Anonymous
Post 01/23/2026 14:38     Subject: Lucky
Anonymous wrote:In the top 3% and always thinking about the 97%
No should should be lucky if it's the doom of others


Success in the U.S. has zilch to do with the lack of freedoms, economic opportunities, or political structures of foreign countries. Those countries set their own economic policies, tax rates, design their own social welfare programs, etc, with none of that being related in any way to what the U.S. does for its people. When standards of living are lower elsewhere, that's not the result of U.S. success, but of the choices made by the governments of those other places.
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2026 11:20     Subject: Lucky
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:As a woman, my individual rights have been dismantled over the past year. No, I don't feel lucky to live here.


Woman here, and I think you need a little more perspective. Have you traveled much? Do you ever talk to people who are different than you?

I currently make 150k per year and not an “elite” person of any sort. I know that it’s not much on DCUM, which actually makes this point sharper: it is extremely rare for anyone, especially a woman, especially someone not pedigreed or elite, to be able to achieve that salary level in the vast majority of the rest of the world and that includes nearly all “first world” countries like Japan, South Korea, and most of Western Europe.
I’m an out lesbian, and a mom. And still getting promoted on merit and having a pretty nice life at work and at home, even though Trump was supposed to make Handmaid Tale happen…. Not only that, but there are also POC men and women where I work, doing amazing things and getting paid well for it! Not to diminish the bad and dumb things that have happened, but I thought Trump was gonna fire everyone who wasn’t a straight white male and the rest of us be living in cardboard boxes by now?

Outside of a very few select countries, this would not be possible. There are still tons of opportunities here, including for non-white, non-male, and non-straight people. I do feel lucky, because I would not have this kind of life anywhere else.

Some people love to focus on the negative and are totally blind to the many good things about our country. I would rather live here and work on fixing the problems than just tear it all down.


Yes, $150k is a lot, and you should be very proud of yourself for earning that. You may not make $150k in other countries, but you also don't really need to. With healthcare covered, you aren't paying for health insurance. With food quality much higher, you aren't spending as much to feed your family.

If all you crave are material things, the US is great. Many people strive for other things.


PP and health insurance would be one of the things I would like to see changes in.
Yes, healthcare costs are lower in other developed countries, but having lived in one and used its healthcare system, I think Americans would be surprised to find old facilities, and really pretty basic care compared to what is available here to people willing and able to pay for it. Personally I prefer to spend less on insurance (HMO) so I can use the savings to apply additional savings for old age, and focus on diet and exercise, so a basic low cost system like that would be fine for me. And I would rather make sure every person have access to basic care than the current system of either having expensive private health insurance, being eligible for Medicaid, or being left out altogether. But there is no affordable basic option here because of lobbying, PE, and all the other crap that goes on that increases costs.
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2026 10:55     Subject: Lucky
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:As a woman, my individual rights have been dismantled over the past year. No, I don't feel lucky to live here.


Woman here, and I think you need a little more perspective. Have you traveled much? Do you ever talk to people who are different than you?

I currently make 150k per year and not an “elite” person of any sort. I know that it’s not much on DCUM, which actually makes this point sharper: it is extremely rare for anyone, especially a woman, especially someone not pedigreed or elite, to be able to achieve that salary level in the vast majority of the rest of the world and that includes nearly all “first world” countries like Japan, South Korea, and most of Western Europe.
I’m an out lesbian, and a mom. And still getting promoted on merit and having a pretty nice life at work and at home, even though Trump was supposed to make Handmaid Tale happen…. Not only that, but there are also POC men and women where I work, doing amazing things and getting paid well for it! Not to diminish the bad and dumb things that have happened, but I thought Trump was gonna fire everyone who wasn’t a straight white male and the rest of us be living in cardboard boxes by now?

Outside of a very few select countries, this would not be possible. There are still tons of opportunities here, including for non-white, non-male, and non-straight people. I do feel lucky, because I would not have this kind of life anywhere else.

Some people love to focus on the negative and are totally blind to the many good things about our country. I would rather live here and work on fixing the problems than just tear it all down.


Yes, $150k is a lot, and you should be very proud of yourself for earning that. You may not make $150k in other countries, but you also don't really need to. With healthcare covered, you aren't paying for health insurance. With food quality much higher, you aren't spending as much to feed your family.

If all you crave are material things, the US is great. Many people strive for other things.
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2026 09:51     Subject: Lucky
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I mean making the millions is great, but I can't help but feel like Trump is burning the house down around us.


I agree. Considering Canada. Because they still have rule of law and they seem to hate less.


They're super strict on letting immigrants in. Do you have canadian ancestry?


Yes, I do.


Lucky!!! Please organize the USA-canadian faction of the MAGA resistance
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2026 09:49     Subject: Lucky
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I mean making the millions is great, but I can't help but feel like Trump is burning the house down around us.


