SCOTUS

[brewcity77]

One side or the other is always unhappy with the Supreme Court. I know FDR tried (and failed) court packing way back when but I don’t recall any serious discussion of it in my lifetime until the last 18 months.

FDR's threat to pack succeeded though. He threatened, they backed down.

And the current discussion is because the court has already been packed against the will of the American people by McConnell stealing two seats.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Preamble:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of ...

bless·ing

noun
plural noun: blessings
God's favor and protection.

Not quite secular. Our freedoms are favors from God that protect us from a tyrannical state and one of our first freedoms is religious freedom or freedom not to believe.

The Dobbs decision in no way is forcing religion on anybody. It just returned to the states their ability to regulate abortion just as they regulate guns according to the will of the people through their elected representatives. Why such animus towards Christians?

That is a definition of blessing. I'm sure you realize that there are others.

[brewcity77]

Our freedoms are favors from God that protect us from a tyrannical state and one of our first freedoms is religious freedom or freedom not to believe.

What a crock. If cult mythology is going to play a role in government, it should at least start paying taxes first.

[muwarrior69]

What a crock. If cult mythology is going to play a role in government, it should at least start paying taxes first.

My church does pay taxes. Each municipality is different but in our town the first 5 acres are exempt from property taxes. My Church has a 12 acre campus and our education Center is located on land outside of the tax free exemption and subject to paying property taxes. Our parish pays the matching FICA taxes that all employers must pay for each employee. So yes, the church does pay taxes.

I guess Christianity can be characterized as mythology, but it just so happens to be true as it is based on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. St. Paul emphatically explains in his letter to the Corinthians that if Christ did not rise from the dead then Christianity is a lie and that he himself is the biggest liar; but he continues documenting eye witness accounts of people seeing the risen Christ and on one occasion appearing to a crowd of 500. Though to Christians Jesus is divine He is also a historical figure as well. The early Christians were persecuted and died for their beliefs and if Christianity were a lie it too would have died with them long ago.

You can believe whatever you want but Christians come to their faith not blind but with their eyes wide open.

[lawdog77]

What a crock. If cult mythology is going to play a role in government, it should at least start paying taxes first.

Does it make you feel like a bigger man to mock other people's religious beliefs?

[Uncle Rico]

Preamble:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of ...

bless·ing

noun
plural noun: blessings
God's favor and protection.

Not quite secular. Our freedoms are favors from God that protect us from a tyrannical state and one of our first freedoms is religious freedom or freedom not to believe.

The Dobbs decision in no way is forcing religion on anybody. It just returned to the states their ability to regulate abortion just as they regulate guns according to the will of the people through their elected representatives. Why such animus towards Christians?

The constitution is purely secular.  History leading into the writing of it was rife with state-based religion plunging nations into wars because that’s what religion does best, kill.  If you want to ignore what the founding fathers said about how this nation was formed, so be it.  You’re wrong.  This specifically wanted a government removed from religion because history shows what happens when the two are mixed.

I’m not surprised when christofascists ignore this.  They don’t want history taught because it isn’t pretty for them

[Uncle Rico]

My church does pay taxes. Each municipality is different but in our town the first 5 acres are exempt from property taxes. My Church has a 12 acre campus and our education Center is located on land outside of the tax free exemption and subject to paying property taxes. Our parish pays the matching FICA taxes that all employers must pay for each employee. So yes, the church does pay taxes.

I guess Christianity can be characterized as mythology, but it just so happens to be true as it is based on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. St. Paul emphatically explains in his letter to the Corinthians that if Christ did not rise from the dead then Christianity is a lie and that he himself is the biggest liar; but he continues documenting eye witness accounts of people seeing the risen Christ and on one occasion appearing to a crowd of 500. Though to Christians Jesus is divine He is also a historical figure as well. The early Christians were persecuted and died for their beliefs and if Christianity were a lie it too would have died with them long ago.

You can believe whatever you want but Christians come to their faith not blind but with their eyes wide open.

