Author Topic: The Politics Thread v2  (Read 181190 times)

Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: The Politics Thread v2
« Reply #640 on: December 12, 2015, 10:06:34 PM »
It's Hunt at fault. Especially as it's not a pay rise being argued for, it's avoiding an effective wage decrease and change in working hours.

That's what happens when you are a "state-owned resource" - the state gets to decide your value.

Instead of random employers. Someone, at some point, picks a value. Government or not, it makes no difference. At least you've accepted that Hunt's the problem, which was my entire original point. :rolleyes

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I was referring to the NHS in general, there.

Right.
And the doctors are part of the NHS.
So . . . see above for the consequences.

I'll just replace 'state' with 'company', then. It's a fucking wage negotiation. Pointing fingers at nationalisation as the culprit does nothing.

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That's the problem, yes.

So if you know the problem, why are you are complaining about a rather obvious and inevitable outcome, rather than pointing to it as a reason to change to a different system?

... because that's not the original point I was making. It was an explanation for why the hell this negotiation is happening. I'm not supporting the idea of 24/7 full service.

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... so like any director of a company, only without the intrinsic profit motivation and requirement? :eh

And a captive customer base, yes.
Precisely.

So, most healthcare anyway. Public transport. Water supplies. Telecommunications in the end. The 'nationally owned' part is again irrelevant.

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Also, it may come as a surprise, but the government deals with some organisational and financial matters. They do not, in fact, mess with the medical side of things; THAT is done by the health service itself (which is further regionally divided; it's not a monolithic entity)

Really?
Is that why the government was able to make the decision to eliminate a number of cancer drugs?
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/jan/08/nhs-costs-cancer-drugs-fund-review
(I even used the Guardian instead of the Telegraph or Daily Mail for you.)
I guess the government DOES mess with the medical side of things.

... sooooo, that doesn't seem like the financial part to you? Because it looks like the financial part. Set up a fund for things that aren't deemed cost-effective by the part of the NHS that deals with drugs, remove it again in an ideological drive to reduce spending. This is in no way different from the private sector and normal accountancy. Though hey, the private sector exists.

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When they say 24/7, they don't mean heart attacks. They mean normal appointments and routine surgeries--even though most of the support needed would be impossible without making THAT 24/7, which isn't being proposed. Tinkering with doctors' contracts isn't going to make every service available 24/7.

Okay, see . .  here I'm baffled.
There is a problem with having normal appointments on weekends?
Middle of the night possibly, but then over here it is set up so you can get regular appointments about 8-14 hours of the day, depending on your specific area, and emergency rooms take up the rest. (I can actually get walk-ins around 12 hours of the day, 7 days a week, at the medical group my primary care doctor is.)
I can get x-rays and such with walk ins around 8 hours any weekday and 6 hours on Saturday.
Surgery is always going to be an issue due to the limited number of surgeons available, but . . .
That leads into your basic free market versus government managed monopoly issue. Yes, you pay more, possibly a whole lot more, in a free market, but you wind up with significantly greater access as well. Plus of course the emergency services remain in place.

... what are you not getting about the 24 part? This is a desire to have equality of service on 1PM Monday and 3AM Sunday. It's not going to happen, especially not with those spending attitudes. I'd support the full seven days a week thing, but the government has this obsession with the deficit...

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Hyperbole and misconstruing the point. I have no idea where the jump comes from 'the people that investigated this thought about the reason for admission' to supposing that I'm advocating worse services or that people shouldn't use hospitals at the weekend. I'm for increasing spending, especially if this inane idea of all services operating 24/7 is carried on.

Hyperbole is the name of this game though:
You support single-payer government medicine or you want the poor to "die quickly".
You support free market medicine or you want everyone to "die equally".
Don't hate the player, hate the game.

And throwing more money at it won't solve the problem.
You will still have the same number of health care providers, with the same number of working hours, with the same amount of supplies. At best you could outbid another country and take some of their available health care pool, but you will still be reducing the amount of resources you have available for other purposes.

Throwing more money at it could actually solve the problem in this case, courtesy of the outbidding thing (and not having this problem where way too many UK-trained doctors emigrate) and having an independently issued currency. Unless the market loses complete faith in the government's ability to service its debts, then yes, an increase in spending on healthcare is entirely possible. So would be raising taxes. When the issue's paying for something like this is being, then it can be done.

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This is the research that started it. It's an increase of a 1.3% death rate to a 1.5% death rate. You're also more likely to die midweek than at the weekend, which would suggest the problem isn't with uneven service.

