Justice Thomas accepted millions in gifts from right wing mega donor

[alien42]

Same here, he’s a wealthy successful guy. Just buy this shit on your own.

NowI have to sound like a both sider.
I am very disappointed all this crappy behavior is just coming in view today. He’s been. Judge a long, long time. No other SC Justice or court intern knew about any of this is pretty hard to believe.

Meh, corruption comes and goes like a pubic hair in the wind.

 

[A///]

Chief Justice salary: $298,500 / year. Other justices $285k/yr. Not chump change by most people's standards (upper 6% of household incomes, before accounting for bribes free unlimited global travel and accommodations, and their spouses income)

However, high end lawyers make far more than that salary. Median all-in compensation for law firm partners was $675k in 2021 from one article, with the mean over $1 million. Although Clarence might be approaching those figures, if you properly track benefits... but I doubt he reported the bribes free trips and gifts as taxable income.

285K is nothing when you consider they pay taxes, pay for their own security when traveling, mos tof the justices have refied their homes and have taken on higher interests. 285 is only impressive in the middle of nowhere. Fed and maryland have progressive tax. there's a step at every juncture. someone like brett K is paying a decent amount in taxes to both each year. Brett takes in about 170k net a year with zero dependents and deductions for fed plus state according to a calculator. He lives with his wife in montgomery county.

285k is only high if you've made less than 100k all your life. for anyone int he stem field that's about what you'd expect from someone with less than 4 years experience about 20 years ago at intel or amd. nothing remotely special nowadays in the hardware field.

 

[Muse]

The man's innocent, he just has some good friends. Wouldn't you like some good friends? 😳

 

[Muse]

Thomas is clearly in violation of US tax laws. Gifts or prizes valued at over $600 are subject to regular income tax. Throw his ass in jail.

But he's a SCOTUS justice ... for life. Well, maybe he can work from jail.

 

[HomerJS]

Apparently the accusations by ProPublica are correct. So much for the "they are just going after Justice Thomas because they hate his rulings".

Clarence Thomas Supreme Court financial disclosure shows flights paid for by GOP megadonor

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said that Republican megadonor Harlan Crow paid for his travel expenses and meals on at least three occasions last year.

www.cnbc.com

BTW - This sniveling dishonest fuck is continuing his book of lies with another chapter. Now he's blaming the abortion debate for his lavish lifestyle.

Clarence Thomas Really Just Blamed Abortion for His Undisclosed Private Jet Travel

Over the years, conservatives have managed to blame abortion for any number of wildly unrelated things. Just last summer, for instance, Republican lawmakers managed to blame abortion instead of their own policies for our depleted social safety net. But this one’s new: Supreme Court Justice...

www.yahoo.com

 

[fskimospy]

Apparently the accusations by ProPublica are correct. So much for the "they are just going after Justice Thomas because they hate his rulings".

Clarence Thomas Supreme Court financial disclosure shows flights paid for by GOP megadonor

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said that Republican megadonor Harlan Crow paid for his travel expenses and meals on at least three occasions last year.

www.cnbc.com

BTW - This sniveling dishonest fuck is continuing his book of lies with another chapter. Now he's blaming the abortion debate for his lavish lifestyle.

Clarence Thomas Really Just Blamed Abortion for His Undisclosed Private Jet Travel

Over the years, conservatives have managed to blame abortion for any number of wildly unrelated things. Just last summer, for instance, Republican lawmakers managed to blame abortion instead of their own policies for our depleted social safety net. But this one’s new: Supreme Court Justice...

www.yahoo.com

‘My rulings are so unpopular that I have no choice other than to fly around the country on a billionaire’s private jet’ is quite a thing to say.

 

[HomerJS]

‘My rulings are so unpopular that I have no choice other than to fly around the country on a billionaire’s private jet’ is quite a thing to say.

If we have co-equal branches of government how is SCOTUS accountable to no one?

 

[fskimospy]

If we have co-equal branches of government how is SCOTUS accountable to no one?

The judicial branch has usurped the powers reserved for Congress and the executive and so far they have let it happen. It’s up to the other branches to take their powers back.

