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Phil of Ockham
26.1K posts
Phil of Ockham
@PhilsRazor
I will rationally and politely discuss anything and assume you are an adult, until you prove otherwise.
เข้าร่วม Nisan 2022
597 กำลังติดตาม407 ผู้ติดตาม
@PhilsRazor @hicksticks2001 @ChrisDJackson so getting around the laws and shit to do what you want is something you promote?....cl
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A basketball court? Please. He put a goal on the tennis courts. That is not even remotely comparable to tearing down a main structure without permission and building a monstrosity that would dwarf the actual White House.
Lance Gooden@Lancegooden
President FDR built an indoor swimming pool with private funds. President Obama built a basketball court with private funds. Yet a single judge can block President Trump from building a PRIVATELY FUNDED ballroom that would benefit generations to come.
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@EditrixLane @ChrisDJackson We had an election.
America chose to vest Executive authority in Trump.
Deal with it.
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@PhilsRazor @ChrisDJackson Dude, do you really think the President has unfettered ability to tear down the Washington Monument? Raze the White House? Sell Yellowstone? He’s actually not a dictator or a monarch. He doesn’t own federal land.
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@hicksticks2001 @the3rdestate_cl @ChrisDJackson You posted a statute, so adult points for that.
I have to point out that there is already a building erected on the site of the White House, and that the statute says "erecting" (not "constructing", not "modifying").
Congress certainly needs to approve tax $ spending.
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@PhilsRazor @the3rdestate_cl @ChrisDJackson 40 U.S.C. § 8106 explicitly requires "express authority of Congress" before constructing public buildings/structures on federal land in the Washington DC.
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@SSWorks What % of your income will you get back when you retire?
What % will billionaires get back? They're capped.
You can't pretend it's "an investment" and then blatantly rob people who aren't going to get back their money.
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You pay 12.4% of your income into Social Security.
Billionaires pay .0002%
And then the same billionaires tell us we "can't afford" Social Security.
The only thing we can't afford is billionaires!
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@EditrixLane @ChrisDJackson I see that the Commission of Fine Arts actually did vote to approve the ballroom, on 2/19/26.
So, all good.
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@PhilsRazor @ChrisDJackson No, there is a commission that oversees the White House grounds. For example, when Melania wanted to add a tennis pavilion, the plans were approved by it. A president can't just burn it down because he wants to. He doesn't own the house.
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@the3rdestate_cl @ChrisDJackson What do you base your rule on?
Because the Executive absolutely makes decisions about federal property, every hour of every day. The only permission he needs is when he wants to spend extra tax dollars.
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@PhilsRazor @ChrisDJackson right, but they can't just make changes to federal property without the approval of Congress...if not, what keeps trump from tearing the entire white house down...it's stupid to think POTUS can do whatever he wants if it's private money...cl
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@alwaysfinding52 @ChrisDJackson "Whataboutism" is how Wokies dismiss precedent & fairness. That leaves "arbitrary fiat".
It's how you maintain the belief that you can do things that your enemies may not.
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@ChrisDJackson MAGA plays the what aboutism game more than anyone else. It’s what they have to do when they have no facts on their side
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@the3rdestate_cl @ChrisDJackson Presidents can't spend federal funds without authority from Congress.
They can spend private donations without permission.
That's in the Constitution.
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@ChrisDJackson I still don't understand what "private funds" has to do with anything...cl
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@MiscreaRichard @PramilaJayapal Yup, they make that increasingly clear. On every issue affecting US power & viability, she & her ilk choose the anti-American side.
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@PhilsRazor @PramilaJayapal But that's her goal. Destroy the US.
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Why is the United States the only wealthy country in the world where people have to choose between paying rent and going to the doctor?
It's not because we can't afford it. We spend MORE on health care than any other nation on earth – and our people get less in return.
Our system is designed to make insurance executives rich off American suffering.
Medicare for All fixes that. We must deliver.
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@SenGillibrand It wasn't $400 million in tax dollars.
It was $400 million from 350 million Americans who wanted to be part of giving us a big-country's ballroom so we didn't have to host foreign leaders IN A TENT anymore.
IN-A-TENT, you clowns.
The ballroom costs taxpayers NOTHING.
