James Widman
@jameswidman.bsky.social
People are supposed to help each other. It's the only job worth doing, and we could probably do it a lot more efficiently.
he/him or they/them.
he/him or they/them.
completely sober problem solver, elon musk
November 11, 2025 at 7:59 AM
completely sober problem solver, elon musk
trying to imagine it now: elon musk, man of the people. Elon musk, compassionate listener, working to understand the adversities of people from all walks of life. Carefully studying their problems & designing sol—
[i need to stop here; i would not be able to say this out loud with a straight face]
[i need to stop here; i would not be able to say this out loud with a straight face]
November 11, 2025 at 7:57 AM
trying to imagine it now: elon musk, man of the people. Elon musk, compassionate listener, working to understand the adversities of people from all walks of life. Carefully studying their problems & designing sol—
[i need to stop here; i would not be able to say this out loud with a straight face]
[i need to stop here; i would not be able to say this out loud with a straight face]
considering the personality disorders required to become the world's richest person, it seems like the world's richest person would be among the people who are the *least* capable of forming a viable political party
November 11, 2025 at 7:47 AM
considering the personality disorders required to become the world's richest person, it seems like the world's richest person would be among the people who are the *least* capable of forming a viable political party
one minor nit though: i would not say "healthcare should be a right"; instead, i would say "healthcare *is* a right".
the thing about rights is that the only way they ever become protected by law is if enough people assert them. So we need to start asserting this.
the thing about rights is that the only way they ever become protected by law is if enough people assert them. So we need to start asserting this.
November 11, 2025 at 1:30 AM
one minor nit though: i would not say "healthcare should be a right"; instead, i would say "healthcare *is* a right".
the thing about rights is that the only way they ever become protected by law is if enough people assert them. So we need to start asserting this.
the thing about rights is that the only way they ever become protected by law is if enough people assert them. So we need to start asserting this.
and then of course there's this:
pizzacakecomic.com/post/7015587...
pizzacakecomic.com/post/7015587...
pizzacakecomics
The more you know!
pizzacakecomic.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:27 AM
and then of course there's this:
pizzacakecomic.com/post/7015587...
pizzacakecomic.com/post/7015587...
(or rather, *everyone* pays for doctors spending time on the phone with insurance companies. That means they see fewer patients per day, which means your appointments get pushed further into the future.)
November 11, 2025 at 1:25 AM
(or rather, *everyone* pays for doctors spending time on the phone with insurance companies. That means they see fewer patients per day, which means your appointments get pushed further into the future.)
& no more shareholders expecting dividends; no more expectation of increasing profit (which ofc customers pay for with more death & disability, and doctors pay for with more time spent on the phone)
November 11, 2025 at 1:23 AM
& no more shareholders expecting dividends; no more expectation of increasing profit (which ofc customers pay for with more death & disability, and doctors pay for with more time spent on the phone)
and if that's also how we're going to react to every other issue that comes up, then trump is already dictator-for-life right now.
November 10, 2025 at 11:06 PM
and if that's also how we're going to react to every other issue that comes up, then trump is already dictator-for-life right now.
it is entirely possible that insurance companies could waste money like that.
but if we take that as a reason to forgo demanding protection of our basic rights, then the insurance companies maintain business as usual.
but if we take that as a reason to forgo demanding protection of our basic rights, then the insurance companies maintain business as usual.
November 10, 2025 at 11:06 PM
it is entirely possible that insurance companies could waste money like that.
but if we take that as a reason to forgo demanding protection of our basic rights, then the insurance companies maintain business as usual.
but if we take that as a reason to forgo demanding protection of our basic rights, then the insurance companies maintain business as usual.
Other countries might not have this problem, but we do. We gotta fully burn all the vampires here so that they don't come back.
November 10, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Other countries might not have this problem, but we do. We gotta fully burn all the vampires here so that they don't come back.
3) if med. insurance companies are allowed to exist in the u.s. alongside government funding, then they will have a profit motive to interfere with politics and eliminate that government funding. So again, we'd be right back where we started.
November 10, 2025 at 10:35 PM
3) if med. insurance companies are allowed to exist in the u.s. alongside government funding, then they will have a profit motive to interfere with politics and eliminate that government funding. So again, we'd be right back where we started.
...and then people will have to go through this multi-decade fight all over again.
So... yeah. IMO, for medical insurance companies **in the u.s.**, i say salt the earth where they live, or would live, so that nothing there can ever grow.
So... yeah. IMO, for medical insurance companies **in the u.s.**, i say salt the earth where they live, or would live, so that nothing there can ever grow.
