bleurose51Voice #3
Member since August 2026
Should the U.S. impose an annual wealth tax on fortunes over $50 million?
I don't want states competing. It has destroyed the economics of some states. Texas, which has incredible oil deposits which permit it to have no income tax whatsoever, has lured people out of cities in the Northeast and Midwest where taxes can be onerous just to avoid paying the income tax. If I moved to Texas from California (when I was working full-time) I would have gotten a ten percent raise without even making a single dollar more because of the elimination of state income taxes. Why are states "in competition" with each other? We are supposed to be a country, where everyone's rights are respected, not just depending on which state you live in. It is one of the nonsensical things about this country that I believe makes us weaker, not stronger.
I strongly disagree with this idea at the state level and when looking at something which is more or less common across all states, i.e., income. Not saying it is the same in all states, but everyone who works has an income and thus income taxes should be equitable across all states. Ditto for corporate taxes. Local differences can make sense, but at the larger levels, I think states should NOT be in competition with each other.
Should members of the U.S. Congress have term limits?
I favor AGE limits, i.e., I would prefer that no one be permitted to run for office after the age of 75. It's arbitrary, sure, but at least it creates a reasonable "goal line" after which we assume people start to lose a step or two and should relinquish there seat in Congress or wherever. I am opposed to TERM limits, i.e., 2 terms and then out, because it means people who are REALLY GOOD and SMART and have something to offer are cut off, even if they are young and have plenty of "life left" to server. I do think we should have limited terms for judges but for different reasons.
For a movie franchise, do you prefer sequels or prequels?
I like SINGLE films. I hate any kind of -quels. :-).
Should the death penalty be abolished in the United States?
I have always been totally opposed to the death penalty on several grounds. In the general case, I feel that there is no absolute way to be 100% sure of guilt in most cases, and so taking someone's life without being 100% certain just feels wrong and immoral to me. There are some cases where it can be certain (a shooting witnessed by plenty of bystanders or others or recorded live on TV) but even then, I find myself saying we can't take a life for a life. And the state only becomes implicated in handing out death when we do that. So I feel life without possibility of parole and if necessary for safety, in solitary confinement, is an appropriate penalty.
Do you approve of President Trump's new construction projects at the White House, including a new helipad?
I believe that the Supreme Court will uphold the law and that law is that White House construction is exempt from oversight by the National Historic Places Board (as are the Capitol and the Supreme Court Building, see PL 68-665 Sect 106-7.) Congress could pass a law restricting the construction, but they have not done that and so the President has the power to authorize such construction on his own. (I do not like or support President Trump in almost any way, but in this case, one of the few, I believe he has the law on his side - and that is pretty rare!)
Every President in the past has let the National Historic Places board (I may have gotten that wording slightly wrong, but its in PL 68-665) do the authorizations, but Section 107 explicitly states that the three major buildings in Washington, the White House, the Capitol and the Supreme Court are NOT subject to the board's approvals. That pretty much says it all.
The East Wing was already there. They are just "renovating" it. You can argue that is NOT what they are doing, but that's an argument that I expect the President would win. He is, after all, the resident of the White House. And Congress is in the hands of the GOP anyway, so what does it matter?
Sorry I had to recover from my extensive laughing hysterically fit just now. "You'd think...he'd want broader input..."? You must be smoking some pretty good stuff tonight LOL! When has Trump ever wanted ANY input from ANYONE (unless they are blonde and have good... moves :-) )? We shall see!
Will you play in a fantasy football league for the 2026 NFL season?
I have played fantasy (Rotisserie) baseball but even that was 40 years ago when I lived in Los Angeles. Since moving to the bay area, I've had better things to do over the summer!
Sparkling water or still water?
Still water, nothing else LOL!
Have you decided how you'll vote in the 2026 U.S. midterm elections?
If the Democratic candidate for one of the offices in California was outed as a pedophile or sexual assaulter or other abusive behavior, I would seriously consider changing my vote, or hopefully they would withdraw from the race.
If the Democratic candidate for one of the offices in California was outed as a pedophile or sexual assaulter or other abusive behavior, I would seriously consider changing my vote, or hopefully they would withdraw from the race.
This would be a federal tax. It would NOT push anyone out of a state. It might push people out of the country (but if Elon leaves, that would make me very happy LOL!) Personally all states should have exactly the same kinds of state taxes or better, we should eliminate state taxes entirely and just have one federal taxing authority which distributes its money to the states. 150 years ago, different taxing structures made some sense because we have a variety of interests in different states and they worked differently. Today, every state SHOULD work just about the same. That they don't is more BECAUSE of the way taxes are done, not the other way around. I.e., the structure causes a lot of the inequities.