What I meant by cents on the dollar is usually, they broke rules, make $100 billion from it (imaginary scenario), and then the settlement from that wrong doing sees them pay out $2 billion to the affected customers that joined the class. It may be due to the fact that I've not paid attention to too many class action suits, but it seems like the settlement never comes close to the harm they caused.

I can tell you that I have arbitration on going, and it's been well over a year that it has been happening. To assume that the arbitration wraps up in a month, when you've got lawyers involved is non-sense. I don't believe arbitrators are in anyone's pocket either. The arbitrators aren't in-house council for Valve, they are a company Valve has contracted with, and they're going to be neutral, and rule based on law, not who's paying. As a lot of arbitration rules state that if you take the case to arbitration and lose, the one that is ruled against pays for the cost of the arbitration. Based on the "mate's rates", I'm guessing you're UK based. I don't know that legal system, so can't say how fee structures work. But a great deal of lawyers that are suing on behalf of you, in the US, take a percentage of the settlement. So the biggest cost is all to the person being sued, as they do pay the lawyers by the hour instead of a cut of the ruling.

I don't think Valve is changing their rules to screw customers, I think they're doing it because they've found separating each case into a different arbitration claim is too expensive. And it would have been better for them all to be in one group. I believe Valve is the best game distributor, as it turns out. But if people with law degrees think they've broken rules, I'm all for punishing rule-breaking. In this particular scenario, it seems like it might slightly improve things for consumers, and greatly benefit small studios.

If you push everybody into a class action, it will be cheaper. Have you ever gotten more than a cent on the dollar from a class action settlement(unless you're the class representative)? Sure the seem like the settlements are a lot of money, but if you can get the class action settled with very few claimants, no one will be able to sue over that particular issue again, so it puts it behind the company. Instead of being dogged by individuals for however long.

Look at your boss and be angry, not the customers. You should not be in a tipped position as a cook.

How is the dad not facing obstruction charges?

Saw a FB post from him with the "Killdozer" drawing, and the text of 'Tread on them'. He may have done good work, but that does not make him heroic.

There is a Planet Money (podcast) episode about this. It's a fairly new economic theory, but actual PhD level economists have said this. Government prints money, and to bring down inflation they need to get taxes to reduce the amount of money in circulation, to control inflation. The epidsode was in the 2019 timeframe, I think.

Something that absolutely works in the abstract, but kinda hard to fit into my current model of reality.

I expect this to get a lot of negative input, but the Orca's free roam space is actually 3x the size they've highlighted. And granted, it's really small compared to the oceans of the world, but someone's purposely lying, and to make the point they don't even need to. Just had to try to get the multiplier to move a tiny bit more, like that would be the sway point.

Still not sure what people expect SeaWorld to do with the orcas they currently have. Should they all be shot? Is that better for the orcas? They would starve to death if released.

Two things are happening simultaneously Russia/China are trying to spread discontent, and Trumps followers are being told they no longer have to abide by social norms that keeps societies civil.

I believe the uncivil thing just always comes in waves as the people that don't like change are forced to change and get resentful. Some kind of event happens and resets the floor, or all the people that don't want to change die off, and things settle down.

And this is the mental framework through which I see the world.

I think The Lockpicking Lawyer (YouTuber)has consistently put out good April's fools videos. I do have a sophomoric sense of humor though, and they are all based on innuendo.

This is a generalization on the same level as "all black people are..." and makes just as much sense. I think they're stupid too, but did it because it's what everyone but the parents wanted. I didn't think the day was about me, but my parents and in-laws were excited about the whole thing, and it made them happy. But apparently that level of self absorption means my two children should be taken from me...

You need to re-examine your life.

That is less than 30k a year. Which is a giant pile of bullshit. Should be getting way more than that. Seems like a statistical anomaly to most government budgets, and needs to be higher to serve as a reminder.