May 10
thene commented on No Taxation Without Representation: NYC May Soon Give Lawful Noncitizen Residents the Vote.
thene commented on No Taxation Without Representation: NYC May Soon Give Lawful Noncitizen Residents the Vote.
Apr 18
thene commented on France Study: Bras Contribute to Pendulousness of Breasts.
thene commented on France Study: Bras Contribute to Pendulousness of Breasts.
C-cup here (last time I was measured, anyway) and I can attest that the people I work with have never even noticed that I don't wear bras - I've had shocked reactions when mentioning it to people I've worked with for years. It's not hard to get away with, although it is something that the rest of your wardrobe winds up being shaped around. I have a lot of good camisoles, and there's some styles I know I can't get away with, but bras are way too much of a pain and annoyance to consider going back to. I'm sure other people might be more impressed by my appearance if I had my tits hoiked up in a wire sling but it is so not worth sacrificing comfort for.
That tits sag less if you don't wear a bra has long been anecdata among bra refuseniks, but yeah, it could be an effect of self-selecting based on size. I will say, when I've broached the topic I've very often heard bra-wearing women express terror of sagging if they gave up their bra - not sure why you guys think it's not a real consideration women have, as it's seriously the first thing out of many people's mouths. In that respect, I'm glad to see this study.
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That tits sag less if you don't wear a bra has long been anecdata among bra refuseniks, but yeah, it could be an effect of self-selecting based on size. I will say, when I've broached the topic I've very often heard bra-wearing women express terror of sagging if they gave up their bra - not sure why you guys think it's not a real consideration women have, as it's seriously the first thing out of many people's mouths. In that respect, I'm glad to see this study.
Feb 15
thene commented on The Earned Income Tax Credit Subsidizes Low-Wage Employers, While the Minimum Wage Boosts Incomes for Everyone.
thene commented on The Earned Income Tax Credit Subsidizes Low-Wage Employers, While the Minimum Wage Boosts Incomes for Everyone.
Agreed with @14 - the EITC has always been a weird bit of policy for Republicans to be supporting. Personally I'm a bit antsy of it for two reasons;
a) it's a lump-sum payment (Advance EIC is no longer available), and people tend to manage their finances more poorly when it comes to unpredictable lump sum payments than when they're getting a steady income - sure, it helps a lot with large purchases like replacing a car or clearing a medical/school debt, but I suspect it also leads to many brief spending sprees as a lot of businesses market large purchases aggressively to people at the time of year when EITC comes out (ie. now). Its unpredictability is also a factor here; unless you're keeping very, very close watch on your total earned income for the year and looking up tax tables to figure out where you stand, people mostly don't even know how much EITC they're going to get.
b) It drives low-income people into the arms of the tax preparation industry, who are essentially being paid to give people access to benefits that they're legal entitled to. Tax prep with EITC tends to cost a lot because of the liability at the preparer's end. Tax credits essentially impose an extra burden of complexity that can become a form of taxation in itself upon people who may not be the best at navigating bureaucracy, and who may not have had the best educations in America, given what hereditary poverty in America is like.
See also c), fraud. Not that there's much of it out there, but there's so much room for Republicans to accuse low-income filers of fraud for claiming EITC! Hence the liability placed on preparers.
So I'm not convinced that EITC is free of downsides, to put it mildly.
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a) it's a lump-sum payment (Advance EIC is no longer available), and people tend to manage their finances more poorly when it comes to unpredictable lump sum payments than when they're getting a steady income - sure, it helps a lot with large purchases like replacing a car or clearing a medical/school debt, but I suspect it also leads to many brief spending sprees as a lot of businesses market large purchases aggressively to people at the time of year when EITC comes out (ie. now). Its unpredictability is also a factor here; unless you're keeping very, very close watch on your total earned income for the year and looking up tax tables to figure out where you stand, people mostly don't even know how much EITC they're going to get.
b) It drives low-income people into the arms of the tax preparation industry, who are essentially being paid to give people access to benefits that they're legal entitled to. Tax prep with EITC tends to cost a lot because of the liability at the preparer's end. Tax credits essentially impose an extra burden of complexity that can become a form of taxation in itself upon people who may not be the best at navigating bureaucracy, and who may not have had the best educations in America, given what hereditary poverty in America is like.
