#retiree welfare

[touchaheartnews]

Ogun Workers Threaten Strike Over N40bn Pension, Write to Governor Abiodun

In the Nigerian state of Ogun, tensions have been escalating between the state government and its workforce. This discord has been primarily fueled by unresolved pension payments, amounting to N40 billion, that are owed to retired civil servants. The workers, represented by various labor unions, have expressed their discontent through a formal letter addressed to Governor Dapo Abiodun, warning…

[mariacallous]

Americans love to focus on presidential campaigns. The House of Representatives and Senate receive some attention every now and then, but our political love affair tends to center on the race for the White House. When congressional elections gain some attention, it usually happens during the midterms when political junkies don’t have much else to talk about.

But this is a mistake. Congress matters. The outcome of congressional elections during a presidential campaign is crucial to shaping the first two years of an administration, the period when the opportunity for legislating is greatest. In the coming months, the fate of the Democratic Party agenda—regardless of who wins the presidency—will depend as much on how power is distributed on Capitol Hill as who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Even after a mandate election, just one chamber of Congress can be sufficient to check a new president’s agenda. This was the story in 1980. The election was devastating to Democrats. Ronald Reagan, who was a key figure in the modern conservative movement that took hold in the 1970s, promised to move the national agenda sharply to the right after the one-term presidency of Jimmy Carter. And then, for the first time since 1954, Republicans won control of the Senate with a majority of 53 seats.

The saving grace for Democrats that year was the House, where they remained on top. While Reagan defeated Carter in an Electoral College landslide, 489-49, Democrats exited Election Day with a 243-seat majority. Though the number of conservative Democrats had increased, the caucus as a whole was quite liberal compared with the Republicans. Under the speakership of Tip O’Neill, the lower chamber became the last bastion of liberalism. Using this as a base of power, Democrats were able to veto many of Reagan’s boldest initiatives while continuing to push forward their own agenda, even as the chances for passage were minimal.

The impact of a Democratic House was evident in both domestic and foreign policy. Republicans were forced to back away from many of their most ambitious plans to slash the social safety net. When the administration moved to reduce Social Security benefits for early retirees in 1981, O’Neill mobilized a coalition as he warned that the president aimed to dismantle this popular program. Republicans were shaken. Rep. Carroll Campbell was frustrated with the electoral impact: “I’ve got thousands of 60-year-old textile workers who think it’s the end of the world. What the hell am I supposed to tell them?” Democrats also approved a budget that raised taxes, a move that was anathema to Reagan’s acolytes. In 1983, the administration worked with congressional Democrats to shore up the financial strength of the program. The Democratic majority would be bolstered in the 1982 midterms, which took place in the middle of what O’Neill called the “Reagan recession.” The political scientist Paul Pierson showed in Dismantling the Welfare State? the limited progress Reagan made on cutting most major programs.

Similar effects were evident with foreign policy. Reagan’s hawkish posture toward the Soviet Union had been defining as he rose in national prominence during the 1970s. He railed against Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Carter for practicing the policy of détente, easing relations with the Communists, while ramping up rhetoric against the Soviet Union, calling it an “evil” empire in moralistic terms that presidents had traditionally avoided. He also curtailed negotiations over arms agreements and increased support for anti-communist operations in Central America.

House Democrats responded in force. In 1982, 1983, and 1984, they passed the Boland Amendments, which curtailed Reagan’s ability to provide support to the government of El Salvador and the anti-communist rebels in Nicaragua, the Contras. The global nuclear freeze movement also found strong support on the Hill as a number of members supported resolutions for limitations on nuclear arms production. “I can’t remember any issue, including Watergate, that has moved so many people so quickly,” Democratic operative Robert Squier noted in 1982.

None of this meant that Reagan could not achieve big changes. After all, the president pushed through a massive supply side tax cut in 1981 that made deep inroads into the finances of the federal government and began a path of ongoing cuts that privileged wealthier Americans and business. Scared to oppose him, many House Democrats voted for the cuts of their own accord. Reagan increased the defense budget, and his administration used illegal methods to direct support to Central America. And House Democrats couldn’t stop the enormous impact that Reagan had on pushing national rhetoric toward the right, either. Nonetheless, House Democrats played a pivotal role in restraining conservatism while protecting the liberal legacy of the New Deal and Great Society.

The reverse has also been true. Some congressional elections are extraordinarily dramatic. For all the attention paid to the legendary political prowess of Lyndon B. Johnson, the fact that the 1964 election produced massive Democratic majorities in the House (295) and Senate (68), while shifting the balance of influence within the party away from conservative southerners toward the liberal North, was instrumental to the passage of the Great Society legislation: Medicare and Medicaid, the Voting Rights Act, higher and secondary education funding, immigration reform, and more all became possible because of the size and structure of the Congress that Johnson was able to work with. “The once powerful coalition of Republicans and conservative Democrats appeared to have been rendered impotent, or nearly so,” the New York Times noted in 1964. Once the 1966 midterms revived the conservative coalition of southern Democrats and midwestern Republicans that had ruled Capitol Hill since 1938, Johnson’s window for legislating closed.

Most recently, there was the 2020 election. One of the most important outcomes was Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock winning in Georgia, giving Democrats two Senate seats and effective control of the upper chamber. As soon as they won, the Biden administration’s fortunes changed dramatically. With unified control of Congress, Biden’s path to legislative success opened. Although the administration would have to struggle to placate the demands of Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, Biden kept his party united enough to move a series of major bills on COVID-19 relief, infrastructure, and climate change. In so doing, he racked up an impressive record.

When Biden was still at the top of the Democratic ticket, one of the greatest sources of concern for Democratic legislators such as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Adam Schiff was that he was making a Republican Congress almost inevitable. Democrats in many parts of the country watched as their polling numbers plummeted.

With the energy and momentum that Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, have brought to the campaign, the odds for Democrats to win control of the House and possibly the Senate have vastly improved.

As much as Democratic voters will be focused on raising money, canvassing, and promoting their presidential candidate, they would do well to devote as much energy to key congressional races—whether the seats in Long Island that Republicans picked up in 2022 or Senate races in states such as Montana and Ohio.

Johnson always understood how Congress controlled his fate. In 1968, when Treasury Secretary Henry Fowler told the president, “You are the master of the Senate and always have been,” Johnson responded: “I’m not master of a damn thing.” As a veteran of Washington, Johnson always understood that his legacy would ebb and flow based on the composition of the Congress.

This time around, Democratic control of one or two chambers will be pivotal, regardless of who wins. If Donald Trump is reelected as president, congressional power will be essential to impede his inevitable efforts to aggressively deploy presidential power and dismantle the administrative state.

If Harris wins, on the other hand, congressional power will be essential to ensuring that she can use the limited window she would have to expand on and strengthen the legislative legacy of Biden—and to start tackling new issues aimed at exciting an emerging generation of voters.

[sotomato06]

Leaving the US?

Following the events of last night, its likely a lot of you want to leave the United States. I don't blame you and can't say I haven't entertained the same thoughts. So I complied this list of the easiest countries to move to from the United States, and the pros and cons of each nation

Mexico

Mexico is close to the United States, not requiring a flight to get there (though it is recommended if within your price range) The nation allows residency of US citizens for up to 180 days without a visa or permit, allowing plenty of time to apply for the temporary residency visa which is normally valid for 4-5 years. After 5 years of residency, you can apply for permanent citizenship. https://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/leamington/index.php/non-mexicans/visas/115-temporary-resident-visa

Mexico has a much lower cost of living than the USA, with the average Mexican spending around $1000 usd or MEX$20151.55 mxn. Jobs do pay lower, but the cost of living still works out lower than in the United States and the work environment in Mexico is known to be more healthy. Along with the great weather (and food) Mexico is a good choice for Americans trying to escape the country.

 Claudia Sheinbaum, the current president of Mexico was recently sworn in and is a strong advocate for women's rights. She has fought for Abortion rights in Mexico, along with other reproductive rights. She is also a Champion of LGBTQ+ rights and has been fighting to help queer people in Mexico for the majority of her career. She is expanding Mexican welfare and is an environmental advocate. Same-Sex Marriage has been fully legal in Mexico since 2021 and Abortion is not criminalized and preformed in almost all Mexican states. For more information, I suggest the Wikipedia article on Abortion in Mexico, as it is a complicated subject. Although currently, it is ranked around the same as the USA on access across the whole country, Mexican Abortion legislation is moving in the opposite direction to the United State's, as according to the Center for Reproductive Rights, once all of the Mexican states properly reform their laws to comply with the 2023 court ruling, Mexico will be a rank one on Abortion laws, or Abortion available everywhere on request which is expected to be soon. Changing one's legal name and gender is protected under Mexican laws, and the majority of states have anti discrimination laws in place. One state even allows one to change their gender to something other than male or female, recognizing non-binary identities legally.

