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thingswhatareawesome · 47 minutes

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A newly proposed bill introduced by Arizona Representative Ruben Gallego, a Democrat, could change how the yearly cost-of-living adjustment to Social Security benefits is calculated, potentially boosting checks for retirees and other recipients.

The proposed legislation, called the Boosting Benefits and COLAs Act, is an attempt to amend Title II of the Social Security Act to require the Commissioner of Social Security to use the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI-E) to calculate the yearly cost-of-living adjustment, better known as COLA, instead of the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). Should the CPI-W be higher than the CPI-E, the first should be used instead of the latter.

The annual COLA is currently based on the percentage increase in the CPI-W between the third quarter of the previous year and the third quarter of the current year. If there's no increase, there's no COLA. The idea is to adjust Social Security benefits so that they can keep pace with inflation: in 2024, the COLA was 3.2 percent, a much smaller boost than the previous year, when the adjustment had been 8.7 percent.

But Gallego argues that this formula doesn't consider the specific costs that retirees have to face, which are different from the rest of the American population. For example, medical expenses weigh more heavily on elders than younger people—a number which is reflected in the CPI-E, but not necessarily in the CPI-W.

#news

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thingswhatareawesome · 48 minutes

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Licensing is Fine (repost from patreon)

Folks, It's happening. After 10 (11 now) years of the "This is Fine" meme taking over the world slowly, I have asked politely if now would be a good time to license the shit out of it. And the crowd shouted "YES!"

Not only do we have this Brand New Talking Figurine coming out soon (designed by Grayson Evans, who is taking commissions right now) (the figure goes on sale 4/2 and is now available for preorder. It will also be available wherever books are sold), but I am also working with several other companies on buttons, pins, patches, calendars, and etc. Basically, the next time you go to Hot Topic or FYE and see all those patches and pins at the front, near the registers, you will most likely find some OFFICIAL This is Fine merch hanging out there too.

We also have some specialty soft enamel pins coming out (or possibly already out) from Zen Monkey Studios featuring panel pins and cooler designs of Question Hound in both of his moods. I believe you will find these in the same physical places as the other pins Or you can order em online!

Plus a lot more we're still working on/waiting for. New shirts comin' at ya soon that you can find AT A MALL! I got an agent and he's doing his best routine of e-mailing folks on my behalf and asking if there's interest in "this is fine" and most of them say "sure!" so I guess there's some room for me after all.

All of this is to simply inform you, the public! Yes, there will always be bootleggers. But they don't matter in the long run. And Yes, I still have my Topatoco store of "This is Fine" merch as well. That won't go anywhere either. I'm just expanding my scope, cus this little dog is gettin' bigger than I ever expected to be in charge of. But don't fret, for my hand is GLUED to the wheel.

Okay than you for your time!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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thingswhatareawesome · 49 minutes

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i’ve been playing ffxiv! drew this shortly after finishing ARR+. all that work and now they’ve gone and streamlined that mess and i’m so mad but also happy for new players. go try this game out if you haven’t yet! there’s a free trial! :D

#ffxiv #fanart

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thingswhatareawesome · 50 minutes

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RRRRRRRRRRRRRR

#star rail #fanart

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thingswhatareawesome · 51 minutes

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"don't mass reblog/like :/" coward. fool. somebody just went through and liked and reblogged 64 things from my blog in the span of half an hour at most. and i've never felt more alive in my life

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thingswhatareawesome · 52 minutes

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this is purely for fun and I've certainly been guilty of a few of these things myself in my years of fic writing. don't be weird in the notes and don't use this as an excuse to insult someone's writing.

#factually my biggest pet peeve #and i'll almost always just quit the fic when i see it #is shit like 'bluenette'#like no you can't fucking create words like that #there's blond and brunette #and ANYTHING other than that is x-haired #even in real fucking live #like red haired??#so okay you wanna say the anime colored hair #so just fucking say blue haired green haired whatever #DONT fucking try to make up shit like bluenette #it's the stupidest ffnet wattpad shit ever

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thingswhatareawesome · 57 minutes

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ngl I keep forgetting that Hobby Lobby is a real store that people go to. That people actually think of it as a craft store and not as a crazy Christian mass artifact smuggler. I google "Hobby Lobby" and get a page full of results that make me go "wtf is this craft supplies and operating hours shit, I thought we all knew this place for smuggling looted cuneiform tablets out of Iraq"

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thingswhatareawesome · 60 minutes

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It cannot be stressed enough that Israel is the ONLY country "Leftists" feel comfortable talking about this way.

