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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
FFShinra Since: Jan, 2001
#184377: Apr 23rd 2017 at 10:43:43 AM

You know, with the Hawaiian GOP becoming further and further irrelevant, and now having to take shit from a senior federal official, AND combined with the historically (though I do not know how active it is these days, Hawaiians, please tell me) nationalist nature of the Hawaiian dems, I wonder if Trump is gonna end up making Hawaii less and less interested in remaining in the Union.....

Yes, I realize it's total tinfoil, but....

speedyboris Since: Feb, 2010
#184378: Apr 23rd 2017 at 10:44:22 AM

Fuck you, Sessions.

Oh, you're mad, Mr. Sessions? IT WAS JUST A JOKE.

edited 23rd Apr '17 10:45:35 AM by speedyboris

PhysicalStamina i'm tired, my friend (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: Coming soon to theaters
i'm tired, my friend
#184379: Apr 23rd 2017 at 10:44:40 AM

[up]x4"it's just a joke, like on Top Gear."

i'm tired, my friend
MorningStar1337 The Encounter that ended the Dogma from 🤔 Since: Nov, 2012
The Encounter that ended the Dogma
#184380: Apr 23rd 2017 at 10:47:52 AM

@Shinra IIRC isn't secession legally impossible since the Civil War?

ViperMagnum357 Since: Mar, 2012
#184381: Apr 23rd 2017 at 10:53:26 AM

[up]Illegal since the Constitution-the Civil War was just the first time the idea went beyond a local effort.

Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#184382: Apr 23rd 2017 at 10:54:38 AM

The funny thing is, he said the exact same thing about his reason for not joining the KKK.

He has a habit of making very bad, tasteless "jokes".

FFShinra Since: Jan, 2001
#184383: Apr 23rd 2017 at 11:02:46 AM

Illegal, but stranger things have happened in the last year, so thats why I asked.

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#184384: Apr 23rd 2017 at 11:17:13 AM

And a peaceful independence movement could try to pull the self determination card.

Not that it would be a good idea...

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#184385: Apr 23rd 2017 at 11:51:19 AM

Something from the WTF Just Happened Today rundown:

Democrats partner with political newcomers aiming to create anti-Trump wave in 2018 midterms

https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/politics/democrats-partner-with-political-newcomers-hoping-to-create-anti-trump-wave-in-2018-midterms/2017/04/21/91514ec8-2502-11e7-bb9d-8cd6118e1409_story.html

A wave of first-time candidates eager to fight President Trump and his young administration plan to challenge House Republican incumbents, giving Democratic Party leaders hope that they can capi­tal­ize on the anger and intensity at grass-roots protests and town hall meetings across the country this year.

At least 15 declared candidates or contenders on the verge of announcing have emerged in districts that Democrats must win to take back the House, including in several districts where the party did not seriously compete in 2014 or 2016, according to party officials.

Democrats need 24 new seats to retake control of the House — a tall order that no party leader publicly says is possible, at least not yet.

Still, less than 100 days into Trump’s presidency, the early interest gives Democrats a chance to compete more aggressively in districts where they haven’t fielded challengers in recent cycles — and perhaps chip away at the GOP’s seven-year control of the House.

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#184386: Apr 23rd 2017 at 11:52:24 AM

And winning over new voters. Just aiming at "turnout" is not the way of winning.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#184387: Apr 23rd 2017 at 12:04:19 PM

More fun with Sessions

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/23/mexicans-sessions-tax-credits-237490

The proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border could be paid for by reducing erroneously issued tax credits that go to “mostly Mexicans,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Sunday.

Speaking on ABC’s "This Week," Sessions weighed in on the fight over funding for the wall, which is becoming part of the high-stakes negotiations between the White House and Congress over keeping the government funded after Friday.

Story Continued Below

“We're going to get paid for it one way or the other,” Sessions said of the wall. “I know there's $4 billion a year in excess payments, according to the Department of the Treasury's own inspector general several years ago, that are going to payments to people — tax credits that they shouldn't get. Now, these are mostly Mexicans. And those kind of things add up — $4 billion a year for 10 years is $40 billion.

"There are a lot of ways we can find money to help pay for this.”

Presumably the report that Sessions was citing was a July 2011 report by the Treasury inspector general for tax administration that said individuals who are not authorized to work in the U.S. have been paid $4.2 billion in refundable tax credits. But it did not mention Mexicans or any other nationalities.

Medinoc from France (Before Recorded History)
#184388: Apr 23rd 2017 at 12:06:53 PM

[up][up]Sounds like the opposite of what seemed to be the opinion on this thread: "Undecideds don't actually exist, it's actually a matter of getting your own voters to go vote"...

