Joe Biden's Presidency

[Ecocharger + 1,447]

6 hours ago, Boat said:

I thought you reds had moved on from the constitution. You wanna ask for a vote that’s fraud ridden for an admendant to kill the Vice President and Congress? Roosevelt promised a chicken in every pot. Today’s Republicans want a gallows at every government attack.🤣

Right now the gallows are being set up to extinguish American freedoms....this is a left wing revolution.

[waltz + 140]

11 hours ago, ronwagn said:

Please explain your understanding of worst characteristics of positive liberty and negative liberty?

What I the United States Constitution requires is amendments of the Constitution or a Constitutional Convention ratified by the states. Ignoring the Constitution is Not Acceptable and can easily lead to rebellion or revolution. The Supreme Court must abide by the literal writing of the Constitution and not some made up nonsense. 

Ron, as to your second paragraph, I fully Agee.

I meant that a business, be it a bakery in Colorado, a restaurant in Texas or a Lyft/Uber driver should be allowed to determine how they do business without the courts forcing unwarranted demands on them.  ie. Bake a cake for a gay couple or not allowing them to have a mask mandate for customers.  Negative liberty as being free from government interference.  Let the market decide whether your chosen policies are viable or not.

By the worst characteristics of positive freedom, I mean a move toward collective accommodation/appeasement for warm fuzzy feels.  Look at HT 1, for one example, studies have found that maintaining the voter rolls have no significant effect on any race over another.  Just interference by the Federal government on something that is clearly left to the states.  Positive freedom run amok, 

      waltz 

[ronwagn + 6,290]

4 hours ago, waltz said:

Ron, as to your second paragraph, I fully Agee.

I meant that a business, be it a bakery in Colorado, a restaurant in Texas or a Lyft/Uber driver should be allowed to determine how they do business without the courts forcing unwarranted demands on them.  ie. Bake a cake for a gay couple or not allowing them to have a mask mandate for customers.  Negative liberty as being free from government interference.  Let the market decide whether your chosen policies are viable or not.

By the worst characteristics of positive freedom, I mean a move toward collective accommodation/appeasement for warm fuzzy feels.  Look at HT 1, for one example, studies have found that maintaining the voter rolls have no significant effect on any race over another.  Just interference by the Federal government on something that is clearly left to the states.  Positive freedom run amok, 

      waltz 

The federal government has manipulated the states in many ways over the decades. One is to offer large sums of money for various purposes regarding educational content,  police cooperation, funding for failing states (as in "covid relief" that supports teachers unions, and on and on. 

[Eyes Wide Open + 3,552]

Well ill be dammened it looks like old Uncle Joe is a miracle worker, 52 days in office and the US now gets the entire population open to vaccination in the next 30 days..

Ohh and by chance if one ever wonders why it took so long to distribute Trumps vaccine you know operation warp speed...the one with no plan. It seems the world is about to benefit.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/12/us-and-pacific-partners-to-flood-asia-with-vaccines-475571

U.S. and Pacific partners to flood Asia with vaccines

The Quad alliance hopes to counter China’s vaccine diplomacy with 1 billion shots acros

[surrept33 + 609]

10 hours ago, waltz said:

Ron, as to your second paragraph, I fully Agee.

I meant that a business, be it a bakery in Colorado, a restaurant in Texas or a Lyft/Uber driver should be allowed to determine how they do business without the courts forcing unwarranted demands on them.  ie. Bake a cake for a gay couple or not allowing them to have a mask mandate for customers.  Negative liberty as being free from government interference.  Let the market decide whether your chosen policies are viable or not.

By the worst characteristics of positive freedom, I mean a move toward collective accommodation/appeasement for warm fuzzy feels.  Look at HT 1, for one example, studies have found that maintaining the voter rolls have no significant effect on any race over another.  Just interference by the Federal government on something that is clearly left to the states.  Positive freedom run amok, 

      waltz 

There are two related supreme court cases going on right now: Brnovich v. DNC, one of the major provisions being contested is out of precinct voting laws in for example Arizona.

In the case, Justice Amy Coney Barrett asked the lawyer defending the GOP-backed laws: “What’s the interest of the Arizona RNC here in keeping, say, the out-of-precinct ballot disqualification rules on the books?”

“Because it puts us at a competitive disadvantage relative to Democrats,” the lawyer, Michael Carvin, responded. “Politics is a zero-sum game.”

