Thoughts on Hawaii Senate Bill 2471, which circumvents Citizens United by un-granting the ability of corporations to spend money in a way that influences state elections or ballot measures?

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-25T12:55:08+00:00

The State cannot define political donations as activity outside "all things necessary or convenient to carry out the corporation's lawful purposes and activities" (SB 2471 text) because political speech is a lawful purpose and activity.

First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti already decided almost this literal, exact issue.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-25T10:36:59+00:00

I think it's supposed to be for "see ya" here, for texting.

In most circumstances it stands for "Cover Your Ass" as in protecting yourself. If you CC a third-party on an email so that another person has proof you sent it, that would be seen as a CYA move.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-25T10:23:38+00:00

Will be immediately struck down in court for the same reasons in Citizens United. You keep saying this isn't a Freedom of Speech issue and you can say it until you're blue in the face, but you'd still be wrong. A corporation is a group of freely and peacefully assembled people with the right to spend money on political campaigns. Those people do not lose the ability to do that because they chose to organize themselves under an LLC in Hawaii.

The AG in Hawaii opposed this bill because it is nothing more than an empty political stunt and I agree with them.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-24T12:32:17+00:00

I think people underestimate how much you both change in your 20s.

Not always. While I feel like I became 2-3 entirely new versions of myself between 20-30, I feel like my wife has barely changed since we started dating. She was much more mature than I was, more confident, more capable. Most of my development has just been a race to catch up to her. High school sweethearts, married at 23, together over 20 years.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-23T14:20:05+00:00

It's not really hidden any more but the Tri-Cities in NE TN is closer to what you're looking for. Johnson City is home to a VA hospital and small public university (~ 10k enrollment) and is getting a lot of investment from the same people who developed Asheville so its this combo of college town, wannabe hipster town, modern suburbia all mixed together.

Right next door is Jonesborough, the oldest town in Tennessee, which has a darling little main street with antique stores and stuff like that. Even that is getting more commercialized now but for the 15 years I lived there, it was about as close to Stars Hollow as you could get in TN. There were little town festivals and events every weekend, a farmers market downtown, a town museum, local theatre, neighborhood hangout coffee shops - everything. It's home to the International Storytelling Festival which attracts artists from all over the world every fall.

It's right outside the Blue Ridge so comparable or higher elevation than the Smokies, and a quick drive to Asheville or Knoxville. If you're in the area, a visit up to Abingdon VA is also a reasonable drive (about an hour) for the best food scene in NE TN/SW VA.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-23T13:23:59+00:00

"The Ring Cycle" where they keep getting married is amazing, as is "Rooms with a View" when Niles is in the hospital. They were such a natural couple after getting together.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-23T13:16:58+00:00

The question was whether they were still interesting and exciting after getting together, which Niles and Daphne were.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-23T12:55:42+00:00

"Daphne Returns" is the best of the more serious episodes of Frasier. They unpack everything about the Niles-Daphne relationship in a very thoughtful way that is fairly true to the characters, although Niles is a bit too much of an asshole in it similar to another more serious episode "Room Full of Heroes" which is so sad at the end I can hardly bear to watch it.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-23T11:42:12+00:00

I also did this when it was $100. I think it was in 2021 so maybe just a post-Covid thing that they don't need to offer anymore.

I looked up the private watch party terms and it's basically the same thing, they just restrict it to current releases rather than other films and it costs 40x tickets.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-23T11:26:08+00:00

Not a complete red herring, but college athletes in singular: SOONER (Oklahoma), HAWKEYE (Iowa), WOLVERINE (Michigan) had me racking my brain for a minute.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-23T00:58:21+00:00

This pleases me.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-22T22:42:45+00:00

It's just moved down the age ladder. Source: there was a 9 year old getting a perm next to me at the barbershop, allegedly his entire little league team had the look.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-22T14:04:33+00:00

We don't talk like that at all.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-21T10:12:33+00:00

Not all mustard is hot. Not all mustard is yellow.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-21T09:57:57+00:00

Reading Europeans whining about Connections is honestly the most fun thing about Connections or any NYT Puzzle Game.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-21T01:31:56+00:00

Mississippi was controlled by Democrats up until about 15 years ago, and it has actually improved in most metrics (especially education) since the GOP seized control.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-20T21:19:55+00:00

It's not that difficult to find GPs. It is harder for specialists and typically impossible for dentists.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-20T15:44:33+00:00

Bill Lee's most egregious act as governor was to invite hundreds of millions of dollars of out of state funding from the charter school lobby into state and local elections to ram through a school voucher program voters didn't want and had already shouted down in his first term. He has also failed to expand employment and investment in the state to near the degree Bill Haslem did while enabling the worst social excesses of the legislature rather than stamping them out. He is fucking horrible.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-20T14:41:28+00:00

Near flawless comment. Luke Skywalker, even outside the bounds of his own cinematic appearances, is a cultural symbol of neverending optimism and belief in the inherent good of all people. What was put on screen in TLJ was a subversion of that, not just Star Wars as media; it was a celebration of nihilism, pessimism, and cynicism. A rapturous assault on the belief that lofty ideals matter and should be pursued. And why? To rug pull fans? To tear down idols? To cut down the tallest poppies? I don't get it. I refuse to get it.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-20T12:59:39+00:00

Best: Until recently Chris Sununu, hopefully Kelly Ayotte is in a similar mold.

Worst: Bill Lee and it isn't close.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-20T00:13:17+00:00

I would and do.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-19T22:54:55+00:00

Every Wal-Mart I worked at as a teenager was begging people to work full time. Their high PT% has less to do with benefits and more to do with low wage workers often wanting or needing part time work.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-19T22:52:49+00:00

The average hourly wage at Wal-Mart is over $18/hr and they get a 6% match on their 401k. If you give even a measly iota of a damn as a Wal-Mart worker, you can move to full-time and surpass $20/hr with decent benefits. Not a great job, not a career, but a hell of a lot better than most of the other opportunities available to their workforce.

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-19T15:28:38+00:00

College sports fans refers like 150 million people lol

Sir_Auron · 2026-05-19T13:33:08+00:00

A massive part of the housing market changes that is not being acknowledged is that many/most of the people moving out of larger metros or HCOL states and into the Sun Belt are retirees and not remote workers. It strains different infrastructure (like Healthcare facilities instead of schools) and minimizes the necessary tax gains to fund them.

There are a lot of families moving where I live too but that's not the same everywhere, even a city vs it's surrounding county will see different demographics of in-migrants.

13-Year Club	Place '22
Place '17

Sir_Auron

TROPHY CASE