Portugal

Portugal is a good option for those who have funds to put into leaving. Portugal offers a program for a Golden Visa which can be obtained through owning a certain amount of real estate although there are other ways. This Visa offers the chance at citizenship after holding for only 5 years. https://getgoldenvisa.com/portugal-golden-visa-program

Portugal offers a lot of benefits for retirees as well, so if your grandma also wants to flee the country, Portugal may be the country for her. The weather is good and it is known to be incredibly peaceful and pretty.

Portugal is also in the European Union, meaning citizenship here also means EU citizenship and access to the whole Schengen Zone, allowing a lot of opportunity for education and location, as you don't have to obtain another citizenship to move to another EU nation. Abortion is legal in Portugal as is Same-Sex Marriage and both are protected under the laws of the EU. Trans rights are also protected and a trans person is allowed to change their legal gender without a medical diagnosis.

Ecuador

Ecuador is another option that is good if you aren't looking to leave the Americas. Ecuador allows visa free residency for up to 90 days and grant Permanent resident visas after only 21 months of living with a temporary visa. There are many temporary visa options including an investment one similar to Portugal's and a retiree option. Another option would be the Professional Visa, although that one is more likely to be granted if you have a job lined up and a university degree, it is the only one that does not require a lot of money. Get in touch with an Ecuador embassy here https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/consularnotification/ConsularNotificationandAccess/Ecuador.html

Ecuador also has a lower cost of living compared to the United States and the English language and dollar are often used in the country. The weather in Ecuador is an incredibly good feature of the nation as well.

Ecuador does not allow abortion upon request, but they do allow it to save the life of the mother or for other extreme cases involving rape. There are multiple organizations working to change this however and extend these rights to be more like those of Mexico or Argentina. Same-Sex marriage is protected in Ecuador as of 2019 and transgender people are able to change their legal gender without needing to go through gender affirming surgery.

Spain

Spain has an education based program where citizens of Canada and the United States are granted temporary visa's to come and teach English in the nation. You are compensated and only expected to work for 12-16 hours a week. Under this visa, you can find other work and apply for a more permanent professional Visa, which only have to be renewed every few years and leads you on the path to permanent residency. https://www.educacionfpydeportes.gob.es/eeuu/convocatorias-programas/convocatorias-eeuu/nalcap.html

Spain is also a member of the EU and residency here allows access to the Schengen zone of Europe as well. Spain has abortion on request up to 14 weeks and allows emergency abortions when the mother's life could be at risk even after that. Spain also allows same-sex marriage and has trans protection laws in place, with somebody over 16 allowed to change their legal gender, no parent, judge or doctor involved. Spain also has a very relaxed work culture with the maximum allowed work hours a week being 40 and the average worked being 36.

South Korea

South Korea has a very similar program to Spain, where you can live there for up to a year and teach English, although the South Korean program often requires a bachelors degree. Following the stay with the temporary teaching visa, you could apply for a more permanent option. A "resident visa" in South Korea is typically referred to as an "F-5 visa", which signifies a permanent residency permit, allowing foreigners to live and work in the country indefinitely; to qualify, you must meet certain criteria like significant investment in a Korean business, marriage to a Korean citizen, or a long-term stay with exceptional skills in a specific field.  https://www.internations.org/south-korea-expats/guide/visas-work-permits

As of 2021, Abortion is fully legal in the nation and is available upon request, although due to the nature in which it was legalized it is a bit iffy. I would recommend reading further into it. However, although Homosexuality is not criminalized in the country, South Korea has no official recognition of any sort of Marriage or civil unions between same-sex couples and they often face discrimination. So if you are in a same sex relationship, South Korea may not be the place for you.

Australia

Australia is one of the easiest nations for Americans to live in under a temporary Visa, as they have a program called the working holiday program and you can live there up to 3 years under it. However, this program does not lead to permanent residency and you would have to apply for another visa, either a work or family, to move there permanently. https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/permanent-resident

Australia allows abortion up to 23 weeks upon request, although specifics do vary between states. Queer rights in Australia rank among the highest in the world, as marriage has been fully legalized since 2017 and they are also a world leader in trans rights. All Australian states allow the changing of one's gender legally and support gender affirming care. Non-discriminations laws are also present in all the states.

Canada

Canada allows American citizens to stay in their country for up to 6 months visa free, although they are not allowed to work without any sort of visa. The easiest way to gain Canadian residency is though the express visa system. This immigration program targets skilled workers than can contribute to three economic fields in Canada. Canadian citizenship is available after five years of residency. https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/works.html

Cost of living in Canada is slightly higher than in the US, but the benefits are greater with more affordable education and universal healthcare.

Canada is known as one of the best nations for LGBTQ+ people. It was the third nation in the world to legalize same sex marriage. Since June 2017, all places within Canada explicitly within the Canadian Human Rights Act, equal opportunity and/or anti-discrimination legislation prohibit discrimination against gender identity or gender identity or expression. This includes trans rights, who are protected under Canadian law. Abortion is publicly funded and available throughout the entire nation in Canada.

If you live in a red state and aren't interested in leaving the country, but don't want to stay where you are, here's some stats that may help make your decision on where to move to;

States with no abolition ban:

Washington DC, New Jersey, Maryland, Oregon, Vermont, Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado, New Mexico, Alaska

Best states for LGBTQ+ individuals:

New York, Oregon, Minnesota, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maine, Washington DC

Hope this helps whoever may need it.

[zvaigzdelasas]

Argentina’s Economy Ministry has announced measures to improve government workers’ salaries and funnel money toward retirees and poorer families, defying an International Monetary Fund appeal earlier this month for the country to spend less. Economy Minister Sergio Massa, who is running for president, outlined measures that include tax-breaks, higher pension payments, additional money for food programmes for families with kids, and low-interest credit lines. It also includes financing for export products, according to the announcement made on social media Sunday.

The new plan comes after the Unión Por La Patria coalition of President Alberto Fernández, for whom Massa is a candidate, was surprised by the win of libertarian Javier Milei in the primary this month prior to the October election. The measures could put the government in conflict with the IMF, which approved a cash transfer to the government last week following extensive negotiations over its multi-billion dollar loans, after Argentina failed to meet programme targets amid a drought.[...]

A condition of the IMF’s aid to Fernández’s government was that Argentina step up expenditure controls by limiting public wages and pensions.

28 Aug 23

[mightyflamethrower]

Migrants Imploding Welfare State

People are coming to America for a better life at your expense. The excuse that migrants came here to work and contribute to our society does not match the statistics. As the NY Post recently reported, only 2% of 139,500 migrants in New York have applied for work permits, and thousands more are on their way to our cities to live off the welfare state.

New York received an influx of 2,800 additional people last week alone. There are 65,500 people living in shelters throughout the city at the expense of the taxpayer, and the mayor believes the city will spend of $2 billion this year on funding. We are putting more resources into supporting people who broke our laws by entering the country illegally than we do on our own citizens.

You can work your whole life and send countless funding into Social Security, only to receive the bare minimum upon retiring. You receive no interest on these funds and it is not optional to opt-out of contributing. The average retiree is expected to live on $1,555 per month, which is not enough to live in any US city.

Meanwhile, migrants are receiving a one-time payment of $2,275 and at least $1,225 per month which is more than they likely ever earned from their country of origin. Their room and board is on the taxpayers’ tab and there is no urgency for these people to enter the workforce. In fact, it seems as if they are encouraged to continue milking the welfare system to become utterly dependent on the state. I am stating figures from the US, but migrants are also living on the welfare system in Canada and every other Build Back Better country.

It is not economically feasible for the US to continue funding illegal immigration. And yet, thousands of people are crossing over into the US everyday and no one preventing the invasion of America.

[x-authorship-x]

Jokes aside the idea of Shisui smartly winning a place as Fugaku's right-hand man and using Mangekyō fuckery against ROOT is so cool? Also Fugaku doesn't strike me as someone who would be a super bad Hokage- would he be the best? No. But would he be the worst? I don't think so, especially with Shisui at his side

And who knows?

Maybe with time things will get better and Konoha will accept Fugaku as their new Hokage. I know I would 🤭

- Koto-anon

It depends on how you judge success/badness/goodness specifically towards leadership in Narutoverse!

Disclaimer! This is all my opinion! I don't want to be lectured! I'll keep deleting bullshit!

