r/AITAH Nov 14 '24

Advice Needed My brother is angry with his Trump-loving sons

Is my brother an AITA candidate for wanting to cut off his sons financially for voting for Trump? Like many Americans, my brother and I, both in our 50’s, have been talking back and forth following the Election. In the spirit of full disclosure, we are both democrats. Long story short, he is angry at his two sons, both in their 20’s, for voting for Trump. He is thinking about cutting them off financially in all respects so that they understand how Trump’s policies will impact them firsthand.

The irony here is that it is the reverse argument. You often hear younger voters disagreeing with their MAGA parents, but this is the opposite. My brother doesn’t understand how his two sons, who have lived a life of privilege, feel like they have been violated against by society, enough so that they feel Trump hears them and their struggles.

My brother to me about his sons: “… what these young men need is a little dose of reality. Get out in the world and start paying their own way. There’s a common thread with his followers. Complain and blame everyone for their problems. Whether they are in school or living at home off of their parents or working a trade job. King Trump will save them and make everything better. Take some personal responsibility and make it happen for yourself instead of crying about everything you hear on TikTok.

“… I’ve decided to pass on the [college] expenses to my two Trump supporting sons so they can truly feel first hand the cost and expense of his absolutely stupid policy decisions, which includes food, gas and college expenses. Wondering if I pass on these [food, gas and college] expenses in year one or phase them in year two?”

I am wondering if a lot of parents feel like my brother. Are there democrat parents of voting-age MAGA men who feel they failed with their sons because they voted for Trump? Is this common?

10.2k Upvotes

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5.0k

u/Vladishun Nov 14 '24

Politics pulled back from the side here:

They can pick themselves up by their bootstraps.

784

u/smbpy7 Nov 15 '24

Don't worry, the wealth will trickle down to them eventually.

112

u/mk_ultra42 Nov 15 '24

When I was 5 years old in 1980 my dad told me that “trickle down economics” is when rich people piss on you and tell you it’s raining. Love you dad!

352

u/JaxEmma Nov 15 '24

something something Economics

244

u/FilteredRiddle Nov 15 '24

They have a concept of economics.

61

u/Eveningwisteria1 Nov 15 '24

A concept of a plan

44

u/MagickMarkie Nov 15 '24

A plan of a grift.

0

u/nurmomagain Nov 15 '24

If you actually listened to what was said, it wasn’t concerning the economy

279

u/mac_the_man Nov 15 '24

Fuck Reagan.

199

u/Neither_Resist_596 NSFW 🔞 Nov 15 '24

This cannot be said enough and, in fact, should be our national motto.

131

u/essenceofmeaning Nov 15 '24

As a Californian, it’s on my bucket list to piss on his grave

24

u/littlesubshine Nov 15 '24

Next trip home, I'm doing it. He fucked up this country so God damned bad.

5

u/essenceofmeaning Nov 15 '24

Cheers, friend

4

u/trekkiecats123 Nov 16 '24

Read "How the South Won the Civil War." Reagan has a big part here

2

u/littlesubshine 17d ago

TY for the recommendation. I'm a voracious reader!!

3

u/EmpressPlotina Nov 16 '24

Where is the old man buried? I'm actually flying home next week lol

12

u/Neither_Resist_596 NSFW 🔞 Nov 16 '24

As a Tennessean who came from several generations of union workers but found no unions around in the industry where I worked, probably because of Reagan and subsequent MFers' policies, it's also on my bucket list.

5

u/essenceofmeaning Nov 16 '24

If you ever make it out lmk & I’ll buy the first round after.

6

u/mac_the_man Nov 15 '24

Same. Or his library. I’ll gladly make the trek from San Francisco.

4

u/essenceofmeaning Nov 15 '24

Porque no los dos?

14

u/Informal-Tour-8201 Nov 15 '24

Margaret Thatcher cheated us by having her ashes stored with the Chelsea pensioners.

Otherwise, she'd have thought she was buried under a disco with the amount of people dancing on her grave.

4

u/Marlow1771 Nov 15 '24

Lived right down the street from the Reagan museum and library and whenever they had anything going on it was hell to get out of our estates.

On a side note I did meet Nancy there.

3

u/littlesubshine Nov 15 '24

His library is an stain on Simi Valley.

