The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Guns, Politics, Gunsmithing & Reloading The Political Forum The billionaires and Justice ThomasGo | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
| One of Us |
Seems it wasn't just Harlan Crowe. Thomas has lots of billionaire friends who give him free shit because....you know, because he's such a good guy. The billionaires just like him.  What a disgrace.Various billionaires paid for 38 vacations, 26 private jet rides, 8 helicopter vacation rides, a dozen VIP passes to major sporting events, vacations at luxury resorts. None of it reported by Thomas. https://www.propublica.org/art...ovelly-supreme-court -Every damn thing is your own fault if you are any good. | ||
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one of us |
Why do you hate America? Just kidding. The Supreme Court needs ethics rules. They obviously can’t police themselves. | |||
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| Administrator |
MM does do anything for his friends! What a sorry life! Has it ever occurred to you that people do things for their friends without asking for anything back?? | |||
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One of Us |
Sad but true regardless of your politics. Mike | |||
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| One of Us |
If it looks like a duck it's probably a duck. He sho got a lotta friends. Give me a home where the buffalo roam and I'll show you a house full of buffalo shit. | |||
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| One of Us |
Seems to be the case. I’d also like to see some teeth in these rules and apply them to all government types.
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| one of us |
Thomas and his wife are bought and paid for. Sickening that these two are anywhere near the Supreme Court. Every time I think of Clarence Thomas I think of Stephen Warren in Django Unchained. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AjWj91B7fo | |||
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| One of Us |
I take my friends to lunch at Chili's. Not to the Bahamas on a private jet. Let me know when you are in Dallas. I will buy you cheeseburger. But, you'll have to take a cab from the airport. -Every damn thing is your own fault if you are any good. | |||
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One of Us |
Apparently there is a legal standard concerning gifts to federal judges,, but no legal statute for SC judges…. Vote Trump- Putin’s best friend… To quote a former AND CURRENT Trumpiteer - DUMP TRUMP | |||
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| Administrator |
Your lunch at Chili is no different to his private jet to the Bahamas. | |||
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| One of Us |
Bullshit. There’s about $100 k difference. Your comparing camel turds to goat turds..  Vote Trump- Putin’s best friend… To quote a former AND CURRENT Trumpiteer - DUMP TRUMP | |||
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| One of Us |
Well....that.... and I don't know any SCOTUS members.... -Every damn thing is your own fault if you are any good. | |||
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| One of Us |
It does make a difference tax wise in the US. Treating a business associate to lunch won't pique the IRS's interest, unlike a $100,000 jet ride. Speaking of which, I wonder how Thomas is reporting these gifts on his tax returns. I don't suppose we'll ever know. | |||
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| One of Us |
Might be time to re-think the lifetime appointment policy for federal judges. The rationale has always been that it insulates them from political pressure. Unfortunately, it also apparently insulates them from ethical scrutiny that might result in them losing their jobs....at least at the SCOTUS level. -Every damn thing is your own fault if you are any good. | |||
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| One of Us |
The IRS should be able to cross check or match up a donor's deductions with the recipient's return, no? Give me a home where the buffalo roam and I'll show you a house full of buffalo shit. | |||
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| One of Us |
Well, that is an interesting question. I don't think gifts to individuals are tax deductible. Bribes either. So, I doubt the billionaires involved claimed a deduction. Maybe depreciation on the private jet?  And, I can promise you Justice Thomas didn't declare any of it. -Every damn thing is your own fault if you are any good. | |||
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| One of Us |
Isn't the gift tax payable by the recipient? There's a limit of like $10-20,000 that you don't have to report. But my memory could be off. | |||
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| One of Us |
I'm guessing the IRS is looking into that right now. -Every damn thing is your own fault if you are any good. | |||
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| One of Us |
And I’m guessing it will take years and nothing will come of it. Thomas will die of old age before this is resolved. Vote Trump- Putin’s best friend… To quote a former AND CURRENT Trumpiteer - DUMP TRUMP | |||
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| One of Us |
Give me a home where the buffalo roam and I'll show you a house full of buffalo shit. | |||
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| One of Us |
The tax is paid by the donor. For 2023 the exclusion is $17,000 lifetime is $12.92 million. Give me a home where the buffalo roam and I'll show you a house full of buffalo shit. | |||
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| One of Us |
The tax is paid by the donor. For 2023 the exclusion is $17,000 lifetime is $12.92 million. The stickler is that it be a gift and not an exchange for something of value. Any excess over $17,000 goes towards the lifetime limit. Give me a home where the buffalo roam and I'll show you a house full of buffalo shit. | |||
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| One of Us |
Seems to be an echo here. Vote Trump- Putin’s best friend… To quote a former AND CURRENT Trumpiteer - DUMP TRUMP | |||
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| One of Us |
Thanks for straightening me out. | |||
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| One of Us |