"And as long as a sack of shit is not a good thing to be, chivalry will never die."
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#184389: Apr 23rd 2017 at 12:07:36 PM

Dude seems to think that these errors can simply be fixed. And at no cost. Then again he's not unique in these beliefs.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#184390: Apr 23rd 2017 at 12:07:52 PM

This has come up before, but generally the IRS doesn't care about who you are and what you do as long as you pay taxes, and a lot of tax credits are automatic, depending on income. No one's going through the returns manually and picking suspicious people to give a credit to, they're just seeing who earns below a certain threshold.

The other thing is that there's a difference between a tax credit and a tax rebate. A credit just lowers the amount you need to pay in future years. A rebate is money given back. It sounds like that 4 billion dollars isn't actually being spent, it's just not being collected, which means that Sessions' plan is completely useless, if I'm right.

edited 23rd Apr '17 12:10:07 PM by Zendervai

pwiegle Cape Malleum Majorem from Nowhere Special Since: Sep, 2015 Relationship Status: Singularity
Cape Malleum Majorem
#184391: Apr 23rd 2017 at 12:12:03 PM

[up][up][up]I'm reminded of a webcomic:

"Yay! They're going to have a ballot vote to legalize marijuana in this state!"

"Great. Now all you have to do is motivate the potheads to get their lazy asses up off the couch and go vote for it."

"Dammit!"

This Space Intentionally Left Blank.
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#184392: Apr 23rd 2017 at 12:14:06 PM

Nice try, but the undecided voters do exist. That most election strategies are turnout focused and tend to forget about undecided ones does not mean that they don't exist.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
speedyboris Since: Feb, 2010
#184393: Apr 23rd 2017 at 12:59:38 PM

[up]x6 There will be no sadder day for America than if (when?) the wall is built. Not only will it be completely ineffectual in doing what the stated task is, but it will be a permanent symbolic reminder of the isolationist and racist path our leaders chose to take out of fear of "the other". Plus it will cost a bundle and will ruin much of the Southern U.S., both in terms of land/water problems and the unfortunate souls whose houses will either be completely destroyed during the making of the wall, or will be stuck on the "Mexican" side.

I'm sure Trump and co. have been informed of all this, but they still want to build it anyway because... I dunno... they want to satisfy the hardcore supporters by saying "SEE? I KEPT MY PROMISE!"?

edited 23rd Apr '17 1:01:53 PM by speedyboris

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#184394: Apr 23rd 2017 at 1:05:17 PM

[up] It's because Trump is obsessed with building something YUUGE that will stand as a testament to the glory that is him. The Great Wall of Trump.

Disgusted, but not surprised
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#184395: Apr 23rd 2017 at 1:10:16 PM

I am guessing that a 100-150 billion dollar desalination plant and aqueduct is too costly for him. Or too much in the service of the dirty Kalis.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
AceofSpades Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Showing feelings of an almost human nature
#184396: Apr 23rd 2017 at 1:13:03 PM

As much as Trump may want this wall, we should keep in mind all the very real obstacles to even getting this started during his presidency. This is not a four or eight year project. This could, in fact, be stretched out until he's out of office and the next president could be encouraged to drop the idea entirely. For all the sound and fury there doesn't seem to be that much in the way of political will for an actual, real wall, and it can be totally exhausted out of the population and the politicians in the next four to eight years.

(not to mention that in the worst case scenario, the Fall of the Iron Curtain has proven that walls can be torn down.)

edited 23rd Apr '17 1:13:44 PM by AceofSpades

megaeliz Since: Mar, 2017
#184397: Apr 23rd 2017 at 1:13:14 PM

Remember undecideds do exist. Remember my analogy about the idea of ranking potential voters on a scale of 1-5, with one being compleatly with you, and 5 being compleatly against you. The people in the middle are the potential swing voters. In order to win in 2018 we must find and talk to these people, instead of just trying to turn out our own people.

Actually, according to a professional campaigner, one of the problems with the Hillary campaign was that it it did not do enough outreach towards the potential swing voters.

edited 23rd Apr '17 1:13:23 PM by megaeliz

Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#184398: Apr 23rd 2017 at 1:15:39 PM

I think Trump's just an idiot who doesn't understand what actual value is. This is the guy who said that he now had the tallest building in New York...the day after 9/11. And it was a recurring thing with him for several years.

But yeah, I think he really wants something that people generations from now can point at and say "See that? Trump did that."

However the way things are going, it'll turn out more like the word "trump" will completely reverse its meaning. "You don't want the trump card, that's the worst one!"

JBC31187 Since: Jan, 2015
#184399: Apr 23rd 2017 at 1:17:13 PM

It's because Trump is obsessed with building something YUUGE that will stand as a testament to the glory that is him. The Great Wall of Trump.

See, also: Trump's rush to dismantle Obama's achievements, including the ACA.

DingoWalley1 Asgore Adopts Noelle Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
Asgore Adopts Noelle
#184400: Apr 23rd 2017 at 1:22:45 PM

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in split with President Trump, says that DREAMers are 'subject to being deported', although he has no plans to specifically go after them at this time.

Man, Sessions is on a freakin' roll this week with despicable, despisable things coming out of his mouth.


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