There is a lot going on with SCOTUS this year. The death of Chevron diverts decision making from agencies which have an expertise in particular situations to the courts who lack the technical expertise. So now we have Thomas looking back in his crystal ball to see what they were doing in the 18th Century. Roberts believes the justices know more than the scientists and engineers know. This was done in Chevron which agency experts criticized. And...
Read More »15 Points and a Question About Joe Biden
Struggling to sort out your feelings about the president? So am I. by Paul Waldman The Cross Section The purpose of this piece is not to convince you that Joe Biden should drop out of the race. In fact, I wrote it because I’m not sure if he should, and I think there are millions of people struggling with ambivalent and contradictory thoughts and emotions just as I am. So here are some things to keep in mind — some good, some not so good — as...
Read More »Hey, this is Not Short. A Ten minute Read. The History of Originalism. Dahlia Lithwick
One of my favs for legal stuff. Supreme Court rulings on guns, abortion, Constitution: How originalism ate the law. (slate.com) by Dahlia Lithwick SLATE America is being led astray by a small handful of folks who are drunk-driving on originalism—and not in a funny Marx Brothers, spin-around-in-circles-and-all-fall-down sort of way. No, it’s in a children-murdered-in-their-classrooms, women-hemorrhaging-in-parking-lots,...
Read More »Supreme Court altered the way our federal government functions
Elena Kagan Is Horrified by What the Supreme Court Just Did. You Should Be Too. by Mark Stern SLATE Jurisprudence This is part of Opinionpalooza, Slate’s coverage of the major decisions from the Supreme Court this June. Alongside Amicus, we kicked things off this year by explaining How Originalism Ate the Law. The Supreme Court fundamentally altered the way that our federal government functions on Friday, transferring an almost...
Read More »The Gish Gallop Tactic Used by Trump
The particular tactic used by trump has a name for it. Gish Gallop which is a technique, named after the creationist Duane Gish who employed it, whereby someone argues a cause by hurling as many different half-truths and no-truths into a very short space of time so that their opponent cannot hope to combat each point in real time. This leaves some points unanswered and allows the original speaker to try and claim his opponent lacks the...
Read More »The Robert’s Supreme Court flips Chevron
What Chief Justice Roberts is saying is the justices know more than the scientists and engineers know. This was done in a decision which the agency experts immediately criticized. The issue being potentially undermining decisions by scientists and the very same agency experts. The 6-3 and 6-2 decisions brought by fishing operators in New Jersey and Rhode Island challenged a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration rule. The court’s ruling...
Read More »Extending the Legacy of the 2001, 2003, and 2017 Republican Tax Breaks, Part 2
After Decades of Costly, Regressive, and Ineffective Tax Cuts, a New Course Is Needed, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Part 2 Steps to Creating a Better Tax System (a given) Instead of doubling down on the flawed trickle-down path of the Bush and Trump tax cuts, there are opportunities to work toward a tax code that raises more needed revenues, is more progressive and equitable, and supports investments that make the economy work for...
Read More »Extending the Legacy of the 2001, 2003, and 2017 Republican Tax Breaks
AB: I am always looking for these types of articles. They offer up explanations on how certain government policies and acts impact the nation’s economy and its citizens. Been a while since I looked at the 2001 and 2003 tax breaks. Steve Roth and I were exchanging emails on the more recent Republican 2017 tax break. There is so much wrong with these tax breaks. The latest one passed using Reconciliation. The 2017 tax break for the 1-percenters has...
Read More »Understanding the Responsibilities of Democracy
As usual and as expected (for me anyway), I pulled up Abdul – Jabbar to get his perspective on the first presidential debate between cough-cough x-president trump . . . a proven liar and President Joe Biden. I read the other blog sites and substacks that want me to pay to read them plus an ability to comment. They are all clanging a 4-alarm fire. And why would I pay to comment there when I can do so at Angry Bear? Just some commentary between us...
Read More »Recent Supreme Court (SCOTUS) Decisions
Recent end-of-session SCOTUS Decisions. In no particular order. Still, some are left to be decided. SCOTUS Decisions by Amy Howe SCOTUS Blog (except where cited from elsewhere) Are there no Union workhouses? The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigor? Compliments to Scrooge . . . Grants Pass v. Johnson was decided in favor of Grants Pass. Besides several trips to jail and fines, there does not appear to be an alternative other...
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