Notices by S Bodzin, Real American 🇺🇸 (stevenbodzin@thepit.social), page 2

I think i figured out why Trump is so keen on eliminating taxes on "tips"

The US Supreme Court ruled it was legal to give politicians gifts for policy decisions, even if you benefit from the decision,, as long as you do so after the fact. A tip, if you will.

But politicians who accept "tips" still have to declare them on tax forms. For example, tax crimes are the most likely path to impeaching Clarence Thomas.

No joke, I think that's what's going on here

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/26/us/politics/supreme-court-corruption-bribery.html

Rep. AOC, and Sen. Tina Smith, introduced a bill to boost housing construction by nonprofits and governments.

It would repeal the Faircloth Amendment, the 1998 law that bars the US government from building housing.

This is a good thing

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/18/opinion/aoc-tina-smith-housing.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Lk4.ky_u.z2soWtF6CsfV&smid=url-share

@GNUmatic @blogdiva when 92% of the opposition votes for a single candidate, I'm not sure that's a right-wing power grab. Venezuelans are very much center left.

@HeavenlyPossum the first study I saw on this, in the early 90s, excited me no end, for its demolition of the racist myth of "untouched wilderness." Now it excites me for a new reason. If the forest could be managed once, maybe we can do it again. It offers hope for the areas now converted to relatively bereft savannah, and even to places like the Sahara, which with enough management maybe could be another Amazon.

A lot of people are reluctantly supporting Biden but don't have any specific reasons to like him. There is a constant wail of how Dems barely hold the line while Reps actively destroy things. I think this narrative was correct for Clinton & Obama but is totally wrong for Biden. People don't see how different this government has been. Here is a thread of some of the things Biden's govt has done.

1/

Via Reddit, law prof arguing that NY governor is required to let congestion pricing go forward.

https://prawfsblawg.blogs.com/prawfsblawg/2024/06/can-governor-hochul-use-federal-law-to-stall-new-yorks-congestion-pricing-program.html

I would just add that there are a lot of rules & laws in the world, and this one could possibly get enforced because of all the protests.

Protest at Hochul's office
633 3rd Ave Manhattan 5:30pm Wednesday 12 June!
Lots of groups & people will be there!!!

I really can't explain the amount of pain and upset I feel about NYC congestion pricing being canceled just 3 weeks before it was to take effect. 25 years of effort, culminating in the biggest environmental review process possible (examining impacts as far away as Philadelphia). We all know this is going to be a popular program once it takes effect. But out of fear of GOP bullying, Gov. Hochul is stopping it. I don't even know what to say about it. So bad.

@thomasfuchs i'm not even going to click but that's amusing and awful

reminds me of the book Geek Love

Any time NYC says it can't afford this or that, I will be pulling out a photo of this vehicle.

DC police have more political nous than the administrators of one of our top schools of political science:

D.C. police rejected GWU’s plea to sweep out university protesters

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/04/26/dc-police-george-washington-university-protests/

@chris don't tech people like to talk about the "stack"

@mike that is nice but if you respond, can he see that?

@twilliability @birb this is amazing! Viva RSS!!

The thing that has been driving me crazy about RSS lately is that Feed Rinse, the circa 2000 RSS filter, has been having server issues and is letting tremendous quantities of previously filtered posts through into my feed. I want a effective and up-to-date feed filter. Do you know of any?

@smallcircles @twilliability wonderful!!!

@BlackAzizAnansi rite aid wiped out local pharmacies on a debt-driven expansion drive. Now the debt came due and Rite Aid had no cash to pay it. It went into bankruptcy. It's shutting down hundreds of pharmacies, screwing both workers and landlords, but most of all screwing the local communities, leaving us without either historic family run pharmacies nor big chain stores. Nothing at all. The family pharmacies should have legal recourse but they don't.

Remember everybody: The whole NY AG case against Trump began because Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, representing Queens & the Bronx, asked Michael Cohen if he had ever seen the Trump Org overstate assets to one audience and understate them to another.

This is what Congressional questions can do. It is a travesty that most members just rant for 5 minutes and then give witnesses 5 seconds to respond.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zmgQDRU6v4

Please include source links for pictures and news. Links are a necessary but far from sufficient piece of how we keep fake news, fake images, and fake everything from taking over.

Way too many interesting images here are posted without links to sources.

@futurebird Sometimes I listen to his blah blah and it feels like an attempt to restore the former glory of middle school bullies who remain unable to process that the weirdos, geeks, brains, grinds, and other Others ended up running the world, while they're left paying child support and taxes.

@gwagner that nyt story yesterday just reinforced my take that all COPs are bad

ACAB

@thomasfuchs There is a large graveyard filled with my enemies. i do not wish to add to it, but will given no choice. Those who pick fights with me do so at their own peril, but maybe this is their lucky day