November 10, 2025 at 10:29 PM
...and then people will have to go through this multi-decade fight all over again.
So... yeah. IMO, for medical insurance companies **in the u.s.**, i say salt the earth where they live, or would live, so that nothing there can ever grow.
So... yeah. IMO, for medical insurance companies **in the u.s.**, i say salt the earth where they live, or would live, so that nothing there can ever grow.
2) i could imagine things working more humanely with the right set of regulations that limit price-gouging & the like. But we can pretty much guarantee that, if med. insurance companies are constitutionally allowed to exist then sooner or later republicans will try to eliminate all such regulations.
November 10, 2025 at 10:28 PM
2) i could imagine things working more humanely with the right set of regulations that limit price-gouging & the like. But we can pretty much guarantee that, if med. insurance companies are constitutionally allowed to exist then sooner or later republicans will try to eliminate all such regulations.
more seriously:
1) bsky.app/profile/jame...
1) bsky.app/profile/jame...
But also: even if insurance companies have been more humane in other countries, i'd be opposed to leaving any space for them here in the u.s.: they've been killing us for so long that i want their earth to be well-scorched & well-salted here.
Prison time for them would be the compromise position.
Prison time for them would be the compromise position.
November 10, 2025 at 10:27 PM
more seriously:
1) bsky.app/profile/jame...
1) bsky.app/profile/jame...
that certainly is one data point!
November 10, 2025 at 10:16 PM
that certainly is one data point!
But also: even if insurance companies have been more humane in other countries, i'd be opposed to leaving any space for them here in the u.s.: they've been killing us for so long that i want their earth to be well-scorched & well-salted here.
Prison time for them would be the compromise position.
Prison time for them would be the compromise position.
November 10, 2025 at 7:41 PM
But also: even if insurance companies have been more humane in other countries, i'd be opposed to leaving any space for them here in the u.s.: they've been killing us for so long that i want their earth to be well-scorched & well-salted here.
Prison time for them would be the compromise position.
Prison time for them would be the compromise position.
i would expect that insurance companies still screw their customers over tho...? (it would be surprising if they didn't.)
That could be very bad bc e.g. if someone can be denied dental coverage for procedures that they need, that can lead to a lot of other medical problems...
That could be very bad bc e.g. if someone can be denied dental coverage for procedures that they need, that can lead to a lot of other medical problems...
November 10, 2025 at 7:40 PM
i would expect that insurance companies still screw their customers over tho...? (it would be surprising if they didn't.)
That could be very bad bc e.g. if someone can be denied dental coverage for procedures that they need, that can lead to a lot of other medical problems...
That could be very bad bc e.g. if someone can be denied dental coverage for procedures that they need, that can lead to a lot of other medical problems...
(every republican position on every political topic can be viewed through this lens: they want hierarchies based on dominance & submission (or at least the *feeling* of it, e.g. in the case of gun control), and they want to be as close to the tops of those hierarchies as possible.)
November 10, 2025 at 7:32 PM
(every republican position on every political topic can be viewed through this lens: they want hierarchies based on dominance & submission (or at least the *feeling* of it, e.g. in the case of gun control), and they want to be as close to the tops of those hierarchies as possible.)
So the current system gives them more submissiveness (which is what owners usually want, even more than simple monetary profit). It's both a classism thing and a dominance-lust thing.
November 10, 2025 at 7:29 PM
So the current system gives them more submissiveness (which is what owners usually want, even more than simple monetary profit). It's both a classism thing and a dominance-lust thing.
businesses get more of what they want out of the current system than they would out of medicare-for-all: if employees would no longer lose access to medical care when they leave a company, then the threat of firing them loses some of its impact.
November 10, 2025 at 7:28 PM
businesses get more of what they want out of the current system than they would out of medicare-for-all: if employees would no longer lose access to medical care when they leave a company, then the threat of firing them loses some of its impact.
they will continue living lives of incoherence as long as it pleases their leader and makes life worse for everyone who isn't rich, white, & male.
November 10, 2025 at 4:44 PM
they will continue living lives of incoherence as long as it pleases their leader and makes life worse for everyone who isn't rich, white, & male.
ah, you may have fallen into the trap of thinking that republicans might care more about internal/logical consistency than they do about adherence to hierarchies that are characterized by dominance & submission (e.g. systemic white supremacy, sexism, classism, etc).
November 10, 2025 at 4:44 PM
ah, you may have fallen into the trap of thinking that republicans might care more about internal/logical consistency than they do about adherence to hierarchies that are characterized by dominance & submission (e.g. systemic white supremacy, sexism, classism, etc).