Expand the court and keep expanding it until they learn their place.

 

[Perknose]

The judicial branch has usurped the powers reserved for Congress and the executive and so far they have let it happen. It’s up to the other branches to take their powers back.

^^^ This!!

Expand the court and keep expanding it until they learn their place.

Tricky, has some down side danger should the Repugs control Congress . . . but there doesn't seem to be any other way.

 

[fskimospy]

^^^ This!!


Tricky, has some down side danger should the Repugs control Congress . . . but there doesn't seem to be any other way.

There are always downsides and yes, it would be better if the judiciary had not attempted to seize power. Unfortunately, they did.

The ‘major questions doctrine’ is nothing more than SCOTUS declaring veto power over any policy they dislike.

 

[Muse]

There are always downsides and yes, it would be better if the judiciary had not attempted to seize power. Unfortunately, they did.

The ‘major questions doctrine’ is nothing more than SCOTUS declaring veto power over any policy they dislike.

We do seem to have devolved into an oligarchy of robed untouchables. Looks like the constitution is flawed in this respect. "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely." It was tossed off, but boy does it ring true.

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority, still more when you superadd the tendency or the certainty of corruption by authority.

John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton, 13th Marquess of Groppoli, KCVO, DL (10 January 1834 – 19 June 1902), better known as Lord Acton, was an English Catholic historian, politician, and writer. He is best remembered for the remark he wrote in a letter to an Anglican bishop in 1887:[1] "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

 

[fskimospy]

We do seem to have devolved into an oligarchy of robed untouchables. Looks like the constitution is flawed in this respect. Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. It was tossed off, but boy does it ring true.

While I think the Constitution has lots of flaws I think this is more of a case of the political branches being unwilling to assert the checks and balances granted them in it. For example the Supreme Court simply declared it was the last word on interpreting the Constitution. There's nothing in the Constitution that says that, everyone else just decided to go along. If the political branches wanted to they could expand the court to 509 members and essentially render the current SCOTUS powerless.

This was tenable when the court broadly stayed within the boundaries of norms set up for it but that's now stopped. It's absolutely incredible to me that SCOTUS invalidated regulations clearly authorized in plain English in a law based on the idea they don't think Congress REALLY meant what the law plainly says.

 

[Perknose]

It's absolutely incredible to me that SCOTUS invalidated regulations clearly authorized in plain English in a law based on the idea they don't think Congress REALLY meant what the law plainly says.

^^^ So much THIS!!

 

[pmv]

We do seem to have devolved into an oligarchy of robed untouchables. Looks like the constitution is flawed in this respect. "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely." It was tossed off, but boy does it ring true.

I continue to feel confused/conflicted about the way that quote combines with the aphorism that "knowledge is power" (variously attributed to Francis Bacon and Thomas Jefferson). The combination seems to explain why I can't help but feel distrustful of 'experts' and 'professionals'.

 

[Perknose]

"knowledge is power" -- If you have full and accurate information, you have what you need to make the best decision. Furthermore, "knowledge" is what one gets in a classical Liberal Arts education . . . the ability to think. Combine that ability with full and accurate info et viola!

"Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely." Here he is referring to political power, and how, absolutely, unfettered power can lead to the worst outcomes. You don't have to be wise to attain political power . . . just cunning and driven.

 

[Muse]

This was tenable when the court broadly stayed within the boundaries of norms set up for it but that's now stopped. It's absolutely incredible to me that SCOTUS invalidated regulations clearly authorized in plain English in a law based on the idea they don't think Congress REALLY meant what the law plainly says.

You are talking specifically about what? Roe vs. Wade?

 

[fskimospy]

You are talking specifically about what? Roe vs. Wade?

The major questions doctrine. For example Biden's student loan forgiveness the law plainly states that the secretary of education may 'waive or modify any provision applicable to student financial assistance programs'. So, his plan was to modify the loan amount by -$10k.