See also c), fraud. Not that there's much of it out there, but there's so much room for Republicans to accuse low-income filers of fraud for claiming EITC! Hence the liability placed on preparers.
So I'm not convinced that EITC is free of downsides, to put it mildly.
Feb 10
thene commented on At Least One Obama Showed Up.
thene commented on At Least One Obama Showed Up.
@78: are you just really bad at grasping sarcasm? FWIW while I don't think my opinion is particularly relevant, it seems clear to me that owning a gun does not help anyone effect political change and I suspect that @58 knows this and therefore left his gun at home. But rather than simply assuming this, I figured I'd ask him.
Feb 10
thene commented on At Least One Obama Showed Up.
thene commented on At Least One Obama Showed Up.
@63; Uh, what I wanted to know was whether @58 was making use of his gun when he fought for his rights, or whether he left it at home. I thought his answer might be illuminating as to the practical value of guns for defending oneself against tyranny.
Feb 10
thene commented on At Least One Obama Showed Up.
thene commented on At Least One Obama Showed Up.
@58 So were you fighting those police lines with your gun in hand?
What is a good comparison, anyway? Nowhere, I'm sure! That's what American exceptionalism is all about.
What is a good comparison, anyway? Nowhere, I'm sure! That's what American exceptionalism is all about.
Feb 10
thene commented on At Least One Obama Showed Up.
thene commented on At Least One Obama Showed Up.
@54 Any evidence to back up that belief? Because, I mean, private handgun ownership to deter crime worked out real well for Nancy Lanza.
Feb 10
thene commented on At Least One Obama Showed Up.
thene commented on At Least One Obama Showed Up.
Y'know, I am so glad I have all these NRA members out there protecting our freedom. They sure showed the Bush Administration they meant business when our phones were being tapped and the PATRIOT Act was being pushed through Congress, didn't they? Let's just count how many government power grabs in the last couple of decades were stopped cold by those awesome legal gun owners - seriously, let's count them.
I'm coming up with zero.
Okay so what is the great social benefit of bearing arms, again?
I'm coming up with zero.
Okay so what is the great social benefit of bearing arms, again?
Jan 25
thene commented on How to Get Married on the Spur of the Moment.
thene commented on How to Get Married on the Spur of the Moment.
Awesome! I did something pretty similar, not out of whirlwind love but legal necessity, and showed up in my oldest dress, and we had only two guests, and it was Leap Day because the timing was convenient and it reflected how much we cared about anniversaries. Every time I see someone get embroiled in months of wedding planning, I just want to pat them and go 'oh honey, why are you making this so complicated?'
Jan 24
thene commented on Inaugural Poet Richard Blanco on the Homophobic Abuse That Led Him to Writing.
thene commented on Inaugural Poet Richard Blanco on the Homophobic Abuse That Led Him to Writing.
I don't know what a faggot means, really; don't even know about sex yet. All I know is she's talking about me, me; and whatever I am, is bad, very bad.
This is so familiar. I think I was about 8 years old when I found out that a lesbian was a bad thing and that other people said I was one, and it was years before I knew what the word meant, and more years before I realised it wasn't a bad thing and I (kinda) was one. We hear our words as playground insults years before we find them inside ourselves.
This is so familiar. I think I was about 8 years old when I found out that a lesbian was a bad thing and that other people said I was one, and it was years before I knew what the word meant, and more years before I realised it wasn't a bad thing and I (kinda) was one. We hear our words as playground insults years before we find them inside ourselves.
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The immigration process has taught me that citizenships are valued in $$$ and have no other meaning. I have a hard time drawing meaningful lines around social groups bigger than 'my community' and smaller than 'the world'. Being able to vote would be neat, I guess. Maybe we could vote for a less intrusive and expensive immigration system.