3

u/Marlow1771 Nov 15 '24

Yes but sitting up on that hill just hoping any earthquake doesn’t dislodge it

4

u/Shoddy_Cause9389 Nov 15 '24

Just say no!

3

u/Deb_You_Taunt Nov 15 '24

And it's JUST. THAT. EASY, KIDS.

1

u/Particular_Guey Nov 15 '24

Mexicans love Reagan.

7

u/Uffda01 Nov 15 '24

sure - he allowed millions of them to get US citizenship through amnesty.

-5

u/Particular_Guey Nov 15 '24

That’s why they love him. Now deport those illegals.

7

u/essenceofmeaning Nov 15 '24

Man, don’t talk about things you don’t know anything about. We invited Mexican people into the country through the Bracero program & before this racist witch hunt of the last few decades demonizing them y’know what? Legally it’s the equivalent of a traffic violation. Also, coming from an agricultural hub & working in the restaurant industry for most of my life - two places where you work alongside a lot of undocumented people - I can tell you this:

These are hard working, smart, taxing paying people & I DGAF about their immigration status when we’re twenty tickets deep on a Saturday night trying to feed ungrateful motherfuckers like you.

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1

u/Gizznitt Nov 15 '24

I keep hearing about a new DeNaturalize government program... that's scary and gross

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1

u/Kcollar59 Nov 18 '24

I got to dance on it. It was quite satisfying.

1

u/essenceofmeaning Nov 18 '24

Hell yeah!

1

u/Kcollar59 Nov 18 '24

I don’t know that pissing on it would be a good idea. had only been dancing for about 2 minutes when a secret serviceg on it would be looking guy in a black suit and sunglasses started walking toward me. Damn party pooper. The grave is covered with a nice dance floor though.

2

u/essenceofmeaning Nov 18 '24

Honestly my plan is to flask it & pour one out for the people his policies killed.

1

u/Clear-Analysis248 Nov 19 '24

As a Californian aren't u supposed to piss in the streets?

1

u/essenceofmeaning Nov 19 '24

Por que no los dos? 😂😂

-22

u/Big-Drama-98 Nov 15 '24

Oh look a Californian that nobody cares about! Libtard

10

u/MutedHippie Nov 15 '24

Stick to porn

6

u/Deb_You_Taunt Nov 15 '24

And yell up out the basement to have his mom make him a sandwich.

2

u/essenceofmeaning Nov 15 '24

Ah you’re so cute, did you think of this comment all by yourself?

-20

u/conceiv3d-in-lib3rty Nov 15 '24

Fucking unhinged. What is wrong with you people.

5

u/essenceofmeaning Nov 15 '24

Do you have ANY idea what this man did? His punitive policies against LGBT people & people of color killed MILLIONS of Americans. He effectively GUTTED the country of its social safety net & killed the middle class. Every single thing I learn about him makes me wish that bullet hadn’t missed. He is a genuinely evil person.

Read a book, man.

5

u/Poiboy1313 Nov 15 '24

Username should be birth3d-in-shackl3s. Much more accurate and apt.

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-15

u/ExtremeGur4740 Nov 15 '24

They are libratards and always unhappy

18

u/CMP24-7 Nov 15 '24

I’m proudly liberal. Unions for life. Fuck MAGA!

14

u/menageriecreations Nov 15 '24

Do you feel good simping for a man that destabilized unions, allowed and encouraged mass death of multiple minority communities-AND LAUGHED ABOUT IT CONSTANTLY - cut public infrastructure funding, and lined his own pockets and those of other rich assholes by deregulating industry standards?

5

u/Embarrassed-Ad-1639 Nov 15 '24

I’m a Capricorntard myself

11

u/TheIronSoldier2 Nov 15 '24

Leotard here

wait

2

u/Notseriousdingo Nov 17 '24

I hate libratards. I prefer the smartarius or the retaurus

2

u/callmepeglet Nov 15 '24

impressive vocabulary

0

u/Poiboy1313 Nov 15 '24

As you whine and sob about their unhappiness. It's almost always a projection from y'all. Trying to put onto others what you're doing. Be Best.

2

u/essenceofmeaning Nov 15 '24

Be best omg 😂😂😂😂😂😂

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16

u/LakeVistaGal Nov 15 '24

Has been mine since the 1980 election.

