DL Open Thread: Saturday, July 1, 2023
A new day: At least the Supreme Court can’t inflict any more damage until October, can they? Plus, LLC’s and corporations still can’t vote in Seaford–until January, at least.
How long will Miss Texas Remain Miss Texas? Not for long, I suspect. She’s letting everyone know that MAGAt Texas isn’t her Texas:
What is startling is that Bishop has spoken out while competing for, and as, Miss Texas. The perch has normally been occupied by apolitical women, but in Bishop’s case, the pageant queen has used it to push back against the far-right policies supported by Texas’s White male leaders.
Her platform — diversity and inclusion — represents much of what Texas has been outlawing. In June alone, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed laws banning diversity offices and training at state universities, “sexually explicit” books at public schools, drag shows and gender-affirming care for youths.
The first Asian contestant to win the crown inthe pageant’s 85 years, Bishop is an avatar for a rapidly diversifying state, one that despite its historic image is now majority minority, a change that is remaking cities, rural areas and political alliances, if notstate leadership.
Bishop has done her share of lobbying them. In Austin, she met with Republican leaders to talk about the state’s needs. She pressed North Texas lawmakers against the bill to ban college diversity and inclusion programs, explaining how she had benefited from them.
Something tells me that Averie Bishop will remain in the public spotlight long after Greg Abbott has slithered back to Wichita Falls.
Biden Looks For Another Workaround On Student Debt. Good for him:
In the hours after the Supreme Court knocked down his student debt relief plan on Friday, President Joe Biden announced in an Oval Office speech that he’ll take a different pathway to forgive the loans.
“We will ground this new approach in a different law than my original plan: the so-called Higher Education Act,” Biden said. “That will allow Secretary Cardona, who is with me today, to compromise, waive or release loans under certain circumstances.”
“This new path is legally sound,” he added. “It’s gonna take longer — but in my view, it’s the best path that remains to provide as many borrowers as possible with debt relief.”
The White House released limited details of the plan on Friday. But the Department of Education had already initiated the rulemaking process for the new student loan forgiveness program, which will start with a virtual public hearing on July 18.
That plan, Biden said, will be coupled with another: a one-year “on-ramp repayment program.”
According to the White House, the new repayment program will run from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024 so “financially vulnerable borrowers who miss monthly payments during this period are not considered delinquent, reported to credit bureaus, placed in default, or referred to debt collection agencies.”
Supreme Court To Mississippians: You Still Can’t Vote’. Were you expecting otherwise?
Still trying to caffeinate up from last night’s session. But I’ll close with a quote from our dim-bulb governor. Remember, kids, the Seaford Charter Change did not reflect the will of Seaford voters. Two council members voted for it, two council members voted against it, and the mayor cast the tie-breaking vote. All of which is lost on Carney:
Gov. John Carney, in a brief interview Friday morning, said the idea of the legislation makes him a “little bit uncomfortable.”
“But the Seaford people, they want that for their community,” the governor said. “I kind of give some deference to them in that respect.”
Uh, no John, they don’t. Idiot.
What do you want to talk about?
It’s not just Seaford, it’s town government as a whole. Faceless bureaucrats call the shots here as well in scenic Smyrna, and any other small town you go to. It gives us predatory police, endless sweetheart deals for the “well connected” and the festival of greed we call real estate developers and their “good friends” in the town government.
LLC voting seems patently unconstitutional, and ripe for a well-designed test case. Unless it’s already been ruled on?
Do you really want this SCOTUS ruling on that?
An LLC is nearly as human as a fetus. I can see SCOTUS giving both the right to vote (but the fetus would lose voting rights at birth).
I think there is an opportunity for Democrat-leaning activist/entrepreneur to start a registered agent business in Seaford and market voting rights to interested individuals nationwide.
The back of my envelope says majority control of Seaford (say, 400 new LLCs) can be purchased for around $400 or less per seat, for a total of $160,000 plus shipping and handling.
I’ll call mine “Puck’s Ballot Stuffing, LLC.”
I’m imagining dozens — no, hundreds, maybe thousands — of LLCs notifying CSC that they’re changing their official corporate address to Seaford, transforming the erstwhile Nylon Capital into the 21st century Corporate Capital of America.
Give them rubes what they asked for and see how much they like it.
Someone at the Hall had made an off-hand comment about Seaford’s Town Council not being full / some members being appointed? Haven’t had the time to look into that yet but fingers crossed there is an election there sooner rather than later… maybe a recall election…