I'm sure there are several reasons for the disparity, and more ways to read the data to suggest anything and everything as the cause.
That's the problem with politically driven statistical analysis.
It is compounded when the government has a monopoly.
[/quote]

Skipping over the 'data is interpreted' point because THAT's a dead end and would just lead to 'needs a study into it': yes, I'm sure it's politically driven that a report slightly less than halfway through the last parliament found an objective difference in death rates on days of the week. When nothing significant electorally was happening, not to be majorly acted on for years. And had a theory about the reason why that is totally different from the current government's actions three years later. And this is somehow related to a government monopoly (not that it actually has a monopoly; private healthcare and insurance are there)

You're sounding like a conspiracy theorist, here. :eh
« Last Edit: December 12, 2015, 10:11:15 PM by Raineh Daze »

Offline Samwise

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Re: The Politics Thread v2
« Reply #641 on: December 13, 2015, 01:37:02 AM »
The biggest problem with that whole "but corporations are just groups of people" argument is that those people already have a vote and the ability to donate to campaigns if they choose. Allowing "corporations" to contribute funds or otherwise support a candidate is really just giving the people who run it additional means to influence the political process.

Are the corporations voting?
Are they getting one vote for every employee?
Are they casting those votes for the employees?
Are their contributions made in place of the contributions of individual employees?

Since the answer to all of those is "no", your complaint fails utterly in having any merit.

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Then you get BS like that ruling that allows businesses to contribute however much they want, under the guise of "free speech"--allowing execs to not only donate twice, (once with their personal funds, and once with their corporation's) but also to completely ignore the normal campaign contribution limits. :rolleyes

As opposed to the BS of telling people they cannot spend their money however they see fit, including support of candidates?
Or the BS of forcibly extracting money from people for the support of candidates they may completely oppose?

And clearly it is even more horrible if people are able to pool their money, using a corporate structure to manage it, in order to more directly express their views on issues.
Clearly freedom of speech and politics must be utterly suppressed to prevent such abominations!

Instead of random employers. Someone, at some point, picks a value. Government or not, it makes no difference. At least you've accepted that Hunt's the problem, which was my entire original point. :rolleyes

No, instead of specific individuals.
Because, you know, you are allowed to seek whatever employment you like, and pick and choose between available employers; you aren't bound to a particular task or a particular employer like a serf or member of a caste.

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I'll just replace 'state' with 'company', then. It's a fucking wage negotiation. Pointing fingers at nationalisation as the culprit does nothing.

See above.
You can replace it, but it remains a false equivalency.
You can choose your employer, choose your insurer, even choose your doctor, as opposed to letting the government do one or more of them.

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... because that's not the original point I was making. It was an explanation for why the hell this negotiation is happening. I'm not supporting the idea of 24/7 full service.

It is the problem with limited service as well.
You still need to control the costs, which means limiting services, which means people just have to deal with not being allowed to get health care unless permitted by a government agent.

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So, most healthcare anyway. Public transport. Water supplies. Telecommunications in the end. The 'nationally owned' part is again irrelevant.

No, not most health care. It is quite possible to be able to choose your doctor and insurer independent of an employer or government.
Public transport of course no, as that is inherent in the "public" name. But you can choose between that, semi-private cabs (depending on the licensing laws of where you are at - they could be a government controlled monopoly or oligarchy), more private cabs - like Uber, your own car, or even your own bicycle or feet.
Water supplies can be private. Where they are public, they are subject to severe government caused disruptions, such as in California.
Telecommunications are almost completely private except for some minor government oversight in regards to general bandwidth in the U.S., and the competition has worked wonderfully in advancing service and technology.
Overall, the "nationally owned" part is highly relevant to the quality and cost of the service.

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... sooooo, that doesn't seem like the financial part to you? Because it looks like the financial part. Set up a fund for things that aren't deemed cost-effective by the part of the NHS that deals with drugs, remove it again in an ideological drive to reduce spending. This is in no way different from the private sector and normal accountancy. Though hey, the private sector exists.

It is both the financial part AND the treatment part.
The two are inextricably intertwined, no matter how much you don't want to recognize it.
This is quite different from the private sector and normal accountancy, as you made it clear that the government doesn't need to show a profit or have other responsibilities.

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... what are you not getting about the 24 part? This is a desire to have equality of service on 1PM Monday and 3AM Sunday. It's not going to happen, especially not with those spending attitudes. I'd support the full seven days a week thing, but the government has this obsession with the deficit...

Oh I'm clear about it. It is just so absurd. Of course it is pretty much an inevitable consequence of the entitlement mentality derived from an entitlement system - you wind up with people so selfish that they must have their least whims treated as absolutely mundane requests, then either pay them off or deal with the consequences of saying "no" to them.
And yes, government's should have an obsession with the deficit.

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Throwing more money at it could actually solve the problem in this case, courtesy of the outbidding thing (and not having this problem where way too many UK-trained doctors emigrate)

You mean someone is outbidding you as I noted as an option?
That's what you get.

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and having an independently issued currency.

Which you won't have for long if your government doesn't pay attention to that deficit you were so dismissive of.

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Unless the market loses complete faith in the government's ability to service its debts, then yes, an increase in spending on healthcare is entirely possible.

Like when the government stops being obsessed about the deficit?

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So would be raising taxes.

Leaving people with less money for food, clothing, and shelter.

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When the issue's paying for something like this is being, then it can be done.

At what cost?
What will you give up for it?

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Skipping over the 'data is interpreted' point because THAT's a dead end and would just lead to 'needs a study into it': yes, I'm sure it's politically driven that a report slightly less than halfway through the last parliament found an objective difference in death rates on days of the week.

