Chris Wellens

I am a retired tech entrepreneur, now a musician and avid hiker, enjoying the wonderful trails in Santa Cruz County, CA.

Last Notes

2025-10-06 18:17:20 UTC

I came across this fascinating article quoting #inequality expert Chuck Collins:
"To understand how wealth at the billionaire level works, Collins breaks it down into four parts: getting the wealth, defending the wealth, political capture and hyper-extraction."
Collins' explanation of "hyper-extraction":
Wealthy individuals invest in private equity companies that figure out "... corners of the economy where they can squeeze things a little bit harder,” Collins said.... ‘Where else can we squeeze money out of the economy?’ Healthcare? Great. Mobile home parks? These people can’t go anywhere, [so] you can raise their rents.”
So, not content with their #billionaire status, they wring more money out of poor people.
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2025/oct/06/billionaire-class-us-inequality?CMP=share_btn_url

2025-09-13 17:46:24 UTC

After I retired last year, I joined a social support program. Once a week I talk to a woman who works as a waitress in Appalachia, who is really struggling. She lives in a cheap apartment with mold that the landlord won't fix; she cannot find a place she can afford. She needs new tires on her car, but cannot afford them. Then I read about Larry Ellison's net worth of $367 Billion. This woman's life would be completely transformed if she had $5,000 more. Ellison would not miss it.
I think everyone who is comfortably well off should get to know a member of the #workingpoor It is really eye-opening how stressful their lives are.
#Billionaires #IncomeInequality

2025-07-26 21:23:16 UTC

On the "Shrinking Trump" podcast yesterday, a psychologist stated that he drove around the neighborhood and jotted down the addresses of houses with Trump signs in their front yards. He then wrote them this anonymous letter: "I am really concerned about your support for a pedophile, and I really hope you can clarify for the sake of the safety of the women and children in the neighborhood." All the signs came down. In two instances, he sent a follow up letter, and then signs came down. #pedophile #psychology

2024-12-11 01:01:50 UTC

- reply

I predict that Luigi will not be going to prison. He will be charged. There will be a trial. The result will be a hung jury. The case will be dismissed.

2024-11-19 16:15:01 UTC

Thinking about how to make it an easy decision to get off "X" and move to Mastodon and assure Mastodon viability for the future.
Three key ideas:
1-easy to understand comparison of BlueSky and Mastodon (see image -- this has the wrong focus, but the right layout)
2-one key concept that makes Mastodon the obvious choice. I would say either "commercial free" or "algorithm free". This should be repeated in all discussions with potential users.
3-a button/link in the top right of the web page that says "Donate". This is the standard location for non-profits to solicit contributions. It means the users do not have to put any effort in figuring out how/where to donate.
#MastodonPR #Mastodon
https://files.sfba.social/media_attachments/files/113/510/499/216/958/269/original/61c373c762575864.png

2024-05-11 22:19:08 UTC

@npub1hw6…gked @npub10nj…fkdv [@bert_hubert](https://fosstodon.org/@bert_hubert )
I believe it is because, in the past, it was difficult to get something published as a book, a newspaper or magazine article. Now, anyone can write something, post it on a website that looks "official", and it has the gravitas of the ages. There's an assumption that the article was "vetted".