U.S. Politics: By Gawd King, That's Joe Biden's Music!!!!

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

2 hours ago, Ormond said:

Why are you insulting 12 year olds? I think Trump's temperament is more like a child of 2, not 12.

I taught 5^th and 7^th graders part time for a year, and I was largely working with children with learning and/or behavioral issues. They were all more mature than Trump, and I’m not saying that as a joke. The guy has no emotional self-control.

[Zorral]

12 hours ago, Kalbear said:

Sadly the best shot for a woman to be POTUS is some antifeminist horror show from the right.

You're joking? 2016 . . . .

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12 hours ago, A True Kaniggit said:

I don’t think speaking skills are an issue. 

Of for the golden days of yore when public speaking was a talent that everybody admired, and was a major form of entertainment and appreciation. People studied and practiced rhetoric and the other tools of public speaking assiduously.  Not only politicians and candidates drew enormous crowds to listen to them expound in the House and Senate and campaign rallies, and elsewhere for hours at a time, but also ministers like Henry Ward Beecher. But we're in the age of mumble and even contempt for language all together.

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Today, going to Accuweather, a commercial came up, which was targeted at New York, informing us in the ways t's targeted New York health care and put New York in danger. I'm assuming it's something bloomb is funding, which is a good thing. He could do so much public good if he's just buy faux noose!

[DireWolfSpirit]

My observation is that the inverted yield of previous months once again proves its reliability as a recession forecaster. 

More important than ever now to send King Orange and Melania Antoinette packing. Before this is over we will need a FDR style Democrat that will see to the safety net with the basics like unemployment extensions and food stamps for the needy in all likelihood. Buckle up, were there.

[Zorral]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/09/us/virus-election-voting.html?

Quote

.... Just how big a public health emergency the virus will become remains unknown. But the virus is already affecting the primaries in complications for voters overseas, canceled party fund-raisers and polling places that opened late on Super Tuesday because worried poll workers failed to show up. And if the outbreak continues to grow and intensify, or if, like the 1918 influenza, the contagion abates and then comes roaring back in the fall, it may soon be too late to do anything about it before the presidential election....

Never has the VP choice been so important; it's never happened that a nominated candidate became incapacitated or died (as POTUS,  more than once though it happened). 

If the nominee of either party dies or becomes incapacitated this year the VP designate will have to step up.

Quote

 

“The problem is, we don’t have a plan for what happens if a part of the country faces a disruption on a presidential Election Day,” said Rick Hasen, an election law expert at the University of California-Irvine’s law school. He said Congress should right now be considering federal legislation that would address potential voting trouble. “What if one part of the country is affected, if it’s California or Florida?” he said. “The closer we to get to the election, the harder it’s going to be to come up with rules that look fair.”

This was indeed a factor in the 1918 election, which was not a presidential year but was plagued by issues nationwide involving quarantines and emergency measures. Al Smith, running as a Democrat for governor of New York, accused local Republican officials of calling last-minute bans on public gatherings to tamp down his support, rather than to prevent the spread of flu, according to a 2010 study of that election year. The outcome of a local judicial race in Idaho was eventually overturned in part because special arrangements were made to allow a small group of people under quarantine to vote.

....“What happens if all your poll workers get sick?” asked Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap of Maine, raising a possibility that could worsen an already serious shortage of willing poll workers, who tend to be older people and thus much more vulnerable to the disease. “If this thing continues to spread and grow, then you have to figure out how to compensate for that.”

 

 

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

59 minutes ago, Rippounet said:

Piketty's point has always been that States should do more to enforce taxes, and that international collaboration is paramount to achieve that.

In other words, Piketty's "global wealth tax" is meant precisely to prevent the States from competing with one another. I'm tempted to say you'd know that if you'd read his books.

For instance, him and others have been pushing for a "global financial registry." That's hardly "utopian." Quite the contrary, it's a very pragmatic proposition that is perfectly achievable, and a first step toward collaboration instead of competition. If you think such ideas are not grounded in realism you'll have to give us more than soundbites to demonstrate that.

Also, you seem to be underestimating the power of the State to tax wealth, especially when we're focusing on the US of all nations. I would have thought that the 2010 Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) had demonstrated that the US has far-reaching powers to enforce a wealth tax if it wants to.

Well, first, "every incentive" is rather debatable. Having wealth located within one's sovereignty is pointless if that wealth is not generating (or barely generating) revenue for the State or jobs for the local community.
Let's be clear that wealth and investment are two different things. And contrary to what one might think it's not that difficult to find and tax wealth if there is political will.

Because even if one was to assume that States are competing to attract wealth for solid reasons... It's still possible for public opinion to put pressure on their State to tax wealth. It's not easy to get politicians on board, but it's not impossible either. That's where changing the terms of the discussion comes in. People don't realize that there is nothing utopian about enforcing wealth taxes. Even without the US's far-reaching powers, tax controls and exit taxes go a long way toward preventing tax evasion. Not only is it much easier to prevent than people generally assume, but even the super-wealthy aren't all opposed to paying a fair share of taxes anyway.

That's a different discussion. But even there I think your position is not as strong as you think it is. People make voluntary contributions to their community or society all the time. Most people are fine with the idea of everyone paying their fair share. In fact, I'd say it has taken an insane amount of propaganda to convince people that taxes are bad to begin with. And while propaganda is scaringly efficient, it's possible to deconstruct and reject it.
If you want to, that is.