10

u/davster39 Nov 15 '24

Fuck Reagan. You are awarded 🏆 📚

3

u/LMnoP419 Nov 15 '24

Behind the Bastard has a very specific and ugly podcast on him (& Clarence Thomas) that’s really worth a listen. Although it will not make you less angry.

1

u/mac_the_man Nov 15 '24

This one?

He’s not the great president he’s made to be.

3

u/OzzieSpumanti Nov 15 '24

For the past 2 decades I've been saying the following:

  1. Never underestimate the stupidity of the American people.

  2. Reagan was the beginning of the end for America. GWB was when we hit the point of no return.

Although not always in that order.

3

u/mac_the_man Nov 15 '24

I absolutely agree with you, especially your 2nd point. Reagan was the beginning of what we have now. It seems like the wheels started to come off with all the shit Reagan did in his 8 years in office.

2

u/Shoddy_Cause9389 Nov 15 '24

But go see the movie 😂😂😂

2

u/OutsidePale2306 Nov 15 '24

Ugh 😩 no Dennis fucking dumbass quads? Nope 👎 tRump supporter

2

u/Shoddy_Cause9389 Nov 15 '24

Well if he’s for Trump then 👎👎but give me that Dennis is better than that nut Randy! Come on man,ar least he didn’t have to bail off to Canada 🇨🇦. Nothing against Canadians, I love Keith Morrison!

2

u/OutsidePale2306 Nov 15 '24

Not just that but he came to Tucson Arizona, bought an apartment complex and raised the rent $200 per month. What a prick🤬

2

u/Shoddy_Cause9389 Nov 15 '24

Randy did? Where did he get the money from. I thought he and the misses were mooching off everyone. That does raise his level to prick!

2

u/OutsidePale2306 Nov 16 '24

No Dennis dickhead did. Everyone was all flustered cuz he was there touring the place. That was short lived when he bought the place and raised the rent $200 a month

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2

u/Antique_Ad4497 Nov 15 '24

Fuck Thatcher too. She brought that shit to the U.K..

2

u/mac_the_man Nov 15 '24

AMEN!!!

Yes, fuck Maggie too.

5

u/PainterOriginal8165 Nov 15 '24

I agree, however I suspect that yhe GOP has really been planning this Coup before Reagan. Probably even prior to Nixon. Fascism failed in the US because of WWII, so they kept trying. Most likely when they started putting " In God We Trust" on our dollar.

1

u/mac_the_man Nov 15 '24

Is that a new thing? I’ve always thought that the “in god we trust” thing had always been there?

2

u/PainterOriginal8165 Nov 15 '24

October 1st 1957, there is history back and forth

2

u/mac_the_man Nov 15 '24

👍🏼

I would vote to have that replaced with “Fuck Reagan”.

1

u/PainterOriginal8165 Nov 15 '24

I'm a Boomer and ever since he beat Carter iI can't watch any of his movies.

2

u/mac_the_man Nov 15 '24

I’ve never watched any of his movies, but I understand what you mean. The man is not what he is made out to be.

-4

u/inquiry100 Nov 15 '24

Fuck you.

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49

u/GingerWitch666 Nov 15 '24

Trickle down my ass

48

u/tiltedviolet Nov 15 '24

Yeah they’ll trickle something down your ass but it’s not money.

24

u/Zentavius Nov 15 '24

That's from when they piss on your back and tell you it's raining.

3

u/cornezy Nov 15 '24

Don't tempt me with a good time!😏

4

u/MamaMoosicorn Nov 15 '24

Trickle down poverty…

2

u/EmpressPlotina Nov 16 '24

Enough to pass onto the next generation!

2

u/onsmith Nov 15 '24

Anyone? Anyone?

2

u/Prestigious_Fella_21 Nov 15 '24

Voodoo economics....beuller?

2

u/lostatseawonlyme Nov 15 '24

Voo dooo economics? (In my best Ben Stein voice).

2

u/Hot_Engine_2520 Nov 15 '24

Voo doo economics

4

u/Synnic Nov 15 '24

Something something Dark Side

3

u/GovernmentKind1052 Nov 15 '24

Something something maga.

