I love unlikely scenarios, so here’s one: we go from fifty states to fifty-three after adding D.C., Puerto Rico, and “Indian Country”. (Native America? Andrewjacksonsucks?)
Except when a Democrat is in office, then everything they do is wrong.
Matt_W
4912
I’m willing to bet the residents of that land do not comprise half the population of Oklahoma, nor is the land worth even close to half of the state’s total land value.
Timex
4913
I honestly have no idea what that breakdown would look like, although the second largest city in the state (Tulsa) is in reservation land.
Matt_W
4914
I didn’t realize that. You might be right.
Timex
4915
When i said “half” though, i really just meant “a lot”. It might be interesting to see some one of analysis.
There are some other weird aspects of this that maybe Kane could offer insight into.
Specifically, what happens to non tribe members who live on tribal lands? Normally, i believe that tribes have the legal right to eject anyone from their lands, at any time, for any reason. Now, normally, this must impacts visitors.
But in this case, you’ve got millions of people who already live there. How does that work?
And does the tribe actually own their land? Or is it like with normal States? Like, i live in Pennsylvania, but i as a private citizen own my land.
Per the gang at the U.S. Census, the population is a titch under 4 million people.
Per this Reuters article, the ruling affects 1.8 million people.
So “basically half the population but not technically half” works for me.
ShivaX
4917
Depends. Are they abusing someone’s rights? Alito is fine with that.
Are they trying to give people healthcare or hold a cop accountable? Not so much.
That’s why I specifically said those were the stakes with the original Obamacare mandate.
But I looked more into the second case, regarding the accommodation added after the first case. The effect of the accommodation–of filling out the form they had to fill out–was not “Please relieve us from the mandate,” but was “Please make our insurer pay for contraception instead of us.” The LSP and other organizations felt this was still active cooperation in an illicit practice.
If an argument you’re attributing to another party (especially whose argument was worthy of coming before the Supreme Court) sounds laughably absurd, then there’s a good chance that you’re putting forth a straw man. They wanted an exemption. Having to actively request that someone else pay for contraception was not an exemption in their view.
Not really sure where to put this, but the Democrats in the House have some culpability in how they’ve handled their oversight responsibilities:
That’s not as clear to me, I understood that e.g. most of Tulsa is actually on what should be reservation land. But I don’t really know.
Yet someone will pay for the contraception if they refuse to pay. The government will pay, or the employee will pay. And it is the taxes they pay, or the wages they pay, that will be the source of revenue to fund that contraception. Money is fungible! That is a natural consequence of their demand to be exempt from the law, just as it would be a natural consequence of their following the exemption procedure.
This is the fatal flaw in their argument. They say they can’t tolerate funding the bad acts of others. But by paying people, by paying payroll taxes on their behalf, they are funding those bad acts. Paying for their insurance is no different than paying their wages. It’s a stupid, deeply specious argument, and no one ought to take it seriously, not from them nor from e.g. Hobby Lobby.
Also, stuff like this?
Fuck off with that stuff, please.
I am not sufficiently knowledgeable about the law governing tribes to answer most of these.
Most (thought not all) tribal lands are owned by the United States and held in trust for the tribes. There was a period beginning in the late 19th century when land was allotted to individual tribe members, but that has been largely considered a failure, as it was primarily a mechanism to allow states and localities to justify seizing additional Indian land.
Tribes can enter leases on their land, so you can get a 99-year lease to certain property that is ultimately held in trust by the United States.
That is about the end of what I can reasonably discuss. The law governing tribes is really complicated, and I’ve only done a little work around the edges of that law over the course of my career.
Just FYI as a former Oklahoman, somebody asked about population distribution.
The eastern half of the state (which appears to be what is covered under this ruling) is MUCH more populated than the west half. I would estimate probably 2/3 of the state population is in the eastern half. Especially if any of Oklahoma City is included.
Another interesting thought: there are several military bases in the eastern half. Tinker AFB is right on the dividing line, as nearly as I can tell from the maps I have seen of the area affected. There is also a military base down by MacAlester. Vance is too far west, it isn’t in the zone, nor is the base in Lawton.
But I wonder who actually owns those lands now…
Alexandria Petri is a national treasure.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/07/10/trump-has-only-been-protecting-us-things-his-taxes-too-terrible-know/
It has been said that a single glance in the direction of these tax returns will turn a man into Roger Stone. It is said that before he looked upon the tax returns, Stephen Miller was merely … but we must not panic.
Do you remember how the world was, before we started trying to look into them? Those years ago, before the murder hornets, and before the forest fires? Do you see what is happening now, as the last efforts to contain them fail? Do you see what wrack lies before us?
She’s been fighting behind the scenes for everybody. But she’s got to last to at least (hopefully) Jan 3rd.
McConnell et al will put a judge in even if they have 24 hours.
I feel like she’s Melissandre at this point. When Biden becomes President i think she’ll take off her necklace and enjoy a well deserved peace.
I suspect that she’s found some medical staff that sees eye to eye and are providing her literally the best care possible.
Her failing health is probably a campaign issue that helps Biden.
But but but, McConnel was the one who said that if a seat becomes vacant during an election year, the senate would not consider any nomination from a President back in 2016. Pepperidge Farm Remembers!
