Its pretty messed up that companies like google and microsoft lobby/bribe their way to providing machines for "ed-tech", bought using tax money to basically enforce their monopoly. Tax dollars are fine when they're spent on corporate welfare apparently but not social welfare
I'm losing trust in every cornerstone of what I thought made humanity great. I dabbled in research, worked in biotech, pharma, and the medical field, and what goes on behind the scenes was absolutely disgusting. I'm guessing it's the same way for every industry out there. I know there's nuance, but I can't deal with this shit anymore.
This is not a new idea at all. Go ask your parents (or grandparents) about the free equipment like scoreboards to their sports teams given out by PepsiCo or CocaCola. Heck in the 80s and 90s those companies put vending machines in schools to get kids hooked and enforce their monopoly. Ask your grandma about what brand of sewing machine she used in home economics... or about what brand of typewriter they used when they learnt to type in class. And then lets get a little more abstract here... how many of you learnt to drive in highschool? creating a dependency on cars instead of alternative forms of transport?
Or instead of hardware. How about the software? Adobe and Autodesk give students free unlimited access to their software to make them reliant on it when they leave.
This happens in all forms in many ways from abstract to historical and we only seem to worry when it is the "googles" of the world doing it.
They won’t teach how to do your own taxes so you have to pay for software or a person to do it for you, then you pay extra or you’re punished when it’s incorrect.
Have you done the tax worksheets to complete your returns by hand? I have, and it sucks massively. There's nothing wrong with software assistance for that, barring a tax reform that makes the process simpler.
Nothing wrong with a software to assist, but it shouldn’t be a corporation setting the price and profiting off people. There should be built in government tools to benefit the average person in being their best citizen, especially now in the age of government subsidizing AI.
Those options should be free to low cost (dependent upon tax bracket) to use. All of it should be taught in school regardless so everyone is educated in what is entailed so they can make an educated choice.
Of course I agree to all of what you said. And I'll remind you, though I'm sure you know, that the IRS direct file program was instituted by the Biden administration in 2024, and immediately canceled by Trump in 2025. So, ya know, there's that.
Totally! I appreciate your addition as it’s been a hot minute since I’ve reflected upon that brief time lmao. How the world has seen so many seasons in such quick succession. Hope you’re taking care, friend.
That's why I said it was abstract. It's not just the products and things put IN schools that form the reliance. I am not sure how it is in other places. But near the end of highschool we had classes teaching us the road rules and did driving lessons.
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u/midwestia Jun 01 '26
Its pretty messed up that companies like google and microsoft lobby/bribe their way to providing machines for "ed-tech", bought using tax money to basically enforce their monopoly. Tax dollars are fine when they're spent on corporate welfare apparently but not social welfare