Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Thread

[jon_mx 9,159]

15 hours ago, General Malaise said:

No, you're wrong. You're always wrong.  You've never once been right.  On....anything. 

 

You're either a russian bot or just the.......

 

 

Wait a minute.  

 

 

You're Bueno, aren't you!  Ha!!!  I figured it out.  @buenowhy the alias? 

A post that would get a dozen reports and a lengthy ban from a non-lefty....but from a left it is cheered.  Complete juvenile garbage. 

[squistion 12,632]

1 hour ago, jon_mx said:

A post that would get a dozen reports and a lengthy ban from a non-lefty....but from a left it is cheered.  Complete juvenile garbage. 

Yes, the cheers were overwhelming!

A grand total of two people gave a like to the post. Two.

[jon_mx 9,159]

10 minutes ago, squistion said:

Yes, the cheers were overwhelming!

A grand total of two people gave a like to the post. Two.

Oh confess, you cheered inside.  You can tell me.

[squistion 12,632]

19 minutes ago, jon_mx said:

Oh confess, you cheered inside.  You can tell me.

In this case, no, I didn't. That poster rudely and repeatedly trolled me in a thread, despite my requests to stop (and said a lot worse things). So I wouldn't cheer publicly or secretly anything he posts, nor complain about any suspension given. 

[General Malaise 27,570]

3 hours ago, jon_mx said:

A post that would get a dozen reports and a lengthy ban from a non-lefty....but from a left it is cheered.  Complete juvenile garbage. 

Okay, Bueno.

[General Malaise 27,570]

8 hours ago, Grace Under Pressure said:

 

Sure, and apologies for not replying sooner.

AOC has a knack for connecting with people on social media and in real life.

A big part of her initial campaign when she was elected was going to people's apartment complexes and places of business and connecting with them where they live and work.

She's also quite adept at using social media platforms like IG, Twitter and even Twitch to connect with people online on these platforms, i.e. "where they are". She hosted a digital media class for other members of Congress this past week to help them use social media to better reach their constituents.

Maurile did a more effective job communicating this in fewer words. But I am happy to be replying to your post today.

Thank you, sir!  You did a fine job explaining this to me. 

[dawgtrails 1,157]

22 hours ago, tonydead said:

. 50 years in politics. 

I thought you guys loved this country and think it is thee best on earth? If so, you should be congratulating Mr President for a job well done in his 50 years of service

[Cowboysfan8 7,917]

2 hours ago, dawgtrails said:

I thought you guys loved this country and think it is thee best on earth? If so, you should be congratulating Mr President for a job well done in his 50 years of service

What’d he accomplish?

[FairWarning 1,072]

On 2/5/2021 at 8:18 AM, fatguyinalittlecoat said:

Well I think it’s not as simple as “Hypocrisy! Lying! Drama Queen!”

The two parties are scared of different things.  This is glaringly obvious in every thread.  People on the right talk about BLM protests like they’re the Hunger Games or something, with all the crazy rioting and murdering.  Meanwhile a bunch of regular left-leaning people I’m Facebook friends with went to a bunch of BLM rallies without incident and posted about how proud they were to bring their elementary school kids there.  (I’m sure my kids and I would have gone too if not for COVID).  The BLM protesters were my friends and neighbors, they weren’t packed with scary people.  You guys are genuinely scared of immigrant caravans and sharia law and socialism, which all seem like absurd things to be scared of to me, but maybe not to you.

The video of January 6 was genuinely scary to me.  Honestly just video footage of an average Trump rally was way scarier to me than BLM protests.  You guys may see your friends and neighbors at the Trump rally, I see a bunch of unhinged irrational scary nut jobs.  I don’t interact with people like that.  They are scary unknowns.

So for me when AOC says she was terrified, that rings absolutely true.  I’m sure that she viewed that crowd as scary in the same way I do.  And AOC is one of the most likely members of Congress to be targeted by that crowd and there were thousands of them breaking in, acting violent, saying threatening things, etc.  Even if the crazies never actually got that close to her, she wouldn’t have known from her hiding place where they were or what they were doing.  I feel like I would have feared for my life in that situation.

It’s entirely possible that specific statements of hers taken out of context might come across as over the top.  If you respond to this post with “what about when she said this?”, I’m sure you can make her seem like she’s milking it.  But I think there’s ample reason to think both that AOC was genuinely scared AND that such fear was reasonable in that situation.  