I'm gonna try really hard not to start spiraling into historical analysis of power structures and perspective bias etc etc but knowing me that's what's going to happen anyway so let's just get into it 🤣

So, fandom usually looks at Hokage candidates by their raw strength which makes sense, considering all the talk of "Strongest in the Village" and looking at who we have in Canon:

Hashirama was the God of Shinobi

Tobirama was a genius with Jutsu and assumed to be a good policy maker too

Sarutobi was 'the professor' and was pretty spry against Orochimaru even as an old man

Minato was a genius sealing master and the 'fastest man alive'

Tsunade could crush mountains and perform healing miracles

Kakashi is a (you guessed it) genius and the man of a thousand Jutsu

Naruto is literally the Jinchuuriki Favourite Child of "God-God" Sage

But, honestly, discounting Tobirama... Who here is actually fit to be a leader and not just...a glorified general?

We need to understand what the Hokage actually does. Jokes about paperwork aside, how does the mantel of Kage fit within the broader sociopolitical framework, what role do their advisors and council play into the system?

So let's make some assumptions.

From examples across time and space, we know that Generals can be just as much in power as a civilian politician or the biological heir to a dynasty. I'd recommend looking at the Hokage as a hodge-podge of these:

The Hokage are all connected to each other. Hashirama-(brother)->Tobirama-(student)->sarutobi -(student's student)->Minato-(sensei's teammates/saru's other student)->Tsunade-(predecessor's student)->Kakashi-(student, sensei's son)-> Naruto

They're military leaders and the power structure of the villages are based on this Shinobi prowess

They are also in control of their civilian population (if there is a civilian council, I doubt they report to anyone but the Hokage) and they mediate with Daimyo etc.

Hashirama was the Senju Clan Head, a mantel that maybe passed to Tobirama but more likely passed to Hashirama's mysterious children.

Tobirama was, at the very least, his brother's closest advisor. That's some political practice, right there.

Sarutobi, we assume but then...maybe not!, was the pretty important to the Sarutobi. And there seems to be a fair few of them looking at that one panel of them all breathing smoke and shit (assuming that they're not just a huge pack of brothers but most are part of their own family unit)

I don't think Asuma has a dozen brothers. Maybe he does but, frankly, I'd be disappointed if they all didn't have daddy issues with the Sandaime as well.

I'm going off tangent🙃

MY POINT is that Sarutobi possibly had some experience with bureaucracy before becoming Sandaime. Maybe Tobirama punished them all with paper pushing, idk

Minato.... I don't know what to tell you but I'm tempted just to...skip... him because frankly his term of office was so short he probably hadn't even redecorated or got the smell of smoke out of the furniture yet! Regardless, being smart with seals doesn't mean he's a good judge of politics, economics, or social welfare! He gets brownie points for being a thinker, tho

(Does Konoha function as a welfare state? Surely with the injuries on a regular basis, as well as the crazy working schedules and the turn over of retiree veterans, they've got to have some impressive infrastructure- No, don't get me started-)

Tsunade. Right, listen, she's a doctor yeah but this woman really had no clan left to learn leadership for and she's been wandering the continent for a decade in a drunken stupor. I love her but there's a reason she's smashing desks and it's because she's been confronted with problems she can't pummel or resuscitate. Tsunade didn't get a medical degree (did she????) just to have to study MORE bullshit. She's frankly wasted here but better her than some of those fuck-wits.

Kakashi. 🥹 Leading the Hatake? No. ANBU? Does Captaincy really count as anything but even more field experience. Result: Why (i love you but SEND THE MAN TO THERAPY AND GO TO THE SPA)

Naruto. Well... They wouldn't let him jump from Genin to the Hokage. Is this because they know he's so uneducated and needs to go back to school or is this purely because you HAVE to climb the pecking order in order to hit the top. Both? Both is good

So there's just... A lot here. And I can speculate to fucking hell and back but there's very little actually elaborated on in Canon. What do they even do in the Hokage Tower? Is it just all mission paperwork or does Konoha function more like... Idk a principality? What is the involvement of the Daimyo?

This is where fanfiction reaaally takes the reigns and I love that for them ✨😤

So what would make a "bad" Kage?

Danzo.

Danzo is a SHIT Kage and not just because I hate him. We're looking at someone who poisoned the previous - relatively successful - leadership, worked with foreign powers to manipulate other nations as well as his own village, orchestrated and then ordered the slaughter of thousands of Konohan citizens, kidnapping and experimentation, sabotaging political rivals (whether they considered themselves rivals is a different matter all together), bolstered social conflict and international tensions, bloodline theft and forming a private army who were indoctrinated and sealed to his will-!

So if that's the "shit" end of the scale, where do the other Hokage line up?

Hashirama: congrats on building the village! However, it's really contested whether you actually met your new allies on equal standing and it's left a lot of social pressure that will explode down the line 🥺 you get points for spirit but the execution (whoops) might prove a bit wobbily

Tobirama: congrats on being the best of an....interesting bunch. You seem to have had a good head on your shoulders and, pre-founding antics aside, you've committed to the bit. Unfortunately, you have an evil student :/ oh, right, and those social issues? You're probably making them worse

Sarutobi: well. You sat there. Congrats on living so long, I guess. You taught a few loose canons big names, you signed your name on the top of the exam, you held onto peace for a good while by the skin of your teeth. Unfortunately any good you mightve done or process made has been massively underscored by allowed your live-in nuclear-weapon-child to be abused and reviled, your students have either fucked off or were chased out after performing atrocities against the population, your teammate tries to get the last student of your (brief) successor to kill you... Yeah. It's a lot. Oh, also your own son flipped you the bird for a decade to go live in the Capitol instead. Oh, yeah, and you must either live in a bubble of ignorance (ignoring that crystal ball you've got going on) or you're wilfully ignoring Danzo squirreling funds to his private army ;/ all in all? Not great signs of leadership control, you rotten motherfucker

Minato. Is it even fair to list him when he martyred himself before anything could happen? All i can say is... Yikes. Also congrats on dying so quickly that you were immortalised as the faultless golden hero of the village ☺️ all in all, Minato is just lucky to be here

Tsunade: um. She fucked off for decades, loudly proclaiming her disgust/revulsion of Konoha and how stupid anyone would have to be to become Hokage, and hasn't exactly been graceful or pleased since being strong armed into taking the job. I'm not saying I don't sympathise but at the same time... Not a good start. Idk about anyone else but if my (dictator?) leader loudly hated the job and the village and had also gone AWOL for years living it up whilst the village was kinda imploding... I would be pretty resentful. Girl Power can only fly you so high 😔✊

Kakashi: I'm sorry that they made you do this 🥹 you are smart and you've seen a lot of shit but... He might be long-suffering for his duty but, like with Tsunade, you've got to weigh up if they'd be better elsewhere. Kakashi is high on the list of Hokage we've got to work with, however. Well. If you ignore that he was hated for most of his life, first for his father and then for being a little brat, and then for being an "eye thief", and then for being a Friend Killer, and then for being a Pervert- well. His reputation abroad is much better but there's a reason most leaders have, at least loosely, a cult of personality (Narutoverse is bad for this, btw). He has similar problems to Tsunade but he wins out on loyalty.

Naruto. I'm not going here because it's Boruto territory and that's a hard pass.

So what makes a bad Hokage? The usual things, I'd imagine:

pathological power grabbing (war mongering isn't good for your own minions and it's not good for international friends)

ignoring the wants and needs of the wider population (revolutionaries 🤷)

Inconsistency (people watch their leaders extremely carefully and so do their enemies)

lack of attention (^^^)

lack of control (you're running a military dictatorship, commit to the bit)

too much control (Danzo, I'm looking at you)

selfishness (it always bites in the ass)

pure ignorance (Sarutobi, I'm looking at you)

a focus on the brute side of things instead of the subtler arts (Sarutobi isn't brute strength but, unfortunately, he's on the other end where appeasement is making things worse)

So, looking at this, what makes a good Hokage?

Someone who knows what they're doing? 🥴

Someone who wants to be there or at least has dedicated themselves to the roll in its entirety without going on a power trip or burning out in a short period? 💀

Dedication

sensitivity

an awareness of social pressure and tensions (literally read the room)

a firm hand to the law (you gotta keep the minions in line)

support for both the backbone of society (Shinobi and Clans) as well as attention to the majority and minority (civilians hold a lot of sway in the every day realities of Konoha, don't let the Jutsu fool you) and knowing when to invest so neglect doesn't bite you in the ass (or rip everything up by the roots - ROOT, lol)

You need intimidation/respect (they are mercenaries after all) abroad as well as devotion and reverence at home (good old propaganda to keep the masses contained)

looking at the various downfalls of previous Hokage, you gotta deal with threats close to you with scary efficiency.

