In which our free country continues to go to hell in a handbasket.
These MAGA fools and their Revered Needer are destroying everything decent about this country. Making it safe for the Techno-fascist theocracy they want to make this country into. That's who they are. The cowardly Democratic "leadership" continues to cower.
Nice work voters of 2024. You managed to destroy the few things this country had going for it. MAGA voters, cross-over voters, the whole bunch of you. And mosgt especially, all those regular Democratic voters who decided to "sit this on out". When freedom, democracy and the Constitution called for help, you stayed home.
Think-- if all the deep-pocketed news organizations, law firms, and commercial business had-- individually but in legal concert- told Trump to go fuq himself then the First Amendment, the Justice Department, and Commerce would all be sound, proud, and free instead of emulating Lindsey Graham's fluffer act.
My completely uninformed guess about what happened inside Amazon:
1. Someone inside of Amazon decides that since they break out sales tax from prices, they should do that for tariffs as well.
2. This idea gains traction from a combination of anti-tariff sentiment and wanting to make clear that it wasn't Amazon that raised prices.
3. Someone in legal or accounting points out that they can break out sales tax because they are the ones that either pay it or process it and as such they know the correct amount to show for sales tax. With tariffs, on the other hand, they can only be certain of the number when they are the importer. What should they do with all of the resellers? Will it be viewed as discriminatory if they don't let resellers break out tariffs? What about the effect of tariffs on items that are not directly imported? In other words, cool idea but a mess in practice for much of their business.
4. Idea gets killed as infeasible.
In parallel, somewhere after (1), someone from Amazon leaks the idea. White House goes insane. (More insane?) Trump calls Bezos. At this point, Amazon could be anywhere between steps (2) and (4). Depending on how far the idea ever got, Bezos may or may not know. Anyway, by the time Bezos gets back to Trump, the idea is probably already dead inside Amazon for practicality reasons. Someone inside Amazon decides to try to avoid looking like they capitulated to Trump by putting out that they were never going to do this.
I'm not saying Bezos is a prince or anything in this, but practicality argues that Amazon was never going to end up doing this anyway.
(Postscript. Amazon lawyers issue an internal memo explaining to employees why leaks cause headaches for legal and PR. Most Amazon employees don't bother reading the memo because that's what lawyers always say.)
Crony capitalism? Or the emergence of a ccpesque economic overlordship? Or perhaps politically motivated jiggery pokery? Or perhaps ALL! This layered with OKs pseudo history and the high value placed on outright lunacy really tells a tale! To call it farce dishonors farce. Excuse exclamation points! Bone in throat.
Dear Charlie Sykes, this is one of the best yet of your various comments on what is happening and for me , a much needed news update. I've limited myself to very little news commentary ...The Bulwark has even been too much of late.
I'm beginning my 80th year and cannot waste precious time needed for spiritual life on the daily reports and dives into what a quagmire of idiocy our government has become.
Oh, thanks for the photo of your " German Boys " ....so dear, so sweet...the once "baby Eli".
Well, the only good thing to appreciate was Eli- Growing and Auggie, the fortress, shoring up his baby brother. I think puppies are like flowers: you can almost see them 🌸 blossom.
I’m just a poor country journalist (retired), kinda slow on the uptake I suppose. So could someone please explain to me why there are no criminal bribery charges being considered in the Paramount/CBS affair? The quid and the quo are quite apparent, as are specific individuals beyond the immunized Trump (Shari Redstone, Brendan Carr).
Given the level of brazenness here, I see nothing that would stop Trump from auctioning pardons on eBay.
The answer seems to be “Stop watching 60 Minutes”. Maybe it’s time for pitchforks and tiki torches for the oligarchs! They are just curmudgeons without their money.
Last night I walked by the Winter Garden in New York, where you'll find "Goodnight and Good Luck" on the bill. This raises a question: Who is spinning faster in his grave, Murrow or Cronkite?
In which our free country continues to go to hell in a handbasket.
These MAGA fools and their Revered Needer are destroying everything decent about this country. Making it safe for the Techno-fascist theocracy they want to make this country into. That's who they are. The cowardly Democratic "leadership" continues to cower.