I can rewrite this from my POV and neither of us would be wrong.  I'll disagree about her statements being taken out of context.  Its more like she doesn't let go.  She'll remind us that she almost died countless times.  I'm sure it was very scary, but who does that?

[Apple Jack 4,943]

33 minutes ago, FairWarning said:

I can rewrite this from my POV and neither of us would be wrong.  I'll disagree about her statements being taken out of context.  Its more like she doesn't let go.  She'll remind us that she almost died countless times.  I'm sure it was very scary, but who does that?

Someone trying to drive home the point that her colleagues were partially responsible for it and the ongoing encouragement of mentally ill and crackpots to maintain an ill-informed, heightened state of rage based on lies and irrational fears?

[fatguyinalittlecoat 12,016]

43 minutes ago, FairWarning said:

I can rewrite this from my POV and neither of us would be wrong.  I'll disagree about her statements being taken out of context.  Its more like she doesn't let go.  She'll remind us that she almost died countless times.  I'm sure it was very scary, but who does that?

Yeah, I mean a couple years ago I heard some guy go on and on about how he was a “victim” of the Holocaust and “almost died countless times”. That was like 75 years ago!  Who does that!  Plus it turns out the guy was housed totally on the opposite side of the concentration camp from the gas chambers!  What a drama queen!

[FairWarning 1,072]

1 hour ago, Apple Jack said:

Someone trying to drive home the point that her colleagues were partially responsible for it and the ongoing encouragement of mentally ill and crackpots to maintain an ill-informed, heightened state of rage based on lies and irrational fears?

The last part can be attributed to her and our government from the left also - especially at the state level. 

[parasaurolophus 7,592]

2 hours ago, fatguyinalittlecoat said:

Yeah, I mean a couple years ago I heard some guy go on and on about how he was a “victim” of the Holocaust and “almost died countless times”. That was like 75 years ago!  Who does that!  Plus it turns out the guy was housed totally on the opposite side of the concentration camp from the gas chambers!  What a drama queen!

This is a really bad post. 

[Joe Bryant 10,533]

Please everyone be more cool on this. Thank you. 

[FairWarning 1,072]

2 hours ago, fatguyinalittlecoat said:

Yeah, I mean a couple years ago I heard some guy go on and on about how he was a “victim” of the Holocaust and “almost died countless times”. That was like 75 years ago!  Who does that!  Plus it turns out the guy was housed totally on the opposite side of the concentration camp from the gas chambers!  What a drama queen!

There are countless stories like that.  From 1/6 we have AOCand,,,,,,?  
 

hey, did you hear that AOC almost died?  I couldn’t believe it either.  Maybe she can tell us again in her story on Oprah.  How about Pence or even Pelosi?  Nah, let’s hear more about AOC.

[fatguyinalittlecoat 12,016]

10 minutes ago, FairWarning said:

There are countless stories like that.  From 1/6 we have AOCand,,,,,,?  
 

hey, did you hear that AOC almost died?  I couldn’t believe it either.  Maybe she can tell us again in her story on Oprah.  How about Pence or even Pelosi?  Nah, let’s hear more about AOC.

AOC is the not even close to the only member of Congress that thought her life was in danger and has experienced trauma as a result of January 6.

Here’s a Slate article where multiple other members of Congress said they feared for their lives and are continuing to experience trauma.

Meng has noticed that she now feels “nervous” when she hears people she can’t see making loud noises outside the room she’s in. She’s also gotten calls from fellow members of Congress and their staffers, some of whom she barely knows, to check in on her after hearing what she’d gone through. “And I said, ‘I’m fine, I’m good now,’ ” Meng said. “And then they would just break down and cry, or they would just say to me, ‘I’m not OK.’ And some of these are grown men.”

***
Instead of returning to California for the weekend after the riot, Jacobs stayed in D.C., in part to give herself time to process the attack. She’s talked to her therapist and says she’s feeling “resilient,” but has been experiencing more anxiety than usual, including “a couple moments of really, I would say, feeling the magnitude of what we’re going through.”
***
In the days after the attack, some of the legislators who were in the House gallery during the attack started a text chain. They commiserated about the impact of the assault on their family members, some of whom had received “goodbye” phone calls from spouses in Congress during the riot. 
***
On the Sunday after the riot, the congressional text chain moved to Zoom. Organized by Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington, members of Congress who had been in the gallery spent a couple of hours talking to one another and a trained counselor. Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colorado, a former Army Ranger who served three tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, was on the video chat. “What he has shared with all of us is that the surge of adrenaline that he had, and the fear that he faced—that we all experienced—was the same as combat,” Kuster said.

