honorentheos wrote: ↑Mon May 26, 2025 1:59 am
No, he said it in relation to a very neoliberal assertion about the big beautiful bill's wealth redistribution upwards. It's wild to see someone in 2025 still espousing Reaganomics but I also figure some people get their sound bites at some point in their life and that becomes that.
There's no consistency here, I guarantee it. My right-wing frenemy is out to lunch in similar ways. We've only had one brief scuff-up since tariffs were announced. Prior to the election he made it clear that Trump wasn't going to touch his Medicare. His mother, who came here illegally from a European country, was on Medicaid for many years prior to her death. It's not like he needs Medicare, he's wealthy enough and also has private insurance, but he's the most paranoid nutcase I've ever met when it comes to every last dime that he believes is rightfully his. And so, psychologically, Medicare is a huge deal for him. In fact, I believe the cost for something related to it went up a couple years ago and he was outraged. Now, this other guy in the hood, who is well off but not to the same degree as frenemy number 1, has his wife and his mother both in memory care facilities, and both are on Medicaid. He himself is doing terribly and will be in assisted living soon. The money from his mother's house was nearly gone the last time I spoke with him. This guy is more pleasant to deal with, but he's also more pro Trump. Insanely pro-Trump. But oh yeah, his benefits matter.
So all this nonsense about conservatives believing in trickledown prosperity is quite selective. If government is benefiting them, they do in fact care a great deal. I suppose we shall see the degree to which the historic base is actually affected. I will of course, laugh my ass off if the right-wingers in my neighborhood begin losing their benefits, but I'm skeptical it will ever affect them directly.
On a technical note. I've been surprised at the level of Von Mises worship that's still out there. I've followed (less now) a variety of finance channels since the tariffs, and there are some thoroughly libertarian dudes out there who are actually consistent: they abhor the tariffs but praise the cuts to government. They literally believe that a government job is direct theft of a job from the private sector. And this is a younger crowd. Employers such as Markk's (in addition to knowingly employing illegals) are considered crony capitalists by true neoliberal standards, for all the government contracting they do.
Social distancing has likely already begun to flatten the curve...Continue to research good antivirals and vaccine candidates. Make everyone wear masks. -- J.D. Vance
