Fauxcahontas Clueless As Ever

[GURPS]

If You're in Crypto, You're a Criminal



If you work in crypto, you are going to hell. I stand with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), as part of her anti-crypto army, in condemning this villainous industry chock full of crooks, bastards and fools waiting to be separated from their money. The grift and crime rampant throughout crypto is comical and villainous. It is comically villainous.

Together with the likes of newsletter writer Matt Stoller, we of the anti-crypto army are banding together to strengthen regulatory attention on crypto. No way should there be a means for consenting peers to transact directly without a bank or other financial institution to act as an intermediary.

Blockchain Association's Employment of 'Small Army' of Former Security Officials Angers US Senator Elizabeth Warren​

The United States Senator for Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren, has written a letter criticizing the Blockchain Association for enlisting the help of “a small army” of past security officials in its bid to undermine Congress’ attempt to link crypto to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. In her Dec. 18 letter addressed to Kristin Smith, the Blockchain Association’s CEO, Warren cites a Politico report that names former U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper as one of the security experts.

Warren’s repudiation of the Blockchain Association’s efforts comes just days after her latest anti-crypto bill won bipartisan support. As reported by Bitcoin.com News, Warren’s Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act is also endorsed by organizations such as the Bank Policy Institute, Massachusetts Bankers Association, Transparency International U.S., Global Financial Integrity, and National District Attorneys Association.

In her letter, the Massachusetts senator appears to take umbrage at the crypto industry’s ability to secure the services of former members of the U.S. Congress. The senator also described the industry’s “abuse of the revolving door” as appalling.

 

[GURPS]

iRobot Lays Off 350 Employees as Amazon Kills Merger Elizabeth Warren Opposed​

Today, Amazon terminated its planned acquisition of iRobot, manufacturer of Roomba robot vacuums, as the companies saw "no path to regulatory approval." iRobot then announced that it would be cutting nearly one-third of its work force.

While the companies blamed regulators in the European Union for the termination, meddlesome U.S. lawmakers played their own part in souring the deal.

In August 2022, Amazon announced its intent to buy iRobot for $1.7 billion. The acquisition would complement Amazon's growing stable of smart home products, like Echo Hub control panels and Ring video doorbells.

The following month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) began an investigation of the merger, and lawmakers weighed in soon after. In a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D–Mass.) and five Democratic representatives recommended that "the FTC should use its authority to oppose the Amazon–iRobot transaction" as the acquisition "could harm consumers and reduce competition and innovation in the home robotics market."

 

[Kyle]

She was worried about Amazon selling piss poor vacuum cleaners?

 

[GURPS]

Priorities: Elizabeth Warren Mad at TurboTax for Taking Money She Thinks Belongs to the Government​

Elizabeth Warren likes taking and spending your money. But she doesn't like it when you spend your money on things. Like a service that helps you navigate the insane tax code. You know, the one that says you can go to prison for a long time or pay lots of money in penalties if you don't do it correctly.

The focus of her ire right now is TurboTax. Their crime? 'Upselling' willing taxpayers.

 

[GURPS]

You either listened to all that, stabbed your ears with the nearest sharp object about halfway through, or couldn't bring yourself to click it.

Here's a quick summary:

When Apple iPhone users text each other, it uses Apple's iMessage service, and your text messages are surrounded by a blue bubble. When a non-iPhone user messages you, it doesn't use iMessage and your text messages appear in a green bubble.

In Senator Warren's mind this is greenbubblephobic … or something like that. Apple is 'ruining relationships'. Yep, she said that.

Monopoly on DERP: Elizabeth Warren Sounds Off on Apple iPhone and Gets Blasted

twitchy.com

What a clueless Mewing Quim

 

[Kyle]

Perhaps you're being left out of group chats because nobody likes you?

 

[Tech]

Isn't there more to it then the green bubble in group text when the android responds?

 

[Sneakers]

Isn't there more to it then the green bubble in group text when the android responds?

Yes. The protocols used and the routing to send between Apple changes when it goes to the "outside" world. You can see this manifest as a longer delay in messages to non-Apple devices. If you have a group of people with mixed blue and green devices, and send a message from a blue device to all, the other blue devices receive and respond to the originator before the green device even gets the first message.

 

[Kyle]

Isn't there more to it then the green bubble in group text when the android responds?

If you have a group of people with mixed blue and green devices, and send a message from a blue device to all, the other blue devices receive and respond to the originator before the green device even gets the first message.

Obviously, the problem is with RACIST White Electrons holding back Electrons of Color due to 4 Billion Years of Oppression.

 

[Hijinx]

I bet she and Kamala get along great. They both have the same IQ.