Now do Islam, Hinduism and so on

[🏀]

You can believe whatever you want but Christians come to their faith not blind but with their eyes wide open.

Sure sure sure. Eyes wide open getting dunk tanked into special water as a baby dressed in a white dress.

Tax the revenue, remove tax exempt status.

[Hards Alumni]

Okay, let's rewrite the Constitution. And by the way, who's going to do that-------me, Gorsuch, Barrett, Alioto, et al???? Or you, Brew and your friends???

The U.S. Constitution has served us pretty well for almost 250 years. I'd leave it alone.

Dream on.  It's served SOME people well for 246 years, but not everyone.

If you think humans haven't had any better ideas for governance in the last 246 years, you're beyond hope.  Our system is a disaster, and instead of fixing it, one side is going to exploit every unintended technicality to benefit their minority view under the guise of 'originalism'.  What a crock.  The two party system needs to be extinguished and replaced with an actually representative system that many modern European countries use.  Just look at Ireland.  They manage to govern just fine with 10 represented parties.  Everyone gets a voice.  What a wild proposition!

Even Thomas Jefferson wanted the US constitution rewritten every 19 years.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

My church does pay taxes. Each municipality is different but in our town the first 5 acres are exempt from property taxes. My Church has a 12 acre campus and our education Center is located on land outside of the tax free exemption and subject to paying property taxes. Our parish pays the matching FICA taxes that all employers must pay for each employee. So yes, the church does pay taxes.

I guess Christianity can be characterized as mythology, but it just so happens to be true as it is based on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. St. Paul emphatically explains in his letter to the Corinthians that if Christ did not rise from the dead then Christianity is a lie and that he himself is the biggest liar; but he continues documenting eye witness accounts of people seeing the risen Christ and on one occasion appearing to a crowd of 500. Though to Christians Jesus is divine He is also a historical figure as well. The early Christians were persecuted and died for their beliefs and if Christianity were a lie it too would have died with them long ago.

You can believe whatever you want but Christians come to their faith not blind but with their eyes wide open.

The vast majority of people who are Christian grew up Christian.  Same with Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, etc.  If you talk with many adherents of other religions, they believe as deeply in the foundations of their faith as you do.  Christianity is hardly unique in that regard.

[Hards Alumni]

Preamble:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of ...

bless·ing

noun
plural noun: blessings
God's favor and protection.

Not quite secular. Our freedoms are favors from God that protect us from a tyrannical state and one of our first freedoms is religious freedom or freedom not to believe.

The Dobbs decision in no way is forcing religion on anybody. It just returned to the states their ability to regulate abortion just as they regulate guns according to the will of the people through their elected representatives. Why such animus towards Christians?

You're not really this foolish, are you?

[Hards Alumni]

My church does pay taxes. Each municipality is different but in our town the first 5 acres are exempt from property taxes. My Church has a 12 acre campus and our education Center is located on land outside of the tax free exemption and subject to paying property taxes. Our parish pays the matching FICA taxes that all employers must pay for each employee. So yes, the church does pay taxes.

I guess Christianity can be characterized as mythology, but it just so happens to be true as it is based on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. St. Paul emphatically explains in his letter to the Corinthians that if Christ did not rise from the dead then Christianity is a lie and that he himself is the biggest liar; but he continues documenting eye witness accounts of people seeing the risen Christ and on one occasion appearing to a crowd of 500. Though to Christians Jesus is divine He is also a historical figure as well. The early Christians were persecuted and died for their beliefs and if Christianity were a lie it too would have died with them long ago.

You can believe whatever you want but Christians come to their faith not blind but with their eyes wide open.

Oh, you believe that this actually happened, and isn't a morality story based on other morality stories.

[lawdog77]

Even Thomas Jefferson wanted the US constitution rewritten every 19 years.

Jefferson hung around the French too much, which reminds me of a joke.

A man walks into a library and asks the librarian:
"Can I see the a copy of the French Constitution?"
to which the librarian responds, "Sorry, we don't carry periodicals."

