoy getting back out with the horses.

I concur, and I wish I could take credit, but tip of the cap to Liger for that one. For you (and anyone else who thinks socialism sounds scary): After I Lived in Norway, America Felt Backward. Here’s Why. (A crash course in social democracy.)

Almost 18,000 strong (myself included) at a Sanders rally Saturday in Denver: http://www.9news.com/news/politics/thousands-attend-sanders-rally-at-convention-center/42974183 https://berniesanders.com/press-release/huge-turnout-in-denver/ Definitely a lot of young folks, but also some diversity in age/race/religion. Really cool to see how many people showed up. If the enthusiasm translates to actual voter turnout on March 1st, he should do well in Colorado.

:(