Within the framework of the Constitution itself, Congress is king. They can override a veto by the Executive and remove them from office if they so choose. For the context we were speaking, tax and spend, Congress has effective unlimited authority if they so choose to use it.

Names of bills don't mean shit, they never have. Trying to tie anything to what politicians *name* a bill is pointless and childish. (Hello "Patriot Act").

Inflation hasn't gone down because people are still spending, raised prices or not. Talk is cheap, actions are what matter. People bitch up a storm that fast food prices (for example) are thru the roof (they are), but they're doing it while buying enough fast food the companies are making record profits.

And it isn't just essentials that are absolutely required, but everything. Prices will go back down when people start taking more action and stop spending.

It doesn't work that way. Everything works because people follow the basic rules -- the Constitution itself. Amending the Constitution itself isn't a simple vote of Congress, much less something signed by a President into law. There's an explicit process.

Your question is akin in seriousness to "what if EVERYONE just stopped paying taxes".

Incorrect. It's been shown that Meta is extremely partisan, and anyone who's even moderate can plainly see it. They openly banned hundreds of satire and news sites during the last election, largely under the banner of "fake news and disinfo". Was it? Sure, much if not most of it was. Some of it wasn't, though - and it isn't their job to do that. What it was, was a highly partisan purge.

Stick around the West long enough and you'll have a chance to be convicted while present for political crimes, too. It's already happening throughout Europe and the UK for years.

You've got to be fairly significantly partisan to think any of what you just said. It really doesn't reflect well.

If Trump was a fascist dictator, he was the absolute worst fascist dictator - or dictator of any kind - ever.

Correct on all of that.

Nevermind that leather is biodegradable, environmentally friendly, and a low carbon option vs a petroleum derivative.

They were just catering to their ecoterrorist customers who lampooned them for killing animals to make a profit/product.

I wouldn't be surprised if they try to go back to leather. It's a natural choice - literally.

If they can access it. I am permitted to write my diary in code. I can send a letter the same way. Why should email be made less convenient?

Siblings are allowed to continue using their invented words into adulthood if they like. We are allowed to have private conversations in an un-bugged room. Phone call: "Meet me at the other place. Bring that thing we talked about.".

Police have never had the RIGHT to access all of our communication. They may be granted permission to TRY if a judge signs off on that but that's all they have ever had.

On a side note, one reason so many people are interested in E2EE is because there have been WAY too many incidents where police skipped the warrant or found a judge with an itchy rubber stamp who just took their word for things and then went on a fishing expedition. They only have themselves to blame for entire populations distrusting them. Meanwhile, tech companies grew tired of the constant stream of "requests" for private information that amounted to a fishing expedition that they decided their best bet is to make sure they cannot provide anything.

OTOH, some cancer drugs give the choice of 9 shitty months with or 6 decent months then one bad month without.

If the only food like substance within your budget (including time budget) is pulped meat nuggets sprinkled with sugar, guess what's for dinner?

They didn't. They went up variable amounts, often higher, depending on what they were. And those prices went up YEARS before this legislation was passed, so the link you're implying is imaginary.

Unless SCOTUS officially rules "Unconstitutional", essentially. That's the check and balance we have.

You say that as if American auto makers haven't gotten multiple bailouts and other special gifts over the years. You say that as if the U.S. isn't full of malls inhabited by tumble weeds and rats (literally) and doesn't have enough chronically empty residential property to house every homeless person here.

The U.S. is being strangled by the financial and real estate sectors.

The American companies manufacture in China for cheap but sell expensive in the U.S. The huge margin goes to executive management and Wall Street. They COULD profitably manufacture in the U.S. without raising prices, but Wall Street wants it's windfall and CEO needs a new yacht, so that's out.

The complaints are twofold. They moved their manufacturing overseas but didn't cut their prices to reflect the savings. So Americans are getting squeezed from both sides. Consumers can't force them to pull production back to the U.S. but they can (in effect) offshore the top heavy expensive management and Wall Street by buying Chinese. The difference is apparently around $40K on a car.

Different industry, but I have a Chinese 3D printer. It's not perfect, but it cost 20% of what a 3D printer from an American company would cost (which also wouldn't be perfect). All it's missing is a bunch of ugly beige plastic, vendor lock-in on the supplies, and replacement parts made of pure unobtainium. Believe me, I don't miss those "features" at all. It did come with full respect for my right to repair and a wide variety of 3rd party parts readily available.

On a side note, I did consider building a 3D printer from parts, but when I looked in to it, sourcing the parts in the U.S. would have cost me more than buying the ready made (some assembly required) printer from China.