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While Americans are having to choose between paying for groceries or gas, struggling to find jobs, pay rent, or access health care, Trump was willing to spend $400 million on his vanity project: a White House ballroom.
A federal judge just blocked it.
The American people have had enough.
MeidasTouch@MeidasTouch
BREAKING: A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to halt construction of a $400M White House ballroom, ruling the project cannot move forward unless Congress approves it.
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@bradlander @ewarren It will never, ever be limited to "the very rich". Just " the top 1%".
That's what we were promised in 1913, w federal income tax.
You paying federal income taxes? You feel "very rich"?
So on top of it being theft, it will be applied to the middle class inside of 10 years, tops.
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Since @ewarren first proposed her 2-cent wealth tax in 2020, the same proposal would generate twice as much money – because the obscene wealth of billionaires has doubled over the past six years.
Instituting a wealth tax is an urgent national priority. It's how we can fund healthcare, housing, college, and childcare. I'll proudly fight in the congressional trenches alongside Senator Warren to get this done.
David Dayen@ddayen
A new bill to tax the rich's wealth isn't that interesting. Here's what is: the same bill was introduced 5 years ago, & since then the revenue estimate has *doubled*. Yes, billionaires have 2x much money as they did at the beginning of the 2020s. prospect.org/2026/03/27/bil…
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@IlliniJdMd @RayRiehle @NickKristof The Norks don't have a global network of homicidal True Believers who could turn Manhattan into a glowing crater without the world allowing us to nuke Pyonyang back.
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@RayRiehle @NickKristof North Korea has them and nobody is crazier than them.
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Imagine if instead of spending $1.3 million/minute on war in Iran, we spent this on people. With 3 days of war, we could eliminate the worst form of global hunger, saving 1.5m kids' lives. With less than 3 weeks worth, we could offer national pre-K or college for all Americans.
AF Post@AFpost
State Sec. Rubio: “Imagine if instead of spending billions on weapons, Iran spent that money on its people. They’d have a much different country.” Follow: @AFpost
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@NickKristof Watch a real President who refuses to ignore the existential horror of Iran making atom bombs & slipping them to the same loons who bomb marathons & Twin Towers & concerts & our military people.
Obama's "deal" let Iran have A-bombs after 10 years. How about, "never".
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@ChrisVanHollen Democrat posts in my X feed are like ground glass in my suntan lotion.
But stupider.
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Thanks to Trump's Big, Beautiful Bill, big corporations paid $65 BILLION LESS in federal taxes last year.
For reference, $65 BILLION could pay for over 2 years of ACA tax credit extensions.
They literally cut healthcare to give mega-corps like Amazon & Meta a tax cut.
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
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@BernieSanders It's still stealing, even when greedy people get demagogues like you to do the stealing for them.
Do you have ANY ethical sense that isn't from the Communist Manifesto?
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Ok, Jamie: Let me clear things up for you.
If my 5% wealth tax on billionaires was enacted you’d owe $135 million more in taxes & a family of 4 making $150,000 or less would receive a $12,000 payment.
Oh, and you’d still be worth more than $2.5 billion. Seems pretty fair to me.
Acyn@Acyn
Kilmeade: What do you say to people like Bernie Sanders who says billionaires don't pay their fair share? Dimon: I don't know what he means by fair share
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@RepGonzalez Problem is, Democrats made it illegal to try to stop them from voting.
Murder is illegal. Still happens, but at least we're allowed to investigate it.
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Folks - do not be fooled. It is already illegal for non-citizens to vote.
The SAVE Act will only create a burden for women across the nation who do not carry their maiden name, pose unnecessary risks for election administrators, and make it harder for seniors and those with disabilities to vote by mail.
This bill is un-American and un-democratic.
krgv.com/news/only-some…
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@SenatorHick How does Hickenlooper keep America safe?
Hint: He doesn't.
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How does a $400 MILLION White House ballroom help Americans afford groceries, health care, or gas?
Hint: It doesn’t.
The Washington Post@washingtonpost
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, President Trump showed off a rendering of his planned $400 million White House ballroom. The planned addition is facing a key vote this week. A federal judge may also rule to halt the project. wapo.st/3NLEWPR
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