I'm not skipping over it, I'm just not going to fight over how to interpret it.

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When nothing significant electorally was happening, not to be majorly acted on for years. And had a theory about the reason why that is totally different from the current government's actions three years later. And this is somehow related to a government monopoly (not that it actually has a monopoly; private healthcare and insurance are there)

Last I heard, going private meant getting dumped to the bottom of the line by the NHS. That's not particularly "free market", and the government control remains close enough to monopoly status to be described that way.
Indeed that is the main selling point of a "single payer system" here - that it will be completely, and "properly", controlled by just the government.

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You're sounding like a conspiracy theorist, here. :eh

What conspiracy theory?
I'm describing simple economic effects caused by simple government policies.

It sounds like you just want to play word games to avoid having to acknowledge that the flaws in the system you have are caused by the system itself, and not by some government appointee "conspiring" against you with the shadowy corporations.

Offline Unbeliever

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Re: The Politics Thread v2
« Reply #642 on: December 13, 2015, 10:28:29 AM »
And clearly it is even more horrible if people are able to pool their money, using a corporate structure to manage it, in order to more directly express their views on issues.
Clearly freedom of speech and politics must be utterly suppressed to prevent such abominations!
Sigh, I know it's hard to make real arguments rather than cheap shots and ad hominem attacks.   The bolded section, to wit, a group using the corporate form in order to expressly address political views, was utterly unaffected by the Citizens United decision.  I'm going to quote the very first sentence of the Supreme Court opinion:  "Federal law prohibits corporations and unions from using their general treasury funds to make independent expenditures for speech defined as an “electioneering communication” or for speech expressly advocating the election or defeat of a candidate."

The bolded part is a critical distinction.  The question was not, ever, whether a corporation specifically designed for politics, or whether a corporation's political action committee, both of which amount to the same thing, could make political campaign expenditures.  The question was whether a corporation can use its profits utterly unrelated to whatever political positions it adopts to fund campaign financing activities.  Indeed, this matter is discussed at some length in the opinions, see pages 558 US at 337-40. 

Oh, and by the by, the law in question in Citizens United affected unions and corporations in almost the same exact manner.  Statutes can be hard to read, but the title of 52 USC 30118, and I am not making this up, is:  Contributions or expenditures by national banks, corporations, or labor organizations.  Your bullshit potshot at the boogeymen of "progressives" from yesterday is utterly unfounded. 

It will be hard to make reasoned arguments about the law and the Constitution if you can't be bothered to actually read the materials.  When you do, you can consider the fact that such a bleeding heart liberal as Chief Justice Rehnquist considered it important to distinguish between corporations and individuals when it comes to influencing elections.  He was writing for a unanimous Supreme Court, but what do they know? 

Corporations are treated differently from natural persons in myriad different ways:  they possess perpetual life, are insulated from liability, have different due process rights, and exist only for particular, specified purposes.  None of this, in and of itself, indicates that Citizens United came to the wrong conclusion.  But, these issues are much more complicated than your attempts at pithy statements.

Offline Samwise

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Re: The Politics Thread v2
« Reply #643 on: December 13, 2015, 12:47:38 PM »
Sigh, I know it's hard to make real arguments rather than cheap shots and ad hominem attacks.   The bolded section, to wit, a group using the corporate form in order to expressly address political views, was utterly unaffected by the Citizens United decision.

Sigh. I know reading comprehension is difficult, but that there is a reason I wrote "express their views on issues" rather than "support a specific candidate".

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The bolded part is a critical distinction.

Yes it is.
Why did you then promptly ignore it?
Oh right, "shots and ad hominem attacks" because you don't have an actual rebuttal.

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I'm going to quote the very first sentence of the Supreme Court opinion:  "Federal law prohibits corporations and unions from using their general treasury funds to make independent expenditures for speech defined as an “electioneering communication” or for speech expressly advocating the election or defeat of a candidate."
[/quote]

And completely ignore the relevance of the second paragraph:
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In this case we are asked to reconsider  Austin  and, in effect,  McConnell  . It has been noted that “ Austin  was a significant departure from ancient First Amendment principles,” Federal Election Comm’n  v.  Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc.  , 551 U. S. 449, 490 (2007)  (WRTL)  (  Scalia  , J., concurring in part and concurring in judgment). We agree with that conclusion and hold that stare decisis  does not compel the continued acceptance of  Austin. The Government may regulate corporate political speech through disclaimer and disclosure requirements, but it may not suppress that speech altogether. We turn to the case now before us.

What's that?
That particular law “Austin was a significant departure from ancient First Amendment principles,”
Didn't someone here say that it was a free speech issue?
Oh right, me.
And what, We agree with that conclusion and hold that stare decisis does not compel the continued acceptance of Austin.
Not just the law, but the previous decision supporting it are being overturned?
And most critically, The Government may regulate corporate political speech through disclaimer and disclosure requirements, but it may not suppress that speech altogether.
Oh dang, it is absolutely about not prohibiting speech.

