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[martinuzz]

[Strongpoint]

MAGA vs Elon on Xshiter is so amusing to watch. And they said I should leave Xshitter... It is the best free entertainment on the internet.

[Robot Parade Leader]

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/19-people-shared-things-theyre-113102110.html

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-now-bringing-grocery-prices-promised-hard/story?id=116763207

So, won election at least partially on groceries being too expensive....
I really just want people to be able to eat, comfortably. I'm ok, but I never said I have a widespread solution.
Doesn't matter who, firing people just takes away whatever productivity they were doing. And, they can't spend/stimulate economy.
This is just wrong. There has to be a way to get food for people. This can't be impossible.

[Lord Shonus]

Trump won primarily on groceries being perceived as too expensive. Most people's food bills barely changed more than the normal amount for 4 years, with a few exceptions such as eggs (which have somehow been nearly inflation-proof for thirty years and just jumped up to what they would have been if they hadn't stayed at essentially the same price for so long) and some specific things where there was a legitimate shortage related to the pandemic and the companies just kept the price high. The bigger problem was that we were inundated with "I spent this much for these groceries" stories - which almost universally were visibly the most high-end brands from high-end stores, but were presented as if it was what you'd be getting at Kroger.

[Robot Parade Leader]

Yeah, a lot of it was propaganda. That's true. There's a lot of food insecurity out there though.
It was COVID shooting supply chains to hell, so even if it was Biden's fault, then it was also Trump's too.
A lot of it was just greed, like you said. Those egg companies had been stable and profitable forever, and just wanted richer.

From what I understand, and that's not a lot, society needs better solar, batteries, home recyclable plastic, and home growing food.
At least that's what I'm being told. All that would add up to hydroponics people could do on an apartment balcony or living room.
I guess that's assuming you'd have a food crop you could grow in a container.

I don't know. It's an idea at least. Nobody else seems to come up with anything. All I hear is "O things are fine," or blaming somebody.
Between 80 90% of people (probably closer to 90%) are ok/not food insecure. USDA says 13.5% food insecure and CDC says 28.6% of "low income" households. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. (n.d.). Key statistics & graphics. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/key-statistics-graphics.aspx

https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/ag-and-food-statistics-charting-the-essentials/food-security-and-nutrition-assistance/
https://odphp.health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health/literature-summaries/food-insecurity#cit2

Even 10% of society being food insecure is not good. Trump is now saying it will be very hard to lower food prices and people are saying he is backpedaling on that. I guess there's some disconnect between, hey let's grow food and getting that into people's mouths easily. I think most people have no idea how to grow their own food, even if they have a yard and land at all. How would people keep animals and birds from just eating the food or any other environmental problem. If someone can't afford food at a supermarket, then the upfront costs of seeds and supplies won't be easy to come by either. The knowledge and ability just doesn't exist out there in the real world for most people that I see.

It's political because the last election for president made it political. Things are not affordable like a generation or two ago.
The boomers that aren't in denial see "kids" doing worse than them and the ones paying attention know it isn't the kid's fault.
Something is wrong. Can Trump fix it? Somebody come up with a plan somehow. I hope someone can.

https://imgur.com/gallery/RXe2sPB

[McTraveller]

Why wait for "Trump" to fix it? Can't you and your friends procure and distribute food to those in your neighborhood that need it?

I'm convicting myself here too... I could do that, way more than I do already (sure I donate some meager funds to a food pantry), but I don't... I have a lot of resources and significant free time that I don't usually use to help people

[Robot Parade Leader]

Yes, and I do. I volunteer when I can. I'm one person. That ain't gonna dent 13.5% of the population being food insecure.
I don't have anywhere near enough to fix a massive food issue like this any way you cut it.

[Lord Shonus]

Important to note here that people receiving assistance such as SNAP or the services of a food pantry are still considered food-insecure because needing that assistance is an uncomfortable place to be in, and it helps people from seeing the stat go down and declaring Mission Accomplished.

The biggest single source of food insecurity in this country also isn't "doesn't have enough money to buy food". That happens, but it isn't the biggest problem. A far bigger problem is being physically able to get to the food. There's a lot of places where the closest thing people have to a grocery store is a Dollar General with jacked up prices, unless they want to spend half an hour in a car or an hour on the bus each way.

[Starver]

Adding more safety-nets is good, but doesn't actually address the issues that people are having to be caught by them.

There's reasons why some charities/etc have the rather ambitious official stretch-aim of no longer being necessary, pursuing both short-term mitigation and long-term changes.

[Robot Parade Leader]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/steve-bannon-mocks-toddler-elon-171549549.html

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Steve Bannon joined the MAGA immigration civil war with gusto on Friday, calling Elon Musk a “toddler,” and telling the owner of X to “bring it.”

As Musk doubled down on his support for H-1B work visas and criticism of American workers, Bannon posted on the social media platform Gettr: “Someone please notify ‘Child Protective Services’— need to do a ‘wellness check’ on this toddler.”

The former Trump adviser and War Room podcast host made the post in reaction to Musk telling a critic of his stance on immigration to “f*** yourself in the face.”

“The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B,” Musk wrote.

“Take a big step back and F*** YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot comprehend.”

South African-born billionaire Musk and fellow tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy have both defended the use of H1-B visas to hire highly skilled workers for Silicon Valley and other key industries.

This clashes with the MAGA right’s “America First” anti-immigration doctrine in what has quickly developed into a schism within the American political right.

As the war of words spiraled online, Musk endorsed a post calling American workers too “re***ded” to perform high-skilled tech jobs for which foreign workers were being hired.

"The former Trump adviser and War Room podcast host made the post in reaction to Musk telling a critic of his stance on immigration to “f*** yourself in the face.”

