- cross-posted to:
- politics@beehaw.org
- cross-posted to:
- politics@beehaw.org
For years, conservative billionaires have treated Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas to opulent vacations and trips on their private jets. If these were anything other than disinterested gifts, then they’re taxable — and Thomas owes the IRS a huge bill.
When Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas flouted longstanding ethics laws by refusing to disclose billionaire gifts, he avoided public outrage for years. Based on new revelations about the potential motivations behind those gifts, he also may have avoided laws requiring Americans to pay taxes on such donations, legal experts say.
Recent reporting from ProPublica revealed that Thomas was showered with luxury gifts from wealthy benefactors, including vacations, private flights, school tuition, and even a loan for a high-end RV. Though Thomas has insisted the gifts were just the innocent generosity of friends, many came after he threatened to resign over the justices’ low salaries — and one of Thomas’s vacation companions said the money was given to supplement the justice’s “limited salary.”
According to experts, if these benefits were given to Thomas as a way to buttress his regular pay and keep him on the court, they could be considered a taxable transaction rather than a gift. By refusing to publicly disclose such transactions, Thomas made it impossible for watchdog groups to alert tax-enforcement officials about the potential issue in real time.
we tried “when they go low we go high”. we got Trump.
“Look at these folks on the violent left, threatening a Supreme Court justice.”
-Trump probably
Democracy and civility was fucked to death the day Nazis stormed Charlottesville and executed a counter protestor, and Trump called them “fine people” and still got elected. It was necrophilia when he told the Jan 6th terrorists to go home in peace and that he loved them.
Then we banded together and got Biden in.
Who is often more unpopular than Trump.
At any point, more than half of democrats don’t approve of him and basically no Republicans do.
So where does this stop?
Today, we’re proposing killing a supreme court justice.
Tomorrow, we’ll be storming the Capitol.
You’re fueled by hate and it’s destroying the thing you stand for. You hate the republicans so much for the things they’ve done that you’re ready to do the very same.
You are a part of the problem. And if not yet, one day you will be.
You never tried going high. Going high would mean fighting for justice while holding yourself to the standards that you wish to enforce. Obama’s strategy of appeasement and capitulation was never “going high” despite what Michelle says.
He was maintaining dignity and respect in the office. He at least tried to work with them.