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It will be hard to make reasoned arguments about the law and the Constitution if you can't be bothered to actually read the materials.


I agree.
So . . . why didn't you read what I wrote?
And . . . why didn't you read beyond the first sentence of the decision?

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When you do, you can consider the fact that such a bleeding heart liberal as Chief Justice Rehnquist considered it important to distinguish between corporations and individuals when it comes to influencing elections.  He was writing for a unanimous Supreme Court, but what do they know?

Ummm . . . Rehnquist wasn't the Chief Justice on the Citizens United case.
And for the two decisions that were affected by Citizens United, Rehnquist didn't write for the court. One was written by Marshall that Rehnquist joined and was fully overturned. The other was a mix of concurrences and dissents, written by multiple people.
But hey, why worry about accuracy when complaining about precision?

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Corporations are treated differently from natural persons in myriad different ways:  they possess perpetual life,

No they don't.
Corporations can cease existing in a number of ways.

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are insulated from liability,

No they aren't.
Individuals that are part of a corporation are not liable for everything the corporation does, but corporations are still liable for their actions.

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have different due process rights,

Only in that individuals that are part of the corporation must be questioned rather than the inanimate chartering documents.

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and exist only for particular, specified purposes.

That very much depends on the corporation, and is subject to change.
However it also establishes that corporations are far from perpetual, as purposes may be fulfilled, voiding the need for the continued existence of the corporation.

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None of this, in and of itself, indicates that Citizens United came to the wrong conclusion.  But, these issues are much more complicated than your attempts at pithy statements.

And much more complicated than your deliberate misinterpretations of my statements, the decision, the related decisions, and the actual current status of corporations in relation to campaign financing.
It seems my attempts at pithy statements are significantly more successful than your attempts at pontification.

Offline bhu

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Mudada.

Offline awaken_D_M_golem

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Re: The Politics Thread v2
« Reply #646 on: December 14, 2015, 05:33:08 PM »
 :shakefist :drunk

uggg ugg-lyy horribad


I am now scarred for life.
My kitty avatar's Tail  has hung my own avatar in effigy to itself with psionics, so it's a meta-suicide.
 :fu
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Offline Unbeliever

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Re: The Politics Thread v2
« Reply #647 on: December 14, 2015, 05:56:10 PM »
Sigh ... again.  Your arguments are childish.  You said, and I will quote so that you can keep it straight:

"And clearly it is even more horrible if people are able to pool their money, using a corporate structure to manage it, in order to more directly express their views on issues."

Using the corporate structure to manage it ... would be creating a corporation to express political views.  It would not be the case of a corporation, designed expressly for an alternative purpose, wading into the political arena.  You made your argument defending Citizens United on the basis of what is, essentially, a PAC.  PACs were never at issue in the case. 

I don't even know what your quotes regarding Austin relate to, except that you tried to one-up me by quoting ... the next paragraph in Citizens United.  Austin was on a different law entirely, a state law.  Although the principles in Austin were overruled in CU.  But, at least you're quoting cases. 

When you do, you can consider the fact that such a bleeding heart liberal as Chief Justice Rehnquist considered it important to distinguish between corporations and individuals when it comes to influencing elections.  He was writing for a unanimous Supreme Court, but what do they know?

Ummm . . . Rehnquist wasn't the Chief Justice on the Citizens United case.
And for the two decisions that were affected by Citizens United, Rehnquist didn't write for the court. One was written by Marshall that Rehnquist joined and was fully overturned. The other was a mix of concurrences and dissents, written by multiple people.
But hey, why worry about accuracy when complaining about precision?
So, there's a lot that's awesome in your bullshit response.  First, Rehnquist was dead when CU was handed down.  So, yeah, I'm pretty sure he wasn't the Chief Justice then, that would be Roberts.  The case I alluded to was FEC v. National Right to Work Committee, 103 S.Ct. 552 (1982), in which Rehnquist wrote:  "The statute reflects a legislative judgment that the special characteristics of the corporate structure require particularly careful regulation ... we accept Congress's judgment that it is the potential for such influence that demands regulation.  Nor will we second guess a legislative determination as to the need for prophylactic measures where corruption is the evil feared."  (at 209-10).  You seemed to associate the idea of regulating corporate political speech with liberals.  This was a response to that.  I thought it was clear from the context. 

But, oh shit, only two whole decisions were affected by Citizens United!  It didn't remake the nature of campaign finance law in the past 40 years at all.  It's actually a small, cabined decision.  This is a novel reading of the case.  And, one that again shows you just don't know how the common law works. 

Addressing your "responses" to corporations is going to be difficult b/c it would involve explaining how corporate law works, and I know you won't bother listening anyway.  This is perhaps my fault:  terms like perpetual life and limited liability are terms of art.  I mean, that's what the "LL" stands for in "LLC."  Or, y'know what, you're totally right and every corporate lawyer and Corporate Law textbook in the US is wrong.
« Last Edit: December 14, 2015, 06:01:13 PM by Unbeliever »

Offline bhu

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Re: The Politics Thread v2
« Reply #648 on: December 14, 2015, 07:22:38 PM »
Guys, he doesn't truly believe most of that, he's just yanking your chain deliberately.  You don't use rationality to argue with trolls or diehard believers, you use in-coherency and nonsense like he does.  Speak his own language.  Ramble on about the glories of ass-fisting while he tries to discuss the virtues of the gold standard.

