It's Not A Gun Problem -- It's An Ethnic Problem -- June 28, 2022

 

SCOTUS Reverses SCOTUS Decisions -- 234 -- June 27, 2022

So - lots of talk and high emotion over the Supreme Court reversing a prior decision.

Are SCOTUS reversals rare?

Sure doesn't look like it.

Here's the list  (;>)

Table of Supreme Court Decisions Overruled by Subsequent Decisions | Resources | Constitution Annotated | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

Wish that it were a numbered list.  I counted the most current 100 mulligans, and that only took us back to 1973... so in 50 years, that would average 2 overturns per year.

In addition, this list is a table of Supreme Court decisions that overturned existing law including Brown vs Board of Education, 1953. 

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Plessy v Ferguson was a Supreme Court ruling that allowed "separate but equal" facilities.  For example, schools and railway cars could be segregated as long as the accomodations were equal.  That was overturned by Brown v Board of Education.  Plessy was "settled law" longer than Roe v Wade.

There are other overturned rulings where "settled law" had prevailed even longer.  I took a quick look at those most recent 100 do-overs.  I saw at least 5 cases where "settled law" had been in effect for 100 years or longer!  Exxon in 1991, Collins in 1990, South Carolina in 1988, Shaffer in 1977 and USA in 1975... those 5 cases each overturned rulings that had been settled law since the 1800's!!!  Two were actually antebellum.

I'm not familiar with anything except the USA 1975 case - that involved dividing recovery from shipwrecks - maritime law.  I'll have to skim those other cases.  

The point being that the Supremes reserve the right to change their minds (;>)  

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As an aside, it tickles me to see the ND cases.  In the first one I saw, ND's "local pharmacist owner" requirement was struck down.  That was Liggett 1928 overturned by ND v Snyder Drug in 1973.  (I remember that one)

And, in the second one I saw, a state is allowed to collect sales tax even if a retailer has no physical presence.  Quill in 1992 was struck down by SD v Wayfair in 2018

..........

I'd like to read a Cliff's Notes version of all the reversals.  Let me know if you run across such a summary (;>)

Links -- June 26, 2022

Putin destroying Germany; natural gas fill rate. 
Russia's chokehold on Europe: back to coal. 
Add Italy to this site.
Germany: coal is back. Will drop pledge to ban overseas coal financing.
France immediate limit on energy usage.
Germany to drop climate mandate. 
EU not sure it wants to help Africa with food crisis because it would be at odds with climate action.

G-7: public investment in natural gas necessary -- Doomberg.
G-7 walking back climate initiatives.

Wobbly on one leg.

Biden strategy. 

Inflation: being misread by the Fed.

Inflation: hysteria. 

Ridiculous worries.

Charging points: not enough in Netherlands. 
Groningen is back.

Another Clinton Aide (?) Found Dead -- June 8, 2022

Link here.

Former president Bill Clinton’s special advisor linked to pedophile billionaire Jeffrey Epstein died in a bizarre suicide and only Radar has the macabre details that have led some to suspect foul play.

Mark Middleton, who introduced the perv to the president, was found May 7th hanging from a tree with a shotgun wound that blew a hole through his chest along with a cheap Dollar Store-type extension cord as a noose on an Arkansas farm belonging to a non-profit feed-the-hungry agency loosely linked to Clinton.

Oddly, the Little Rock businessman and father of two daughters created his own makeshift gallows by standing on top of a table he dragged to the hanging tree — an apparent backup plan in case the shotgun blast didn’t end his life, a law enforcement source tells RadarOnline.com.

Investigators are still trying to determine why the hell-bent Middleton trespassed on the 1,200-acre grounds of the Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas – a farm run by Heifer International whose headquarters is on the same parcel of land partially owned by the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock.

Heifer International. Link here. 

Student Debt Forgiveness -- June 5, 2022

See this Business Insider story.

A public - private solution.

Public -- federal loan debt assistance

• no longer called "debt forgiveness" but rather "debt assistance"
• all debts will be paid off 
• debts will be re-evaluated annually
• debts less than $100,000 will be paid off over ten years
• debts less than $200,000 but more than $100,000 will be paid off over twenty years
• debts less than $300,000 but more than $200,000 will be paid off over thirty years
  
• all student loans going forward are interest-free;
• all student loans going forward require monthly payments beginning at time loan is signed;
• for students with absolutely "no money," the university that accepted them will be required to make the monthly payments
  
• all loans with no-debt forgiveness clause. Period. Dot. No debt will ever be written off.
  
• all loans going forward based on Buffett-Munger-derived criteria.
• all loans only for those whose family's net worth is less than $5 million; threshold tied to annual inflation;
• US Congress will eliminate all interest on all loans going forward
• US Congress commitment: see below
  

Private -- debt "forgiveness"

• no true "debt forgiveness" -- all "current" debt will be re-paid
• only total debts between $50,000 and $300,000 will be considered
• only debts incurred by individuals whose net family worth is less than $5 million will be considered
  
• to qualify for "debt forgiveness" program, debt-holders must pay monthly debt payment (no exemptions); monthly amount to be determined by entity managing the program
• debt payments made by Forbes annual 500 wealthiest Americans and each US senator
  
•  each of Forbes annual 500 wealthiest Americans must sign on to "debt forgiveness" program or it won't go forward
• each of the 500 top athletes, active and non-active) must sign on to agreement
• each university athletic director must sign on to the agreement
  
• every university president must sign on to the agreement
  
• each US senator must sign on to "debt forgiveness" program or it won't go forward
• others may "cover" for those who refuse to participate
• e.g., if a US senator refuses, Warren Buffett can "cover" for him/her 
• any US senator who does not participate will not hold any committee position and will be censured by the US Senate
  
• non-partisan select committee to administer program
• non-partisan select committee would determine criteria for anyone seeking assistance
• non-partisan select committee would determine which loans qualify
• all proceedings secret
• debt assistance only for certain degrees; certain professions;
• unemployed not eligible for any loan-assistance, with exceptions; but monthly payments must continue to be met by someone;
  
• committee and debt-holders would be required to sign non-disclosure agreements
• anyone cheating on NDA would be removed from committee, or if a debt-holder, removed from the program
• even with "posted" parameters, no debt-holder guaranteed to be accepted
• selected current loans and all future loans will be paid off by the wealthiest Americans and US senators over a 30-year time period; the loan repayment program would be forward-rolling