Never mind that most of these types of laws were put in the books by the Republicans in the first place. At least he said it out loud, kind of because he had to - the case was purported to be about the 15th amendment and the Voting Rights Act section 2, but really, the Republicans want to make it more of a pain in the ass for people (who they think are likely going to vote for Democrats) to vote. Never mind that often times, it's indirect, for example, if you live in a big city, you'll probably have huge lines around the block if you try voting on election day or have to go from one end of a city to another end to vote.

Now, let's see some of what (I thought was interesting in) HR1 as passed by the house. I do fully expect that it will be watered down if the Democrats decide to forgo the filibuster and pass it with a party line vote, which is almost assured.

I do think there is some things that will be pulled for constitutional reasons, but there is plenty of other things that congress does have the ability to enact constitutionally (depending on what part of the constitution you interpret as more important than other conflicting parts of the constitution). 

For example, this was the opinion of former Chairman of the Federal Election Commision (and Republican) Trevor Potter: https://www.wsj.com/articles/h-r-1-isnt-at-all-an-unconstitutional-bill-11614199984

 

Voting Rights:

1. Makes voter registration opt out rather than opt in. 

2. Requires each state make voting registration/changes online.

3. For federal (not state) elections, requires 15 days of early voting. Early voting sites would be open 10 hours per day. 

4. Prohibits states from restricting a person's ability to vote by mail.

5. Requires bipartisan redistricting in states to end gerrymandering in federal elections.

6. Bans the use of non-forwardable mail from using used to purge voters from rolls.

7. Restores voting rights to felons who have served jail times, but not people in prison now.

 

Campaign Finance/Transparency:

1. Reestablish public financing of campaigns. The federal government would do a 6:1 match of all small donations. Funded by a 4.75% fee on criminal and civil fines with banks and corporations that commit malfeasance (like Wells Fargo)

2. Creates a constitutional amendment (which would have to be ratified by the states) to end Citizens United (unlimited corporate spending on elections)

3. Requires super PACs and dark money to make large dollar donations public.

4. Requires social media platforms disclose sources of money for political ads and share how much money was spent.

5. Requires disclosure of political spending by government contractors and flow of foreign funds by any shell companies that are domiciled outside of the United States.

6. Restructures the Federal Election Commision to have 5 comminishers instead of 6 in order to avoid partisan gridlock.

7. Strengthens laws against coordination between super PACs and candidates.

 

Ethics and conflicts of interest:

1. Requires the President and Vice President, as well as candidates for these offices to disclose tax returns.

2. Prohibits members of Congress from using taxpayer money to settle harassment or discrimination cases.

3. Gives the Office of Government Ethics more oversight of foreign agents by the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

4. Creates a new ethics code for the US Supreme Court.

[Dan Warnick + 6,100]

[Eyes Wide Open + 3,552]

1 hour ago, Dan Warnick said:

Ohh my, a bull in a China shop? Pun intended.

[Symmetry + 109]

On 3/12/2021 at 2:00 PM, ronwagn said:

The federal government has manipulated the states in many ways over the decades. One is to offer large sums of money for various purposes regarding educational content,  police cooperation, funding for failing states (as in "covid relief" that supports teachers unions, and on and on. 

Trump was no different.  He bought votes in red farming states with cash handouts because they were suffering from the China trade war. 

Remember, Trump wanted more "covid relief" too, he just wanted to be the one handing out the cash to boost his popularity.

 

[ronwagn + 6,290]

On 3/12/2021 at 10:39 PM, surrept33 said:

There are two related supreme court cases going on right now: Brnovich v. DNC, one of the major provisions being contested is out of precinct voting laws in for example Arizona.

In the case, Justice Amy Coney Barrett asked the lawyer defending the GOP-backed laws: “What’s the interest of the Arizona RNC here in keeping, say, the out-of-precinct ballot disqualification rules on the books?”

“Because it puts us at a competitive disadvantage relative to Democrats,” the lawyer, Michael Carvin, responded. “Politics is a zero-sum game.”

Never mind that most of these types of laws were put in the books by the Republicans in the first place. At least he said it out loud, kind of because he had to - the case was purported to be about the 15th amendment and the Voting Rights Act section 2, but really, the Republicans want to make it more of a pain in the ass for people (who they think are likely going to vote for Democrats) to vote. Never mind that often times, it's indirect, for example, if you live in a big city, you'll probably have huge lines around the block if you try voting on election day or have to go from one end of a city to another end to vote.

Now, let's see some of what (I thought was interesting in) HR1 as passed by the house. I do fully expect that it will be watered down if the Democrats decide to forgo the filibuster and pass it with a party line vote, which is almost assured.

I do think there is some things that will be pulled for constitutional reasons, but there is plenty of other things that congress does have the ability to enact constitutionally (depending on what part of the constitution you interpret as more important than other conflicting parts of the constitution). 