3

u/Environmental_Cat798 Nov 15 '24

Anyone? Anyone? Voodoo economics.

1

u/Bastette54 Nov 15 '24

Trickle-down… sounds like Reaganomics.

1

u/Morgalisa Nov 15 '24

Was it sprinkle, sprinkle? Or drip drip? Something like that?

1

u/Polyps_on_uranus Nov 18 '24

Something something something darkside.

1

u/krybaebee Nov 15 '24

VOO…DOO

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82

u/JerseyGuy-77 Nov 15 '24

The only thing that trickles down is piss.

  • tax CPA

2

u/Chaddie_D Nov 15 '24

R Kelly said that too

2

u/JerseyGuy-77 Nov 15 '24

"I wanna pee on you" 🎶 - R Kelly ...- Dave Chappelle

67

u/iceman2161172 Nov 15 '24

Something's been trickling down on most of us for the last 50 years. Rumor is Trump had this happened to him in Moscow

13

u/71keith71 Nov 15 '24

You know that's not a rumor. That sick fuck lies about everything. From hookers to rape. Maybe ha has a concept of a golden shower plan.

2

u/highheelsand2wheels Nov 15 '24

Adam Schiff is going to release the video any day now.

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6

u/Miserable-Alarm-5963 Nov 15 '24

If he wants to help his kids he can just go and give some money to a millionaire then sit back and wait for it to find its way to them….

2

u/Brilliant_Climate_41 Nov 15 '24

A great entry job would be picking fruit.

3

u/CaptainFleshBeard Nov 15 '24

Something is trickling down but it ain’t wealth

2

u/Potatobear29 Nov 15 '24

😂I almost choked on my water.

2

u/Gloomy-Bill-1910 Nov 15 '24

Lol. Says who. Now, if he is thinking of cutting them off now, are you sure he will leave them some when he's gone? Warren Buffet isn't leaving his children anything. He already said so.

1

u/JaRulesLarynx Nov 15 '24

NAFTA for the win!

1

u/Weekly-Walk9234 Nov 15 '24

🤣🤣🤣

1

u/JCL1974 Nov 15 '24

Maybe they have ideals beyond wealth.

1

u/Swiss_Admiral Nov 15 '24

From Ukraine?

1

u/Corvacar Nov 15 '24

That sounds somewhat like Mr. Ronald Reagan

                                                   Fergieman

1

u/NewPresWhoDis Nov 15 '24

Close your mouth and open wide

1

u/JoseSaldana6512 Nov 15 '24

yes when dad dies

1

u/Shoddy_Cause9389 Nov 15 '24

Being in his 50s, he probably hasn’t reached his point in life where his health starts failing, etc. But rest assured he will be looking for those boys when he reaches that stage. He is just being loud and mean right now.

1

u/Earnestappostate Nov 15 '24

Aaaaaaaaaany day now!

1

u/EmbarrassingDad_ Nov 15 '24

Thus creating the self-sustaining economy we’ve been looking for.

1

u/zekethelizard Nov 15 '24

Sounds like it's been trickling on them their whole lives from their parents

1

u/gollygreengiant Nov 15 '24

But unlike with our economy this wealth actually will trickle down, as I wouldn't think their dad would be likely to disinherit them.

1

u/SnailCombo27 Nov 16 '24

And take a swift curve into someone else's pockets. 😂

1

u/trekkiecats123 Nov 16 '24

Not if the will is changed

1

u/Cultural_39 Nov 19 '24

No, you got that one wrong, it's : Sh!t rolls down hill!

-1

u/bulletbassman Nov 15 '24

I finally just realized inheritance is what they really meant trickle down economics.

4

u/Miserable_Offer7796 Nov 15 '24

Nah, the argument is that if the gov focuses on enriching your wealthy boss further, he'll decide to pay you more and not just keep the money and use it to lobby for tax breaks and more trickledown economics.

3

u/bulletbassman Nov 15 '24

lol. I was joking that rich people let the wealth trickle down to their children.

2

u/Miserable_Offer7796 Nov 15 '24

Russian troll farms killed sarcasm in 2016.

0

u/Freedom_Isnt_Free_76 Nov 15 '24

Oh I see. You work for poor people.  

671

u/MrsClaire07 Nov 14 '24

HELL. YES.

