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Small-Scale Question Sunday for October 12, 2025

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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In case of Russia, they don't. That's why they introduced a new "self-employed" status a few years ago with much lower taxes on income to incentivize people to report their cake baking and pipe fixing and dunce tutoring. (It's different with the farmers since they don't really sell grain to individuals and mill that buy it from them provide the record of buying it.) But the self-employed are small fish and it's not worth it to personally hunt down every single one of them.

The next set of carrot and stick that will be used to ensure compliance is probably government-run crypto. It's easy to inject it into the economy: social security of every kind. All transactions using them will be 100% transparent to the government.

dunce tutoring

I assume this is a typo for "dance", but I find it rather amusing.

ETA: This dumb brought to you by not being fully awake.

No, it seems pretty clear ESOL for teaching kids that don’t live up to their potential- despite how low that potential is.

A 'dunce' is an idiot or a slow learner. See also the 'dunce's cap' which was used to shame and humiliate children who were disruptive or did not learn.

It's not a typo.