Thanks for the chance to straighten you out. Give me a home where the buffalo roam and I'll show you a house full of buffalo shit. | |||
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| Administrator |
The commies on the left are furious, because they are jealous. Incompetent idiots, incapable of doing any work to benefit themselves, and crying out when they see successful people having a good life!  | |||
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One of Us |
Nope, Hell no. RGB, Rhenquist, Stevens and Roberts should not be constrained with term limits. If you want to constrain them with ethical rules there's an easy way to do it, but the appointment should be at their lifetime, their discretion. Forgive me if I remember wrong, but IIRC, O'Connor said she voted against capital punishment because she didn't think "the people"would support it, before she voted for capital punishment because then "the people" would and I think that's a huge mistake. SCOTUS shouldn't concern itself with public opinion. Especially in these modern times I don't think there's anything more fluid. The Constitution is what it is, has been amended several times and SCOTUS should only decide what is in ink, black and white, not the vagaries of CNN or Fox News. | |||
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| One of Us |
If you place ethical rules on the S. Ct., through Federal Legislation, the S. Ct., will simply invalidate the ethical rules as a breach of Judicial Prerogative under the Constitution. State Supreme Courts have always maintained such line of legal reasoning that they, the Court can impose ethical rules on the judiciary, but not the state legislatures. The whole separation of powers. Let us assume for a moment, the S. Ct., adopted alThe Code of Conduct for US Judges. The Code is the ethical rules the S. Ct., applies to all lower Fed judges (including ALJs). What would be the remedy? Impeachment is surely an option. Would the S. Ct. adopt an expulsion rule for a violation? What level of violation? Would such expulsion rule require mandatory expulsion? The Constitution grants such power only through Congress through impeachment if one wants to be black and white about it. I have moved to supporting a Constitutional Amendment for term limits on Fed Judges and all members of Congress. If we were debating such an amendment, I could compromise on an age limit/mandatory retirement upon obtaining a certain age. | |||
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One of Us |
I find it amazing that you can have people in public service who can accept gifts, often to the value of many thousands of bucks, with no ethical oversight. | |||
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| One of Us |
The reality is that the Justices are a reflection of the political viewpoints of the President that appointed them. Republican POTUS nominates conservatives, Democratic POTUS nominates liberals and the cases decided by SCOTUS reflect this. The idea that politics plays no role in relation to the Court is a fallacy. -Every damn thing is your own fault if you are any good. | |||
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| One of Us |
I'm sure you are right, but in today's tornado of shifting politics I don't believe the SCOTUS should follow suit. George HW Bush has an appointee on the court as does Trump. Those two presidents couldn't be more opposed. I say leave a working system alone, there are easy checks and balances available. | |||
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| One of Us |
I do not see election of Fed Judges resolving this gift/money issue. I see such only making it worse. | |||
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| One of Us |
I didn't say elections. Term limits. -Every damn thing is your own fault if you are any good. | |||
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| One of Us |
I know. I was just throwing that log on the fire. | |||
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| One of Us |
It doesn't appear to be working, or at least not as well as it should. The decisions regularly split along party lines on many many issues. These people should be interpreting the laws as they are drafted, not allowing their personal politics to come into it. Believe it or not we have a Supreme Court too, its made up of 12 people. Their own personal views and political opinions are completely and utterly irrelevant. | |||
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| One of Us |
Ordinarily a split decision should indicate a problem with the law that they are addressing. Personal views aside, it just seems to me that 9 reasonably intelligent people should be able to look at the facts and either all should agree or all should disagree. Give me a home where the buffalo roam and I'll show you a house full of buffalo shit. | |||
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| One of Us |
If it's truly a gift with no strings attached and it's over the $17,000 annual limit I believe that the donor needs to file the form 709 to the IRS as they have to have a way to keep tabs on how much is accruing to JCT's lifetime gift amount of $12.92 million. Give me a home where the buffalo roam and I'll show you a house full of buffalo shit. | |||
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| One of Us |
Turbulence for a few years isn't grounds for foundational change. The whiplash of current events and the decisions made in the moment, off the cuff, the knee jerk are destructive. Our nation is big and ponderous, we should make turns, stops and progress slowly. As I've said when it comes to war and conflict, the first dozen times we're asked, our answers should be NO! Maybe, just maybe after the 13th or 30th request we should begin to consider. So I say give the POTUS more power? NO! Change the makeup of the SCOTUS? NO! | |||
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| One of Us |
Some ethical standards for SCOTUS could not hurt.....obviously they need some. | |||
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| One of Us |
There are ethical standards for SCOTUS… whatever they decide they are. Roberts could make some public pronouncements if he wished. | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Guns, Politics, Gunsmithing & Reloading The Political Forum The billionaires and Justice Thomas
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