[Hards Alumni]

Jefferson hung around the French too much, which reminds me of a joke.

A man walks into a library and asks the librarian:
"Can I see the a copy of the French Constitution?"
to which the librarian responds, "Sorry, we don't carry periodicals."

They all did.  We owe the existence of the US to France... not necessarily for altruistic reasons, but the French helped the US gain independence.

[lawdog77]

They all did.  We owe the existence of the US to France... not necessarily for altruistic reasons, but the French helped the US gain independence.

Well. when Hamilton got in a rap battle with Jefferson, oh wait.nevermind

[lawdog77]

Dream on.  It's served SOME people well for 246 years, but not everyone.

If you think humans haven't had any better ideas for governance in the last 246 years, you're beyond hope.  Our system is a disaster, and instead of fixing it, one side is going to exploit every unintended technicality to benefit their minority view under the guise of 'originalism'.  What a crock.  The two party system needs to be extinguished and replaced with an actually representative system that many modern European countries use. Just look at Ireland.  They manage to govern just fine with 10 represented parties.  Everyone gets a voice.  What a wild proposition!

Even Thomas Jefferson wanted the US constitution rewritten every 19 years.

Serious question. How do you propose getting more parties involved? I am for it.

[Hards Alumni]

Serious question. How do you propose getting more parties involved? I am for it.

Have to get rid of the 'first horse past the post' type of election style we ascribe to.  Probably would require an amendment.  And then the two parties would have to agree to do it... which they won't.

So yeah... nothing likely to happen any time in the future, but it would probably cut a lot of the division in the country.  Multiple partiess could find common ground on issues instead of being one issue voters.  Maybe something would get done for once here in the old USA.

[Uncle Rico]

Have to get rid of the 'first horse past the post' type of election style we ascribe to.  Probably would require an amendment.  And then the two parties would have to agree to do it... which they won't.

So yeah... nothing likely to happen any time in the future, but it would probably cut a lot of the division in the country.  Multiple partiess could find common ground on issues instead of being one issue voters.  Maybe something would get done for once here in the old USA.

There’s definitely room for a centrist party in this country that cuts out the Trump republicans and far left dems. 

Press coverage has been an issue in the past for third-parties but a party taking on both radical wings of the dominant parties would be interesting.  Of course, the entrenched money funding both parties make that unlikely anyway

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

There isn't going to be a third party anytime soon. It's not just the press. It's the entire way money is tied up in the process. There is just too much vested interest to invest in a third party.

What you will see is evolutions within the party like we saw with Trump Republicans. The Republican Party of today is nothing like the party of Reagan, Bush and Romney. For all intents and purposes, it is a completely different party with some agreement on issues. 

So there is some hope for Democrats, but they are going to have to change. They are going to have to break free of their coastal mindset - and that includes their leadership in both houses of Congress. We will see how John Fetterman ultimately does in Pennsylvania, I mean he isn't out on the campaign trail due to his stroke, but if ends up winning there, they need to learn a lesson about what messaging does work.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

My church does pay taxes. Each municipality is different but in our town the first 5 acres are exempt from property taxes. My Church has a 12 acre campus and our education Center is located on land outside of the tax free exemption and subject to paying property taxes. Our parish pays the matching FICA taxes that all employers must pay for each employee. So yes, the church does pay taxes.

I guess Christianity can be characterized as mythology, but it just so happens to be true as it is based on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. St. Paul emphatically explains in his letter to the Corinthians that if Christ did not rise from the dead then Christianity is a lie and that he himself is the biggest liar; but he continues documenting eye witness accounts of people seeing the risen Christ and on one occasion appearing to a crowd of 500. Though to Christians Jesus is divine He is also a historical figure as well. The early Christians were persecuted and died for their beliefs and if Christianity were a lie it too would have died with them long ago.

You can believe whatever you want but Christians come to their faith not blind but with their eyes wide open.

