At companies where I've worked, one can NEVER accept any gift, bribe, or gratuity from a client or contractor under any circumstances unless a special exemption is approved by management. They have this crazy idea that even the appearance of unethical behavior is a bad thing. Too bad elected officials don't need to follow such rules, or at least not in the US.
SCOTUS has become an ugly distortion of a supreme court. My sympathy lies with the three on that court: Jackson, Kagan, and Sotomayor, who are under tremendous stress from being there and being unable to stop the destruction of our country. Every year is worse than the year before with the Court handing down execrable decisions. We must be ruthless in resisting and turning back this red tide.
There are a whole set of laws that say exempt (salaried) employees cannot accept gratuities. There was a big Starbucks case that said that if the shift manager receives a salary they are not entitled to gratuities even if they do the job of tipped employee. Also, if the Mayor of your city receives gratuities does that mean they can be paid $2.13, $5.25, or whatever ridiculous minimum that servers are paid?
A rabble of bribe-enjoyers being allowed to redefine "bribery" so they can continue to get their juicy bribes is peak modern America. Even the Tories haven't reached this level yet.
"Oh hey man. Can I give you a bunch of money so that you'll help me make money once you're in office, and we'll line our pockets with public money?" "Well okay dude, but not until after I do the thing for you, that automatically turns a bribe, which would be illegal, into... not a bribe! It's like a toggle switch. Bing bong, bang bing boom. All good. Therefore not illegal. Deal?" "Mum's the word."
"One is a real corker, ballsily holding that a bribe to a public official isn’t a bribe if it’s a “gratuity” after the fact."
`
To borrow from Dorothy Parker, I would strip a gear trying to be fair to these guys -- so I must ask whether it TECHNICALLY counts as a bribe when they were going to do the worst, most evil thing imaginable ANYWAY?
"it’s only really bribery if someone shows up with a bag of cash with a dollar sign on it and both parties recite at the same time, “this is a bribe.”"
"They sure aren’t in a hurry to decide Donald Trump Can Shoot Biden On Fifth Avenue"
`
They might be a bunch of miserable, traitorous shit lickers, but what they are NOT, is too stupid to cover their own asses.
Consider the following possibilities:
1. They rule that the Preznit is above the law.
2. The very next day, Stinky Britches... um... exits the land of the living... or has an incapacitating stroke/heart attack/whatever... or loses the election in a landslide.
3. President Biden, now freed of any legal constraints, goes full-on Dark Brandon (I will leave what form that might take up to the imaginations of my fellow Wonketeers).
They might like Grandpa Poopy Diaper (as difficult to imagine as I find that), but not as much as they like their cushy do-nothing jobs rolling around in piles of money. They're damn well gonna see which way the wind is blowing before they stick their necks out.
they won't dump immunity tomorrow with the debate happening. if we learned anything this term it's that they've become aware of the bad politics of their shitty decisions and are trying to buy time til another R is in office (see both mifepristone ruling and the emtala leak).
"if we learned anything this term it's that they've become aware of the bad politics of their shitty decisions"
`
I'm not disputing your point here, but I'm also not sure what's up with them.
One the one hand, yes, we're getting half-assed attempts to try to stave off "Roe your vote", and the like.
On the other hand, we got the Dobbs decision in the first place, which seemed to have no real purpose other than, "Fuck you; we'll do whatever we want, precedent and standing be damned."
"If you billionaires liked the way your Justices ruled this year, or appreciate how your governor or mayor steered contracts your way, it sure would be nice if you left them an appreciative tip so they can buy extra beer this summer"
Buying beer is for plebes; Supreme Court Justices should be buying *breweries*.
Over-under on the immunity drop being in the midnight hour of either Fri, 6/28, or Wed, 7/3? It will at this point certainly be the final drop of this session before vamoose.
A gratuity is what I give a server after I eat at a restaurant. A kickback is what I get when I steer a contract to a special vendor. Glad to know they are both okey doke with SCOTUS.
At companies where I've worked, one can NEVER accept any gift, bribe, or gratuity from a client or contractor under any circumstances unless a special exemption is approved by management. They have this crazy idea that even the appearance of unethical behavior is a bad thing. Too bad elected officials don't need to follow such rules, or at least not in the US.
