I think you’re right, and the original post is wrong to say that vans do it better every time, no exception.

However, I think that a van would be a more practical and better vehicle for a vast majority of people who are driving trucks. It’s just that people don’t care if things are practical, they want things that they think are cool.

You make good points and I agree that in this case, hiring a plumber right off the bat would have given you the better outcome.

As you mentioned, there is some risk to doing it yourself and this risk often motivates people to avoid even attempting to fix things. Part if it really is an exercise in learning about the thing and being realistic about how likely you are to succeed.

However, I don’t think you should characterize the $300 as a total loss. You probably still have that big screwdriver and set of bolt cutters. Some of the toilet parts you bought might have been appropriate and included in the plumber’s repair. You also probably learned a thing or two about plumbing, even if all you learned was that you’d rather hire a professional for future plumbing projects.

“The land of the free? Whoever told you that is your enemy.”

Blow em up, guy

Trying to differentiate between a gas chamber and a life sentence in El Salvador, is really tiptoeing the line.

You can’t just send federal military troops into a state they weren’t invited to and demand that they act as law enforcement, you know.

You’re right, it would be super cool to kill lots of people and blow up all the infrastructure.

Well, there are legal proceedings trying to show that using the federal troops in this way is illegal and have them removed. What exactly are you proposing, that the LAPD start a war with the Marines?

I’m not trying to be negative about blaming people who are in bad financial situations but idk why more people don’t realize that you can get things that you wouldn’t normally be able to afford if you’re willing to learn about them and do some work. Technicians/mechanics aren’t usually geniuses, they’ve just read the manual.

I spent a lot of time having a very tight budget. I realized that the only way to afford my first car was to buy a busted one and fix it myself. I couldn’t afford a mechanic but I could afford a repair manual.

But, I’m also confused by people who simply aren’t curious. They don’t want to know. They’re totally content just not understanding how all of this technology around them works. Like, how are they OK with that?

Mmmmm, ohhhhh, the aalphabeeeeet

You don’t even have to shoot anything. You don’t even have to be holding something capable of shooting something. The cop just has to say that from their perspective it kind of looked like you might have been holding something that could have been capable of shooting something and they’d likely be able to justify murdering you.

I’m so good at not understanding stuff. My time has come.

If the car is stuck behind you, just go the speed limit. If they can pass you but won’t, then slowly take your foot off the gas until they do. If you’re trapping them behind you, you’re the asshole.

If they’re happier with their gym routine than they are with their girlfriend, she’s the wrong girlfriend. Anon did it right.