Scalia is a Scoundrel

Actually, all that episode showed is that the current crop of Republican voters are even more ignorant than the current crop of Republican politicians and I did not think that was possible.

You'll also want to watch out for people selling you automobiles under the guise of cars, or eggplants under the guise of aubergines. Such shenanigans.

I'm sorry. You are going to have to break that one down. What are you saying?

You too are leaving out relevant information. You are giving me a conclusion without explaining the background and how you arrived at it.

Suppose I offer to sell you this. I let you take it for a test drive. I let you look under the hood. I provide you with a cut-away diagram of the chassis, a blueprint of the engine, a wiring diagram, and an accurate figure for the mileage, fuel efficiency, and expected depreciation. And I call it a car. You happily pay me the money and go on your way. Four years later, Mr. Justice Roberts describes the same object as an automobile. Are you now going to complain that I swindled you? Why would you? You knew exactly what you were buying. If you didn't know what Mr. Justice Roberts was going to call it four years later, than in the first place neither did I, so I did not deceive you, and in the second place it makes no difference: you knew what you were buying, so you were not deceived.

What have I left out that I have not gone over many times here at EvC; the fact that today's so called conservatives are just incipient fascists wannabees who are totally clueless about Conservatism, reality, morality, empathy, US history, reason, logic, the Constitution or empathy?This thread is a great piece of evidence.Examples: not knowing and understanding that if the SCOTUS says something is constitutional it is constitutional.Not knowing and understanding that that is not new news but long settled reality.Thinking that the Scotus passed a law.Not knowing and understanding that the bill under discussion did originate in the House.Today's conservatives seem to suffer from all of the worst traits of the Christian Cult of Ignorance and explain why they should be seen as the greatest threat the US faces and maybe the greatest threat to the rest of the world.

Are you calling me a fascist? Make your case. To me, to describe a thing as constitutional is to say it is something the Federalist papers would approve of. It is a philosophy of governance. It isn't something that changes with changes in society or the decisions of supreme court jurors. A thing may be settled as law but it is never settled as long as there is reasoned disagreement. To say something is settled and label people who disagree as idiots or fascist is totalitarian in nature to me.

There is no difference between a car and an automobile. A tax is used to raise revenue for the government. A penalty is used to dissuade you from a behavior.... Quite a difference.

That's an odd thing to think since the Federalist Papers aren't the Constitution.

If you are part of what calls themselves conservatives today then yes, of course. I did not label anyone as an idiot, in fact just the opposite, the folk selling such nonsense to the current Republicans are certainly not idiots, they know the audience is ignorant, gullible and preconditioned to think in bumper stickers and to be totally out of touch with reality.That does not change the fact that the issue really is settled and has been for a long long time.Edited by jar, : appalin spallin

Not when the penalty involves the IRS taking money away from you and paying it into the government coffers. Then it's the same thing. The penalty is a tax: the government is taking money from taxpayers. The tax is a penalty: its purpose is to dissuade you from doing something the government had rather you not do.And, again, let me point out that the details were right there in the bill. Any Congressman, journalist, or member of the public who took the trouble to read it would notice that the penalty was in fact financial in nature, rather than execution, imprisonment, forty lashes, or prolonged tickling; and that the money would end up going to the government rather than to the Humane Society or the Campaign For Real Ale. And everyone did in fact know this. Can you point to anyone --- to one single person, f.e.y. --- who was fooled by the use of the word "penalty" into thinking that the nature of this penalty was anything other than paying money to the government? No? Then where are the shenanigans?Edited by Dr Adequate, : No reason given.

The sort of fascists who disagree with you about constitutional law are so very different from the fascists who started a world war and committed genocide that I almost think there should be a different name for them.

Fortunately Fascism comes in many flavors already much like Christianity including Christian Fascism.

You're an aardvark. They come in different flavors, y'know. There's the sort that live in Africa and eat ants, and then there's your sort.

Interesting response although I will admit I have no idea what you are saying or how you would justify your assertion.