this post was submitted on 07 Jun 2025
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[–] TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world 18 points 1 day ago

Years ago, I have read that Mongolian street children in the capital, Ulan Bataar, would intentionally steal to get arrested so that they would have a warm place to stay during the cold nights in Mongolia.

America has now stooped this low.

[–] coffeetastesbadlikecoffee@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

I always wondered why more homeless people didn't do this in the us

[–] Brandonazz@lemmy.world 10 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago)

They do, but it has to be pretty serious because you are signing up to be tortured for an unspecified length of time as well.

Private healthcare and the punitive, draconian nature of our "legal system" work in tandem. If either were fixed then the other would lose their leverage.

[–] Trollception@lemmy.world 5 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Yea... Why wouldn't someone want to be imprisoned, so strange

[–] seejur@lemmy.world 2 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

I mean, if the outside is absolutely freezing (and people have died of hypothermia already), and you have to rummage garbage bins for food, Why not?

Some choose death over subjugation.

[–] creamlike504@jlai.lu 174 points 1 day ago (1 children)

What he did was hand the clerk a note that said: "This is a bank robbery, please only give me one dollar." Then, as he later told the local NBC news station, he calmly sat in the corner of the bank having told the clerk: "I'll be sitting right over there in the chair waiting for the police."

...

He invited the paper to send a reporter to interview him in Gaston county jail, where he is now in custody facing charges of stealing from a person (for just $1 the prosecutors didn't think they could hold up a bank robbery charge).

He told the paper he had lost his job after 17 years as a Coca-Cola delivery man, and with it his health insurance. He was in increasing pain from slipped discs, arthritic joints, a gammy foot and a growth on his chest.

Since being in the jail he has attained his goal: he has been seen by nurses and an appointment with a doctor is booked.

[–] Hexarei@programming.dev 7 points 1 day ago

Gaston County jail

So strange to see my home county mentioned on the Internet, had to double-take.

[–] workerONE@lemmy.world 98 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Healthcare is such a basic human right. Single payer for all (Medicare) should be our priority. The wealthy look at everything as theirs. Anything that needs to be done in society is "why should I pay for that?" I have a friend who makes a lot of money and he said that people who work hard should be rewarded and I asked him if he meant people who work hard or if he meant people who earn a lot of money and he didn't know what to say.

[–] TwistedCister@lemm.ee 20 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (4 children)

Why should the poor subsidize their income with our labor?

Edit for clarity: If the rich do not want to subsidize basic human rights then the poor should not subsidize the bank accounts of the wealthy.

I’m fucking poor bro. I’m not gonna ever be on team money.

[–] pivot_root@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I think we should be subsidizing people's poor reading comprehension.

Why should the poor subsidize their income with our labor?

the poor ... our = us
their = the rich

This commenter was asking for someone to try and justify why we (the working class) should have our labor contribute to the income of people whose existence is based on exploiting others. A perfectly reasonable question.

[–] TwistedCister@lemm.ee 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I could have used clearer language. It was just a misunderstanding.

Homie came to bat for the working man straight up. I can’t fault that ever.

[–] Transtronaut@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 18 hours ago

Turns out you're so pro-poor, even your grammar is poor. :P

[–] boonhet@lemm.ee 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Because they didn't choose to be born poor and probably work harder than you. Any other questions?

[–] TwistedCister@lemm.ee 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I don’t think my vibe came through. It’s a response to the friend you mentioned who doesn’t want to pay for healthcare.

“Why should we pay for their healthcare?”

Because it’s far more humane than the poor subsidizing the bank accounts of the mega rich with our labor and getting as little as possible in return.

[–] boonhet@lemm.ee 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Oh yeah, I definitely missed it. Thought you meant why are the poor getting things for "our labor"

I'm also not the one who mentioned the friend, but that's unimportant

[–] TwistedCister@lemm.ee 9 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I’m also not totally sober. Love you all.

[–] boonhet@lemm.ee 7 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Me neither, have had a couple gins and tonic. Decided to try raspberry gin with lemon bitter tonic. Awesome

[–] krawutzikaputzi@lemm.ee 2 points 1 day ago

Not on topic, just wanted to tell you that was one of the nicest conservations I've red online. Good on you for being so understanding and cute.

And coming from a country with universal healthcare it should totally be a human right everywhere. I hope one day the working class in the USA will win!

[–] Wilco@lemm.ee 0 points 1 day ago

Sadly about 40-50% of the population are MAGA, which believe they are all temporarily inconvenienced billionaires. Any day now that MAGA person is going to get lots of money (probably the lottery) and they dont want the pay all those taxes ... so they sit in their trailer park with their MAGA hat and "Let's Go Brandon" bumper sticker just waiting to go vote how the billionaires of "team money" tell them to.

their income

whose income? the rich friend's income? or the people needing healthcare?