SCOTUS then declared that since the amount being waived was large Congress didn't REALLY mean what the law plainly says. Hell, the law that authorized this even said that the secretary's power to do this is present 'notwithstanding any other provision of law unless enacted with specific reference to the Heroes Act'. So not just did Congress give him sweeping authority, it said this authority overrides all other federal laws passed.

Congress gave the Secretary the absolute maximum amount of authority it knew how to give him, he clearly acted within that authority, and SCOTUS invalidated it anyway because they decided what the law says no longer matters.

 

[pmv]

"knowledge is power" -- If you have full and accurate information, you have what you need to make the best decision. Furthermore, "knowledge" is what one gets in a classical Liberal Arts education . . . the ability to think. Combine that ability with full and accurate info et viola!

"Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely." Here he is referring to political power, and how, absolutely, unfettered power can lead to the worst outcomes. You don't have to be wise to attain political power . . . just cunning and driven.

Well yeah, but having access to "full and accurate info" is both a source of, and product of, political power. I don't agree that there's a clear divide between "political power" and the power that comes from having access to expert knowledge.

I don't know, I've gotten into this debate before, and I guess I just need to figure out what I actually think about it.

But I've had way too many negative experiences with technocrats whose power came from their supposed expert knowledge and credentials, and who then abused that power (and who ultimately turned out not to know as much as they thought they did).

The Supreme Court itself is an example - those guys are officially the most "qualified" in the country to pronounce about the law, and they certainly appear to know enough to cook up obscurantist and heavily-footnoted bluster to "justify" their, it appears, pre-determined, conclusions.

 

[fskimospy]

Well yeah, but having access to "full and accurate info" is both a source of, and product of, political power. I don't agree that there's a clear divide between "political power" and the power that comes from having access to expert knowledge.

I don't know, I've gotten into this debate before, and I guess I just need to figure out what I actually think about it.

But I've had way too many negative experiences with technocrats whose power came from their supposed expert knowledge and credentials, and who then abused that power (and who ultimately turned out not to know as much as they thought they did).

The Supreme Court itself is an example - those guys are officially the most "qualified" in the country to pronounce about the law, and they certainly appear to know enough to cook up obscurantist and heavily-footnoted bluster to "justify" their, it appears, pre-determined, conclusions.

The one important distinction here though is presumably those technocrats report up (eventually) to some elected official so if enough people don't like what they're doing they have recourse at the ballot box. With SCOTUS we have apparently decided there is no recourse.

As I said earlier, Thomas' most recent explanation for his corruption is that his actions are so despised by the American public that for personal safety reasons he needs to continue to accept free flights on private jets to protect himself from the people he ostensibly serves.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

The one important distinction here though is presumably those technocrats report up (eventually) to some elected official so if enough people don't like what they're doing they have recourse at the ballot box. With SCOTUS we have apparently decided there is no recourse.

As I said earlier, Thomas' most recent explanation for his corruption is that his actions are so despised by the American public that for personal safety reasons he needs to continue to accept free flights on private jets to protect himself from the people he ostensibly serves.

Soon he won’t have to disclose the gifts because it will anger so many people that he no longer will be safe.
God damned ridiculous.
Also a mini serving of “both sides”. Seems this behavior has been going on for a long, long time and it’s just now coming out. Frankly I am disappointed by many of our justices and congress people.

 

[Moonbeam]

^^^ This!!


Tricky, has some down side danger should the Repugs control Congress . . . but there doesn't seem to be any other way.

Especially since the other way would be a functional democracy.

 

[Moonbeam]

But where’s the harm with Thomas collecting a down payment on the reward he’s going to get in heaven.

 

[Perknose]

But where’s the harm with Thomas collecting a down payment on the reward he’s going to get in heaven.

I think you have the wrong final address for that S.O.B.

 

[Moonbeam]

I think you have the wrong final address for that S.O.B.

You should know how easy it is for me to channel altered reality.

I feel for a man whose character is such that The Honorable Justice proved less effective than a biohazard filter would have.

 

[Moonbeam]

More info:

Playbook: Ginni Thomas spurs a new SCOTUS headache

And Chuck Todd signs off from "Meet the Press."

www.politico.com