SCOTUS has become an ugly distortion of a supreme court. My sympathy lies with the three on that court: Jackson, Kagan, and Sotomayor, who are under tremendous stress from being there and being unable to stop the destruction of our country. Every year is worse than the year before with the Court handing down execrable decisions. We must be ruthless in resisting and turning back this red tide.
There are a whole set of laws that say exempt (salaried) employees cannot accept gratuities. There was a big Starbucks case that said that if the shift manager receives a salary they are not entitled to gratuities even if they do the job of tipped employee. Also, if the Mayor of your city receives gratuities does that mean they can be paid $2.13, $5.25, or whatever ridiculous minimum that servers are paid?
An opinion on this subject by The Guardian; https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jun/27/supreme-court-bribes-gratuities-snyder-kavanaugh
A rabble of bribe-enjoyers being allowed to redefine "bribery" so they can continue to get their juicy bribes is peak modern America. Even the Tories haven't reached this level yet.
Yet.
"Oh hey man. Can I give you a bunch of money so that you'll help me make money once you're in office, and we'll line our pockets with public money?" "Well okay dude, but not until after I do the thing for you, that automatically turns a bribe, which would be illegal, into... not a bribe! It's like a toggle switch. Bing bong, bang bing boom. All good. Therefore not illegal. Deal?" "Mum's the word."
"One is a real corker, ballsily holding that a bribe to a public official isn’t a bribe if it’s a “gratuity” after the fact."
`
To borrow from Dorothy Parker, I would strip a gear trying to be fair to these guys -- so I must ask whether it TECHNICALLY counts as a bribe when they were going to do the worst, most evil thing imaginable ANYWAY?
"it’s only really bribery if someone shows up with a bag of cash with a dollar sign on it and both parties recite at the same time, “this is a bribe.”"
`
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7mpr_yvl_Q&ab_channel=seyeryej
On camera.
"They sure aren’t in a hurry to decide Donald Trump Can Shoot Biden On Fifth Avenue"
`
They might be a bunch of miserable, traitorous shit lickers, but what they are NOT, is too stupid to cover their own asses.
Consider the following possibilities:
1. They rule that the Preznit is above the law.
2. The very next day, Stinky Britches... um... exits the land of the living... or has an incapacitating stroke/heart attack/whatever... or loses the election in a landslide.
3. President Biden, now freed of any legal constraints, goes full-on Dark Brandon (I will leave what form that might take up to the imaginations of my fellow Wonketeers).
They might like Grandpa Poopy Diaper (as difficult to imagine as I find that), but not as much as they like their cushy do-nothing jobs rolling around in piles of money. They're damn well gonna see which way the wind is blowing before they stick their necks out.
they won't dump immunity tomorrow with the debate happening. if we learned anything this term it's that they've become aware of the bad politics of their shitty decisions and are trying to buy time til another R is in office (see both mifepristone ruling and the emtala leak).
friday's going to suck
"if we learned anything this term it's that they've become aware of the bad politics of their shitty decisions"
`
I'm not disputing your point here, but I'm also not sure what's up with them.
One the one hand, yes, we're getting half-assed attempts to try to stave off "Roe your vote", and the like.
On the other hand, we got the Dobbs decision in the first place, which seemed to have no real purpose other than, "Fuck you; we'll do whatever we want, precedent and standing be damned."
"Is Martha-Ann Alito still sewing her SHAME flags"
Those two "G"s in VERGOGNA take a long fucking time to sew right.
Whereas the one with the three Ks are all straight lines.
Vergogna, mio culo.
Who needs Jan. 6ers to destroy democracy when the Supreme Court is already on the job making it legally sanctioned?
like
Ethics? We don't need no stinking ethics! We're republicans!
Is it a "tip" to buy a Supreme Court Justice's mother's house for way above market value?
"If you billionaires liked the way your Justices ruled this year, or appreciate how your governor or mayor steered contracts your way, it sure would be nice if you left them an appreciative tip so they can buy extra beer this summer"
Buying beer is for plebes; Supreme Court Justices should be buying *breweries*.
*Brett Kavanaugh has entered the chat*
Over-under on the immunity drop being in the midnight hour of either Fri, 6/28, or Wed, 7/3? It will at this point certainly be the final drop of this session before vamoose.
I think they have to dawdle until PAB is either in our out, can't give Dark Brandon license to kill.
A gratuity is what I give a server after I eat at a restaurant. A kickback is what I get when I steer a contract to a special vendor. Glad to know they are both okey doke with SCOTUS.