Again, believe whatever you want. It is your right, and I strongly support it. But keep your particular mythology out of government, out of laws, and out of everyone's life. Your right to your belief does not extend to forcing it upon others.

[Uncle Rico]

There isn't going to be a third party anytime soon. It's not just the press. It's the entire way money is tied up in the process. There is just too much vested interest to invest in a third party.

What you will see is evolutions within the party like we saw with Trump Republicans. The Republican Party of today is nothing like the party of Reagan, Bush and Romney. For all intents and purposes, it is a completely different party with some agreement on issues. 

So there is some hope for Democrats, but they are going to have to change. They are going to have to break free of their coastal mindset - and that includes their leadership in both houses of Congress. We will see how John Fetterman ultimately does in Pennsylvania, I mean he isn't out on the campaign trail due to his stroke, but if ends up winning there, they need to learn a lesson about what messaging does work.

I was at a Clinton rally in rural Wisconsin in 1996.  It was enthusiastic and well attended.  There was a guy that understood messaging and the people.  You don’t have to like him and I don’t blame anyone that doesn’t, but he connected with people better than any democrat since.  I can’t imagine such a thing happening today with the current crop of visible democrats

[brewcity77]

I guess Christianity can be characterized as mythology

From the Oxford Languages Dictionary. Christianity is both a cult and a mythology:

Cult (N): A system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object. "The cult of St. Olaf"

Mythology (N): A collection of myths, especially once belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition. "a book discussing Jewish and Christian mythologies."

Unless you are going to give equal deference to Hindu, Islam, Scientology, Heaven's Gate, Buddhism, and any other religious cult you can imagine, your religious cult should be kept out of laws and legislation.

I was at a Clinton rally in rural Wisconsin in 1996.  It was enthusiastic and well attended.  There was a guy that understood messaging and the people.  You don’t have to like him and I don’t blame anyone that doesn’t, but he connected with people better than any democrat since.  I can’t imagine such a thing happening today with the current crop of visible democrats

John Fetterman would like a word. He would be my current pick for the 2024 nominee.

[The Hippie Satan of Hyperbole]

From the Oxford Languages Dictionary. Christianity is both a cult and a mythology:

Cult (N): A system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object. "The cult of St. Olaf"

Mythology (N): A collection of myths, especially once belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition. "a book discussing Jewish and Christian mythologies."

Unless you are going to give equal deference to Hindu, Islam, Scientology, Heaven's Gate, Buddhism, and any other religious cult you can imagine, your religious cult should be kept out of laws and legislation.

John Fetterman would like a word. He would be my current pick for the 2024 nominee.

He's going to have to beat Oz...and actually be healthy.

[Hards Alumni]

He's going to have to beat Oz...and actually be healthy.

He's going to beat Oz handily.  Healthy... might be more difficult, but I'm with Brew.

[jficke13]

Dream on.  It's served SOME people well for 246 years, but not everyone.

If you think humans haven't had any better ideas for governance in the last 246 years, you're beyond hope.  Our system is a disaster, and instead of fixing it, one side is going to exploit every unintended technicality to benefit their minority view under the guise of 'originalism'.  What a crock.  The two party system needs to be extinguished and replaced with an actually representative system that many modern European countries use.  Just look at Ireland.  They manage to govern just fine with 10 represented parties.  Everyone gets a voice.  What a wild proposition!

Even Thomas Jefferson wanted the US constitution rewritten every 19 years.

Maybe?

Game theory, however, suggests that multi-party systems are incentivized to coalesce into a bipolar system. If you have 5 left wing parties (and let's be real, since the French Revolution there has never been anything that resembles a unified "left" and instead there's dozens of fractured, backbiting, infighting groups vying for some kind of ideological purity while they lose every fight), and 1 viable right wing party, then you end up with right wing party rule.

The Tories in the UK are the one arrayed against the several (Labour, Liberal Democrats, etc). This is how the GOP has won, by being militantly, obsessively, lockstep in unity of purpose and welcoming of everyone on the right so long as they get in line and do as they are told.