“The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B,” Musk wrote.

“Take a big step back and F*** YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot comprehend.” ~ Musk

As the war of words spiraled online, Musk endorsed a post calling American workers too “re***ded” to perform high-skilled tech jobs for which foreign workers were being hired."

So, Musk is calling American Workers "too 're***ded'" to have good jobs? Yeah, wow, I ... don't know. Does he care about the average working person and America like ...? Wasn't that part of the whole MAGA thing? Was that part of the "Make America Great Again?" Does it seem like he holds a high opinion of American Workers and think they should have jobs in America? Isn't that part of what was big in the last election, and part of all that anti immigration stuff?  Is the guy from another country who is calling American Workers "too 're***ded'" now in charge of firing as many government workers as he can, and once he fires as many government workers as he can, is he going to stop there? Or is he going to fire as many as he can in the private sector too, like he does at his companies? And when who knows how many people get fired all over, what's gonna happen to the money they were making but can't spend to stimulate the economy, is it gonna go to billionaires?

Does Musk have a ton of unelected power, officially, unofficially whatever? And does he apparently have no problem telling people to go F themselves in the face and that he will declare war over things? Doesn't seem like there's too much anybody can do if he says "no," to whatever. God help you if he decides to leverage those billions of dollars against you. He doesn't seem to care about accepting people who disagree with him, so God help you if you don't agree with him.

He threatened Congress on bipartisan funding bills. He's really been close to the President of the U.S. He's been getting involved in German politics? He has a ton of resources. I'm just wondering if this guy is going to take over officially or unofficially? If he does, who is he going to benefit?

You know, you or I might disagree with a politician for a lot of reasons, but they usually don't get away with telling you to go F yourself in the face, but if they did, they might not get reelected....

[hector13]

Trump has sided with Musk on this, too.

[Robot Parade Leader]

Wow, as of that article. 3 hours ago as of time of posting.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

President-elect Donald Trump appeared to side with technology bosses Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in a row over a visa programme that brings skilled workers to the US.

Trump told the New York Post on Saturday that he "always liked" H-1B visas and hired guest workers under the scheme - even though he's previously been critical of the programme.

He was wading into a debate that has pitted his advisors from the tech world against Republicans who want a harder line on all forms of immigration.

Did it say Trump was now for it "even though he's previously been critical of the programme?" Who knows?
Are we even sure if that's going to be the position in this long term?
I dunno. Wasn't Steve Bannon a big thing with Trump for a long time?
Is this something Trump might change his mind on again?
Did Musk just declare something on Twitter and Trump went along with it? What's going on? Do we know?

[Folly]

I think most people have no idea how to grow their own food, even if they have a yard and land at all. How would people keep animals and birds from just eating the food or any other environmental problem. If someone can't afford food at a supermarket, then the upfront costs of seeds and supplies won't be easy to come by either. The knowledge and ability just doesn't exist out there in the real world for most people that I see.

A short wire fence stretched between some simple stakes will keep most varmints out of a garden, and some shiny glass dangled from a string will keep the birds away. Seeds are ridiculously inexpensive; most common garden fruits and vegetables you can buy a pack of over a thousand seeds for under a dollar. As for knowledge, there are countless 'How-To Gardening' videos on youtube.

But as easy and affordable as home gardening is, it's even easier and cheaper for professional farmers who already have equipment setup for large-scale production. It just makes more sense for people to spend their time and effort doing other jobs, then using the money they earn to pay the farmers for food.

Did it say Trump was now for it "even though he's previously been critical of the programme?" Who knows?
Are we even sure if that's going to be the position in this long term?
I dunno. Wasn't Steve Bannon a big thing with Trump for a long time?
Is this something Trump might change his mind on again?
Did Musk just declare something on Twitter and Trump went along with it? What's going on? Do we know?

I have absolutely no doubt that Trump, like most presidents, will make absolutely no effort to uphold his impractical and impossible campaign promises. Remember, last time Trump was president he spent more days on the Golf Course than any other president in history, and by a very wide margin.

The danger of this second Trump Presidency was never about Trump. It's about the people he empowers, and the harm they are much more likely to follow through with.

[Lord Shonus]

But as easy and affordable as home gardening is, it's even easier and cheaper for professional farmers who already have equipment setup for large-scale production. It just makes more sense for people to spend their time and effort doing other jobs, then using the money they earn to pay the farmers for food.

More importantly, you will never grow enough vegetables in a backyard plot, let alone hydroponically in an apartment, to make up a significant amount of your caloric needs. As a hobby, or to gain the freshest possible vegetables, it can be worthwhile (as long as you get your soil tested - a fair bit of urban soil is contaminated to some degree. If you go the indoor garden route, you can get fresh vegetables out of season which is not to be sneered at.

But to live off of? Not going to happen. Even for something like potatoes, which are very calorie dense for the amount of land they need, you need a ton per person per year. At the low end (getting the high end of yield requires extensive fertilization and irrigation far beyond what your typical home gardener would be able to do), potatoes yield about five tons per acre. So you need a quarter of an acre to feed one person with one of the most space-efficient crops around. That's not going to happen for somebody living in the city.

[Strongpoint]

The amount of work required to grow food even if you have enough land IS NOT trivial. It absolutely will be your second job. Potatoes and corn require quite a lot of attention and some expense. My extended family didn't plant any potatoes for a decade or so because yield\work is pathetic and buying potatoes is... cheaper and it is on the Ukrainian black soil. Corn is somewhat easier but this shit requires A LOT of water and fertilizers. Other options, unless you want to make your own flour, won't cover your calorie  needs.

It does help to have something like your own garden. Like, I have access to more apples than I can possibly eat. But It is a perk of living in a rural area, you can't magically get a garden in a city.