Every hospital fee is a junk fee. We shouldn't be paying for hospital visits except out of taxes.
this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2023
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I could be wrong, but, that feels like a weak position to run on. I’m not sure I want the government worrying about the expected fee at the hotel I cannot afford to go to.
Isn’t there a way to spend the money you’re going to spend on that to spend it on like food availability, or affordable housing, or education..?
Idk. Seems like a waste of resources but, I suppose they probably have a massive team figuring out what the country is worried about. Just seems like a weird thing to underline, it feels like a back burner issue.
I kinda see where you're coming from but junk fees are really something that affects everyone, especially those near the bottom of society. Stuff like cell phone fees inflating phone prices, online commerce fees making transactions more expensive, credit card/banking fees, overdraft fees a literal tax on being poor, convenience fees because they can, maintenance fees. It all adds up to tens of billions of dollars annually.
What's going to stop the companies from just rolling that convenience fee into the price of the service though?
There’s nothing wrong with that, because it’s the advertised price. It’s unethical to say that something costs $1 and then charge them $2.
Thats part of the point, It makes the upfront pricing more visible. Clear, easy to understand information means better purchasing decisions are made by consumers.
It's a lot harder to sell a $1500 phone than it is to sell a $1000 phone with $500 in extra fees tacked on at the time of purchase.
Then at least you could compare the true cost of things up front
Okay, see, this is a much better list than “concert tickets, hotels, and cellphone bills” lmao. Now you can get me to care and see the merit.
Not sure it still should be an underlined campaign promise, but, as stated, it’s bipartisan, everyone hates them. Then you add your reasoning in there too, and I could get behind it.
It is possible to work on multiple issues of varying importance at the same time
I didn’t say it wasn’t. I said it’s a weird issue to underline and run a campaign on.
"Small" inconveniences like this (among other things) are how asshole capitalists win. They nickle and dime us in ways that aren't "worth" pushing back against. We tell ourselves "It's just a little bit extra. Not worth pushing back just for that.", but there are countless little bit extras and they drain us without resistance. And it's not like individuals are going to be able to change any of that, so it's entirely up to our governments to address those issues. Of course there are big things to work on too, but fixing some things doesn't mean we can't work on the big things too.
I see you've bought into the Republican myth that the reason Americans have a shoddy social support infrastructure is due to budgetary tradeoffs. It's not. It's a failure of will of the American people to do what's necessary to stop preventable innocent casualties.
Care to elaborate? I probably have, I was raised in that environment, though, I wouldn’t call myself right leaning on most things.
How many resources do you think it takes to ban junk fees?
Because it's nowhere comparable to the cost of any of your alternatives
Well if it’s such an easy win, why not just do it? Why campaign on it. He’s already in office lol. I hate politics.
I can't afford housing or healthcare. Lets make changes to zoning laws first eh? "Junk Fees" are a problem but the fees don't get to me cause I can't afford the service in the first place.
I'm pretty sure zoning laws are outside of the Fed reach. They can carrot and stick via funding requirements, but mediated expansion has shown that states can be very petty if they don't want to comply. I wouldn't want the feds to set the tempo for zoning anyway. They just can't be aware of every area's needs. It's not a one size fits all situation. I've seen housing go up fast and the result is just a shitshow because the infrastructure doesn't keep up with the growth. I've seen dead cities where nothing wad built and only the people who got there first could afford a place to live, so effectively you had to leave town for everything because no retail workers could afford to live nearby. There's a middle ground between the two and no way will the feds know how to rate limit how housing gets built anywhere. Housing to me is a local election problem because people don't vote in local elections and then when the problem gets too bad, only nimbys cam live and vote there. Those places always collapse eventually (unless the population is very well off, see: SF), but when people get a chance to move back in they gotta remember to vote for local people who align their values.
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe... Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion... I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate.
That's fine, but protecting abortion has proven to be a far greater motivator in the Democrats' favor
This is the best summary I could come up with:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional Democrats are teaming up with the Biden administration and a progressive advocacy group to turn policy efforts to curb “ junk fees ” into a political rallying cry, betting that a small but potentially potent kitchen table issue will resonate with voters.