Another disclaimer: this is a profile for a leader in Naruto. I don't want to hear shit about me promoting aggressive foreign policy or totalitarian ideology, omfg

So! Bearing all this in mind, and incorporating an awareness of canon context... Would Fugaku be a good or bad Hokage?

I think he'd be a very important and decisive one. Good? That's a little more nuanced. Let's get into it-

Fugaku has the "good" qualities:

He's Clan Head, so about as much experience as any of the others had, but then he's also Police Chief (ACAB, whoops) so we're dealing with someone with intimate knowledge of the letter of the law, navigating Konohan crime and punishment as well as legal bureaucracy, and he's already a direct authority within the village and - get this - with the civilians.

Fugaku didn't personally want the Coup but he's a leader listening to his clan and they're getting desperate (and, therefore, more explosive). He's managed to hold his own against all these influences around him. Should he have completely shut them down? Maybe, but then what if they tried to usurp him? The Uchiha Clan can't exactly afford to split into fractions

He's called Wicked Eye for a (mysterious Mangekyou) reason. The fact that his skills aren't discussed in canon only gives us even more leeway to make him a total BAMF. He could also, apparently, go head to head with Golden Boy Minato. Am I sensing a badass? I think I am

He's surrounded by trustworthy BAMFS. Hashirama had Mito and Tobirama (Madara too, not to incite commentary, lets stay focused). The others struggled with this: Tobirama's successor is a little bitch and Danzo was devil spawn, Sarutobi was trapped between Danzo and his wild-card/war criminal students, Minato's Kushina died with him and everyone else doesn't seem on the level, Kakashi's bestie is literally a major antagonist, Naruto is (BORUTO REDACTED). Fugaku, however, not only has a bamf Clan who seem pretty devoted to him as a leader (we don't see a lot of dissent) but he's got Itachi and Shisui right there. They had a problem with the Coup, not necessarily with Fugaku himself although I think (looking at their characters) interpersonal strife would be set aside in favour of the bigger picture. All in all, there's a reason why he was thought of as the 'father' of his Clan (but what if you have daddy issues 👀)

Does Fugaku also show signs of being a bad Hokage?

Well, the timing might prove deadly against him. A revolution when the wider population is so anti-Uchiha would tear Konoha in two. But... That's if you're thinking that a Coup would be... Well, what you'd imagine. But if it's performed by Uchiha, the masters of genjutsu and manipulation? Taking liberties with Fugaku's Wicked Eyes and possible OC Uchiha characters, who knows if it would be a seamless transition? (In a fic, maybe Shisui's use of Kotoamatsukami on Danzo and ROOT would be the tip of the iceberg on what happened in the Uchiha Revolution. The Sandaime deciding to united the fractions of Konoha with Fugaku as his successor....?)

Fugaku isn't power snatching and, if he was, it wouldn't be directly for himself like Danzo's is. Danzo might sugarcoat it as an ideological difference, a variation in his vision of Konoha compared to others, but it's really all about him. Fugaku feels... vindicated.

Fugaku wouldn't be unwilling, uncomfortable, under qualified, or underpowered.

Personality-wise? He'd be like Tobirama, who i think was the best previous Hokage. Would this turn Konoha into a police state? Wasn't it always that in some form, anyway?

Overall, I think Fugaku would be a good Hokage, if he was extremely careful and played his cards right (and, considering his dedication and shrewdness, there's no reason to think he wouldn't be)

[justinspoliticalcorner]

David Bier for The UnPopulist:

In a free society, markets incentivize people to contribute to the welfare of others through their work, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Thanks to freedom, America isn’t a fixed pie—it’s a growing pie. It is exactly for these reasons that so many people from around the world come to the United States, and it is exactly for those same reasons that we should let them come legally.

Immigrants Can Save America from Demographic Decline

The United States desperately needs more workers. Currently, the U.S. population is growing slower than at any point in its history. From 2020 to 2023, international migration was responsible for 73% of the meager 1% population growth during those three years. Without immigration, the U.S. population will start to decline by the 2030s. Already, about 40% of the counties in the United States saw declining populations in 2023. People are necessary to maintain buildings, roads, schools, hospitals, and businesses because population decline erodes property values and forces business and school closures. This population death spiral has afflicted both urban and rural counties. In fact, over the last decade, rural America lost population for the first time in U.S. history. By 2030, population aging or decline will reduce tax revenue per capita in nearly every state. The country has already seen how population decline will manifest in the future. Major cities saw significant out-migration in the 1960s and 1970s before they stabilized and rebounded in the 1990s and 2000s, in major part thanks to new immigrants. The out-migration led to housing vacancies and job losses, which contributed to increased crime, and the subsequent in-migration went hand in hand with lower crime and more business creation.

Immigrants Can Save America from Labor Force Decline

Along with slower population growth, labor force growth in the United States has also declined for decades, falling by 65% from the levels observed in the 1960s—a period when the immigrant share of the U.S. population bottomed out—to the most recent decade. This decline in labor force growth was even more pronounced among individuals without a college degree. These declines happened despite immigration. From 1995 to 2022, immigrants and their children accounted for 70% of labor force growth. There are jobs available for immigrants to fill. Currently, U.S. nonfarm employers have about 8.5 million open jobs. Every single month after January 2021 had more job openings than any month before it, back to the start of the job openings data series in the year 2000. Filling these open jobs could have increased U.S. Gross Domestic Product by over $2.5 trillion. Going forward, these unfilled job openings will cost the U.S. economy over half a trillion dollars per year. These jobs will not be filled without immigrants, as the U.S. prime-age employment rate is at a near-record high. With more Americans retiring than entering the labor force, immigrants have accounted for 100% of U.S. labor force growth since December 2019. Without immigrants, the working-age population will fall by about 6 million over the next two decades. We should not be concerned that immigrants will arrive and choose not to work, either. Immigrants will work if the government allows them to. Despite numerous legal obstacles to finding jobs in the United States, immigrants are more likely to work than U.S.-born workers overall and at every education level—a difference that grows significantly among the least skilled. Immigrant adults without high school degrees are about 20 percentage points more likely to work than comparable U.S.-born adults. Furthermore, nearly 97% of immigrants who looked for jobs in 2022 found them.

[...]

Immigration Can Help Prolong the Life of Social Security

Since the 1960s, the ratio of workers to retirees has plummeted, and the Social Security Trustees now estimate that Social Security will be short nearly 35 million workers to fund the system in the 2030s. It will have to cut benefits by at least 23% in 2034, if not earlier, or raise taxes to cover the shortfall. The situation will not improve in the future, with benefit cuts reaching 30% and the shortfall in workers hitting 80 million by 2080. According to the Social Security Administration Trustees 2022 report, increasing net immigration from 829,000 to nearly 1.7 million per year would reduce the annual burden of Social Security in 2097 by 1.5% of taxable payroll (the equivalent of $137 billion in 2022). This immigration range is based on what Social Security Trustees think might be possible given the current law, but 1.7 million immigrants per year are not significant as a percentage of the U.S. population compared to the level of immigration in many other countries. If immigrants, their children, and their grandchildren added the necessary 80 million additional workers by 2080, the savings would amount to $455 billion per year in 2080.

[...]

America’s Ill-Conceived Immigration System

The United States is benefiting from immigration despite its outdated and dysfunctional immigration system. Congress has not updated this system in over three decades. The main permanent immigration options available for immigrants abroad are:

The Refugee Program: The global population of displaced people reached 114 million in 2023, and the United States accepted barely 60,000 through its refugee program—a mere 0.05%.

Family‐​Sponsored Immigration: The capped family‐​sponsored system currently has a backlog of over 8.3 million, and alarmingly, 1.6 million of these applicants currently waiting will likely be dead before they can receive a green card.

Employer‐​Sponsored Immigration: Annually capped at just 140,000 green cards, this category currently has a backlog of over 1.8 million. The country‐​based caps mean that wait times for Indian workers with a master’s degree will be longer than the average person’s lifespan. Employer-sponsored green cards are close to impossible to obtain for those without very high wage offers and a work visa, and the main work visa—the H1B—is capped at 25% of demand. For those coming temporarily, the H2B seasonal worker program for nonagricultural jobs is the only path for most U.S. seasonal low‐​skilled jobs, and it has an annual cap of 66,000. Although Congress temporarily doubled this cap this year, that level was only about half the level required to meet the number of positions requested.

The Diversity Lottery: The diversity green card lottery is available to immigrants only if they are not from legal immigrants’ main origin countries and have a high-school degree or experience in a skilled job, and it offers entrants just a 0.2% chance of receiving a green card.