I agree. Considering Canada. Because they still have rule of law and they seem to hate less.


They're super strict on letting immigrants in. Do you have canadian ancestry?


Yes, I do.
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2026 09:48     Subject: Lucky
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What benefits it a man to gain the world if thereby he lose his soul?

Warrantless searches of houses, quasi-fascist paramilitaries acting with complete immunity shooting mothers in the face, threats to invade our closest allies whose soldiers gave their lives for us in Afghanistan, politically motivated prosecutions of honest public servants? No, I see a lot of reasons for shame in this country right now, whether the stick market is up or down.


That’s a stretch


No. No it's not.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c801k7rkkd7o
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/04/trump-department-of-justice-weaponization-enemies

I could provide twenty more examples. If you don't know, it's because you don't want to know, not because the information isn't available to you.
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2026 09:20     Subject: Lucky
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I mean making the millions is great, but I can't help but feel like Trump is burning the house down around us.


I agree. Considering Canada. Because they still have rule of law and they seem to hate less.


They're super strict on letting immigrants in. Do you have canadian ancestry?
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2026 09:13     Subject: Lucky
Anonymous wrote:I mean making the millions is great, but I can't help but feel like Trump is burning the house down around us.


I agree. Considering Canada. Because they still have rule of law and they seem to hate less.
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2026 09:00     Subject: Lucky
Anonymous wrote:I came from a different country on F-1 visa and ended up getting my PhD in engineering and now at a really senior position within Govt. US has treated me very well and it is always going to have my loyalty first.


🥰 love stories like this. Welcome to America
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2026 08:58     Subject: Lucky
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:As a woman, my individual rights have been dismantled over the past year. No, I don't feel lucky to live here.


Woman here, and I think you need a little more perspective. Have you traveled much? Do you ever talk to people who are different than you?

I currently make 150k per year and not an “elite” person of any sort. I know that it’s not much on DCUM, which actually makes this point sharper: it is extremely rare for anyone, especially a woman, especially someone not pedigreed or elite, to be able to achieve that salary level in the vast majority of the rest of the world and that includes nearly all “first world” countries like Japan, South Korea, and most of Western Europe.
I’m an out lesbian, and a mom. And still getting promoted on merit and having a pretty nice life at work and at home, even though Trump was supposed to make Handmaid Tale happen…. Not only that, but there are also POC men and women where I work, doing amazing things and getting paid well for it! Not to diminish the bad and dumb things that have happened, but I thought Trump was gonna fire everyone who wasn’t a straight white male and the rest of us be living in cardboard boxes by now?

Outside of a very few select countries, this would not be possible. There are still tons of opportunities here, including for non-white, non-male, and non-straight people. I do feel lucky, because I would not have this kind of life anywhere else.

Some people love to focus on the negative and are totally blind to the many good things about our country. I would rather live here and work on fixing the problems than just tear it all down.



+1 ♥️
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2026 08:57     Subject: Lucky
I'm extremely lucky. My parents immigrated from agent Europe in the 90s and I was 10. Economy was booming in the US. They were able to have good jobs, buy a house (I can't afford to buy their house at market value now) and invest in the stock market. My family was able to get a good interest rate as well as keeping jobs not affected by current administration. As a woman and a mother of daughters it's terrifying to look into the future. But so many things were good timing for me an I'm capitalizing on it.
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2026 08:55     Subject: Lucky
Anonymous wrote:^ that said, I do recognize that US salaries/wealth are much higher. But I don't need unlimited money, I already have what I need. It is a very greedy mindset, but that's why there are billionaires I guess.


Yay for you and a lot of people around the world live very comfortably with good food and clean environments without tons of money.
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2026 08:53     Subject: Lucky
Anonymous wrote:I do feel very lucky to be American. It has been good for me economically and from a freedom perspective. I was a Peace Corps volunteer in a village without electricity and running water for two years. Most of you all have no idea what real poverty and human rights outside the U.S. looks like.

When people make comments about adversity in the U.S. I have to keep my thoughts to myself.


What did you do in peace corps that they couldn’t have done for themselves? Do Americans have super human abilities?
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2026 08:52     Subject: Lucky
Anonymous wrote:What benefits it a man to gain the world if thereby he lose his soul?

Warrantless searches of houses, quasi-fascist paramilitaries acting with complete immunity shooting mothers in the face, threats to invade our closest allies whose soldiers gave their lives for us in Afghanistan, politically motivated prosecutions of honest public servants? No, I see a lot of reasons for shame in this country right now, whether the stick market is up or down.


That’s a stretch
Anonymous
Post 01/23/2026 08:42     Subject: Lucky
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:As a woman, my individual rights have been dismantled over the past year. No, I don't feel lucky to live here.


What rights have been dismantled? I’m a woman and wasn’t tracking this


Body autonomy is a fundamental human right. Roe v Wade was struck down nationwide for starters