For example, this was the opinion of former Chairman of the Federal Election Commision (and Republican) Trevor Potter: https://www.wsj.com/articles/h-r-1-isnt-at-all-an-unconstitutional-bill-11614199984

 

Voting Rights:

1. Makes voter registration opt out rather than opt in. 

2. Requires each state make voting registration/changes online.

3. For federal (not state) elections, requires 15 days of early voting. Early voting sites would be open 10 hours per day. 

4. Prohibits states from restricting a person's ability to vote by mail.

5. Requires bipartisan redistricting in states to end gerrymandering in federal elections.

6. Bans the use of non-forwardable mail from using used to purge voters from rolls.

7. Restores voting rights to felons who have served jail times, but not people in prison now.

 

Campaign Finance/Transparency:

1. Reestablish public financing of campaigns. The federal government would do a 6:1 match of all small donations. Funded by a 4.75% fee on criminal and civil fines with banks and corporations that commit malfeasance (like Wells Fargo)

2. Creates a constitutional amendment (which would have to be ratified by the states) to end Citizens United (unlimited corporate spending on elections)

3. Requires super PACs and dark money to make large dollar donations public.

4. Requires social media platforms disclose sources of money for political ads and share how much money was spent.

5. Requires disclosure of political spending by government contractors and flow of foreign funds by any shell companies that are domiciled outside of the United States.

6. Restructures the Federal Election Commision to have 5 comminishers instead of 6 in order to avoid partisan gridlock.

7. Strengthens laws against coordination between super PACs and candidates.

 

Ethics and conflicts of interest:

1. Requires the President and Vice President, as well as candidates for these offices to disclose tax returns.

2. Prohibits members of Congress from using taxpayer money to settle harassment or discrimination cases.

3. Gives the Office of Government Ethics more oversight of foreign agents by the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

4. Creates a new ethics code for the US Supreme Court.

The socialist forces are setting up a situation that might demand revolution to overcome the prolific legal and illegal tyrrany. The Republican Party does not seem up to the game. IMHO the Constitution is being overwritten by overwhelming leftists forces and their useful idiots. The rules of the election process have been adulterated and the process is rapidly continuing. The Supreme Court Justices seem to be hapless onlookers without a meaningful voice. Most large states legislatures are selling out for federal money (As has been the case for decades.) We will know more by the 2022 elections. 

[Eyes Wide Open + 3,552]

16 hours ago, Symmetry said:

Trump was no different.  He bought votes in red farming states with cash handouts because they were suffering from the China trade war. 

Remember, Trump wanted more "covid relief" too, he just wanted to be the one handing out the cash to boost his popularity.

 

 

[surrept33 + 609]

15 hours ago, ronwagn said:

The socialist forces are setting up a situation that might demand revolution to overcome the prolific legal and illegal tyrrany. The Republican Party does not seem up to the game. IMHO the Constitution is being overwritten by overwhelming leftists forces and their useful idiots. The rules of the election process have been adulterated and the process is rapidly continuing. The Supreme Court Justices seem to be hapless onlookers without a meaningful voice. Most large states legislatures are selling out for federal money (As has been the case for decades.) We will know more by the 2022 elections. 

I'm not sure what socialism has anything to do with anything. Personally, I love the creative destruction of capitalism, but probably in a silicon valley sense (it's more about a mentality about risk taking than a place). this is a form of libertarian. What is that? Regulate every industry except that the one I'm currently in. I jest. 

More nuanced, almost all successful economies are more or less this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed_economy

What's the definition of a mixed economy? Well, it's a "spectrum", not a binary true/false thing - see this part of 'classical' logic. people tend to rail against it because it introduces too many false choices: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_excluded_middle

I like behavioral economics (the sociology of perceived scarcity) myself. It works better in a internetworked world.

Instead of a zero-sum game (the wolves eat other wolves, and end up with a heightened chronic cortisol response problem, everyone loses!), you could for example, just turn it into a self-domesticated cat and mouse problem :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-organizing_map#Applications 

Usually in practice, cutting the 'gordian cord' works better (you change the game by linking different game spaces, these days, usually by changing incentivization structures), often this helps you get the "good pages" more quickly by removing organizational inertia/friction. For example, I remember working on this, we more or less defeated the evil empire (Internet Explorer) by working collaboratively across borders on sharing of best practices:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WebKit#Origins

 

Edited March 14, 2021 by surrept33

[Symmetry + 109]

8 hours ago, Eyes Wide Open said:

 

 

The money isn't coming from your wallet.  The USA doesn't collect near enough taxes to support their spending habits and haven't for a long time.  This money, like what Trump did, was made out of thin air; it will never be paid back.   Your children and grandchildren will just pay interest on your debt.