Offline Samwise

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Re: The Politics Thread v2
« Reply #649 on: December 14, 2015, 07:39:59 PM »
Sigh ... again.  Your arguments are childish.  You said, and I will quote so that you can keep it straight:

"And clearly it is even more horrible if people are able to pool their money, using a corporate structure to manage it, in order to more directly express their views on issues."

Using the corporate structure to manage it ... would be creating a corporation to express political views.  It would not be the case of a corporation, designed expressly for an alternative purpose, wading into the political arena.  You made your argument defending Citizens United on the basis of what is, essentially, a PAC.  PACs were never at issue in the case.

As I have said many times: I am not responsible for your ignorance.
Citizens United is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization - a corporation.
I made my argument defending Citizens United on the basis of what it is - a corporation. Corporations were directly at issue in the case.
Bringing PACs into this serves no purpose other than to mislead, but that is pretty standard for you.

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I don't even know what your quotes regarding Austin relate to, except that you tried to one-up me by quoting ... the next paragraph in Citizens United.  Austin was on a different law entirely, a state law.  Although the principles in Austin were overruled in CU.  But, at least you're quoting cases. 

It is quite clear you don't know what my quotes relate to, as you have made it thoroughly clear you have no clue what the Citizens United vs FEC case was even about.

And yes, I actually quote the actual case, and may quote directly related cases, unlike you.

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So, there's a lot that's awesome in your bullshit response.  First, Rehnquist was dead when CU was handed down.  So, yeah, I'm pretty sure he wasn't the Chief Justice then, that would be Roberts.  The case I alluded to was FEC v. National Right to Work Committee, 103 S.Ct. 552 (1982), in which Rehnquist wrote:  "The statute reflects a legislative judgment that the special characteristics of the corporate structure require particularly careful regulation ... we accept Congress's judgment that it is the potential for such influence that demands regulation.  Nor will we second guess a legislative determination as to the need for prophylactic measures where corruption is the evil feared."  (at 209-10).

So you obliquely reference a completely different case without any indication and expect me to guess where you pulled the allusion from?
Uh huh.

And of course you want to conflate the "regulation" permitted there with the "prohibition" that was found against in Citizens United v. FEC.
Clearly you are incapable of comprehending that distinction.

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You seemed to associate the idea of regulating corporate political speech with liberals.  This was a response to that.  I thought it was clear from the context.


Because of course you provided no references other than a unanimous decision authored by Rehnquist, with no functional quote.
I know I'm good, but I simply do not possess that level of mind-reading ability, nor do I have a staff of legal researchers to track down such vague references.

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But, oh shit, only two whole decisions were affected by Citizens United!  It didn't remake the nature of campaign finance law in the past 40 years at all.  It's actually a small, cabined decision.  This is a novel reading of the case.  And, one that again shows you just don't know how the common law works.

Says the person who thinks the case didn't involve corporations.
And while you may think it didn't remake the nature of campaign finance law in the past 40 years, the Democratic Party and all of their lawyers and pundits certainly vehemently disagree with you, and your other assessments.
I guess they are just utterly clueless as well, huh?

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Addressing your "responses" to corporations is going to be difficult b/c it would involve explaining how corporate law works, and I know you won't bother listening anyway.  This is perhaps my fault:  terms like perpetual life and limited liability are terms of art.  I mean, that's what the "LL" stands for in "LLC."  Or, y'know what, you're totally right and every corporate lawyer and Corporate Law textbook in the US is wrong.

So you are saying you failed in your attempts to be pithy?
I am not responsible for your failures there either.

Yes, I do actually know what the "LL" in "LLC" stands for.
I also happen to know that it represents a limit on the liability of the owners/partners/shareholders, and not on the corporation itself. You "know" - you can sue the company and get all of its assets, but you won't be able to get any of the non-corporate assets of the people who own the company.
So the limit on liability more properly refers to the people and not the corporation itself.
Which means you attempt to suggest otherwise is pretty much a deliberate misrepresentation.

Also, a quick search reveals the term is "perpetual existence", not "perpetual life".
Yes, I know corporations have perpetual existence. Too bad you didn't actually say that.
If you are going to appeal to "terms of art", it kinda, sorta, requires you to, you know, use them actual term, and not something that sounds similar.

It is not that I am totally right, but that you are just persistently wrong.

Offline Samwise

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Re: The Politics Thread v2
« Reply #650 on: December 14, 2015, 07:59:09 PM »
Guys, he doesn't truly believe most of that, he's just yanking your chain deliberately.  You don't use rationality to argue with trolls or diehard believers, you use in-coherency and nonsense like he does.  Speak his own language.  Ramble on about the glories of ass-fisting while he tries to discuss the virtues of the gold standard.

