(03-14-2024, 08:39 AM)homebiscuit Wrote:

(03-14-2024, 08:31 AM)Lucky2Last Wrote: I won't speak to the veracity of that claim, but the MO is accurate. The government constantly sets precedent with an innocuous or consensus issue, then expands that reach. It's a perfectly plausible theory. These politicians aren't voting in American interests, so if almost everyone agrees to it, that means that their financial backers agreed to it. I don't know for certain the reason, but you can rest assured there's a financial motive or a power motive (or both).

It’s a CCP entity which doesn’t even attempt to conceal the fact they are using this platform to gather knowledge on users as well as leverage it to influence society, and you’re still in question about why it has been acted upon by Congress?

You’re outsmarting yourself.

How many times in your lifetime do you need to see a behavior repeated until you notice it's an intentional pattern? How many threats have been used by the government to curtail the power of private citizenry? How many bills have been passed that expand the power and reach of the government in the name of safety in your lifetime? How many times have you seen that power exploited and corrupted?

TikTok will not be the only company affected by this bill. TikTok isn't even mentioned in the bill. Did you read it? I did. It basically gives the President and the Secretary of Commerce the authority to divest or take measures against any company deemed to be connected to a foreign adversary. Even an accusation could bring about corrective measures from the state. 

The bill makes it seem like Congress can check this power, but it's just illusionary, of course. The Secretary of Commerce needs to notify congress when it's sanctioned a company or CEO. HOWEVER, it would take a joint resolution to override it (meaning both the House and Senate would need to agree), but even then, the President can veto the sanction, lol. If that were to happen, typical veto rules apply, which means two-thirds of both the House and Senate would need to oppose the veto. For all intents and purposes, Congress ceded its powers in this matter to the President. They left themselves room to grandstand, though. 

The only real protection in this bill is Judicial Review, which, as we are currently seeing, is only as strong as the courts overseeing the case. 

If you really believe this isn't going to be abused moving forward, you're deluding yourself. IF congress were interested in stopping TikTok, this bill would address that threat. It doesn't. It just gives more and more power to the executive branch of the government. 

At some point, you're going to have to start smarting yourself.

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Every person on this board should read that post in its entirety.

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