If you don't like it give your stimulus money to charity, which you won't, because you actually like it or even need the money.

 

Edited March 15, 2021 by Symmetry

[Eyes Wide Open + 3,552]

57 minutes ago, Symmetry said:

 

The money isn't coming from your wallet.  The USA doesn't collect near enough taxes to support their spending habits and haven't for a long time.  This money, like what Trump did, was made out of thin air; it will never paid back.   Your children and grandchildren will just pay interest on your debt.

If you don't like it give your stimulus money to charity, which you won't, because you actually like it or even need the money.

 

You are now out of your wheelhouse E, perhaps a thread to stay away from. Chinese nor Canadians know very little on tax US tax codes, state tax codes or personal income tax laws. Wikipedia nor google will not aid you here.   

[Symmetry + 109]

2 minutes ago, Eyes Wide Open said:

 know very little on tax US tax codes, state tax codes or personal income tax laws. Wikipedia nor google will not aid you here.   

Open your eyes to the budget - nowhere near balanced.  This is not money out of someones wallet, this is filling wallets with printed money made from debt...

Simple math - many people are being given more than they contribute. The stimulus is NOT coming from taxes or you wouldn't have massive deficits.

 

[Eyes Wide Open + 3,552]

19 hours ago, Symmetry said:

Open your eyes to the budget - nowhere near balanced.  This is not money out of someones wallet, this is filling wallets with printed money made from debt...

Simple math - many people are being given more than they contribute. The stimulus is NOT coming from taxes or you wouldn't have massive deficits.

 

Have a read E....if anyone thinks 150k is wealthy....well maybe they are idiots..and that is being kind.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonynitti/2021/03/04/changes-to-the-latest-covid-relief-bill-create-massive-tax-rates-for-some-families/?sh=5f84c330279e

Changes To The Latest COVID Relief Bill Create Massive Tax Rates for Some Families

[Dan Warnick + 6,100]

Contrary to some people's opinion, the U.S. debt is highly manageable.  Something to consider:

The rule of thumb for a home mortgage is that is should be capped at about 28-30% of income, and be for a term of up to 30 years.

U.S. Federal Tax revenue is reportedly between $3.75 - $4.0 Trillion/year.

Let's take $3.75 Trillion X 28%.  You get $1.05 Trillion.

$1.05 Trillion times 30 years = $31.5 Trillion

Current U.S. Debt, according to "The Debt Clock" is about $28 Trillion.

 

[Ward Smith + 6,615]

15 minutes ago, Dan Warnick said:

Contrary to some people's opinion, the U.S. debt is highly manageable.  Something to consider:

The rule of thumb for a home mortgage is that is should be capped at about 28-30% of income, and be for a term of up to 30 years.

U.S. Federal Tax revenue is reportedly between $3.75 - $4.0 Trillion/year.

Let's take $3.75 Trillion X 28%.  You get $1.05 Trillion.

$1.05 Trillion times 30 years = $31.5 Trillion

Current U.S. Debt, according to "The Debt Clock" is about $28 Trillion.

 

Not to mention the "asset value" the govt holds, including roughly 50% of the western states' land. I've posted the pic here before of "who owns the west". Eye opening. 

Edited March 15, 2021 by Ward Smith

[Eyes Wide Open + 3,552]

8 minutes ago, Dan Warnick said:

Contrary to some people's opinion, the U.S. debt is highly manageable.  Something to consider:

The rule of thumb for a home mortgage is that is should be capped at about 28-30% of income, and be for a term of up to 30 years.

U.S. Federal Tax revenue is reportedly between $3.75 - $4.0 Trillion/year.

Let's take $3.75 Trillion X 28%.  You get $1.05 Trillion.

$1.05 Trillion times 30 years = $31.5 Trillion

Current U.S. Debt, according to "The Debt Clock" is about $28 Trillion.

 

Now Mr Warnick that calculation is based of monthly or yrly net income, not gross. The US experienced the ramification's of miscalculating gross vs net once upon a time...It was called the housing crisis if i do remember correctly. 

More to the point the both then and now the housing crisis was started due to variable interest rates...just as the debt repayment is..Just a few points caused a world wide collapse.

https://www.thebalance.com/interest-on-the-national-debt-4119024

[Symmetry + 109]

36 minutes ago, Dan Warnick said:

Contrary to some people's opinion, the U.S. debt is highly manageable.  Something to consider:

The rule of thumb for a home mortgage is that is should be capped at about 28-30% of income, and be for a term of up to 30 years.

