4777

I honestly have never seen this sentiment expressed in any serious way anywhere. I’m sure I could search Twitter for it and find randos who call for Foxs News banning. But that’s not what the left stands for. There’s no organized push for policies in that direction, no constituency for that platform, and no politician who is promoting that agenda. Liz Warren saying that it’s illegal for Amazon to sell books with Covid misinformation would absolutely be censorious. She’s a government official and would be making a threat of legal action. Fortunately, she’s not actually doing that at all.

When people say the left is “increasingly censorious” what they usually mean is that you get called a racist and can even lose your job if you tell racist jokes to your co-workers, which is something that has nothing to do with censorship. If they’re saying that the left wants to use the apparatus of government to regulate speech, then show your work. There’s just no cultural pattern of this on the left. Sure, there are some Twitter randos or dumb college students or an intemperate rant on an alternate newsweekly, but this isn’t really a leftist thing.

4778

No I do in fact mean that the left is increasingly censorious, and it’s disappointing that your partisan blindness drives you to these thinly veiled and utterly unjustified personal insults of the worst kind. Indeed - it’s symptomatic of the increasingly censorious nature of the left that you feel justified in slandering those who disagree with you.

Also, I think I explained the mechanism in my post, and it has nothing to do with government cenosrship. Indeed, I would be fine with the government legislating to ban untrue medical claims such as the one in that covid book (no idea what the 1st amendment rules ont hat would be, it would seem to pass the “fire in a theatre test” but whatever). Because then the censorship is then effected through the law, in actual courts, rather than the deeply flawed court of public opinion.

Like I say I don’t think what Warren is doing here is effective censorship - hell I don’t think it’s intended to be - she’s playing to the gallery, which is just a part of politics. But it’s part of the broader picture. Elements of the left don’t just want to win the argument any more, but control the debate.

4779

Physician, heal thyself.

4780

How does the court of public opinion effect censorship? If you mean e.g. that people are cautious now about voicing their opinions on the relative intelligence of various races because of potential negative feedback I’d say 1) it’s a good thing when culture policies public debate with shame vice jail and 2) plenty of prominent people are not cautious about it and still have a large platform.

4781

Indeed, that is mostly what culture is for.

4782

I do not believe you will win such a case against the books in question.

I also think that we will never have definitive proof that this is the case, because the unconstitutionality of the government trying to do such a thing is obvious to the extent that no one would actually try to do so, so there will never be a case.

4783

Arguing that Scarlett Lettering is good when its justified cause kinda misses the point.

4785
4786

Not sure what you are referencing with that post but that is true of almost any building trade in California. I think you can do a job for under a certain dollar amount (maybe like $400-$500) but nothing over that without a license. The license is of course to insure (doesn’t really) that you have insurance etc.

4787

Why is that in this thread?

Texas (as well as many other states including Illinois, Washington, New York, and New Jersey) does not require a license for general contractors. But contractor or not, all Texas businesses must pay for a business license.

In addition to California, all these states require licenses for general contractors:

  • Alabama

  • Alaska

  • Arizona

  • Arkansas

  • Florida

  • Georgia

  • Hawaii

  • Louisiana

  • Massachusetts

  • Michigan

  • Mississippi

  • Nevada

  • New Mexico

  • North Carolina

  • North Dakota

  • Oregon

  • South Carolina

  • Tennessee

  • Utah

  • Virginia

  • West Virginia

  • Wisconsin

Additional requirements are similar to California. For example, in Florida:

You’ll need to show proof of four years of experience, or a combination of education and experience (with up to three years of education are able to substitute for experience). You must show proof of financial stability, as well as liability and worker’s compensation insurance in Florida. You’ll need to pass a trade exam, as well as a business and law exam.

Penalties for unlicensed contracting are also broadly similar:

In Florida, unlicensed contracting is generally charged as a first degree misdemeanor, with penalties of up to 1 year in jail or 12 months of probation, and a $1,000.00 fine. However, if the accused has been previously convicted of contracting without a license, the offense may be charged as third degree felony, with penalties of up to 5 years in prison or 5 years of probation, and a $5,000 fine.

4788

Because laws passed by unions generally fall under the “liberal” category?

Also it literally doesn’t matter what gets posted because this will always be the response anyway.

Post a law in a liberal state: “Why is this here?”
Post a politician saying something stupid: “Why is this here?”
Post literally anything: “Why is this here?”

Colville is a socialist, for what it’s worth. But remember the Left isn’t censorious (again, why is this here?).
Also it doesn’t count becaue Takei isn’t an elected official.
And if he was an elected official, it also wouldn’t matter because he doesn’t have an real power.
And if he did have any real power, it wouldn’t matter because the Republicans are worse.

It’s like a form letter at this point.

4789

Unions don’t pass laws.

Now, which state legislators have ever listened to unions in Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, and Utah?

Spoiler: it’s the ones who can’t pass any laws.

4790

Why is this here?

4791

If you’re still wondering where those laws come from, you should consider that contracting licenses are meant for owners, not workers.

So, who do you think benefits the most when it’s hard for a worker to quit and form his/her own competing business…

4792

The liberal hive mind cannot fail, it can only be failed.

4793

Unions can’t pass laws, but business owners can.

Gotcha.

4794

Business owners have a lot more money than unions in Mississippi and Alabama, and a lot more influence over state legislators.

Also probably in California. Democrats and Republicans are both “pro-business”, but only one of them is “pro-union”. And anyway, unions don’t care either way about licensing requirements. They are just a way for business owners to keep out other business owners.

4795

Is the implication here that in California someone can’t just paint their own home, or is this about the qualifications and restrictions for anyone being paid to paint homes? The first would sound pretty crazy to me. The second, meh.

4796

Bingo

Just like you can make yourself a sandwich, but you usually need a license to sell a sandwich you made.

4797

I mean if you’re fine regulations crushing out competition with the force of the State, especially for minorities and the like more power to ya, I guess. We live in a better world where someone spends 3 months in prison for painting a house, apparently.

And then all the liberals parachute out of the sky to defend it. Because cronyism is good apparently.