[–] yeahiknow3@lemmings.world 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

With a few notable exceptions (such as medicine), the more financially rewarding the job, the less hard you have to work. In fact, that’s the whole point of getting a career! By cultivating some rare skillset, you can do less work for more money. People don’t go into finance or consulting to “work hard.”

[–] aeternum@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 day ago

yup. that's why people can be CEO of multiple companies. They don't do anything.

[–] assembly@lemmy.world 142 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Greatest country on earth!!!!

*terms and conditions apply

[–] oxysis@lemmy.blahaj.zone 30 points 1 day ago (2 children)

**must be rich, white, straight and a man to have a chance to win

mostly rich though.

[–] PostaL@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Spoken in a sped-up voice

[–] DaddleDew@lemmy.world 50 points 1 day ago (3 children)

The US treats its people worse than its prisoners. And I bet some idiots out there think it means they should start treating their prisoners worse.

[–] koper@feddit.nl 35 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I get your point, but the US prison system is also really horrible. Healthcare is terrible and prisoners have a very high chance of dying from lack of proper treatment. Every year in prison lowers your life expectancy by two years (source).

[–] jadsel@lemmy.wtf 3 points 23 hours ago

Yep, and that applies even without any existing health concerns going in. Better hope you don't develop any while living under those conditions.

I'm T1 diabetic, and have an unfortunately reasonable expectation that even a week spent in jail back in the US could very easily turn into a death sentence. It does happen with depressing regularity. That's just looking at one very straightforward (and easily treatable) chronic condition, and a couple of fairly recent examples which have gotten more publicity than most such cases ever will. It's a mess.

[–] Maeve@kbin.earth 4 points 1 day ago

Tbf that happens out of jail, too.

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 18 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Unfortunately that is not even close to true. I get what you mean but prisons are . . . not great. People regularly die of neglect in jails. Prisons are slightly better than that, but it costs 50x more.

[–] skulblaka@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

People regularly die of neglect out in the streets, where everyone can see them, as well.

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 2 points 18 hours ago

Yes but “the streets” don’t have a legally mandated staff whose job it is to check on people.

[–] leftzero@lemmynsfw.com 2 points 1 day ago

The US treats its people worse than its prisoners.

And that's while treating their prisoners horribly.

[–] AJ1@lemmy.ca 56 points 1 day ago (2 children)

again?

(2011)

... oh. um, ok

[–] Caffeinated_Sloth@lemmy.world 54 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Still relevant 14 years later, just like the hit show at the time where a high school chemistry teacher cooks and sells meth to pay for his cancer treatments.

[–] boonhet@lemm.ee 8 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Did anyone go "Wtf is wrong with the system" when that show came out? Because I don't remember that happening. Of course I'm from Europe lol

[–] Caffeinated_Sloth@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Everyone in the US who isn’t a finacial apex predator bitches about the medical system. The public murder of a medical insurance executive was a politically unifying event. Change is nearly impossible because we’re being held hostage by media, politicians, and giant corporations who profit from our current system and bitter partisanship.

[–] krashmo@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Nobody likes the system but it's all politicized in one way another depending on your preferred media bubble's spin method, just like anything else.

[–] deegeese@sopuli.xyz 23 points 1 day ago (2 children)

You used to be able to get health care by stealing $1, but now you have to kill an insurance CEO.

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago

Well, only if you’re going for style points.

[–] Susaga@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 day ago

It'd be hilarious if Luigi got healthcare because of that. Especially if it's with UHC.

[–] Lemminary@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I hear this has happened in Japan as well. Some elderly folks without family stage stickups for a good meal and a place to stay. What a fucking world we live in.

[–] jagged_circle@feddit.nl 0 points 1 day ago

That must be a good State.

Most State prisons will torture and starve you until you die. You can buy food and soap at outrageous surcharges.

[–] 5714@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 day ago

Creative debt bondage

[–] Susaga@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

This weirdly feels like it'd be a good movie, sort of like Dog Day Afternoon. "The One Dollar Bank Heist"

[–] altphoto@lemmy.today -2 points 1 day ago

Dang George Carling looks fucked up! Ever since he died he hasn't said anything. Not one joke. Not even an utterance. A limerick about Jesus! Fuck no! No riddles or really cute stories about poo bear or the stupid train Thomas the dumbass. But seriously, if he was alive he would look just like that because of everything that's been happening. Reminds me of the "fucking dog" bit...thrown up on the counter with us asking for another god dammed Georgy.