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Peggy Freeman's avatar

I would love to display yard signs showing my support for Democrats and what they stand for; however, my community does not allow yard signs especially political ones! Yes, I could take them to court, but I still have to live here and there are so many republicans in my neighborhood I would probably wind up having to move!! My kids bought me this house because it is in a gated community and makes them feel safe. Woe be unto me if their activist mother had to leave it!! God bless their little hearts, I do love them!

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Gloria J. Maloney's avatar

That's a problem with neighborhood associations as well. You could volunteer to place signs elsewhere. A few days before an election, people get away with putting signs on public property, everywhere. When Obama ran for the senate, his supporters were even placing his signs on street corner signs, stop sign posts, telephone polls, and nearly everywhere.

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Michael E Kelley's avatar

Join MoveToAmend.org to overturn Citizens United via a constitutional amendment.

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Lee Markland's avatar

An amendment may be proposed by a two-thirds vote of both Houses of Congress, or, if two-thirds of the States request one, by a convention called for that purpose. The amendment must then be ratified by three-fourths of the State legislatures, or three-fourths of conventions called in each State for ratification.

What is the chance of that actually happening, considering that the majority of states are run by Republicans.?

And don't even think of a constitutional convention, the Kochs, the right wing billionaires, the theocrats and racists have been on that bandwagon for a century.

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Michael E Kelley's avatar

Republicans charged toward a convention for a Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) and got up to 25 or so states when a fear of a runaway convention caused them to backtrack and now only 19 states have a call. i disagree with this fear because Congress will call the convention and set limits. Besides 3/4th of states have to approve any results.

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Lee Markland's avatar

If a balanced budget includes a tax increase on income, then I'm for it, income is not wages and salaries, those are reimbursement for labor according to the Revenue Act of 1913. Income is money not earned by labor, like dividends, gambling, even crime, interest, investment, stock sales. That is how they got Al Capone,

The act has been messed with many times since 1913, it is found in Title 26 USCode. I looked at it in 1984, and it clearly did not include reimbursement for labor.

The IRS got around that by requiring employers to subit a W-2, and employees to complete a W-4, if you fail to file, then they get you for failing to file.

The Tax Reform act of 1986 introduced major reforms that benefited the millionaires and businesses. Another "reform" was having people provide SSAN's on all dependents. The IRS had no way of knowing if you had wages or salaries, unless the employer reported them on the W-2 form, and many people were claiming as much as 9 dependents, and thus had no taxes withheld. The requirement to write down dependent SSAN's changed that evasion.

I did't get an SSAN until I was 17 and applied for work as a bus boy. I didn't get the job, that was 1956.

A balanced budget amendment will keep us in a permanent depression. John Maynard Keynes was correct, it takes government spending to keep us economically healthy, especially during periods of depression and recession.

Japan knew this, and when it went through it's devastating depression, it went into debt and spent money on public education and public works, like FDR did, and that pulled them out of the depression and with an educated population, gave them a lead in advancing their nation, and the result today, they built the cars that most people drive, and they have bought US Steel.

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Peggy Freeman's avatar

Now that is something I could definitely do!

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Julie Morrison's avatar

And put signs on your car

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Lee Markland's avatar

I lived in a 55+ community, which had the same rules,yard signs were not allowed, unless for an estate sale, however it was run by Right wingers and permitted the display of Trump signs. Forcing people to put them in windows.

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garry fay's avatar

What a great incentive to move to a community that has freedom of speech or better yet speak up.

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steve reed's avatar

Yes, if it's a HOA for example I don't know how that might restrict your freedom on signs. Maybe some one here can speak to that.

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Lee Markland's avatar

HOA's restrict everything, the color of your house, your mailbox, they even forbid satellite antennas, because most of them brokered a deal with Comcast to lay cables, Comcast will only do it, if they restrict satellites.

One way they do that is by proibiting any exterior structures, that the house be kept as if it was wrapped in cellophane.

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steve reed's avatar

OTOH, people join an HOA because of restrictions it places, like solar panels some times. But there obviously need to be constraints on the restrictions it places. If (Bad example) an HOA tried to limit your voting rights. To what extent can people sign away their freedoms when entering a voluntary association is the q.

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Lee Markland's avatar

I don't know much about HOA's never lived in one, but I know someone who has. It seems that they are designed to protect "property values" and that includes, structuring the rules such as to exclude "undesirables" and behavior of "undesirables", like parties, gathering, leaving toys and furniture outside. even kids playing on driveways, sidewalks or in the streets. And there is always some power mad, would be tyrant, that inflates her or his ego, usually a her, who has nothing to do but patrol the neighborhood looking for infractions, so he can issue warning letters and tickets.

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Pamela H's avatar

Yep... so you see it comes down to “ protecting property values”, which is

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Lee Markland's avatar

Yep, no doubt.

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Dec 23, 2023
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Pamela H's avatar

An immediate “ below the level of The Law”, constraint on how to live your life, express yourself in housing/ yard decoration etc.

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Christofer Nigro's avatar

I'm sorry, Peggy, but Democrats stand for capitalism as much as the other party of the duopoly. That is why nothing gets better under Democrat administrations. The working class needs to build their own party or abolish political parties altogether in favor of direct ballot initiatives.

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Dec 23, 2023
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MojoMan's avatar

Spoken like a true Capitalist.

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Christofer Nigro's avatar

It is if you're a capitalist. Not so much for the millions of others who have to deal with a price tag placed on every single thing and jobs that pay you wages worth only a tiny fraction of the value of your labor. And not if you dislike wars, crime, and greed that results from the incessant dog-eat-dog competition of such a system. If you value profits more than human needs.

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Dec 23, 2023
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Christofer Nigro's avatar

As Mr. Reich pointed out, plenty of vocations that add nothing of value to society as a whole but simply help capitalists remain in a state of power and privilege are paid large amounts of money while jobs that do are paid crap wages (he provided several examples of each). And the capitalists themselves make millions and billions for doing nothing necessary at all. All jobs should be equal and all should grant workers the full fruit of their labor.

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Pat Goudey OBrien's avatar

🫣 That is a shame, Peggy, BUT, one of the strengths of the yard signs that work is that they’re seen by a broad spectrum of people who pass by. In your gated community, the Great Unwashed are not passing by anyway. Your signs would llkely, as you say, be seen more as a provocation So, though it’ s sad you can’t use them, they would have less power there anyway.

Small comfort, I know, but …

There are other ways we can possibly get messages out {I am pretty sure MOST of the people we speak to on chats like this one are “to the choir,” but at least our conversations help us to clarify and refine our points. }

Now, I am thinking about how you might support someone putting up a Bill Board, or a business that puts posters in windows {one hopes no one will throw rocks….}

Oy, vey iz mir.

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mary bingham's avatar

Maybe People could grow up enough to realize not everybody cares about their opinion but vote anyway .

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Pat Goudey OBrien's avatar

We can put our ideas into the mix. We can fin d like minds. We can have our ideas modified and elevated by BETTER ideas, if we talk to people.

We need to be a part of it. That’s how it works.

And we need to vote.

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Peggy Freeman's avatar

I will help put up signs in other places and I will continue to use my voice to encourage others to vote and possibly a few republicans to 'see the light'!

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Pat Goudey OBrien's avatar

Me, too!! With you all the way!!!

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