In 2023, about 34 million people entered a legal process to try to obtain a green card, yet barely more than 1 million will succeed and receive legal permanent residence—just 3% of applicants.

David Bier wrote in The UnPopulist that America will be in great harm if it doesn’t permit more legal immigration.

[southeastasianists]

In 2023, a significant demographic milestone emerged with broad social and economic impacts: the global population of adults aged 50 surpassed the number of children under 15 for the first time. Brunei Darussalam, a small, oil-rich Islamic country on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia, faces challenges associated with this shift. Ranked as one of the world’s wealthiest nations due to its vast oil and gas reserves, Brunei’s population of 455,858 sees a contrast with a poverty rate of 5%, positioning it 11th out of 78 countries.

Hajah Nor Ashikin binti Haji Johari, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS), highlighted the profound economic impact of the aging global population, noting the substantial expenditures on health care, research and support services. Furthermore, Hajah pointed out the rapid growth of the aging population and its broad implications. During Brunei’s chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2021, Johari emphasized Brunei’s leadership in endorsing the ASEAN Comprehensive Framework on Care Economy.

Additionally, in 2017, an action plan spanning five years was adopted to enhance elderly development, welfare and protection, aiming to create a senior-friendly support system and reduce elderly poverty in Brunei. Unfortunately, an aging demographic compounded by an ominous surge in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes challenges Brunei’s socio-economic development.

Addressing Poverty and Social Protection in Brunei

Bruneians who live in poverty prefer to use the phrasings “living in need” and ��difficult life” over “poverty” and “poor.” This exchange of phrasings intends to protect an individual’s self-confidence and self-esteem. Yet this preference challenges officials’ attempts to accurately assess the severity of poverty and implement targeted interventions.

However, Brunei’s social protection schemes encounter challenges. These challenges include limited coverage, differential treatment between public and private sectors, exclusion of unemployed individuals and inadequate support for vulnerable groups such as divorcees, widows/widowers, single parents, orphans, the abused and disabled people.

The Dual Impact of an Ageing Society

Across developing countries, evidence showcases the productivity, creativity, vitality and participation of older adults in workplaces, communities, households and families. According to ageInternational, some of the pros of an aging society include:

Consumer Market: Older adults can create new opportunities in the consumer market with higher disposable incomes and specific needs that can drive economic growth.

Accumulated Knowledge: An aging population can possess a wealth of knowledge and experience, beneficial for education and mentorship.

Stable Workforce: Older individuals provide greater stability in employment as they switch jobs less frequently.

In addition, the aging population significantly impacts the labor market. The dependency ratio, which compares the number of economically inactive individuals to those who are economically active, is set to increase. According to the International Labour Organization, some of the cons of an aging society include:

Labor Shortages: Addressing the need to create jobs for young individuals and encourage lifelong learning for older individuals to acquire new skills.

Pension and Retirement Challenges: Ensuring adequate pensions and financial support for retirees.

Limited Social Support Systems: Establishing social support systems, including affordable housing and accessible transportation, to enhance the quality of life.

Health care Costs: Investing in health care infrastructure to meet the growing needs of an aging population and prioritizing preventive health care measures.

Brunei at a Demographic Crossroads

As Brunei Darussalam navigates through its complex demographic and health landscape, proactive and holistic measures become imperative for securing the future prosperity of its people. Moreover, by addressing the multifaceted challenges head-on, Brunei is poised to set a precedent for demographic resilience and health sustainability.

Above all, the nation’s commitment to comprehensive solutions promises not only to enhance the well-being of its aging population and reduce elderly poverty in Brunei but also to pave the way for long-term national growth. At this pivotal juncture, Brunei’s journey offers valuable insights into the power of foresight and action in shaping a thriving society.

– Pamela Fenton

[newnitz]

"Why do American taxes pay for Israeli healthcare?"

You don't.

Israel's GDP, as of 2023, is 522.03 billion USD.

US aid is 3.6 billion USD in military aid, which can only be used to import US military equipment, and an additional 5.7 million USD. Totalling up to less than 4.7 billion USD, which is less than 0.9%.

The counterclaim of "since Israel was founded", The US has given Israel 300 billion USD since 1948. For most of those years, Israel was a buffer zone against USSR-backed Arab League states. Additionally, totalling Israel's GDP from 1948-1969, and then from 1995-2023(no data on the 70s, 80s or early 90s, so I'll just exclude it for the least flattering estimate possible), was a whopping total of 7 trillion USD. US military aid for a country that, for 43 years, was its buffer zone, is 4% of its total GDP, with most of it accounting for the Cold War era, before Israel's GDP soared from the stable 2-5 billion it was before 1969 to 62 billion in 1990.

Oh, and another thing:

Israelis have subsidized healthcare, education and so on. Not free. Israelis still have to pay for it.

In fact, do you know what really pays for Israel's (failed) welfare state?

To translate to USD, everyone who makes under 23.5K pays 10% of their salary to taxes. Anyone who makes between that and 33K, 14%. The 20% bracket is up to 54K, the 31% - which in the US is reserved for the American who makes at least 191K, in Israel starts with a little over a fourth of that salary and ends with 75K. And though the US has more tax brackets past that, the Israeli who makes over 201K/year is considered the richest and has to shell out half of their salary for income taxes and social security alone. The average Israeli earns 159K(₪, 44.5K$), means they pay 20% taxes, while the average US citizen earns 59K, meaning they pay 22%, roughly equivalent.

Additionally, Israel's VAT tax is 17%, compared to the 2-7% of the US(varies by state). Vehicle tax in Israel is a whooping 60-84%, in comparison to the US's...Up to 8.25%? Are you guys fucking kidding me? Your cars are practically half free!

And back to the social security: You need a damn good reason to stop paying it. If you're unemployed with no income, you're still charged 194₪/54$ per month. The only ones NOT charged are retirees and the disabled.

So no, your tax money doesn't go to Israelis' welfare. It goes to your own military complex, which constitutes 80% of Israel's military imports.

[beardedmrbean]

Newspaper Karjalainen features an Uutissuomalainen news group interview with Chancellor of Justice Tuomas Pöysti, who said that he expects the government to be prepared, if necessary, to reopen the country's eastern border earlier than planned.

On Tuesday, the government decided to close the entire eastern border for two weeks starting midnight on Wednesday in order to stop entry by undocumented migrants. The decision does not, however, apply to rail freight traffic via the Vainikkala crossing.

"The government has an obligation to monitor the situation at all times. If it turns out that the threat is lessening, the government must take measures to cancel or mitigate the decision even before the two-week deadline expires," Pöysti told the news group.

If the government wants to extend the closure of the entire eastern border after two weeks, the Chancellor of Justice will assess whether this would be justified.

According to Pöysti, both Finnish and EU immigration legislation needs to be reformed. The current legislation does not take into account situations like the hybrid operation recently seen on Finland's eastern border.

Pöysti added that he hopes that preparations for the introduction of revised border procedures and accelerated processing of asylum applications will move ahead quickly.

"Regardless of the situation at the eastern border is prolonged, or if it eases, the risk of this kind of instrumentalisation of international protection is high, so there is a need to make procedures more effective," he said.

"We must be able to ensure that those who really need international protection could be separated out and given protection. And such persons who are not in danger of being persecuted in our neighbouring country could be quickly returned, or they could be denied entry," Pöysti stated.

The Chancellor of Justice pointed out that EU regulations were drawn up at a time when the world situation was much more optimistic. EU legislation is not sufficiently prepared, he said, for situations in which a state uses people and their desire for a better life as a tool for aggressive hybrid influence.

"If asylum processes are driven into chaos by other motives, then the central idea of refugee agreements is watered down," Pöysti summed up.

In an earlier article, Karjalainen reported that the final border crossing to be closed, Raja-Jooseppi in Inari, was quiet on Wednesday, with no new asylum seekers by the time the gates were shut.

The border post will continue to be staffed and the Finnish Red Cross has announced it is ready to provide assistance at the border if needed.

Health sector retirements

Savon Sanomat is among the morning papers reporting figures from the occupational pension insurer Keva showing that one in three employees of Finland's welfare counties, which provide public healthcare services, will retire within the next decade.

In relative terms, the largest number of retirees will be seen in the regions of Lapland, Kainuu and South Savo, where about 35 percent of current staff will be transitioning to old-age or disability pensions during the years 2024–2033.

At just under 30 percent, projected retirement levels are lower than average in Vantaa and Kerava, Central Ostrobothnia and in Helsinki.

