@patrickcmiller Wait.. Mastodon is a COMPANY? Where's my paycheck? (/me looks over at the other window where my personal instance is up and running...)

@clacke @Radical_EgoCom Do I only get those two choices? If that's the case, then I choose neither, and we've got nothing to discuss.

@Radical_EgoCom Another interesting fact is that the United States is not now, nor has it ever been, a democracy.

@horse It's about priorities. Yours and mine are different, it seems. Nothing wrong with that - you do you - but what I want out of this platform is to learn from people who are different than me, and to share what I know to help others.
The information and shitposts can be humorous, but that's not what I want out of my online experience.

@horse Do you keep inviting people over to your home who never reciprocate?

@horse Because I'm here for personal interaction. The not following back shows a lack of mutual respect or a lack of desire to interact back.
Why would I follow someone who doesn't show the same respect to me?

So, yesterday, I went through and weeded out a few of my "followers" who only seem to boost crap. If I scrolled back more than a week and couldn't find a toot written by a person, that person was removed from my followers list and I un-followed them, as well.
I'm here for PEOPLE, not boosts.
I'm about to remove a bunch of people who haven't followed me back, as well, which is a shame, because from what I'm reading in these peoples' toots, they're the kind of people I want to be around: thinking, self-aware, well balanced, interesting, similar hobbies, etc.

@danlyke Is it the rich, or is it the local governments? Zoning laws are a government thing, not really a "rich" thing (ok.. maybe, somewhat indirectly, but still, Gov't is to blame here, moreso than those with money, IMHO.)

@danlyke The way you describe it, it sounds like a problem with government, not people with more money than they know what to do with...

@danlyke People in California are very different from people in other parts of the country.. but I guess people who hear and regurgitate nonsense are all over... Unfortunately, most of them want to be involved in government, too.
This is one of those cases where less government and less regulation would be a good thing for the governed.