
“This just such a shockingly intelligent thing for any politician to say.” - toomuchtodo
https://twitter.com/greatdismal/status/1104839582179192832
======
towaway1138
Shockingly ignorant, as usual.

No one in our society is "left to die" because they don't have a job.

~~~
toomuchtodo
Counterpoints:

* Opioid abuse and deaths due to the inability to find employment [1]

* Suicides directly related to the inability to find employment [2]

* Bonus round: deaths due to inability to afford medical insurance or medical care [3] [4]

So maybe not so ignorant. I hope this comment and associated citations helps
you update your understanding of the situation!

[1]
[https://www.nber.org/aginghealth/2017no3/w23192.shtml](https://www.nber.org/aginghealth/2017no3/w23192.shtml)
(Are Opioid Deaths Affected by Macroeconomic Conditions?)

[2]
[https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1331677X.2018.1...](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1331677X.2018.1484788#_i23)
(Does unemployment have asymmetric effects on suicide rates? Evidence from the
United States: 1928–2013)

[3] [https://www.factcheck.org/2017/07/deaths-health-care-
bill/](https://www.factcheck.org/2017/07/deaths-health-care-bill/) (Deaths
from a Health Care Bill?)

[4] [https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-
meter/statements/2017/may...](https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-
meter/statements/2017/may/08/raul-labrador/raul-labradors-claim-no-one-dies-
lack-health-care-/) (Raul Labrador's claim that no one dies from lack of
health care access: Pants on Fire)

~~~
towaway1138
I'm aware of these, and to a degree suffer from them directly--I just don't
think "left to die" is an appropriate description. Furthermore, the group most
affected by these issues, aging white males, are also the group AOC stands
most ready to throw under the bus. That is, I think she's a hypocrite on this
subject.

In any case, hypocrites come and go, but these problems _are_ indeed very
important and in need of some organized solutions. Our "oppressive" traditions
and social structures have been cast aside, and many jobs have been outsourced
to elsewhere. I'm watching the twenty-somethings around me try to deal with
this wonderful new society, and it's very sad.

In my work, I like to get the new systems working _before_ deleting the old
ones...

~~~
toomuchtodo
Moving towards Medicare For All is bootstrapping a new system before tearing
down the old one, as is many progressive policies (labor regulations, unions,
etc).