Nice work voters of 2024. You managed to destroy the few things this country had going for it. MAGA voters, cross-over voters, the whole bunch of you. And mosgt especially, all those regular Democratic voters who decided to "sit this on out". When freedom, democracy and the Constitution called for help, you stayed home.
Think-- if all the deep-pocketed news organizations, law firms, and commercial business had-- individually but in legal concert- told Trump to go fuq himself then the First Amendment, the Justice Department, and Commerce would all be sound, proud, and free instead of emulating Lindsey Graham's fluffer act.
Thank you for shedding light on this.
🤬🤬🤬
My completely uninformed guess about what happened inside Amazon:
1. Someone inside of Amazon decides that since they break out sales tax from prices, they should do that for tariffs as well.
2. This idea gains traction from a combination of anti-tariff sentiment and wanting to make clear that it wasn't Amazon that raised prices.
3. Someone in legal or accounting points out that they can break out sales tax because they are the ones that either pay it or process it and as such they know the correct amount to show for sales tax. With tariffs, on the other hand, they can only be certain of the number when they are the importer. What should they do with all of the resellers? Will it be viewed as discriminatory if they don't let resellers break out tariffs? What about the effect of tariffs on items that are not directly imported? In other words, cool idea but a mess in practice for much of their business.
4. Idea gets killed as infeasible.
In parallel, somewhere after (1), someone from Amazon leaks the idea. White House goes insane. (More insane?) Trump calls Bezos. At this point, Amazon could be anywhere between steps (2) and (4). Depending on how far the idea ever got, Bezos may or may not know. Anyway, by the time Bezos gets back to Trump, the idea is probably already dead inside Amazon for practicality reasons. Someone inside Amazon decides to try to avoid looking like they capitulated to Trump by putting out that they were never going to do this.
I'm not saying Bezos is a prince or anything in this, but practicality argues that Amazon was never going to end up doing this anyway.
(Postscript. Amazon lawyers issue an internal memo explaining to employees why leaks cause headaches for legal and PR. Most Amazon employees don't bother reading the memo because that's what lawyers always say.)
Crony capitalism? Or the emergence of a ccpesque economic overlordship? Or perhaps politically motivated jiggery pokery? Or perhaps ALL! This layered with OKs pseudo history and the high value placed on outright lunacy really tells a tale! To call it farce dishonors farce. Excuse exclamation points! Bone in throat.
Dear Charlie Sykes, this is one of the best yet of your various comments on what is happening and for me , a much needed news update. I've limited myself to very little news commentary ...The Bulwark has even been too much of late.
I'm beginning my 80th year and cannot waste precious time needed for spiritual life on the daily reports and dives into what a quagmire of idiocy our government has become.
Oh, thanks for the photo of your " German Boys " ....so dear, so sweet...the once "baby Eli".
Well, the only good thing to appreciate was Eli- Growing and Auggie, the fortress, shoring up his baby brother. I think puppies are like flowers: you can almost see them 🌸 blossom.
Resist, or cease to exist.
I’m just a poor country journalist (retired), kinda slow on the uptake I suppose. So could someone please explain to me why there are no criminal bribery charges being considered in the Paramount/CBS affair? The quid and the quo are quite apparent, as are specific individuals beyond the immunized Trump (Shari Redstone, Brendan Carr).
Given the level of brazenness here, I see nothing that would stop Trump from auctioning pardons on eBay.
The network home of Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Morrow is dead.
The answer seems to be “Stop watching 60 Minutes”. Maybe it’s time for pitchforks and tiki torches for the oligarchs! They are just curmudgeons without their money.
Someone needs to tell Lindsey Graham Saint Peter will have words at The Gate over this Pope Trump idea, and it won’t go the way he is hoping.
Lindsey Graham is a physical phenomenon, a standing invertebrate.
Let’s hope they pay in incalculable additional ways.
Re the military EO, not to worry. Those 2A Patriots will protect us from tyranny. Won't they?
https://chris88.substack.com/p/cold-dead-hands
Last night I walked by the Winter Garden in New York, where you'll find "Goodnight and Good Luck" on the bill. This raises a question: Who is spinning faster in his grave, Murrow or Cronkite?
CBS eye should a patch over it because it can’t see right from wrong anymore.