Hoyt
Hoyt's JournalUnderstand significance of fight over TX voting rights, and detest the legislation
proposed by GOPers, but I hope this “leaving to avoid a quorum” thing ends soon. Don’t think it will look good long-term and it’s not going to change anything.
I can see most State Supreme Courts ruling similar to Texas on a a political party stalling on voting on an issue by leaving state. To me, it’s unbecoming no matter which Party does it. The quorum rule was written to prevent calling a quick vote to pass some controversial legislation when members cannot get to the vote.
Again, I applaud doing anything necessary to try to avert “big lie” voting laws. But, that kind of stuff can be used by any minority party to block significant legislation.
Plus, I believe courts may offer some relief from onerous voting legislation. And, whatever obstacles are left, Democrats— and Stacy Abrams’ group, etc. — will figure out a way to mitigate damage.
Amazon paid zero taxes. That's different from Bezos and millions of
stockholders. They pay taxes.
Under current tax laws, right or wrong, young companies get accelerated depreciation and deductions for research, etc. That stuff, we often call loopholes, has been approved and promoted by Democrats and GOPers over the years to spur jobs and the economy.
When those accelerated deductions fizzle out, Amazon will pay taxes, but perhaps offset by continued growth.
In the meantime, the US Treasury has collected tens of billions from stock sales, people who helped build Amazon (I’ll grant you some employees on the lower end did not fare as well) paying taxes, etc. And they built a damn delivery system that helped a lot of people during the pandemic.
Again, I’m for more Bezos, albeit taxed properly including a minimum tax for companies like Amazon.
Yes, Sen Warren, Amazon doesn't pay a lot of taxes. But Bezos does.
He pays when he sells stock to fund his lifestyle. Plus, every time some small or large stockholder sells his stock, they pay taxes.
When Bezos’ xwife gives billions to charity, she pays taxes, although she often gets a deduction.
Amazon — what most call Bezos — will eventually pay taxes on income as startup, research, etc., deductions phase out.
I don’t despise Bezos. In fact to fund all the stuff we want/deserve, we need a bunch of Bezos.
We just need to increase their taxes.
They should definitely have the right to sue. Gun profiteers pay big bucks to lobbying organizations
like the NRA to spread lies, attempt to buy legislators, promote buying gunz, run ads like the one below, promote violence, etc. Heck, yeah, there are grounds for lawsuits.
?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale
Feel the same. Dream on.
There are hundreds of articles out there on how trump would be removed from office because he colluded with Russians, paid hush money to porn stars, Cohen, Flynn and Manafort would flip on him, Mueller would take him down, Ukraine would be his downfall, Epstein would get him, they’d get him in impeachment, extorting votes from state officials, Jan 6 insurrection would nail him, and much more.
If those didn’t bring him down, a scheme run by trump’s CFO and Controller likely won’t either. Sorry, I wish it would. But it won’t.
Sorry, but I don't see how this is devastating. First, how hard is it to get to the right precinct?
I think Democrats are smart enough to get that right. Those few who can't determine their correct precinct should be able to call local Dem organizations for help.
Nor, do I see it a particular problem to deliver your own ballots, either in person or putting in in the mailbox outside your door.
Now, I don't believe the laws were necessary, but they are not devastating unless we think Democrats are stupid or helpless. Now, if the Supreme Court rules something like you have have a chip implanted to vote, we've got a serious problem. But they aren't going to rule that.
That's exactly what happened to me, not that I had not already seen things that bothered me in high
school -- separate, and unequal, schools, segregated water fountains, employment ads in a large newspaper that actually said "Only Caucasians need apply," and much worse crud. But truth is, I still was at a point where I'd hesitate a bit to make sure I was using "integration" and "segregation" correctly because those issues weren't really talked about in classes.
I was very lucky. I went to a typical southern conservative university in 1967. We are talking about colleges where the fraternity houses had big confederate flags hanging on the antebellum houses. One of the reasons I avoided fraternities. The alumni did include the likes of Jimmy Carter, Sam Nunn, and numerous scholars. So, it was not totally rubesville, although a lot of students were rubes.
Anyway, my first quarter there I needed one more course to fill out my hours. Only thing I could find was a Sociology class at 8:00AM three days a week, including Saturday. I almost didn't take it because I hated early classes.
The first few sessions were pretty normal, although the professor was an odd, but likable type. One Monday he walked in with a big bandage on his head. He had been at the city park over the weekend for a large demonstration -- civil rights and Vietnam -- and had been arrested/beaten by police.
After telling us what happened, he said go ahead and sell your sociology books because we are going off script. The class turned into something very similar to Howard Zinn's book A People's History of the United States written over a decade later.
I never learned as much in any other class. Just a few years ago I saw where he had died in his 80s. I wrote a long response to the notice expressing my sincere thanks for his class and the risks he took teaching such matters back in the 1960s.
Do you think "minority constituents" are going to let a few new obstacles keep them from voting?
I don't, because they never have.
I'd prefer to see the voting rights legislation pass. But I don't think it is dire as people are trying to make it appear.
Nor, do I think Democrats are as stupid and helpless as some seem to think.
Agree with tax hike for sure. Personally, I don't care how much top executives make
as long as corporate heads are attuned to society, employees, company, consumer, future generations, stockholders (no particular order).
Hell, if they figure out a way to give employees on the lower end a big raise, I’m OK with execs getting a big increase. (talking relatively large companies.)
Had the pleasure of singing "Blowin in the Wind" at a local small bar 60th Dylan Birthday Party.
Luckily, they kept no video. I think it's Dylan's best song among many great ones.
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Member since: Thu Jan 20, 2005, 09:46 PMNumber of posts: 54,770