Just because you are a cynical asshole doesn't mean I am one as well, it just means you are so far gone you cannot even imagine someone taking freedom of speech as seriously I do.

Just because you love wallowing in your stupidity and are incapable of understanding what I write does not make it incoherent or nonsensical, it just means you are too ignorant to follow a scholarly presentation.

Just because you have an anal-fixing doesn't mean I am into gold buggery, it just means you have a rather inappropriate need to air your paraphilias in public. (Which of course could be a paraphilia in and of itself.)

I know I underestimated when I stepped into your little happy proglodyte echo chamber here, but you really need to completely get over yourself and deal with the reality that there are people out there who just plain really and truly have different beliefs from yours.
Never mind not being responsible for your ignorance, I'm definitely not responsible for your dissociation from reality.

Offline MrWolfe

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Re: The Politics Thread v2
« Reply #651 on: December 14, 2015, 08:17:14 PM »
Guys, he doesn't truly believe most of that, he's just yanking your chain deliberately.  You don't use rationality to argue with trolls or diehard believers, you use in-coherency and nonsense like he does.  Speak his own language.  Ramble on about the glories of ass-fisting while he tries to discuss the virtues of the gold standard.

There's a difference? :eh
A little madness goes a long way...

Offline bhu

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Re: The Politics Thread v2
« Reply #652 on: December 14, 2015, 09:18:58 PM »

Just because you are a cynical asshole doesn't mean I am one as well, it just means you are so far gone you cannot even imagine someone taking freedom of speech as seriously I do.
  I've never suggested you were cynical.  Raineh and Unbeliever believe you're engaging in honest debate, and my point to them was you're no debating so much as deliberately trying to piss people off.  If you're opponent in a debate is not playing to win, neither should you.  It's easier to beat someone who is playing to win via frustration than it is someone who isn't playing to win, but to piss off his opponent.  So I wasn't saying you were cynical.  I was saying that you were set enough in your beliefs that debate was pointless, because no matter what is said to you, your mind is made up.  Or you were being deliberately disingenuous in order to fiddle with him.

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Just because you love wallowing in your stupidity and are incapable of understanding what I write does not make it incoherent or nonsensical, it just means you are too ignorant to follow a scholarly presentation.

I have little trouble following you.  That I choose to occasionally appear otherwise is by design.  As for scholarly presentation, genuine scholars do not deliberately use inflammatory terms like proglodyte.  That's meant to provoke, not enlighten.  You know that, otherwise you wouldn't use them.  Why do you think I initially called you a troll?

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I know I underestimated when I stepped into your little happy proglodyte echo chamber here, but you really need to completely get over yourself and deal with the reality that there are people out there who just plain really and truly have different beliefs from yours.
Never mind not being responsible for your ignorance, I'm definitely not responsible for your dissociation from reality.
The majority of my offline friends are conservative, I am well aware their opinions differ from mine.  I'm also well aware that they don't see that difference of opinion as a reason to mock or belittle others, or for deliberate provocation.  It's not your viewpoint I find nonsensical, it's your presentation.  You claim not to be trolling, yet you present yourself in a manner designed to be perceived as such.

In short, I'm not concerned you views are different from mine.  Political debate is all bullshit anyway.  It's largely based on emotional opinion rather than fact, and both sides retreat ever further into their own corners learning nothing.  My point is that if you present yourself in the manner of a troll, expect to be treated like one.  Calm down.  Be less insulting and people will insult you less in return.

Offline Samwise

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Re: The Politics Thread v2
« Reply #653 on: December 14, 2015, 10:29:36 PM »
I've never suggested you were cynical.  Raineh and Unbeliever believe you're engaging in honest debate, and my point to them was you're no debating so much as deliberately trying to piss people off.

Except of course I am trying to engage in honest debate. Certainly I respond to rudeness with rudeness, but I still present full arguments supporting my positions.

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If you're opponent in a debate is not playing to win, neither should you.  It's easier to beat someone who is playing to win via frustration than it is someone who isn't playing to win, but to piss off his opponent.

Except I am playing to win. Mind you, given the degree of echo chamber here I don't think I have any chance of actually winning, but that doesn't mean I'm not trying to present functional arguments.

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So I wasn't saying you were cynical.  I was saying that you were set enough in your beliefs that debate was pointless, because no matter what is said to you, your mind is made up.  Or you were being deliberately disingenuous in order to fiddle with him.

Wait . . . are you suggesting that the point of debate is to convince your opponent?
Ummm . . . where would you get a silly idea like that?
The point of debate is to convince observers, not the person you are debating.
My arguments aren't intended to change the mind of whoever I'm exchanging comments with,  but to demonstrate a different position for others.

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I have little trouble following you.  That I choose to occasionally appear otherwise is by design.  As for scholarly presentation, genuine scholars do not deliberately use inflammatory terms like proglodyte.  That's meant to provoke, not enlighten.  You know that, otherwise you wouldn't use them.  Why do you think I initially called you a troll?