Like this idea that we only pay taxes because of enforcement powers coming "from the barrel of a gun." That's serious hogwash. At a glance there's some truth to it, but in fact it's just libertarian bullcrap. Humans accept constraints that they deem fair. It's only when States stop providing quality public services that taxes become truly unpopular. In fact, that's right-wing strategy 101: you destroy (underfund) public services first to convince people that taxes are evil and all services must be privatized. You convince them that government is bloated, inefficient, and corrupted, that humans are incapable of sustaining public management of resources, that civil servants are lazy, greedy, or dumb... etc. But it's all bullshit. Corruption can be fought, and most humans have an innate sense of the common good.

In fact, this is where the moral angle comes in. There's been an insidious ideological trend to demonize taxes in the US, to present them as immoral, as theft... etc. The opposite of that is not voluntary contribution but simple acceptance of the necessity and morality of taxation. I think all it would take to change the discussion is to make everything transparent. How much does quality healthcare cost? How much does the military cost? How much does infrastructure cost? Etc... We're in 2020 goddamn it, you could have that kind of data on a smartphone app. Just show people the cost of civilization... And the cost of tax evasion, tax cuts, or regressive taxation. Include the effects of climate change and inaction on that front while we're at it. Modelize the shit out of it all and let the people decide what kind of society they want to live in. And if people still want to have super-billionaires after that then I'll accept it. Or at least, I'll accept that humans are shitty. But as long as this discussion is based on misinformation I'll assume that there's hope for humanity.

I’ll believe force or the threat of force isn’t necessary for taxation when you demonstrate either a voluntary tax structure that works or a locale where people pay more taxes than they have to without the threat of force.

And for the record I don’t believe “taxation is theft”.  I’m simply saying people don’t normally voluntarily pay taxes and I don’t see anything suggesting otherwise.

[Zorral]

The final paragraph of the above quoted NYT's piece on the virus and voting:

Quote

John Anderson, 72, a retired engineer, said Mr. Trump’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak had reinforced his decision to support him. “It seemed like he was right away reacting to the need, and getting experts together,” Mr. Anderson said. “The Democrats seemed like they were all over the map, fighting each other and just taking shots at Trump, instead of trying to be supportive.”

 

[Maithanet]

5 minutes ago, Zorral said:

The final paragraph of the above quoted NYT's piece on the virus and voting:

Ostrich gonna ostrich, but it's early yet.  The impacts of coronavirus in the US are increasing geometrically week by week.  Trump has gone from "it's not a problem here, there's only 15 cases" two weeks ago to "it's not a problem, there's only 120 cases" on thursday to "just 450 cases" this morning. It is quite obvious that Emperor Trump has no clothes, and he can't bullshit his way out of this one.  This epidemic is a perfect example of why competent, stable leadership is important. 

[Kalbear]

This thread, but daaamn

 

[Rippounet]

16 minutes ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

I’ll believe force or the threat of force isn’t necessary for taxation when you demonstrate either a voluntary tax structure that works or a locale where people pay more taxes than they have to without the threat of force.

You really don't have a clue about FATCA do you?
In fact, have you actually taken the time to read anything at all on this issue? Because it sure looks like you have no idea what you're talking about.

[Ran]

I’m not going to have propaganda  videos constantly cropping up here.  The Washington Monthly has already debunked this stuff.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

Biden’s shortcomings would be a big worry in a normal election, but I doubt they’ll matter against Trump especially because he shares almost all of the said weaknesses. People need to get past this.

[Zorral]

2 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

Biden’s shortcomings would be a big worry in a normal election, but I doubt they’ll matter against Trump especially because he shares almost all of the said weaknesses. People need to get past this.

You remain tragically convinced that facts, rationality, real information, truth have any bearing on the matter. Whereas, with the quoted final paragraph of the article about the current and potential effects the virus will / can have on the campaigns and elections, it proves that none of this any convincing power whatsoever.

 

[Mexal]

4 minutes ago, Zorral said:

You remain tragically convinced that facts, rationality, real information, truth have any bearing on the matter. Whereas, with the quoted final paragraph of the article about the current and potential effects the virus will / can have on the campaigns and elections, it proves that none of this any convincing power whatsoever.

Well, it doesn't have any convincing power over the constant Fox News watching population that only gets their news from a single source. Might have a different impact on Independents that don't.

[A Horse Named Stranger]

23 minutes ago, Mexal said:

Well, it doesn't have any convincing power over the constant Fox News watching population that only gets their news from a single source. Might have a different impact on Independents that don't.

A hoorray to the independents getting their information from... *drumroll*

FACEBOOK!

[Zorral]

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/03/lawmakers-push-for-recess-amid-coronavirus-outbreak-report.html

 

[Fragile Bird]

Just imagine, Trump avoids the virus and Nancy gets it. Badly. Very badly. Bloody hell.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

1 hour ago, Rippounet said:

You really don't have a clue about FATCA do you?
In fact, have you actually taken the time to read anything at all on this issue? Because it sure looks like you have no idea what you're talking about.

Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act?

[Proudfeet]

1 hour ago, Rippounet said:

You really don't have a clue about FATCA do you?
In fact, have you actually taken the time to read anything at all on this issue? Because it sure looks like you have no idea what you're talking about.

FATCA works for the US because they can bully people with their financial strength. It's reciprocal in theory, but really how many other countries tax their citizens for income earned outside their country? Other countries have to satisfy the US requirements, but does the US do it for the other countries?

[Rippounet]

5 minutes ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act?

So you didn't read what I wrote then?

4 minutes ago, Proudfeet said:

FATCA works for the US because they can bully people with their financial strength. It's reciprocal in theory, but really how many other countries tax their citizens for income earned outside their country? Other countries have to satisfy the US requirements, but does the US do it for the other countries?

Well, that's kinda the big idea...

[Proudfeet]

1 minute ago, Rippounet said:

Well, that's kinda the big idea...

The US does it with threats of sanctions. Its not a collaborative effort.