 

[GURPS]

Here's what Fast Company writes:

The first of the owners in question was a private-equity firm called Golden Gate Capital, which bought Red Lobster in 2014 from Darden Restaurants, which owns a number of different restaurant brands, including Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse. Typically, when a private-equity firm takes over a company, it finances the acquisition by loading the company down with debt, which makes the deal cheaper for the PE firm but also makes it harder for the company to thrive. In Red Lobster’s case, though, the problems went beyond that. While Golden Gate Capital did add debt to Red Lobster’s balance sheet, it also made another move, selling off Red Lobster’s real-estate assets for $1.5 billion, forcing Red Lobster to lease those locations back.

These kinds of sale-leaseback deals are not unusual in retail or the restaurant business. And for Golden Gate, it was a great arrangement, since the deal covered most of what it had paid for Red Lobster. For Red Lobster itself, though, the arrangement was less than ideal. These were long-term leases, with rent increases written into the contract. And the leases were what are called “triple-net” leases, which meant that Red Lobster was responsible for all the operating expenses, property taxes, and insurance at the locations. As Restaurant Finance Monitor wrote at the time, the deal gave Red Lobster “little room for error” at a moment when it was struggling with falling sales and a weak brand.

Elizabeth Warren Blames 'Greed', Not Bidenomics, for Red Lobster Bankruptcy

twitchy.com

 

[Hijinx]

In this case she may be right.
A lot of companies went down the tubes in similar ways.

Buyer of companies come in take the gravy off the company and destroy it.

 

[GURPS]

Progressives Are Hopeful They Can Raise Your Taxes Next Year​

Senator Elizabeth Warren apparently calls this the "tax doom loop" which is a pretty twisted way of framing things. The "tax doom" in this case refers to the fact that, given a choice, most Americans would rather not pay higher taxes. As for the "loop" part of the formula, that arises from the fact that we have a two party system in which the Republican Party is able to run on this issue of taxes and occasionally even cut taxes, leaving progressive Democrats with a major problem. How can they keep spending money they don't have?

It goes like this: Republicans pass huge tax cuts that are, at first, only temporary. By the time the tax cuts are set to end, Americans have become used to owing less to the government. Hesitant to raise taxes, Democrats join with Republicans to continue many of the cuts indefinitely.
To liberals, this cycle is to blame for a range of social and economic ills. Widening inequality. Ballooning deficits. A federal government without the resources to pay for a progressive agenda.

But now there is hope on the horizon that next year could be the year progressives finally get to raise your taxes like they've been wanting to. And the best part is they don't have to actually do anything. [emphasis added]

That’s because much of the last large Republican tax cut, a 2017 law signed by President Donald J. Trump, will expire after 2025. Progressive tax experts and activists have spent years organizing to convince the Democratic Party that rather than simply extending the cuts, it needs to ensure the United States brings in more tax revenue so it can finance more generous social programs.

[clip]


Unfortunately, this topic seems to have brought out a host of truly ignorant commenters. Here is the top comment:

Taxes are the price for a functional society, period. The rich need to get used to being active contributors to the society that allowed them to become & stay wealthy, instead of continuing to hoard & whine. Politicians ought to finally turn their focus to helping those who are not on the moneyed end of the economic spectrum. I’m tired of the handwringing over this issue when high taxes and solid services were once as American as apple pie.

This is dumb in so many ways, I don't know where to start.

• The rich are already "active contributors" who pay the overwhelming majority of federal taxes in the US. Contrary to Biden's many lies on this topic, the top 1% pay far more than secretaries. (See chart at the top of this story.)
• The rich don't "hoard & whine" they produce things that other people use. I'm sure the dope who wrote this orders from Amazon frequently.
• Politicians have already turned much of the US budget to those who are not on the moneyed end of the spectrum. We have Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, etc. which make up a large percentage of federal and state budgets.
• High taxes are not a given in America. We had no income tax until the Civil War and then it only lasted about a decade. It didn't return until passage of the 16th Amendment in 1913. Even then taxes were negligible with a top rate of 7%. The tax rate peaked during WWII at 94% for obvious reasons.
• Scandinavian countries with bigger social safety nets do not attempt to soak the rich but spread the burden down to much lower incomes. This is they only way to pay for these schemes as "the rich" do not have enough money to cover them, not even with a wealth tax.

Someone did respond to that comment above with a few facts:

The top 10% of income earners in the U.S. pay about 75% of all federal personal income taxes, while the bottom 50% pay nothing. The middle 40% covers the remaining 25%. These figures illustrate the progressive nature of the U.S. tax system, where higher earners contribute significantly more. While it's theoretically possible for the "rich" to pay more, there isn't much room to increase their contributions without potentially harming the economy — an outcome that some policymakers might not necessarily oppose.

Anyway, good luck to progressive Dems trying to end the "tax doom loop." They will likely fail and still damage their prospects in the next election for trying. And if they somehow succeed, then they will be the ones doomed for it.