***
As some of his colleagues have dealt with symptoms of traumatic stress, Crow has reminded them that what they’re enduring is a normal human response to surviving a life-threatening assault. “I feel a responsibility to destigmatize the experience,” he said.

***
 I contacted several Republican members of Congress to see how they’ve been processing the attack. None responded. But Kuster told me that many were “equally terrified,” and Crow says some came crying to him after the assault, fearing they’d be killed by Trump supporters if they voted to impeach the man who incited the riot.

[Ramblin Wreck 14,332]

3 hours ago, fatguyinalittlecoat said:

Yeah, I mean a couple years ago I heard some guy go on and on about how he was a “victim” of the Holocaust and “almost died countless times”. That was like 75 years ago!  Who does that!  Plus it turns out the guy was housed totally on the opposite side of the concentration camp from the gas chambers!  What a drama queen!

Awful post 

[Apple Jack 4,943]

2 minutes ago, fatguyinalittlecoat said:

AOC is the not even close to the only member of Congress that thought her life was in danger and has experienced trauma as a result of January 6.

Here’s a Slate article where multiple other members of Congress said they feared for their lives and are continuing to experience trauma.

Meng has noticed that she now feels “nervous” when she hears people she can’t see making loud noises outside the room she’s in. She’s also gotten calls from fellow members of Congress and their staffers, some of whom she barely knows, to check in on her after hearing what she’d gone through. “And I said, ‘I’m fine, I’m good now,’ ” Meng said. “And then they would just break down and cry, or they would just say to me, ‘I’m not OK.’ And some of these are grown men.”

***
Instead of returning to California for the weekend after the riot, Jacobs stayed in D.C., in part to give herself time to process the attack. She’s talked to her therapist and says she’s feeling “resilient,” but has been experiencing more anxiety than usual, including “a couple moments of really, I would say, feeling the magnitude of what we’re going through.”
***
In the days after the attack, some of the legislators who were in the House gallery during the attack started a text chain. They commiserated about the impact of the assault on their family members, some of whom had received “goodbye” phone calls from spouses in Congress during the riot. 
***
On the Sunday after the riot, the congressional text chain moved to Zoom. Organized by Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington, members of Congress who had been in the gallery spent a couple of hours talking to one another and a trained counselor. Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colorado, a former Army Ranger who served three tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, was on the video chat. “What he has shared with all of us is that the surge of adrenaline that he had, and the fear that he faced—that we all experienced—was the same as combat,” Kuster said.

***
As some of his colleagues have dealt with symptoms of traumatic stress, Crow has reminded them that what they’re enduring is a normal human response to surviving a life-threatening assault. “I feel a responsibility to destigmatize the experience,” he said.

***
 I contacted several Republican members of Congress to see how they’ve been processing the attack. None responded. But Kuster told me that many were “equally terrified,” and Crow says some came crying to him after the assault, fearing they’d be killed by Trump supporters if they voted to impeach the man who incited the riot.

Trying to imagine some of this board being in AOC's shoes here.

[FairWarning 1,072]

2 hours ago, Apple Jack said:

Trying to imagine some of this board being in AOC's shoes here.

I know some who lost their businesses in mostly peaceful protesting.  

[The General 25,025]

2 hours ago, FairWarning said:

There are countless stories like that.  From 1/6 we have AOCand,,,,,,?  
 

hey, did you hear that AOC almost died?  I couldn’t believe it either.  Maybe she can tell us again in her story on Oprah.  How about Pence or even Pelosi?  Nah, let’s hear more about AOC.

Gauging by the reaction in here that’s what people want. She’s like catnip to large portion of the right apparently along with her actual fans.

AOC and her reaction and a break down of her movements that day gets more play in here than why the actual event occurred.

Super weird.

[FairWarning 1,072]

1 minute ago, The General said:

Gauging by the reaction in here that’s what people want. She’s like catnip to large portion of the right apparently along with her actual fans.

AOC and her reaction and a break down of her movements that day gets more play in here than why the actual event occurred.