Numerically, the largest number of retirees are community nurses and ward nurses in welfare areas. In relative terms, the largest number of retirees over the next 10 years will be home service workers, reception personnel, healthcare centre nurses and mental health nurses.

13 detained at university demo

Thirteen demonstrators were detained by police Wednesday evening at a pro-Palestinian demonstration at the University of Helsinki, reports Iltalehti.

According to the police, a peaceful demonstration started at the university's main building at 3 pm. Notice of the demonstration was not given to the police before it started.

University authorities, who wanted to close the building at 8 pm, requested police assistance to clear the facility. A number of protesters moved to the university's nearby Porthania building to continue the demonstration. University officials also asked for police help in clearing that building.

Some of the protesters refused an order to leave and were carried out by police. Those detained may face charges of resisting the police and obstructing police in the execution of their duties.

Looking good for a white Christmas

Ilta-Sanomat tells readers that Finland may well see a white Christmas – at least most of the country.

Citing the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the paper announced that Tuesday was the first day that snow was officially registered at all of its weather stations nationwide.

This is unusual. The only earlier observation of snow cover at all measuring stations was on 25 November in 2010.

According to FMI meteorologist Jani Parviainen, with more cold temperatures in the forecast for December, the snow is not going anywhere anytime soon.

Current forecasts do, however, show a change in the weather during Christmas week may bring milder temperatures to the southern coast. According to Parviainen, central parts of the country and Lapland are better set to see a white Christmas than southern areas.

But those living in the south should not lose hope yet, writes Ilta-Sanomat - it all depends on how much snow will fall over the next few weeks.

[mariacallous]

Serbia is seeing a growing trend of poverty that disproportionately affects women, particularly single mothers, retirees and those living in rural areas. This ‘feminisation of poverty’ limits their ability to participate actively in civic life and democratic processes.

“What can you do with 23,000 dinars?” asks Emilija* derisively about the 196 euros a month she receives as a welfare recipient.

Sitting on an improvised couch in front of a house constructed of pallets, boards and tarpaulin, the flag of the Roma people hanging above her head adding some colour and vibrancy to the otherwise gloomy exterior of the place she calls home, Emilija, 25, answers her own question with a shrug: “Almost nothing”.

Emilija and her friend Nada*, 31, live in an informal settlement on the outskirts of Belgrade made up of shacks and containers. Emilija has three children; Nada has five.

“We wait a whole month for the money and end up spending it in one day,” Emilija tells BIRN. “For example, when a child asks for a toy, or when we go out with the children, a child is a child and will say, ‘Mom, I want this’. But he can't have it; that's very hard for me.”

Nada finds it difficult to afford food because it’s now very expensive. “Sure, I can find clothes [in bins], but sometimes you have to buy something,” she says.

And if they do manage to buy something, they rarely get anything for themselves. Menstrual pads, a product that is taxed as a luxury item in Serbia, put a huge strain on their budgets, especially for Nada, who has a teenage daughter.

And it is proving almost impossible for them to find a job, they tell BIRN. “This is not an environment where you can leave your children behind. I would like to work, why not? It’s easier for men to find manual work, but as women we have to make a choice, we have a house and children to look after,” says Nada.

Emilija tried to find a job a few times, but it is difficult for women like her given that they will lose their social welfare if they get a job, and none of the jobs on offer last long enough to enable them to stand on their own two feet.

“I worked in the countryside a few years ago. And I worked in the Gallery [a shopping mall in Belgrade] as a cleaner. They paid 750 dinars for three hours [6.40 euros]. I would get 27,000 dinars a month, but they would not pay the whole amount at once. They give you half and keep the other half for themselves so they do not ‘lose’ you,” says Emilija.

Sarita Bradas, a psychologist and sociologist, tells BIRN that Nada and Emilija epitomise what she terms the “feminisation of poverty”, where the poverty rate among women is higher than among men because of gender inequality in all its various guises.

“To get out of poverty, you have to earn an income. To earn an income, you have to be employed. And of course, whether you are poor or not also depends on the amount of income you earn,” says Bradas.

Uneven playing field: the gender dimension

Emilija and Nada are just two of the 89,024 women who receive social assistance in Serbia, out of a total female population of about 3.4 million. According to data provided to BIRN by the Serbian Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs, women make up more than half of all benefit recipients.

A welfare recipient receives a monthly payment of 11,674 dinars, less than 100 euros. Additional benefits are paid for other family members and children, but according to the basis for determining the amount of social assistance, a family of three (mother and two children) would receive about 18,000 dinars (153 euros). That is three times less than the amount needed for the minimum basket of goods in Serbia.

Data from Serbia’s Statistical Office shows that women of all age groups, except for those aged 55 to 64, are at a higher risk of poverty compared to men. And last year’s report from the EU’s Commissioner for Human Rights found that employed women hold lower positions even in the public sector or are less likely to be employed on a fixed-term basis, even when they have higher levels of education. The report also expressed concern about longstanding gender inequality in property rights.

In Serbia, only 25 per cent of women have property registered in their own name. The reason for this is that women are excluded from the order of inheritance in favour of male family members in more than 40 per cent of cases; on the other hand, only 0.5 per cent of men are excluded in favour of a woman. The situation is even worse in rural areas, where more than 80 per cent of women do not hold any property in their own name, while the rest typically have plots of land less than 2 hectares that are not intended for housing.

Sarita Bradas, the psychologist and sociologist, tells BIRN that the gender gap in employment is most pronounced in the group of unqualified and uneducated people. By way of illustration, Emilija has only completed four grades of elementary school, while Nada is currently in the sixth grade of elementary school for adults.

“Among women, 39.4 per cent have no qualifications, compared with 29.1 per cent of men,” she explains.

In terms of education, Bradas says the data shows that uneducated men are more likely to be employed than uneducated women. “63 per cent of men without a degree are employed, compared with only 40 per cent of women. Men are more likely to be employed in jobs that do not require qualifications. They have easier access to the labour market, regardless of their level of education, with these differences decreasing as the level of education increases,” she says.

The gender dimension is also evident in the informal sector. This sector includes the self-employed, undeclared workers, moonlighters and unpaid family workers. “If you look at the structure according to this status, 70 per cent of women are among unpaid family members, while this figure is 25 per cent for men. This means that 75 per cent of men earn an income from informal work, while only 30 per cent of women do,” explains Bradas. “As a result, they have no income and are more at risk of poverty.”

As far as social welfare recipients are concerned, women are rarely able to earn an income because they have to stay home and look after the family. “You should bear in mind that people in developed countries can live on social assistance. But here, a family has less than 20,000 dinars (170 euros). What can you do with 20,000 dinars? Can you buy food, not to mention anything else?” asks Bradas.

For Nada’s five children and Emilija’s three, the chances of escaping this vicious cycle of poverty are slim.

“The probability of attending college is 11 times higher if the parents have a high level of education than if the parents have only completed elementary school. Children from these lowly educated families are poorer, have no money for education, and of course poverty reproduces inequality,” notes Bradas.

“On the other hand, we have the problem that children from marginalised groups and poor families have almost no support for education. In rural areas, children are involved in the work process from a very early age in order to support their families,” she adds.

Man’s work for women

Even where women are employed, the discrimination is all too evident.

Mirjana is 51 years old and works in a factory that manufactures electronic components for the automotive industry. It is a physically demanding job that she describes as “man’s work”, though the factory mainly employs women.

Despite the tough nature of the work, Mirjana tells BIRN the salaries are pitiful. “Those who work on Saturdays and Sundays are paid more. I got 61,000 dinars for the whole month after 13 years, without a single Saturday. But there is also a hot meal, there are also bonuses. The hot meal is 5,000 dinars a month. One bonus is 3,500 dinars; another is 1,500 dinars. If you have Saturday and Sunday, then these bonuses are higher,” she says.

Mirjana puts up with it because she’s a mother, but feels sorry for the younger women who work there. Her daughter also worked there for a while, but left.

The long-term health consequences of working at the factory are serious. “I get injections in my elbows. I was in the hardest part of production, where women work on knots, bend their fingers, break their joints. After eight years, I had no more functioning elbows – my arms were cramped. As we were pulling the cables, I got a hernia. It’s not harmless at all, it’s not easy,” Mirjana says.

She reckons 90 per cent of the older workers are sick or injured. “One colleague suffered a vertebral fracture while pulling the system and now has screws in her neck. She’s still working. We also have colleagues who have had spinal surgery, where cysts and tumours have formed due to the physical exertion, because we all hold our hands up all the time. The women return to the line after operations,” Mirjana complains to BIRN.

