this post was submitted on 20 Feb 2026
394 points (98.8% liked)

Progressive Politics

4151 readers
859 users here now

Welcome to Progressive Politics! A place for news updates and political discussion from a left perspective. Conservatives and centrists are welcome just try and keep it civil :)

(Sidebar still a work in progress post recommendations if you have them such as reading lists)

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 
top 39 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world 13 points 22 hours ago

Trump is too busy wiping his ass with the constitution to care.

[–] LordCrom@lemmy.world 8 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

He gets respect from simply using an 'Oxford comma'.

[–] pineapplelover@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

Am I tripping, I can't see that oxford comma you're talking about

[–] criscodisco@lemmy.world 3 points 8 hours ago

Literally the first sentence of this letter.

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's nice to have a governor in my State that's actually good at his job and not grifting the taxpayers..

[–] IronBird@lemmy.world -4 points 1 day ago (2 children)

that money (if it's paid out at all) will go to businesses who already passed all the cost of tariffs onto consumers, and taxpayers would cover this if it's paid back so businesses are fleecing americans twice for free

[–] SocialMediaRefugee@lemmy.world 6 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

The tariffs were pushed by Trump, businesses didn't invent them.

[–] IronBird@lemmy.world 1 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (1 children)

trump is just a proxy for the business council, same as every president back through to eisenhower and beyond.

they knew back at the start that the cost of tariffs would be pushed onto consumers, and that eventually they would argue for refunds (which again, are paid for by consumers), all of this is done specifically to stress the system trying to trigger an economic crash...as that's when american capitalists make their biggest gains, buying up distressed assets at a massive discount.

we have done this cycle dozens of times over by now

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 2 points 21 hours ago

trump is just a proxy for the business council

There's significant gulfs between different business leaders' political views and agendas.

[–] Scubus@sh.itjust.works 0 points 17 hours ago

So? I don't know who invented money, but I know a lot of people that take advantage of it

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 1 points 1 day ago

I know, the system is fucked.

[–] sleepmode@lemmy.world 29 points 1 day ago

Noticed that he wrote it so someone with a third grade reading comprehension level wouldn’t have a problem.

[–] Blackfeathr@lemmy.world 65 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If that president could read, he'd be very upset

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 6 points 1 day ago

Oh it's fine he has people to read for him. They have to dumb it down a little though.

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 74 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Bruh should have signed off with:

"Thank you for your attention to this matter"

[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You're not wrong.

Judging by Gavin Newsom's popularity, all Democratic partisans seem to be concerned about is dank memes.

[–] OwOarchist@pawb.social 6 points 1 day ago

Dank memes are nice and cheap, and they don't upset the donor class, who understands that it's all kayfabe.

[–] slothrop@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] SeductiveTortoise@piefed.social 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] slothrop@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago

Yes, better.

[–] diverging@piefed.social 4 points 1 day ago

Please no, we don't need more Trumps.

[–] Pratai@piefed.ca 19 points 1 day ago

And the saber rattling gets even louder. Maybe one day they’ll think about unsheathing them.

Though that will not be today.

[set message to repeat 1x/day]

[–] Glifted@lemmy.world 27 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If this was serious it would be a lawsuit instead of a letter

[–] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 32 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

You can't sue the federal government unless they give you explicit permission to. They have sovereign immunity except when they intentionally waive that immunity, such as with the Federal Tort Claims Act. You can challenge the constitutionality of a law or policy, fight to have it overturned, but you cannot seek repayment for damages caused by that law or policy without meeting the conditions under which the government has said you can.

The FTCA is the primary mechanism to sue the fed and the allowances of it are pretty narrow. Tariffs, even illegal ones, would likely fall under the discretionary function exception, which would mean that you couldn't sue. But even if it didn't fall under that exception, in order to sue, you must first submit an FTCA claim for repayment of damages to the goverment and wait for their response. Claims must be made within 2 years of the damages and they have 6 months to respond. Only once actually denied can you actually sue, and it must be within 6 months of their response. And then you have to materially prove damages directly caused by the federal government, specifically.

[–] Curiousfur@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago

I know that it's the point of it all, but reading that makes me want to will my head to explode.

[–] ThePantser@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 day ago
[–] minorkeys@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Why not refund the people directly since it isn't the state that paid them?

[–] emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Legally speaking, weren't the tariffs paid by companies that import stuff into the US? (Sure, they passed on those costs to consumers, but I don't think that would matter in court.)

[–] minorkeys@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Maybe? I've seen lot of people get tariff bills or charges. So whoever is paying, it isn't the state.

[–] OwOarchist@pawb.social 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

A very good question.

If, somehow, this actually becomes a real lawsuit, and somehow actually results in a real judgement, and somehow the regime actually pays the judgement rather than just ignoring it ... watch this money just end up in the state's budget, with none of it going to the people who were actually illegally overcharged for everything. (And then the state spends most of it on buying fancy new guns and surveillance tech for the state police. Chrome-plated missile launchers for the state troopers!)

[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world -1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

He’s ok but he’s still a billionaire and cousins with Epstein pedofile scum. I don’t think you can be a decent person and be a billionaire

[–] tabarnaski@sh.itjust.works 9 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah, let's throw shit at a potential ally because they are cousin to a criminal!

[–] KingGimpicus@sh.itjust.works -1 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Their whole point was that you cannot be a billionaire without being a criminal yourself.

Ifsofacto, billionaires cannot be potential allies because that level of wealth hoarding is inemical to the interests of the many.

When we say "eat the rich", we dont mean some of them.

[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world -2 points 20 hours ago

Yes that’s exactly how I feel.

[–] Kazel@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 day ago

So they hang him?