Super weird.

Or the media could just avoid it also, but that isn’t happening.  

 

I actually want the country to come together, even if it’s Weekend at Bernie’s leading the charge.

[The General 25,025]

3 minutes ago, FairWarning said:

Or the media could just avoid it also, but that isn’t happening.  

 

I actually want the country to come together, even if it’s Weekend at Bernie’s leading the charge.

The AOC threads in here are way more active than the Jan 6th thread. Why is that? 

Weekend at Bernie’s?

[timschochet 35,029]

41 minutes ago, The General said:

 

Weekend at Bernie’s?

Hes making a joke about Biden being really old and out of touch. Its really tiresome at this point. 

[FairWarning 1,072]

4 minutes ago, timschochet said:

Hes making a joke about Biden being really old and out of touch. Its really tiresome at this point. 

Sorry

[Kal El 3,940]

1 hour ago, timschochet said:

Hes making a joke about Biden being really old and out of touch. Its really tiresome at this point. 

Is that still a thing? He’s paid more attention to the job than the last guy did, and it really isn’t close.

[2Squirrels1Nut 2,503]

48 minutes ago, Kal El said:

Is that still a thing? He’s paid more attention to the job than the last guy did, and it really isn’t close.

It's refreshing. Like that first puff of a Lamarie in the morning.

There should have been plans in April-May on how to best distribute the vaccine.  That's just me though.

[Kal El 3,940]

1 hour ago, 2Squirrels1Nut said:

It's refreshing. Like that first puff of a Lamarie in the morning.

There should have been plans in April-May on how to best distribute the vaccine.  That's just me though.

Any type of consistency in the response would have been appreciated, really. But that’s a topic for other threads.

I saw an article in USA Today telling of another Black representative who at least felt similarly to AOC as she barricaded herself in her office.

[Summer Wheat 927]

4 minutes ago, Kal El said:

Any type of consistency in the response would have been appreciated, really. But that’s a topic for other threads.

I saw an article in USA Today telling of another Black representative who at least felt similarly to AOC as she barricaded herself in her office.

I read where some white congress people were scared as well.   

[BladeRunner 2,758]

3 hours ago, timschochet said:

Hes making a joke about Biden being really old and out of touch. Its really tiresome at this point. 

Don't like when its your guys in the crosshairs, do ya'?  Now you know what it feels like.  Hopefully we can use this a a teachable moment. 

[Ramblin Wreck 14,332]

3 hours ago, timschochet said:

Hes making a joke about Biden being really old and out of touch. Its really tiresome at this point. 

Do you need the Washington Post to confirm he's old?

[BladeRunner 2,758]

2 minutes ago, Ramblin Wreck said:

Do you need the Washington Post to confirm he's old?

out of touch would also be accurate too. 

[timschochet 35,029]

5 minutes ago, BladeRunner said:

Don't like when its your guys in the crosshairs, do ya'?  Now you know what it feels like.  Hopefully we can use this a a teachable moment. 

Donald Trump was in the crosshairs, rightfully, because he said and did racist things, told hateful lies, caused the needless deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, committed impeachable acts, and attempted to overturn a lawful national election. If Joe Biden is in some people’s crosshairs for being old, I find that tiresome. 

[BladeRunner 2,758]

3 minutes ago, timschochet said:

Donald Trump was in the crosshairs, rightfully, because he said and did racist things, told hateful lies, caused the needless deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, committed impeachable acts, and attempted to overturn a lawful national election. If Joe Biden is in some people’s crosshairs for being old, I find that tiresome. 

Guess that teachable moment is going to be lost on you.  Too bad.

You could've just said, "It's okay when we make fun of you, but you can't make fun of us".   Then at least we know where the hypocrites stand.

Edited February 7 by BladeRunner

[NorvilleBarnes 4,294]

AOC on Twitter:

Here is the profound danger of what we just did in Syria: A ‘mad king’ President, with majority disapproval of Americans, just decided to bomb a nation without the Constitutional requirement of Congressional approval. Democrats who take war money passed the laws allowing that.

LINK

 

[Summer Wheat 927]

1 hour ago, NorvilleBarnes said:

AOC on Twitter:

Here is the profound danger of what we just did in Syria: A ‘mad king’ President, with majority disapproval of Americans, just decided to bomb a nation without the Constitutional requirement of Congressional approval. Democrats who take war money passed the laws allowing that.