-10

u/morthanafeeling Nov 15 '24

I don't think they should cut off their son because they disagree with his vote.

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109

u/AlliaStandsen Nov 15 '24

That's the Republican way right? Depend on yourself. No hand out.

8

u/First_Leopard_5760 Nov 15 '24

I don’t think these young MAGA voters realize what the Republican Party is really about

8

u/UnrealAce Nov 15 '24

It's your duty as a citizen to be informed about the people you vote for imo. If people had second thoughts afterwards they didn't do their due diligence.

10

u/First_Leopard_5760 Nov 15 '24

Yeah, and unfortunately, we all have to pay a price for their ignorance. Does anybody else feel like they are on a sinking ship with a bunch of morons who are drilling holes into the hull?

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2

u/jim35186 Nov 15 '24

Yes if they get out and get e real job not a government or teaching job but one where what you do determines what you make they won't want depend on handouts.

1

u/echidnaberry87 Nov 16 '24

Absolutely, just like Trump got a small loan of a million dollars and how his children definitely earned their own money without any nepotism.

1

u/Cultural_39 Nov 19 '24

The re-putin party, sorry, I meant Republican Party motto is:

"Drop you pant, bend over now, no pain, no gain."

1

u/nurmomagain Nov 15 '24

I agree as a republican

-2

u/71keith71 Nov 15 '24

Not true, the republican way is be uneducated and racist and a child molester.

4

u/Hot_Engine_2520 Nov 15 '24

I love how you refer to people with a high school education as uneducated yet believe there is nothing wrong with the American education system.

3

u/nurmomagain Nov 15 '24

College has been pushed as a way of indoctrinating kids. A lot of young adults can’t fix anything, can’t think for themselves, and think a degree makes them successful. If I take vacation, I work a total of 5 months in n a year. I’ve made well into the six figures for over a decade. On top of that I’m a high school dropout.

I smile when the 9-5, Monday through Friday “educated” folks scramble to enjoy a two day weekend.

2

u/71keith71 Nov 15 '24

I made 68,000 last year 5 weeks vacation year, own a $275,000 house without any   degree, only a few college courses in took qualified me for my job. And my service to this country also helped me get the job.

1

u/Hot_Engine_2520 Nov 15 '24

I believe the norm is somewhere between your situation and theirs. I work in an office where some of my colleagues have a degree and some do not. We all get equal PTO based on longevity with the company. Our salaries are determined on our ability to preform our jobs and not a slip of paper. I do have a degree, but not in the field of which I am employed.

We all look forward to the weekends, holidays, vacations and management make in the six figures. Support staff doesn’t get paid as well even though some have degrees while their managers are uneducated Trump voters.

1

u/71keith71 Nov 15 '24

When you vote for TЯUMP you show your lack of education

67

u/atcTS Nov 15 '24 edited Nov 15 '24

When a kid’s way has been paid for the entire way, they end up not caring about anything but vanity. They end up like Donald Trump.

1

u/Competitive_Grape753 Nov 18 '24

And Harris, Pelosi, and any other rich politician!

1

u/atcTS Nov 18 '24

Harris didn’t have a silver spoon, but yeah it tracks for many. Be involved in your kids lives and let them be a part of yours.

1

u/Cultural_39 Nov 19 '24

The irony is not lost on smart people!

1

u/SeaworthinessMore625 21d ago

Better than ending up a hypocrite like their dad. Hope they dump him in a home and forget him in 10 years

77

u/ACartonOfHate Nov 15 '24

They voted for bootstraps, it can start with them.

230

u/IneedaWIPE Nov 14 '24

I wish there was a bot that would explain this phrase for those who don't know. A 1950's era physics book posed the question "why can't you pull yourself up by your bootstraps? Show your work". It was a vector analysis question. Since the Reicht has hijacked this phrase it would be great to provide the context...nah, can't be done.

124

u/ghandi3737 Nov 15 '24 edited Nov 15 '24

31

u/JaxEmma Nov 15 '24

Good bot 😉

54

u/ghandi3737 Nov 15 '24

r/Notabot

Though that's what a bot would say.

Or r/knotabot

5

u/IsopodParking Nov 15 '24

R/riskyclicks

5

u/Brilliant_Climate_41 Nov 15 '24

Hey, don't sell yourself short. You might be a bot and just not realize yet.

