# Stupid liberal idea of the day **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 20, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086 "2011-04-20T15:35:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 284
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2016, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086/5661 "2016-12-13T02:09:01Z")
I suppose it might be helpful to look at [the actual document](https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/national-origin-guidance.cfm#_Toc451518824) rather than relying of questionable “analysis”. Especially if that analysts is unable to write in complete. The thing is see a lot when skimming over it is that the term “… on a case-by-case basis …” keeps cropping up. That is so unfair to employers. I mean, imagine how much the costs associated with HR will skyrocket if they have to shed their blanket rules and actually do work. This only encourages more outsourcing. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2016, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086/5662 "2016-12-13T08:38:49Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > But there we are, Liberals making everyone miserable by not letting them ask whether their job applicants are convicted litterbugs. :rolleyes: Not only can that block you from jobs but you could also end up on the Group W bench. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2016, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086/5663 "2016-12-13T10:39:01Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Please give me two examples of the ‘misery’ Liberals cause others. I started to write a reply to this a couple days ago but it got accidentally deleted. Here it goes again. 1. FATCA, passed with zero Republican votes as a part of the HIRE Act is a stupid liberal idea that causes misery. Only one Democrat voted against it. President Obama signed it into law. In an effort to target the elusive fat cat tax evader FATCA has swept up the poor and middle class who are living abroad but considered American persons for the purpose of the law. Your mother’s pregnancy was complicated so she traveled to Miami to give birth to you? Then you are an American person under FATCA (and a citizen) and now have to report your financial account numbers and institutions from your home country to the IRS even if you owe no taxes, do not hold a US passport, and have never resided or worked in the US. And the IRS can seize your retirement savings if you fail to make disclosures that you never even knew you needed to make. [Criticism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_Account_Tax_Compliance_Act#Criticism) is widespread and the extraterritorial nature of this law has had impacts all around the world. A Colombian farmer now cannot get a bank loan from a Colombian bank unless he can prove he is not American. Just because I have signature control on their accounts as a power of attorney I need to report my non-American inlaw’s financial dealing to the IRS even though they do not live in the US, are not Americans, and have never traveled to the US. An American living abroad must disclose the amount in their pension funds even if the fund does not report that information to the American in accordance with local law. WTF!? 1. More liberal misery involved the MOVE Act, which amended the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. Again passed by Democrats and signed into law by President Obama. Though Democrats champion themselves as proponents of ballot access this law reduced ballot access for many Americans living abroad when it cancelled previous requests for absentee ballots. Prior to the MOVE Act amendment, the UOCAVA provided that an American living abroad, many of whom are active duty military, could file one request to receive absentee ballots for all the elections he/she is eligible to vote in for a four year period. Many did and expected their ballots to keep coming. But surprise! In October 2010, just before midterm elections, the MOVE Act was passed. Though many of its components were meant to improve ballot access, one measure in the act cancelled previously made requests for absentee ballots. Many Americans residing abroad, taxpaying citizens and eligible voters, did not receive their midterm ballots. Under the new provisions of the act they must now file an individual request for each election for which they want a ballot. Changing the law to deny eligible voters their right to a ballot is often seen as a stupid conservative idea. But in this instance, and with how the MOVE Act was implemented, it was also a stupid liberal idea that caused misery by denying Americans a voice in their government. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2016, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086/5664 "2016-12-13T10:58:48Z")
> [@Iggy](#): > > I started to write a reply to this a couple days ago but it got accidentally deleted. Here it goes again. > > 1. FATCA, passed with zero Republican votes as a part of the HIRE Act is a stupid liberal idea that causes misery. Only one Democrat voted against it. President Obama signed it into law. > > In an effort to target the elusive fat cat tax evader FATCA has swept up the poor and middle class who are living abroad but considered American persons for the purpose of the law. Your mother’s pregnancy was complicated so she traveled to Miami to give birth to you? Then you are an American person under FATCA (and a citizen) and now have to report your financial account numbers and institutions from your home country to the IRS even if you owe no taxes, do not hold a US passport, and have never resided or worked in the US. And the IRS can seize your retirement savings if you fail to make disclosures that you never even knew