Could you please elaborate on the claim that loans are essentially required for modern life in the US? You might be able to make the argument for a mortgage but even that is not absolutely required. Possibly student loans could be seen as required but those are largely government subsidized/administered and typically given out to younger people who haven't yet gone through a bankruptcy.
I don't have any evidence for this but it seems like the vaccine pushback is at least partially a desire to avoid responsibility. If they choose to vaccinate and their kid is in the 0.000001% who experience adverse effects then it would be their fault the kid was hurt but if they don't vaccinate and their kid just happens to die of measles or whatever then it was all part of god's plan and they didn't do anything wrong.
I don't think the term media literacy was used but we did learn literary criticism and how to formulate arguments in formal debate. We covered The Onion and adbusters, and we talked about identifying bias. In history class we learned the difference between primary and secondary sources and my history teacher was the first person I ever heard say "follow the money " to understand a person's motivations. We also had a theory of knowledge class which taught some basics of philosophy.
Good points, I just wanted to mention another database that is useful for finding information about supplements based on actual research studies. Unfortunately it requires a subscription but some Universities and Libraries can provide access.
You make a good point that people who believe these conspiracies often have an underlying reason making them want to believe. Dan Olson came to the same conclusion in his video about flat earthers which I would recommend to anyone who hasn't seen it yet.
"Flat Earthers are not otherwise-empty vessels who believe one kooky thing. They believe that thing because it suits their purposes. [...] it says something they already believe about the nature of the social world. Flat Earth is a thing people want to believe because if it were true it would be irrefutable proof of everything else they believe."
Is the purpose of these subsidies to maintain oil and gas infrastructure so that the military can also use it?
If the infrastructure is necessary for defense but not necessary for civilian use then it sounds like it should be paid for via tax, be maintained by the government, and counted as defense spending.
This would increase the military's fuel cost (to the true cost) and higher gas prices brought about by ending the subsidies would incentivize lower carbon transportation methods for civilians.
Yes a mortgage is an investment (which can make a profit or loss just like other investments) but it is also an obligation. With a mortgage losing your job could potentially leave you homeless. That is not what I consider "financially free". If you have a lot of cash up front you could potentially put it into higher yielding investments and make a profit on the difference between yield and mortgage rate at the end of 30 years but that takes some amount of luck and skill with investing. Especially now that mortgage rate are 7%. If you don't have all the cash up front then taking out a 30yr 7% loan for 300k will mean you're paying over 700k for the house with interest included.
Personally, to be "financially free" I would need enough investment income to cover all my expenses without making any sales/withdraws. Ideally this would include owning my home outright. So probably in the neighborhood of one million. I doubt I will ever get there.
As someone who lives in Florida I've got to ask, how? When thinking about finances and investments I often feel like I'm in my own bubble and I don't understand other peoples' situations, motivations, etc. So I'm genuinely curious. 4-bedroom houses near Orlando can be found in the mid 300s. With your income you should be able to pay in cash after saving for just one or two years (depending on how much savings you're starting out with). Even if you wanted something more expensive, are mortgages that difficult to get approved even for someone with such a high income?
I looked at some of the examples and I think it would be helpful if there were fields for more detailed information such as optimal soil type/chemistry/pH and common pests/diseases and how to treat them.
Could you please elaborate on the claim that loans are essentially required for modern life in the US? You might be able to make the argument for a mortgage but even that is not absolutely required. Possibly student loans could be seen as required but those are largely government subsidized/administered and typically given out to younger people who haven't yet gone through a bankruptcy.