LINK

 

Stories like these are why I hate politics.

 

Eddie Zipperer

@EddieZipperer Feb 24 When Trump was President, @AOC referred to migrant housing facilities as "concentration camps" and said the words "never again" mean something. Now that Biden is president, she's referring to the same housing as "influx facilities."

 

 

Edited March 3 by Summer Wheat

[Ramblin Wreck 14,332]

1 minute ago, Summer Wheat said:

Stories like these are why I hate politics.

 

Eddie Zipperer

@EddieZipperer Feb 24 When Trump was President, @AOC referred to migrant housing facilities as "concentration camps" and said the words "never again" mean something. Now that Biden is president, she's referring to same housing as "influx facilities."

 

 

But she raised money for Texas so it's all good

[squistion 12,632]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @AOC 13h

It is utterly embarrassing that “pay people enough to live” is a stance that’s even up for debate.

Override the parliamentarian and raise the wage. McD’s workers in Denmark are paid $22/hr + 6 wks paid vacation. $15/hr is a deep compromise - a big one, considering the phase in.

https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1366922134057058304

 

Fun Fact:  

Big Mac in USA: $4.80  🍔

Big Mac in Denmark: $5.15  🍔

 

Edited March 3 by squistion

[Summer Wheat 927]

26 minutes ago, squistion said:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @AOC 13h

It is utterly embarrassing that “pay people enough to live” is a stance that’s even up for debate.

Override the parliamentarian and raise the wage. McD’s workers in Denmark are paid $22/hr + 6 wks paid vacation. $15/hr is a deep compromise - a big one, considering the phase in.

https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1366922134057058304

 

Fun Fact:  

Big Mac in USA: $4.80  🍔

Big Mac in Denmark: $5.15  🍔

 

Fun Fact II:

Mcdonald Employees in Japan pays, 931 yen or $8.70 an hour.

Big Mac in Japan costs in US dollars 5.74

[NorvilleBarnes 4,294]

These facts are not fun.

[timschochet 35,029]

1 hour ago, Summer Wheat said:

Stories like these are why I hate politics.

 

Eddie Zipperer

@EddieZipperer Feb 24 When Trump was President, @AOC referred to migrant housing facilities as "concentration camps" and said the words "never again" mean something. Now that Biden is president, she's referring to the same housing as "influx facilities."

 

 

It was a terrible thing to use the phrase “concentration camps”. I wrote that at the time. Awful. 
That being said, the emphasis of AOC’s criticism of Trump’s policies was never the condition of the detainment camps, but that the Trump administration was deliberately attempting to separate families in order to deter others from attempting to come here. Biden has thankfully reversed that policy, which though it didn’t rise to Holocaust level was nonetheless uncivilized and a betrayal of American values. So there is a significant distinction. 

[stlrams 634]

57 minutes ago, timschochet said:

It was a terrible thing to use the phrase “concentration camps”. I wrote that at the time. Awful. 
That being said, the emphasis of AOC’s criticism of Trump’s policies was never the condition of the detainment camps, but that the Trump administration was deliberately attempting to separate families in order to deter others from attempting to come here. Biden has thankfully reversed that policy, which though it didn’t rise to Holocaust level was nonetheless uncivilized and a betrayal of American values. So there is a significant distinction. 

So the Biden policy shift to allow entry for ALL uncompanied children has created the following:

1) influx centers over crowding that caught everyone by surprise.  New centers are opening up. What if we can’t find family and or sponsors of said child?  What then?

2) the increase of migrant children at our borders will continue to increase.  We can and should expect. Are we prepared for a large influx?  

 

 

[timschochet 35,029]

13 minutes ago, stlrams said:

So the Biden policy shift to allow entry for ALL uncompanied children has created the following:

1) influx centers over crowding that caught everyone by surprise.  New centers are opening up. What if we can’t find family and or sponsors of said child?  What then?

2) the increase of migrant children at our borders will continue to increase.  We can and should expect. Are we prepared for a large influx?  

 

 

1. We’ll do our best. Whatever goes wrong it won’t be deliberate. That’s the difference. 
2. I hope so. We should be. Their coming here is a good thing. We have plenty of room. But even if we didn’t, how can we turn them away? 