There's no support for anti-war and anti-government protests on the ground in Israel (you know, the protests that might actually make a difference)

There's no empathy for or solidarity with civilian victims (only when it comes to Israeli civilians are you going to hear self-described Feminists and Leftists explain why rape is fine, actually)

No understanding of the difference between the state and its' citizens (or even the Jewish people, generally)

Absolutely no desire to actually learn about the history of the region and conflict comprehensively (the expulsion of over 700,000 Palestinians during the Nakba was horrific, and a crime that needs to be addressed. Out of curiosity, what was happening to the 800,000-1,000,000 Jews living in the surrounding Arab nations around then?)

All understanding of complexity and nuance? Of the concerns of minority, queer, disabled, and other vulnerable populations with the country? It's all out the window. It's all just one big Evil Zionist Entity.

This is how even accurate criticisms and condemnations of Israel can end up being antisemitic. You are viewing the Israeli state and the people who live there through a lens that you hold to no other nation-state on Earth. (and then holding random Jews in the diaspora to account for that).

You can do better and still advocate for Palestinian liberation and autonomy. It's actually not that hard.

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thingswhatareawesome · 1 hour

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abled people really act like if your illness or disability isn’t terminal then you’re not allowed to complain about it or grieve the life you thought you’d have and it’s so fucked up

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thingswhatareawesome · 1 hour

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Apple Computer

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thingswhatareawesome · 1 hour

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That was a refreshing sleep. 🌿🐦

#genshin impact

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thingswhatareawesome · 1 hour

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it's juice

#genshin impact #fanart

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thingswhatareawesome · 1 hour

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Honkai: Star Rail CN | Countdown to 2024 Star Rail Concert: 4

Artist: 原汁云喵

#star rail

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thingswhatareawesome · 9 hours

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still blowing me away that in less than a week i've gone from ar 7 (where i quit genshin 2 yr ago bc it 'didn't click with me') to ar 21. and yeah the switching characters in combat is something i still screw up a lot (like i switch to 1 ie aether bc i hit that instead of Q, or i think i'm switching and don't bc the cooldown), and i'm just learning the basics of the elemental combos. but like the game itself makes sense, bc hsr got me learning hoyo mechanics, and so now i get genshin bc of knowing how sr works. and i'm starting to see the daily/weekly structure now that i've got the bp unlocked and understand that resin is just the tb points.

just starting to poke at considering right wpns/artifacts and learning stat priorities, and not just using the fast equip. i wish the traveler had some element they're actually good with :/ bc i'd like to use him and it's a bummer to see his rankings are pretty terrible across the board (except sort of dendro which i won't have access to for quite awhile). i guess i make sure everyone else gets the purple forge weapons

#i want a diluc and a haitham and a neuv but i know only the diluc is at all possible #if the regular banner doesn't hate me maybe it'll happen #the other two are just pipe dreams since rereleases seem sporadic #i have no idea who to save up for character even banner-wise #so i guess i'll just save?#please ignore my genshin bs #it says the spiral abyss is unlocked but i'm hesitant to actually try it #though there's two chars i could get if i do?#so i guess i should soon

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thingswhatareawesome · 10 hours

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sorry but i simply cannot take anyone seriously with this argument. being horny is not a crime. acting inappropriately toward another person is a different thing from simply perceiving them in a way that scratches your brain. but you cannot make sexual thought crimes (thot crimes) a thing without it leading down an EXTREMELY homophobic, transphobic path of "the WRONG type of person PERCEIVED ME and I DID NOT CONSENT TO IT." sometimes you will be perceived by people you personally are not attracted to, and i'm sorry, but that alone is not a problem. you do not need consent to find another person attractive. being horny is fine, actually. get over it.

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thingswhatareawesome · 10 hours

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thingswhatareawesome · 11 hours

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Reblog for larger sample size. Feel free to indicate in the comments your generation, approximate region of residence, your length of experience with fan fiction, or when/where you first encountered these terms.

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