you needed to make. > > [Criticism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_Account_Tax_Compliance_Act#Criticism) is widespread and the extraterritorial nature of this law has had impacts all around the world. A Colombian farmer now cannot get a bank loan from a Colombian bank unless he can prove he is not American. Just because I have signature control on their accounts as a power of attorney I need to report my non-American inlaw’s financial dealing to the IRS even though they do not live in the US, are not Americans, and have never traveled to the US. An American living abroad must disclose the amount in their pension funds even if the fund does not report that information to the American in accordance with local law. WTF!? I’ll agree with this one - a well-intentioned plan to capture money being squirreled away overseas by billionaires that has resulted in a lot of collateral damage. > [@](#): > > 1. More liberal misery involved the MOVE Act, which amended the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. Again passed by Democrats and signed into law by President Obama. > > Though Democrats champion themselves as proponents of ballot access this law reduced ballot access for many Americans living abroad when it cancelled previous requests for absentee ballots. > > Prior to the MOVE Act amendment, the UOCAVA provided that an American living abroad, many of whom are active duty military, could file one request to receive absentee ballots for all the elections he/she is eligible to vote in for a four year period. Many did and expected their ballots to keep coming. > > But surprise! In October 2010, just before midterm elections, the MOVE Act was passed. Though many of its components were meant to improve ballot access, one measure in the act cancelled previously made requests for absentee ballots. Many Americans residing abroad, taxpaying citizens and eligible voters, did not receive their midterm ballots. Under the new provisions of the act they must now file an individual request for each election for which they want a ballot. > > Changing the law to deny eligible voters their right to a ballot is often seen as a stupid conservative idea. But in this instance, and with how the MOVE Act was implemented, it was also a stupid liberal idea that caused misery by denying Americans a voice in their government. I think we need to check with **Bricker** first on whether this increases or decreases his confidence in the voting system before we decide whether this is stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2016, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086/5665 "2016-12-13T11:29:43Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > I’ll agree with this one - a well-intentioned plan to capture money being squirreled away overseas by billionaires that has resulted in a lot of collateral damage. > … When hitting $50,000 in your pension plan savings for your run of the mill $50,00 per year job causes you to be considered suspect for criminal tax evasion it is a bar set too low. If they had made the limits MUCH higher. Like 10 times higher, then FATCA might have some reasonable utility in relation to its stated goals. For now it is _horrible_. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2016, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086/5666 "2016-12-13T14:12:11Z")
Democrats are saying that Russia “undermined” our democratic process. While Russian hacking is a bad thing, and Russia getting their way in this election even worse, nothing about our democratic process was undermined. Both candidates got their messages out just fine through a free press, and as far as we know, the voting happened normally. The Democrats seem to be referring to the hacking of their party and campaign emails, but that’s not undermining democracy. Russia making public their strategizing about exactly how they’ll lie to the public and minimize Clinton’s scandals, while being honest in private about how she brought it all on herself gave the public more information to make an educated choice. That enhanced democracy. Campaigns lying to the public and strategizing about how best to fool us is what undermines democracy. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2016, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086/5667 "2016-12-13T14:45:10Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > … Campaigns lying to the public and strategizing about how best to fool us is what undermines democracy. See: President-Elect Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Kyrie\_Eleison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kyrie_eleison/32/7682_2.png) [@Kyrie\_Eleison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyrie_Eleison)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086/5668 "2016-12-14T20:58:16Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > The Democrats seem to be referring to the hacking of their party and campaign emails, but that’s not undermining democracy. Exactly. The only lesson to be learned here is that for the next presidential election, the Democrats need to ally themselves with Chinese hackers to keep the system equitable. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2016, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086/5669 "2016-12-14T21:17:12Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > While Russian hacking is a bad thing, and Russia getting their way in this election even worse, nothing about our democratic process was undermined. . Are you fucking serious? I guess you think that poor Nixon was railroaded, because all he was trying to do was to get more information out to the public. Jesus. Open season on illegal activities to break into your political opponent’s sources of information. Nothing is off limits - even if foreign powers break in, that’s all OK for you, eh? Just listen to yourself. