The Biden Presidency is underway.

[scottagibson]

@Strollen

That’s not even remotely true. Plenty of rich people have kids who don’t want to go to college, and in many cases probably shouldn’t go. Then their parents give them an ultimatum, leave, get a real job, or go to college. So they go to community college as basically a gap year.

Oh, come on.

There are no rich people clamoring for free community college for their kids. None. Zero. And there is accordingly no reason whatsoever to means test free community college.

But, as I said, if that’s the price of passing the bill, pay it.

[Ginger_Yellow]

@SlainteMhath

The idea that if you stole the Trillion Dollar Coin that you’d never be able to sell it without being caught is just silly. Black markets exist, and throughout history priceless unique artworks and other items have been stolen and/or counterfeited and then sold to rich collectors via black markets.

Sure, but it wouldn’t be worth much to the collectors, certainly not relative to its face value or the difficulty involved in stealing it. It would basically be a curio. And if the theft/forgery were discovered, they’d just make another one. It’s not like a Picasso.

[Timex]

@ooomalley

But it won’t. Part of the problem with means testing is that it has the effect of stopping even people who would qualify. That’s (part of) why they always ask for means-testing on these things.

I understand that this is part of the ideological argument. In this case, this stuff is already going to need to be tracked via the schools, I don’t think you would be able to make a convincing argument that is going to significantly limit access.

Seriously, the compromise is trivial

If you can’t make this kind of compromise to get what amounts to a huge gain, then you are going to be screwed and end up getting nothing.

[scottagibson]

@Ginger_Yellow

Sure, but it wouldn’t be worth much to the collectors, certainly not relative to its face value or the difficulty involved in stealing it. It would basically be a curio. And if the theft/forgery were discovered, they’d just make another one. It’s not like a Picasso.

Plus, the point of the coin is to transfer it to the Fed, and they’d probably destroy the thing once they’d written down the associated debt.

But the movie idea? Green light.

[Ginger_Yellow]

@scottagibson

Plus, the point of the coin is to transfer it to the Fed, and they’d probably destroy the thing once they’d written down the associated debt.

I can’t recall the details of the constitutional/statutory points, it’s possible they would need to keep the coin “in circulation”, though obviously it would just be sitting in the Fed’s vault. Regardless, the Fed would be the only entity that could get practical use out of it.

[scottagibson]

@Ginger_Yellow

I can’t recall the details of the constitutional/statutory points, it’s possible they would need to keep the coin “in circulation”, though obviously it would just be sitting in the Fed’s vault.

Given enough time, then, it will be like the nuclear waste problem: where can we safely store all the platinum coins, to keep them away from Ernst Stavros Blofeld?

[scottagibson]

Now this is a genuinely bad compromise idea.

Daniella Diaz

[ReptileHouse]

Thread them on a necklace and let the dude who carries the nuclear football wear it around.

[scottagibson]

Yikes. Not a job I want.

[Timex]

@scottagibson

Now this is a genuinely bad compromise idea.

Yes, this is a tax cut that helps actual, normal Americans.

This is exactly the kind of stimulative tax cut that both parties should agree on.

[Houngan]

I agree, though I would restate it as the Republicans care about little else but their donors, however their donors are smart enough to know that the GOP has to pander to its base to get elected, and unless they are elected they can’t do nice things for the donors, so they don’t distract them from saying crazy pandering shit to get elected. They know the tax breaks will follow on immediately after election.

[scottagibson]

Uh oh, sorry, apparently the platinum coin idea isn’t feasible.

NRCC

[KevinC]

They really are dumber than a bag of hammers.

[138]

@SlainteMhath

EDIT - And I just thought of the title of the first movie…Coin Flip.

^^^^^^This really needs more attention from everyone.

Also, Manchin released a statement:

Respectfully, as I have said for months, I can’t support $3.5 trillion more in spending when we have already spent $5.4 trillion since last March. At some point, all of us, regardless of party must ask the simple question – how much is enough?
What I have made clear to the President and Democratic leaders is that spending trillions more on new and expanded government programs, when we can’t even pay for the essential social programs, like Social Security and Medicare, is the definition of fiscal insanity. Suggesting that spending trillions more will not have an impact on inflation ignores the everyday reality that America’s families continue pay an unavoidable inflation tax. Proposing a historic expansion of social programs while ignoring the fact we are not in a recession and that millions of jobs remain open will only feed a dysfunction that could weaken our economic recovery.

So, that’s it. Basically nothing will get done.

[Rock8man]

Can that they do it like an yearly bill instead of 10 years? Right now it’s 350 Billion for 10 years, hence $3.5 trillion. But just a bill for 350 billion to get these programs started? Or maybe 700 billion for two years to get the programs started?

[Papageno]

@Timex

@scottagibson

Now this is a genuinely bad compromise idea.

Yes, this is a tax cut that helps actual, normal Americans.

This is exactly the kind of stimulative tax cut that both parties should agree on.

That’s exactly why the GOP and the DINOs want to kill it before people get used to it and it gets super popular, especially since it’s a refundable tax credit.

[scottagibson]

@138

So, that’s it. Basically nothing will get done.

That’s what he’s been saying all all along, isn’t it? It hardly seems like news.

[Menzo]

Wait until they find out that a $100 bill isn’t made of paper worth $100.

[scottagibson]

@Rock8man

Can that they do it like an yearly bill instead of 10 years? Right now it’s 350 Billion for 10 years, hence $3.5 trillion

The thing is, it doesn’t actually cost anything. It’s all funded by the accompanying taxes.

In any event, some of this stuff doesn’t make sense as a one-year plan.

[138]

@scottagibson

@138

So, that’s it. Basically nothing will get done.

That’s what he’s been saying all all along, isn’t it? It hardly seems like news.

You’ve been keeping me in check all day and I appreciate it. Yes, I suppose he’s being consistent and I shouldn’t take that as a blanket refusal to spend anything.