[stlrams 634]

5 minutes ago, timschochet said:

1. We’ll do our best. Whatever goes wrong it won’t be deliberate. That’s the difference. 
2. I hope so. We should be. Their coming here is a good thing. We have plenty of room. But even if we didn’t, how can we turn them away? 

I understand you are a kind person but we cant become the worlds orphanage.  First there’s the cost to care for all the orphans that will be a ward of the federal government until they turn 18.  Then once released, will they be self sufficient or rely on government subsidies for their time here?  I’m guessing the later for the majority so again we’re adding to an ever increasing government dependent people.  It’s not about room but practically and cost.  

How about like other immigration policies, can we limit the number we accept annually? This would help us manage the influx centers and avoid sky rocketing government spending.  

[quick-hands 493]

On 2/7/2021 at 4:47 PM, timschochet said:

Donald Trump was in the crosshairs, rightfully, because he said and did racist things, told hateful lies, caused the needless deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, committed impeachable acts, and attempted to overturn a lawful national election. If Joe Biden is in some people’s crosshairs for being old, I find that tiresome. 

How about calling black males super predators.   

[the rover 5,557]

1 hour ago, stlrams said:

So the Biden policy shift to allow entry for ALL uncompanied children has created the following:

1) influx centers over crowding that caught everyone by surprise.  New centers are opening up. What if we can’t find family and or sponsors of said child?  What then?

2) the increase of migrant children at our borders will continue to increase.  We can and should expect. Are we prepared for a large influx?  

 

 

These are excellent questions that the Obama administration could not adequately address.   I'd rather have this than Trump's family separation policy and the refusal to provide unaccompanied minors counsel or even hearings, but that still doesn't make this policy sound.  Just less bad in some ways.

[squistion 12,632]

2 hours ago, NorvilleBarnes said:

These facts are not fun.

True, probably not fun at all if you are working at McDonalds in US and not making a living wage.  

[Summer Wheat 927]

56 minutes ago, squistion said:

True, probably not fun at all if you are working at McDonalds in US and not making a living wage.  

Unless you are bucking to manage your own store Never thought working at McDonalds or Taco Bell was supposed to be a career type of job to support yourself. 

 All the people who I know of in the FF industry were HS or college kids, or a part timer looking for a few extra bucks.

[John123 134]

4 hours ago, squistion said:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @AOC 13h

It is utterly embarrassing that “pay people enough to live” is a stance that’s even up for debate.

Override the parliamentarian and raise the wage. McD’s workers in Denmark are paid $22/hr + 6 wks paid vacation. $15/hr is a deep compromise - a big one, considering the phase in.

https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1366922134057058304

 

Fun Fact:  

Big Mac in USA: $4.80  🍔

Big Mac in Denmark: $5.15  🍔

 

Fun Fact:  Denmark has no national minimum wage. 

Fun Fact II: Denmark has much higher taxes than the U.S. and a VAT.

There are more Fun Facts about Denmark but the bottom line is it's not fair to simply compare the hourly rate of employees.  There's a lot more to it that would dilute what looks like a very high hourly rate for an unskilled job.

[stlrams 634]

1 hour ago, the rover said:

These are excellent questions that the Obama administration could not adequately address.   I'd rather have this than Trump's family separation policy and the refusal to provide unaccompanied minors counsel or even hearings, but that still doesn't make this policy sound.  Just less bad in some ways.

I agree but there’s to be more foresight with policy changes and the expected outcomes.  The administration got caught flat footed when the children influx centers suddenly became full.  Let’s find a good working solution rather then one with warts.  

[squistion 12,632]

6 minutes ago, John123 said:

Fun Fact:  Denmark has no national minimum wage. 

Fun Fact II: Denmark has much higher taxes than the U.S. and a VAT.

There are more Fun Facts about Denmark but the bottom line is it's not fair to simply compare the hourly rate of employees.  There's a lot more to it that would dilute what looks like a very high hourly rate for an unskilled job.

Isn’t it amazing what a free market can do.

Actually, the bottom line is that the workers are paid a lot more, have more benefits and the burgers are only .35 higher. 

Another Fun Fact:

In-N-Out (the best burger chain west of the Mississippi IMO) has an average hourly wage of about $14-$17/hour and a double double combo is around the same as a Big Mac combo.

https://twitter.com/tagsavage/status/1353523982234832897 (photo of In-N-Out hiring sign and menu)