President Joe Biden promised in this year’s State of the Union address to target unexpected fees tacked on to things like plane and concert tickets, hotel rooms, hospital and cellphone bills and housing transactions.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin a swing-district Michigan Democrat who is now running for the Senate, is planning an event in a few weeks and said “the administration’s initiative to eliminate junk fees will put money back in peoples’ pockets.”
But it may also help Biden bridge the gap between an economy that many metrics show is strong — with low unemployment rates and wages rising — and polling suggesting that many Americans don’t view that as a positive for Democrats.
“Fighting surprise junk fees is super popular and bipartisan with the public because everyone hates these abusive extra costs,” said Adam Green, the Progressive Change Institute co-founder.
“Dumpster fires polled better with the American people than Bidenomics, so extreme Democrats threw it in the garbage to talk about ‘junk fees’ because they know Biden’s economy is trash,” quipped Will Reinert, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, the GOP’s House campaign arm.
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Want to know what's a winning issue? legalization of Marijuana. Need joe to get away from his old ways of thinking on this and to push forward this issue with overwhelming bipartisan support.
Getting rid of student loans also comes to mind
Remember back when you could solve issues without it needing to be an election year? Me either.
Fun Fact. Every year is an election year. Also Fun Fact. He hasn't been sitting on his ass for the last three years, he's been pushing legislation all the time. How you or the news wants to phrase things doesn't change that.
In those three years of pushing legislation why didn't they tackle this "winning" issue? If I were elected I would assume I only have four years and do all I can in that time and not hold an issue hostage for re-election, but I'm not a politician.
When you’re actually doing your job, you can’t change everything overnight. He has a ton on his plate, and hasn’t had a legislative mandate to pass whatever the party wants. They never had a liberal majority in the Senate, they have to deal with two senators who don’t agree with everything they want.
the dnc is a party of fucking idiots if they think that’s what people are clambering for.
While it's great they are taking this issue on, it's on the bottom of my fucken totem pole when it comes to issues that need addressing. What about more action on climate change? No? Ok, then what about steps to stop institutional racism? No? Fine then! Let's crack down on the housing crisis! Again no? The democrat lidership is so fucking disconnected to reality it's no surprise we lost the house and congress.
Current Top Political Issues in the United States for 2024
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Inflation
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Affordability of Health Care
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Bipartisonship in Government
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Drug Addiction
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Gun Violence
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Federal Budget Deficit
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State of Moral Values
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Immigration
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K-12 Education
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Climate Change
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Racism
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Infrastructure
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Domestic Terrorism
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International Terrorism
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Unemployment
While you are focused on the tenth-ranked topic, the Biden Administration is focused on the first.
Politicians are the servants of the people, you need to convince the people to get your issue higher up.
Do you work for the Biden Administration? Nothing you write seems organic at all.
I must be a robot taking over the Fediverse. Take me to your leader. Beep Bop! 🤣
Seriously though, I follow politics quite closely and knowing the research polling is essential to knowing what to expect in the debates.
The problem with doing this as the incumbent is that if it's broadly popular, it'll just pass, and if it is only popular on your side of the aisle, it won't help you much.
The swing voters will say "yes it is a problem, why haven't you fixed it?"
The answer has to be the other party. Are Republicans against this? What is the argument against?
If they're going to include taxes and fees in the price of goods, won't that raise their advertised price and therefore appear to increase inflation, driving away voters? I like this legislation but I don't know if it's a good idea to pass it?
If they're going to include taxes and fees in the price of goods, won't that raise their advertised price and therefore appear to increase inflation, driving away voters?
I'm sorry, but are Americans really that dumb? Everyone else in the developed world can handle the actual price being displayed.
Sadly we are yes
Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic while it's sinking.
time to short ABNB stock again
I laughed. In all honesty, though, I'd probably use air bnb more if I could easily compare prices. As it is now, I don't even bother with them anymore. It's just too much hassle.
Biden "We've decided to paint the Titanic green. Red is out jack!"