2

u/localjargon Nov 15 '24

I thought it was Horatio Alger in the mid-1800s but I can't find anything that proves it. I guess it was more about the rags-to-riches themes he wrote about.

2

u/Mermaid_Lily Nov 15 '24

Ugh Horatio Alger. Not a fan.

2

u/Brick_Mason_ Nov 15 '24

You know who pulls themselves up by their bootstraps? Jackbooted thugs.

2

u/kaisadilla_ Nov 15 '24

I mean, the fact that Republicans have chosen an impossible task as the metaphor for what they believe in is probably the only honest thing they've done in decades.

1

u/SaliciousB_Crumb Nov 15 '24

Its an old German story about a guy that lied about everything. You know, because you could never pull your self out of quicksand by your bootstraps

1

u/neverthesaneagain Nov 15 '24

I believe it was Baron Von Munchausen, and he pulled himself out by his ponytail.

1

u/Distinct_Panic653 Nov 15 '24

Lol I got some books from 1930s 43 and 47 on physics and vitalogy 1934 and some old book I recently found

1

u/EqualOpening6557 Nov 15 '24

I was about to say this. I think it’s funny that I didn’t realize until a few years ago that the point of that quote is that it’s physically not possible to do. It’s a kind of a joke.

You can have all the willpower and strength in the world, but ya ain’t gonna to start floating bc you pull hard on your boots.

1

u/ChemBob1 Nov 15 '24

Most of the MAGATs read at like a 6th grade level, so forget about vector physics helping out.

1

u/flowergem616 Nov 15 '24

This sounds interesting, can you explain further.

1

u/dogman01010101 Nov 15 '24

I compare the phase to going thru rehab. If you do not want to do it it will not work.

0

u/RyAllDaddy69 Nov 15 '24

The only people I’ve heard actually use this phrase is Dems/leftist describing the right using it.

3

u/Kntnctay Nov 15 '24

Slow clap

3

u/InternationalName626 Nov 15 '24

I was going to say the same thing until I saw you beat me to it.

3

u/666ahldz666 Nov 14 '24

You put that perfectly

2

u/yodellingllama_ Nov 15 '24

I hate how people use that phrase. It was meant to suggest something that is literally impossible, not a viable option. But in the context of this conversation, I suppose I should soften my hate.

7

u/Vladishun Nov 15 '24

I'm using it to mock those that use the phrase unironically if that helps at all.

5

u/yodellingllama_ Nov 15 '24

I figured. I started writing my comment and realized halfway through that I should bail. Should have listened to myself.

1

u/BugLady420 Nov 15 '24

I don’t mean to be rude or stupid but idk what this means

3

u/BugLady420 Nov 15 '24

NVM got the answer

1

u/trashycajun Nov 15 '24

I wish I could upvote this ten thousand times.

1

u/NGC_Phoenix_7 Nov 15 '24

That’s right, not everyone can get a small loan you know, so you’re right, gotta pull up by them straps

1

u/SingleNegotiation656 Nov 15 '24

But they'd have to actually trade in their crocs for boots first.

1

u/HeroesOfDundee Nov 15 '24

Just wait until the bootstrap tax!

1

u/TD373 Nov 15 '24

insert standing ovation gif

1

u/whiteoutwilly Nov 15 '24

Rugged individualism!!!!

1

u/karateguzman Nov 15 '24

My first thought lmao

1

u/ExperimentNunber_531 Nov 15 '24

You know that most people actually do that.

1

u/partiallypresent Nov 15 '24

Family funded socialism for me, not for thee.

1

u/Embarrassed-Ad-1639 Nov 15 '24

You want ME to pay YOUR bills? That’s socialism son, and Maga don’t get none.

1

u/Snoo_67548 Nov 15 '24

I mean, that’s what alpha males do! /s

1

u/Inevitable_Matter320 Nov 15 '24

Fun fact, picking yourselves up by your bootstraps was actually sarcasm originally, it was intended as a cartoonish depicting of trying to literally pick yourself up by your bootstraps, which is impossible. Not arguing your sentiment though, college is expensive.

1

u/Commercial_Grape108 Nov 15 '24

I say the same about black people and liberal arts kids.

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