volkris @volkris@qoto.org

The topic of #CitizensUnited came up, and since I pulled up this quote, I’ll share it here.

There has been SO MUCH misinformation about what CU actually said, so I always encourage people to read it directly, especially since Kennedy writes with a certain artistry.

Here’s one quote that I always find to capture the essence of its reasoning, showing that it’s all based on individuals associating, not so much corporations:

“[The rich always have access] yet certain disfavored associations of citizens—those that have taken on the corporate [or union] form—are penalized for engaging in the same political speech.

“When Government seeks to use its full power, including the criminal law, to command where a person may get his or her information or what distrusted source he or she may not hear, it uses censorship to control thought. This is unlawful. The First Amendment confirms the freedom to think for ourselves.”

https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep558/usrep558310/usrep558310.pdf

#USPolitics #SCOTUS #law #elections

Well this is one of the better steamed hams spoofs

Is #SteamedHams a hashtag around here? Well it is now!

https://youtu.be/Jsof0cwFPY0

Here’s a great thread with screenshots and two second overviews of some different #Fediverse projects! (#QT below)

Here’s @jwz providing a sample comparing reach and engagement with content on #Mastodon / #Fediverse

Sure, a small sample, but it does show surprising levels of engagement vs followers.

( a #QT )

With #ChatGPT having such a buzz I’ve been amused to notice the similarity between that program and some of the dumber political commentators in #USPolitics.

As I understand it, ChatGPT operates by predicting what word would likely follow previous words and prompts, so it has no actual understanding of any of the words, it just parrots words and phrases that seem right.

The duller pundits do exactly the same thing, often misusing particular words and idiomatic phrases. Heck, ChatGPT probably does a better job! But it highlights how thoughtless those speakers are, and that they work by pandering to their audiences.

My favorite example of this is Sean Hannity appearing to have no idea what the term bellwether actually means as he parrots the term “bellwether state” to mean any state with a close or important election coming up. Well the phrase seems like it should follow whatever else he was going on about, so he uses it in his rambling chain of thought.

Plenty has been said about how ChatGPT is or is not a threat to different occupations, but I’m pretty sure it could replace a whole lot of these morons offering opinions on current events.

(And to be fair, I don’t like to use such derisive language, but these people really deserve it: they really are just that ignorant and idiotic in their pronouncements, and their lack of understanding of their own words is both amusing and depressing.)

Another practical way to think about the #debtceiling is as providing a halftime checkup of how budgetary estimates are actually working out, and one that gets triggered sooner the farther the Treasury is falling from those estimates.

If the government is running out of money faster than expected, you WANT that alarm to go off sooner so the situation can be addressed.

Remember, after spending is authorized the Treasury spends it throughout the year even as tax revenues continually come in. The Treasury’s balance changes from day to day based on both flows out and in.

Congress authorizes spending based on estimates of both flows, what projects will cost AND how much will come in over time. That makes federal budgets doubly uncertain.

Should receipts fall far short of estimates, Congress would need to reevaluate as its planning was faulty. The #debtlimit would be triggered more quickly as a warning that couldn’t be legally swept under the rug until it’s too late.

It’s vital that people understand the different roles of the different branches here. People are acting as if it all happens in Congress, but in reality, that’s the other branch of government.

#USpolitics

Ahhh, US Press Secretary asserting that her untrue statements to journalists just goes to show how much the White House respects the independence of the Department of Justice.

I don’t know what’s worse, that spin, or her not seeming to know that the DoJ isn’t independent but a key part of her branch of government.

All she had to say was that she was given outdated/inaccurate information to pass along. The reporters seemed to be fishing for that answer.

What times we live in…

#USPolitics

The drama of the week over the debt ceiling is another case of a failure of civics education leaving Americans vulnerable to disinformation about how that whole thing works.

Just to shout it into the void: based on the US system of independent branches, first Congress authorizes spending, then the executive spends it.

Congress does not spend money. Legislation does not spend money. The executive’s writing of checks and signing of contracts is what spends money.

There’s so much talk about money already having been spent that’s just wrong because they don’t realize how the US system works.

Most importantly here, though, the US has plenty of revenues incoming to service its debt. Default is not realistically on the table regardless of whether the debt ceiling is raised.

#USPolitics #debtceiling

This is probably a pretty neutral summary of the story that hasn’t gotten as much international attention as I’d have expected.

#USPolitics