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086/5670 "2016-12-15T04:33:35Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Just listen to yourself. Nobody deserves a punishment like that. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086/5671 "2016-12-15T05:39:04Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Are you fucking serious? > > I guess you think that poor Nixon was railroaded, because all he was trying to do was to get more information out to the public. > > Jesus. > > Open season on illegal activities to break into your political opponent’s sources of information. Nothing is off limits - even if foreign powers break in, that’s all OK for you, eh? > > Just listen to yourself. Watergate was a crime, but it did not undermine democracy. Getting dirt on opponents is what campaigns do, but there are laws limiting how it can be done. If Nixon’s henchmen had acquired whatever it was they were looking for by legal means, there would have been no problem. I think you need to listen to your own self. You’re basically saying that because the Democrats’ conniving and strategizing about how to lie was uncovered, that this somehow undermined democracy. I guess John Dean undermined democracy then, by your own logic. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086/5672 "2016-12-15T05:58:43Z")
Wow, you are one hell of a pretzel there, laddo. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2016, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086/5673 "2016-12-15T06:28:57Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > Watergate was a crime, but it did not undermine democracy. Getting dirt on opponents is what campaigns do, but there are laws limiting how it can be done. If Nixon’s henchmen had acquired whatever it was they were looking for by legal means, there would have been no problem. > > I think you need to listen to your own self. You’re basically saying that because the Democrats’ conniving and strategizing about how to lie was uncovered, that this somehow undermined democracy. I guess John Dean undermined democracy then, by your own logic. Gotcha. Breaking in and stealing your political opponents data is OK, as long as you can then subsequently spin it as a public service later. “Oh look, they were doing EEEVILLL things!” As long as you can bullshit everyone, and say “oh look, we uncovered conniving and strategizing”, then it’s all perfectly fine if a foreign government hacks into servers. You are beyond scummy. ---
**Author:** ![DerekMichaels00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f14d63/32.png) [@DerekMichaels00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DerekMichaels00)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2016, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086/5674 "2016-12-24T03:17:45Z")
here’s a new stupid liberal idea of the day: Obama failing to veto another one-sided anti-Israel resolution. [a worthy reaction](http://i.imgur.com/WCusSowm.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2016, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086/5675 "2016-12-24T03:22:16Z")
We finally stopped vetoing UN condemnation of Israeli land seizures? You apocalyptic Christians must be having the most powerful case of the vapors! ---
**Author:** ![Donpeyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a4c791/32.png) [@Donpeyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donpeyote)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2016, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086/5676 "2016-12-24T03:41:34Z")
Swamp America with Turd Worlders who hate us and will not assimilate ? ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2016, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086/5677 "2016-12-24T07:14:18Z")
No cite, because it’s multiple places, but Democrats really seem poised to define opposition to the electoral college as a black and white, right vs. wrong social justice issue, where support for the status quo is equivalent to racism. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2016, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086/5678 "2016-12-24T08:10:45Z")
> [@DerekMichaels00](#): > > here’s a new stupid liberal idea of the day: Obama failing to veto another one-sided anti-Israel resolution. > > [a worthy reaction](http://i.imgur.com/WCusSowm.jpg) I guess I don’t understand the right’s eruption over this at all. The USA did nothing to stop a toothless resolution against something every administration has opposed? And this is a major outrage? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2016, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086/5679 "2016-12-24T12:06:16Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > No cite, because it’s multiple places… Pick one, otherwise I assume it is just an opinion. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2016, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086/5680 "2016-12-24T14:23:05Z")
> **[The Electoral College magnifies the power of white voters](https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2016/11/22/13713148/electoral-college-democracy-race-white-voters)** > > Voters in swing states are disproportionately white — a fact that shapes campaigns. > **[The real reason we have an Electoral College: to protect slave states](https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/11/12/13598316/donald-trump-electoral-college-slavery-akhil-reed-amar)** > > "In a direct election system, the South would have lost every time." [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086.md?page=283) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-liberal-idea-of-the-day/579086.md?page=285)