Yes, I understand that you appear as you choose.
And since you suggested not using rational debate against people acting the way you I didn't.
You complain when I debate and now you complain when I don't debate.

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The majority of my offline friends are conservative, I am well aware their opinions differ from mine.  I'm also well aware that they don't see that difference of opinion as a reason to mock or belittle others, or for deliberate provocation.  It's not your viewpoint I find nonsensical, it's your presentation.  You claim not to be trolling, yet you present yourself in a manner designed to be perceived as such.

Not be aware that opinions differ, but come to terms with it. It is clear that you have not.
I do not present myself to be perceived as trolling. You perceive it that way because you really cannot accept people can hold such different views and defend them passionately and so you seek to delegitimize them anyway possible.
That is a failure on your part, not mine.

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In short, I'm not concerned you views are different from mine.

Clearly you are, or you wouldn't get so bent out of shape about it.

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Political debate is all bullshit anyway.

Which attitude you project onto the motives of others.

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It's largely based on emotional opinion rather than fact, and both sides retreat ever further into their own corners learning nothing.

Again, it is not about learning something from your opponent, but about presenting information to others.

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My point is that if you present yourself in the manner of a troll, expect to be treated like one.  Calm down.  Be less insulting and people will insult you less in return.

While my exchanges with Raineh have certainly been sharp, but that's how it goes sometimes.
Unbeliever is a different issue. It isn't so much that he tried to school me and failed pathetically, but that he went the full ad hominem fool in the process. Perhaps you should talk to him about not just toning it down but also checking his facts before he beclowns himself so egregiously.

Meanwhile, when you show me you can calm down, not act like a troll, and not be so insulting, I'll take your "advice" a bit more seriously. That includes getting over yourself and assuming I'm not presenting my views in good faith, no matter how much you don't like them, can't understand them, or expect that I'm supposed to abandon them just because someone spouts some "bullshit" "emotional opinion" at me.

Offline SolEiji

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Re: The Politics Thread v2
« Reply #654 on: December 14, 2015, 10:44:49 PM »
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So I wasn't saying you were cynical.  I was saying that you were set enough in your beliefs that debate was pointless, because no matter what is said to you, your mind is made up.  Or you were being deliberately disingenuous in order to fiddle with him.

Wait . . . are you suggesting that the point of debate is to convince your opponent?
Ummm . . . where would you get a silly idea like that?
The point of debate is to convince observers, not the person you are debating.
My arguments aren't intended to change the mind of whoever I'm exchanging comments with,  but to demonstrate a different position for others.

I actually strongly disagree with this, especially since it's not often you have an audience to your debate.  Case in point, I've debating with a rather conservative acquaintance of mine.  We're very polar opposites.  Now, I don't expect him to flip from Trump to Sanders, that's kind of silly to assume.  But the point of me debating and explaining my positions to him, he'll be able to A) Empathize with me, leading to future agreements on things and B) Maybe re-evaluate his own positions.  This might switch him to my side, it might not, but the point is that he opens himself up to change.  And I'm sure, vice versa.  Which is fine.

Have a little faith in your fellow debater that they are not mindless ideologues.
Mudada.

Offline bhu

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Re: The Politics Thread v2
« Reply #655 on: December 15, 2015, 01:22:17 AM »
Except of course I am trying to engage in honest debate. Certainly I respond to rudeness with rudeness, but I still present full arguments supporting my positions.
   And yet you've very much done the opposite on occasion by deliberately posting in a manner designed to have people infer that you mean one thing so you can claim you mean another.  And you often lead with rudeness.  If you lead with rudeness people are rude in return, and presume you're future attempts at conversation are more opportunities for you to be rude.  If you feel you're being treated unkindly and wish to know why, look in a mirror.

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Except I am playing to win. Mind you, given the degree of echo chamber here I don't think I have any chance of actually winning, but that doesn't mean I'm not trying to present functional arguments.
Playing to win means you're trying to convince others that you are correct, or at least not as wrong as your opponent.  Rude behavior and deliberately provocative statements don't serve that purpose well, but if you're simply trying to prolong conversation in orde to piss people off it works great.  You consistently refer to the forums as an echo chamber without realizing how petty it makes you sound that anyone has the temerity to disagree with you, while bitching that others should keep the open mind you so honestly refuse to display.  Meet people halfway at least.  That way any functional arguments you preset don't get lost because all anyone sees is "proglodyte echo chamber".


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Wait . . . are you suggesting that the point of debate is to convince your opponent?
Ummm . . . where would you get a silly idea like that?
The point of debate is to convince observers, not the person you are debating.
My arguments aren't intended to change the mind of whoever I'm exchanging comments with,  but to demonstrate a different position for others.
  While it's not the point of the exercise a good debater should be able to make his opponent occasionally rethink his position or wonder if he has been perhaps wrong on one issue.  Neither of which is possible via, berating your opponent, as your message gets lost and all people see is "wow that guys an emotionally unstable asshole".  If other people are rude, let them be rude, and let them be seen as the unstable one instead of trying to outdo them.