U.S. Federal Tax revenue is reportedly between $3.75 - $4.0 Trillion/year.

Let's take $3.75 Trillion X 28%.  You get $1.05 Trillion.

$1.05 Trillion times 30 years = $31.5 Trillion

Current U.S. Debt, according to "The Debt Clock" is about $28 Trillion.

 

People tend to make payments on mortgages. 

 

Edited March 15, 2021 by Symmetry

[Eyes Wide Open + 3,552]

Well now is this not interesting, Another attempt to bring Trump up on criminal charge's another attempt to discredit a duly elected president by.. "RUMOR HAS IT" Not a problem says the progressive left..print a simple retraction. Now that Trump is no longer a president will he have the ability to sue for such Libelous statements?

More than probably not yet it will make for great Cannon Fodder in the 2022 election cycle would it not. One can see it already, Donald Trump makes a bid for Florida's Congressman, Rumor Has It his next stop will be Speaker Of The House..and then there is all those investigative committees..Nasty stuff Real Nasty...Perhaps the mythical Kracken has been released, only time will tell.. Personally i will enjoy the spin being put on it....It will make for great campaign material..

The Washington Post’s correction about Trump’s phone call to a Georgia official, explained

https://www.vox.com/2021/3/16/22333805/washington-post-correction-trump-georgia

VS...

The story was a hoax’: Donald Trump hits out after stunning Washington Post retraction

https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/media/the-story-was-a-hoax-donald-trump-hits-out-after-stunning-washington-post-retraction/news-story/4316de0c552800a040bc59332cd79964

 

Edited March 16, 2021 by Eyes Wide Open

[Symmetry + 109]

45 minutes ago, Eyes Wide Open said:

 

More than probably not yet it will make for great Cannon Fodder in the 2022 election cycle would it not. One can see it already, Donald Trump makes a bid for Florida's Congressman, Rumor Has It his next stop will be Speaker Of The House..and then there is all those investigative committees..Nasty stuff Real Nasty...Perhaps the mythical Kracken has been released, only time will tell.. Personally i will enjoy the spin being put on it....It will make for great campaign material..

 

 

More fantasy; but at least on some level you know you are imagining things as evident by using terms like "one can see it already" and "the mythical."

Time does tell; listen to what it is telling you.  Read the election thread from the beginning. 

Edited March 16, 2021 by Symmetry

[Eyes Wide Open + 3,552]

2 hours ago, Symmetry said:

More fantasy; but at least on some level you know you are imagining things as evident by using terms like "one can see it already" and "the mythical."

Time does tell; listen to what it is telling you.  Read the election thread from the beginning. 

Big E your takes aways on life are extraordinary, but right now i am enjoying myself watching the far left portray social justice thru batman movies. I shall have some fun with that amoungest my liberal associates....they are not to happy right now.

Edited March 16, 2021 by Eyes Wide Open

[ronwagn + 6,290]

On 3/15/2021 at 4:27 PM, Dan Warnick said:

Contrary to some people's opinion, the U.S. debt is highly manageable.  Something to consider:

The rule of thumb for a home mortgage is that is should be capped at about 28-30% of income, and be for a term of up to 30 years.

U.S. Federal Tax revenue is reportedly between $3.75 - $4.0 Trillion/year.

Let's take $3.75 Trillion X 28%.  You get $1.05 Trillion.

$1.05 Trillion times 30 years = $31.5 Trillion

Current U.S. Debt, according to "The Debt Clock" is about $28 Trillion.

 

Home prices in all of the prefered areas are all extremely high IMHO. I live in one of the lowest priced areas in the country, central Illinois. What is hurting us is that Chicago is now in firm control of our government. Nothing good can come from that and many will be leaving for greener pastures. GTT stands for gone to Texas. People in much of the country used to carve that in trees around the country. Prospective buyers need to look closely at what they are getting into with high mortgages and should look for 15 year fixed rates. 

[surrept33 + 609]

On 3/15/2021 at 4:42 PM, Ward Smith said:

Not to mention the "asset value" the govt holds, including roughly 50% of the western states' land. I've posted the pic here before of "who owns the west". Eye opening. 

You can thank Teddy Roosevelt for that. 

[Symmetry + 109]

On 3/15/2021 at 3:42 PM, Ward Smith said:

Not to mention the "asset value" the govt holds, including roughly 50% of the western states' land. I've posted the pic here before of "who owns the west". Eye opening. 

Location, location, location.  It would be very Ward like to use these numbers.

Areas are not values.

Edited March 17, 2021 by Symmetry