There are several factories in Serbia that produce secondary raw materials and components. Most of them have received state subsidies to open their plants here. These companies mainly employ women. In March last year, two female workers died within a short period of time in two of these factories. As the media reported and their families testified, both women had shown symptoms of exhaustion, but were sent back to work even after complaining. No irregularities were found during the inspections.

Lara Koncar, an anthropologist, tells BIRN that the position of women in the labour market is unfavourable compared to men, which keeps them in a state of poverty and subjects them to different types of bullying and abuse in the workplace, including sexual abuse.

“Poverty is not exclusively due to economic relations. It also has to do with relationships between partners, kinship and family, among other things, which is especially important when women are affected by family violence… If you are in a situation where your freedom of movement in the labour market is definitely restricted, you are very likely to stay in that situation because there is no possibility of getting a job elsewhere, and that will keep you in a situation of bullying,” she says.

Koncar says women suffer many types of bullying and abuse in the workplace. There are the hidden forms of bullying, such as the inability to advance in the workplace. “We know what happens to… women who return after maternity leave, that they often return to their own position but that the advancement that was supposed to follow does not happen,” she says.

Nada Padejski, head of the Safe House for Women in Novi Sad, also sees a clear link between violence against women and their financial situation. As she explains to BIRN, this can be viewed from three angles.

“Firstly, economic dependence influences whether you leave the perpetrator or not. Secondly, whether women with a lower economic status in particular are housed in safe accommodation. And thirdly, how violence in general affects the housing and economic situation of victims of domestic violence,” she says.

Padejski says it is not uncommon for women to be unemployed precisely because of the influence of the violent offender. “In the sense that he says: ‘You do not need to work, there are two small children here, why should they go to kindergarten, it’s better to stay at home, I will give you money’. So, she stays at home with the child, they are both housed and looked after. But when violence escalates, it always turns out that the woman is unemployed and doesn’t have the right to say anything,” she says.

Padejski also cites cases where women have had to take out loans to pay off their husbands’ debts or to help them start a business, only to be left with nothing.

Padejski emphasises that domestic violence leads directly to homelessness among women. Without permanent housing offered in Serbia as a social protection service, a woman who has decided to leave a violent relationship often has nowhere to go.

“Most of these women have two or three jobs and have not made the property claim they applied for because the process has either taken too long or has not yet been completed, or they have not even started it,” she says.

Property law proceedings are also lengthy, complicated and disadvantage women. “The courts do not take into account the fact that there has been domestic violence when deciding on property law proceedings. No woman ever receives everything she has invested. The abuser usually does not pay maintenance. If she files a lawsuit, it takes too long, or it’s not paid properly, or her lawsuit is dismissed,” she explains.

Looking at the example of Novi Sad, Serbia’s second-largest city, the data shows that women rarely initiate property division proceedings – and even when they do, the courts are unlikely to rule in their favour. From 2019 to 2022, there were 2,551 divorces in Novi Sad, yet during the same period, women initiated only 17 property division proceedings, with judges ruling in favour of women in only six cases. By contrast, during the same four-year period, as many as 367 proceedings were initiated due to non-payment of child support.

Feelings of powerlessness

“Powerlessness,” Padejski concludes, “contributes to the reproduction of powerlessness.”

Mirjana, the factory worker, wonders how she can convince her children that Serbia is a good place to live, when no one, not even the mayor or state officials, speak out when workers, especially women, are clearly being exploited.

At the same time, there is a public pressure on those who are being exploited to participate in the democratic processes of the state, by staying informed and voting for change.

Bradas, the psychologist and sociologist, says that demanding the poor and marginalised bring about political change is deeply unfair. “What I resent about the so-called elites is that they blame the poor for selling their votes and warn that it is a crime. Poverty is a violation of human rights – that is the basic thing,” she says. “If you are focused on surviving and looking for any way to do that, you do hard jobs, you work in harsh conditions, for low wages to survive, and you cannot think that your vote is important. Your life is not important in this society, so who cares about that vote?”

In his first speech as prime minister earlier this year, Milos Vucevic of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) devoted a large part of his speech to women – but not as equal members of society, rather as “sanctities for every patriot”.

“A woman must always be shown due respect, because she is a symbol of renewal, birth and victory. A woman brings new life into the world, and that makes her a being who is actually most like God,” Vucevic said.

Although he vowed that “women in Serbia will have the same rights and the same starting positions as men”, he emphasised the government is not interested in trying to creating a society of “equal incomes”.

“This is not and will not be a government that will promote the ideas of self-managed socialism,” Vucevic stressed.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has also spoken several times about the importance of women for the state and for SNS, estimating – without providing evidence – that more than two-thirds of the women who voted in the last elections supported SNS.

How much support women have received in return is open to debate. Between 2021 and 2023, for example, Serbia fell from 19th to 38th place on the Global Gender Gap Index.

When it comes to asking for their support, however, women interviewed by BIRN say the authorities don’t hesitate. Emilija and Nada say that “people from the ‘city’” come to their settlement before every election to warn them that if they don’t vote, they will be fined.

Asked if they receive any gifts or offers of assistance when asked to vote, they both reply: “Not this year.”

“But we did get them in the past, honestly, they even gave us as much as 3,500 dinars,” Emilija tells BIRN. “They give us a pen, we sign with that pen, return it, and then if you return the pen, you get the money.”

Nada says they both voted this year too, voluntarily, even though they didn’t receive anything in return. “We voted. Who else are we going to vote for and how? Vucic will win for sure. We have our own problems on our doorstep, we don’t have to worry about him too. Authority is authority.”

*Names have been changed

[trollprincess]

About a week or so ago, I was at the local grocery store and got to talking with the elderly clerk. She was talking with me and someone else about how she's retired twice but got bored and went back to work. Which is fine! If you're retired and you find you want to go back to work, you should be able to.

But part of her conversation was complaining about how people can stay home and get paid to do nothing, and someone else backed her up, and I had to resist the urge to scream.

I am not going to be able to retire. I know that. Unless by some sort of miracle I win the lottery or manage to help catch a wanted criminal and get a huge reward, there's no way in hell I'll be able to retire. I work two jobs and have a podcast and I still constantly struggle to get anywhere financially. I've got $58,000 in student loan debt that's not budging. And for added fun, I've got a family history of cardiovascular disease where my grandpa dropped dead on the golf course at 52 or so and my grandma died of a stroke at sixty and my mom could die of the same damn thing at any moment. If I don't work myself to death, I'll die before I can stop working.

I wish I could just believe that woman was only talking about people who supposedly scam welfare or disability to stay home even though that's patently bullshit. I did play it off like that, though, and said, "Honey, I've worked with lazy people before I'm much rather pay to stay home than have to deal with in the workplace. You're going to tell me you haven't?" That shut her up.

That said, I don't think that's all that she meant. I genuinely think she meant it about retirees, too. And she's lucky I didn't say exactly what I've been thinking since, which is this:

Bitch, you're lucky you get to HAVE a retirement if you want.

I don't. I know a lot of people who don't. And a lot of the reason we don't is because of people YOU voted into office. Assholes who will definitely get to retire, or won't because sitting in a congressional seat until their skeleton has to be carted out earns them massive amounts of money from lobbyists paying them to do jack shit.

"I was too bored when I was retired."

You're lucky you GET to be bored! I don't get to be bored. I get to work and sleep. I get to research my podcast while at my weekend job while occasionally checking the social media accounts I work on at my part-time job. And then I come home and sleep. I don't have the goddamn energy to do *anything*. I keep trying to squeeze in crafts like making little mini-dollhouses or paint-by-numbers kits as stress relief and all it does is make me feel guilty I'm not working on something else.

You're SUPPOSED to be able to relax! You're supposed to be able to spend an entire fucking day eating Cheetos and watching old episodes of MST3K and only getting out of bed to use the bathroom and retrieve your DoorDash order. You're not supposed to work and work and work until you fall to pieces. I've been making myself go on small vacations since the pandemic because it hit me just how little I've traveled and I refuse to die not having gone anywhere but work, college, and home.

But for Christ's sake, if you have the option of retiring, DO IT. If not for yourself, for the rest of us. Let us live vicariously through you. Go on cruises, or learn how to dance, or just stay home on the couch hanging out with your dog and watching soap operas. Do you have any clue how many people my age and younger envy your opportunity to just do nothing? Absolutely fucking nothing? Because thanks to YOU, more than likely, we won't get that option.