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Yes, I understand that you appear as you choose.
And since you suggested not using rational debate against people acting the way you I didn't.
You complain when I debate and now you complain when I don't debate.
  That advice was for use against trolls and fanatics.  Pay close attention and you'd realize most of the people are reacting to your current hostility or memories of past hostility.  You called us an echo chamber.  If you truly believe that why persist in an insulting manner that's statistically speaking the least likely to change minds?  I don't mind if you debate, just debate honestly.  If you're an asshole or a monster then BE an asshole or a monster openly with no apology.  Being an asshole to provoke others into being an asshole back then stating you were never an asshole is not honestly, it's apologism for bad behavior when you should instead be saying "yeas, I know I'm an asshole, read the Scorpion and the Frog".


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Not be aware that opinions differ, but come to terms with it. It is clear that you have not.
I do not present myself to be perceived as trolling. You perceive it that way because you really cannot accept people can hold such different views and defend them passionately and so you seek to delegitimize them anyway possible.
That is a failure on your part, not mine.
  Why would I bother trying to delegitimize you when you so readily do that for me?

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Again, it is not about learning something from your opponent, but about presenting information to others.
  Debate is always about learning from your opponent.  One cannot really pin an opponent to the wall without knowing about him, and even if you lose the current debate you learn information for use in future debates.

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While my exchanges with Raineh have certainly been sharp, but that's how it goes sometimes.
Unbeliever is a different issue. It isn't so much that he tried to school me and failed pathetically, but that he went the full ad hominem fool in the process. Perhaps you should talk to him about not just toning it down but also checking his facts before he beclowns himself so egregiously.
  If everyone you speak to ends up berating you, perhaps you should consider they end up making things personal because you've foolishly provoked them into doing so.  Anger attracts anger.  Mocking others when they have committed the crime of disagreeing with you does not convince others of the rightness of your cause, but instead makes them sympathetic to your opponent.

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Meanwhile, when you show me you can calm down, not act like a troll, and not be so insulting, I'll take your "advice" a bit more seriously. That includes getting over yourself and assuming I'm not presenting my views in good faith, no matter how much you don't like them, can't understand them, or expect that I'm supposed to abandon them just because someone spouts some "bullshit" "emotional opinion" at me.
  I'm not presuming you're presenting your views in good faith, I presume you present them in an exaggerated and hostile manner because you know that will provoke the argument you seek.  I'm not suggesting you abandon your principles (well as long as they don't include dedicated assholery), so much as honesty.  You make claims, walk them back when confronted saying people were mistaken or have misinterpreted you, only to restate those claims later.  That's not honesty.  If you're a monster, then be one openly, and take the consequences that go with being a monster.

Offline Samwise

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Re: The Politics Thread v2
« Reply #656 on: December 15, 2015, 02:25:27 AM »
I don't mind if you debate, just debate honestly.


Calling me a liar is a really poor way to convince me of your good intentions and desire for civil debate rather than just another round of insults.

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You make claims, walk them back when confronted saying people were mistaken or have misinterpreted you, only to restate those claims later.  That's not honesty.
 

Bullshit.
Prove it.

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If you're a monster, then be one openly, and take the consequences that go with being a monster.

You mean the way you said you would play the troll and I said I would treat you poorly in return?
But now you don't like the consequences of me being as obnoxious as you.

As I said though, demonstrate some of that restraint yourself first and I will respond in kind. We managed five posts.
It is on you which way to go:
You can play "you started it!" and "you were mean to him!" and continue playing the troll and I will show just how foul I can be in return.
You can say "fine, prove it!" and lurk in wait for me to call you an asshole with no provocation. Just remember that I will be waiting as well - you can be the scorpion all you want, but I won't play the frog for you.

Offline Samwise

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Re: The Politics Thread v2
« Reply #657 on: December 15, 2015, 02:35:52 AM »
Have a little faith in your fellow debater that they are not mindless ideologues.

It is not a question of having little regard for your debate opponent, but of definition:
You "discuss" something with a friend;
You "debate" something for an audience.

You can aspire to debate forms to prevent a discussion from becoming a screaming contest, but that doesn't change the nature of the interaction.

As for mindless ideologues, you don't debate them at all as they can do nothing but repeat slogans.
It takes a sincere and competent believer to actually engage. The difficult part is finding one.

Offline SolEiji

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Re: The Politics Thread v2
« Reply #658 on: December 15, 2015, 05:52:15 AM »
Have a little faith in your fellow debater that they are not mindless ideologues.

It is not a question of having little regard for your debate opponent, but of definition:
You "discuss" something with a friend;
You "debate" something for an audience.

To be honest, seems a bit pedantic.  I think common parlance got my meaning across.  Well, TIL and all.
Mudada.

Offline Samwise

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Re: The Politics Thread v2
« Reply #659 on: December 15, 2015, 01:14:55 PM »
To be honest, seems a bit pedantic.  I think common parlance got my meaning across.  Well, TIL and all.

It is and you did.
I was just clarifying that I wasn't saying it to be dismissive of any debate opponents.