[kennak]

His detractors say his repeated remarks on the subject have already spread dangerous ideas.“It’s irresponsible,” said Masaki Kubota, a journalist who has written about Dr. Narita. People panicking about the burdens of an aging society “might think, ‘Oh, my grandparents are the ones who are living longer,’” Mr. Kubota said, “‘and we should just get rid of them.’”Masato Fujisaki, a columnist, argued in Newsweek Japan that the professor’s remarks “should not be easily taken as a ‘metaphor.’” Dr. Narita’s fans, Mr. Fujisaki said, are people “who think that old people should just die already and social welfare should be cut.”Despite a culture of deference to older generations, ideas about culling them have surfaced in Japan before. A decade ago, Taro Aso — the finance minister at the time and now a power broker in the governing Liberal Democratic Party — suggested that old people should “hurry up and die.”Last year, “Plan 75,” a dystopian movie by the Japanese filmmaker Chie Hayakawa, imagined cheerful salespeople wooing retirees into government-sponsored euthanasia. In Japanese folklore, families carry older relatives to the top of mountains or remote corners of forests and leave them to die.Dr. Narita’s language, particularly when he has mentioned “mass suicide,” arouses historical sensitivities in a country where young men were sent to their deaths as kamikaze pilots during World War II and Japanese soldiers ordered thousands of families in Okinawa to commit suicide rather than surrender.Critics worry that his comments could summon the kinds of sentiments that led Japan to pass a eugenics law in 1948, under which doctors forcibly sterilized thousands of people with intellectual disabilities, mental illness or genetic disorders. In 2016, a man who believed those with disabilities should be euthanized murdered 19 people at a care home outside Tokyo.In his day job, Dr. Narita conducts technical research of computerized algorithms used in education and health care policy. But as a regular presence across numerous internet platforms and on television in Japan, he has grown increasingly popular, appearing on magazine covers, comedy shows and in an advertisement for energy drinks. He has even spawned an imitator on TikTok.He often appears with Gen X rabble-rousers like Hiroyuki Nishimura, a celebrity entrepreneur and owner of 4chan, the online message board where some of the internet’s most toxic ideas bloom, and Takafumi Horie, a trash-talking entrepreneur who once went to prison for securities fraud.ImageHiroyuki Nishimura, center, who owns 4chan. He and Mr. Narita are part of a handful of Japanese provocateurs who seem to enjoy breaching social taboos.Credit...Ko Sasaki for The New York Times

A Yale Professor Suggested Mass Suicide for Old People in Japan. What Did He Mean? - The New York Times

[ribstongrowback]

okay i do want yall to know that the thing goes beyond the age of retirement getting later and later, it also cuts deep into how retirement benefits are calculated. retirement in france works by everyone who gets a salary paying a small contribution each month to taxes so that retiree's welfare is taken care of, and in turn your retiree welfare is based on how much of these contributions you payed when you were working the issue with this is that essentially, under the new system, you work more, for longer periods, in harsher conditions because of how capitalism is spiralling out of control, and you get even less retiree benefits it's a big deal is what im sayin'

The French really don’t fuck around.

[mightyflamethrower]

Migrants Imploding Welfare State

People are coming to America for a better life at your expense. The excuse that migrants came here to work and contribute to our society does not match the statistics. As the NY Post recently reported, only 2% of 139,500 migrants in New York have applied for work permits, and thousands more are on their way to our cities to live off the welfare state.

New York received an influx of 2,800 additional people last week alone. There are 65,500 people living in shelters throughout the city at the expense of the taxpayer, and the mayor believes the city will spend of $2 billion this year on funding. We are putting more resources into supporting people who broke our laws by entering the country illegally than we do on our own citizens.

You can work your whole life and send countless funding into Social Security, only to receive the bare minimum upon retiring. You receive no interest on these funds and it is not optional to opt-out of contributing. The average retiree is expected to live on $1,555 per month, which is not enough to live in any US city.

Meanwhile, migrants are receiving a one-time payment of $2,275 and at least $1,225 per month which is more than they likely ever earned from their country of origin. Their room and board is on the taxpayers’ tab and there is no urgency for these people to enter the workforce. In fact, it seems as if they are encouraged to continue milking the welfare system to become utterly dependent on the state. I am stating figures from the US, but migrants are also living on the welfare system in Canada and every other Build Back Better country.

It is not economically feasible for the US to continue funding illegal immigration. And yet, thousands of people are crossing over into the US everyday and no one preventing the invasion of America.

[jeenasikholifecare]

CGHS, CAPF Ayurvedic Wellness Center in Shastri Nagar .

What Is the Health-Care Scheme of the Central Government?

Employees of the Central Government have access to healthcare and medical care under the Central Government Health Scheme. The CGHS meets all of the democratic pillars' healthcare demands. It includes the Press, the Legislature, the Judiciary, and the Executive. Employees and retirees of the Central Government have access to excellent health care through the CGHS. In addition, the CGHS covers 74 cities across India to improve healthcare accessibility. CGHS also regulates allopathic, homoeopathic, Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and Yoga health-care systems.

Benefits Of Central Government Health Scheme? (CGHS)

CGHS provides outstanding facilities for retirees and Central government employees to receive effective healthcare treatment for any health condition. Take a look at the following details to understand more about its benefits: You can seek OPD treatment, which includes medication issues. Consult a recognised polyclinic/government hospital or an ayurvedic clinic. Excellent treatment services are provided by government and empanelled hospitals. Pensioners and other designated beneficiaries can receive cashless care at CGHS-approved hospitals and diagnostic centres in Delhi NCR. Expense reimbursement is possible in clinics and hospitals. Family Welfare, Maternity, and Child Health Services are available to you. Ayurveda, homoeopathy, unani, and siddha medicines can provide medical care and therapies (AYUSH).

Eligibility For Central Government Health Scheme .

To join the CGHS To avail CGHS facility at the CGHS empanelled clinics in Delhi NCR, you need to meet some specific criteria for availing of excellent healthcare services. To know more, take a look at the details given below:

All central government employees, Central Civil employees, and dependent family members in the CGHS areas are eligible for CGHS.

Similarly, pensioners, railway, armed forces, retiring employees, widows of the central government, Delhi NCR Police personnel and families, and Civilian employees of defence can avail of CGHS healthcare services.

Ex-Governors and Lt. Governors families, Ex-Vice Presidents, Military Officers, Governments servants transferred to a non-CGHS area, IAS Officers on North-Eastern Cadre, Parliamentary Secretaries, Sitting Judges of Supreme Court and High Court of Delhi NCR, and former judges are also eligible for CGHS.

And, other Central govt. Employees and retired employees can also get CGHS healthcare services.

How You Can Avail Free Treatment?

– Get free treatment services through a CGHS card. – Referral is must for patients below 75 years. – Also, by availing insurance, you can get free treatment for every health issue. – Lastly, all employees of central governments will get healthcare treatment through reimbursement.

Reasons To Visit CGHS Empanelled Clinics & Hospitals In Delhi NCR Visiting the CGHS certified clinics and hospitals in Delhi ncr can offer you excellent services that can help you get effective treatment services. To know more, take a look at the list of benefits listed below:

Get cashless treatments.

From eye care, dental care, and every health issue, services are offered by CGHS empanelled hospitals and clinics.

You can avail excellent and certified services for ayurvedic treatment. In which, panchakarma therapies, ayurvedic remedies, and yoga are also there.

Avail of effective treatment for OPD care.

Serious to acute disease can be easily treated at CGHS empanelled hospitals and clinics.

Similarly, you can get effective natural care for health through Ayurveda, panchakarma therapies and get a free consultation from ayurvedic doctors and experts.

Top CGHS Approved Clinics In Delhi NCR .

Jeena Sikho Lifecare Limited Ayurveda Clinics & Hospitals is one of the CGHS approved Health care Centers in Shastri Nagar . At Jeena Sikho Lifecare Limited Ayurveda Clinics, you can get certified Ayurvedic care for every health issue. So whether you’re suffering from kidney failure, liver problem, heart disease, digestive problem, mental illness, low immunity or any other serious illness at Jeena Sikho Lifecare Limited Ayurveda Clinics, you can get total care through dietary changes, panchakarma therapies, and ayurvedic remedies. Apart from that, if you’re facing any critical health issues, then you can visit Jeena Sikho Lifecare . This is the best CGHS Empanelled Hospitals in Shastri Nagar for holistic care through Ayurveda, homoeopathy, and naturopathy. Therefore, if you want to lead a healthy life, you can surely visit Jeena Sikho Lifecare Limited Shastri Nagar Clinic .

you can contact us on - 9650932221 - 7873578735

or Visit our Clinic in Shastri Nagar - Address: Metro Pillar no. 196, Sai Baba Mandir ke pass, M-118, First Floor, Shastri Nagar, Delhi, 110052