# Stupid Republican idea of the day **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 26, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897 "2009-03-26T18:48:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1687
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33722 "2017-05-05T02:52:25Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **elucidator** : > > Shit, take his money, be much worse than killing him. What money? They’ve already taken all of his money. His net worth is probably already negative. Part of the problem with this country is that, even without having any money, people like him can still manage to be rich. ---
**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:** [May 5, 2017, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33723 "2017-05-05T03:18:03Z")
Well, if Obama takes $400K for a speech, that is _earned income_, which means that he gets taxed on it. From what I can tell, he does not get taxed on his pension. If his pension/expense-account gets dollar-for-dollar reduced by his gross income, that would put him behind the curve. Which ends up discouraging ex-presidents from making public appearances, at least for gelt. That sounds, to me, like not such a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33724 "2017-05-05T08:48:28Z")
Retroactively chop a past president’s pension so that the money can be spent on the present billionaire president’s regular weekend golfing jaunts and his adult children’s ski trips? The GOP is simply pathetic. ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33725 "2017-05-05T14:40:41Z")
[45 praises Australia’s universal healthcare system](http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/04/politics/trump-us-australia-health-care/). Actually he was correct to do so, especially as how much better it is than TrumpNoCare, but I suspect the dolt doesn’t even know what he was saying. So this one has a stupid Republican saying something wise for a stupid reason. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33726 "2017-05-05T15:38:32Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > Retroactively chop a past president’s pension so that the money can be spent on the present billionaire president’s regular weekend golfing jaunts and his adult children’s ski trips? The GOP is simply pathetic. I actually don’t think it would be constitutional. It would effectively be a ‘bill of attainder’. Article I, Section 9; No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed. A bill of attainder (also known as an act of attainder or writ of attainder or bill of pains and penalties) is an act of a legislature declaring a person or group of persons guilty of some crime and punishing them, often without a trial. As with attainder resulting from the normal judicial process, the effect of such a bill is to nullify the targeted person’s civil rights, most notably the right to own property (and thus pass it on to heirs), the right to a title of nobility, and, in at least the original usage, the right to life itself. Bills of attainder passed in Parliament by Henry Vlll on the 29 January 1542 resulted in the executions of a number of notable historical figures. To aim a bill at a single figure (the previous president) and strip him of his pension without just cause? No, that won’t fly. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33727 "2017-05-05T18:43:11Z")
In other news, Rand Paul is a colossal twat. > **[Rand Paul Demands Info: Was I Surveilled By WH, Intel Community?](https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rand-paul-was-i-surveilled)** > > Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) wrote Friday that he had sought records to determine whether he or other members of Congress had been surveilled by the Obama administration or by the intelligence community. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33728 "2017-05-05T18:50:42Z")
If there was ever a man who could make a living doing Danny Kaye impersonations, it’s him. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33729 "2017-05-05T18:53:25Z")
I love how _now_ Congress members are concerned about wide spread surveillance. Honestly if they’ve done nothing wrong they’ve nothing to fear. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33730 "2017-05-05T19:35:25Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > I actually don’t think it would be constitutional. It would effectively be a ‘bill of attainder’. > > Article I, Section 9; No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed. > A bill of attainder (also known as an act of attainder or writ of attainder or bill of pains and penalties) is an act of a legislature declaring a person or group of persons guilty of some crime and punishing them, often without a trial. As with attainder resulting from the normal judicial process, the effect of such a bill is to nullify the targeted person’s civil rights, most notably the right to own property (and thus pass it on to heirs), the right to a title of nobility, and, in at least the original usage, the right to life itself. Bills of attainder passed in Parliament by Henry Vlll on the 29 January 1542 resulted in the executions of a number of notable historical figures. > > To aim a bill at a single figure (the previous president) and strip him of his pension without just cause? No, that won’t fly. Wouldn’t that effect Clinton, the Bushes, and Carter too? Not saying I agree with it, and it still aimed at a group, not just an individual. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33731 "2017-05-05T19:40:05Z")
> [@Grey](#): > > I love how _now_ Congress members are concerned about wide spread surveillance. Honestly if they’ve done nothing wrong they’ve nothing to fear. :rolleyes: How dare you catch me conspiring with russian spies! I’s un-American, I tell you! ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33732 "2017-05-05T19:46:34Z")
Alaska state rep thinks women get pregnant so that they can get abortions at government expense and get free trips to Anchorage out of it. > **[Rep. Eastman: Some women ‘glad’ to be pregnant for Medicaid-funded travel for...](https://alaskapublic.org/2017/05/03/rep-eastman-some-women-glad-to-be-pregnant-for-medicaid-funded-travel-for-abortions/)** > > State Rep. David Eastman said some Alaskans are glad to become pregnant, so that they can have a Medicaid-funded trip to Anchorage or Seattle to have an abortion. Eastman didn’t provide evidence for this, but said he had been told this by friends and... ---
**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:** [May 5, 2017, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33733 "2017-05-05T19:55:30Z")
> [@TonySinclair](#): > > In other news, Rand Paul is a colossal twat. > [Rand Paul Demands Info: Was I Surveilled By WH, Intel Community? - TPM – Talking Points Memo](http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rand-paul-was-i-surveilled) Arrgh, those eyes. He should see some kind of professional about those things. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33734 "2017-05-05T19:58:16Z")
He probably does. From miles away. In the dark. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33735 "2017-05-05T20:03:44Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Arrgh, those eyes. He should see some kind of professional about those things. He’s an eye doctor. He can just look in the mirror. Unless there’s no reflection. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2017, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33736 "2017-05-05T20:16:59Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > … > > To aim a bill at a single figure (the previous president) and strip him of his pension without just cause? No, that won’t fly. [Goes back to original OP] Aiming something at a single individual; nah, never been considered before by the Republicans. :rolleyes: ---
**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:** [May 5, 2017, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33737 "2017-05-05T23:37:21Z")
The state of where-all-the-bad-shit-happens has [passed a law](http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article148857169.html) making it much easier for parents (or residents) to get textbooks and classroom materials brung to heel. None of that porno stuff for are kids. What I find a bit disturbing about the law (having looked at the bill’s text) is that it says “[del]classroom materials[/del]”, which expands the scope of getting-the-ick-out-of-our-schools to the library. Or, for that matter, what if a parent sees a multiculturalism poster on the wall that shows a white girl holding hands with, eww, a black guy? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33738 "2017-05-06T16:26:49Z")
Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) [says](http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2017/05/rep_mo_brooks_people_who_live.html) that people without pre-existing medical conditions are people who “have lead good lives” and “done things the right way.” > [@](#): > > “My understanding is that (the new proposal) will allow insurance companies to require people who have higher health care costs to contribute more to the insurance pool,” Brooks said. “That helps offset all these costs, thereby reducing the cost to those people who lead good lives, they’re healthy, they’ve done the things to keep their bodies healthy. And right now, those are the people–who’ve done things the right way–that are seeing their costs skyrocketing.” I guess i’ll let my wife know that the breast cancer and ovarian cyst for which she had operations a few years ago could have been avoided by being a better person. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33739 "2017-05-06T17:11:08Z")
From a safe distance, perhaps. Say, Mars. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33740 "2017-05-06T17:57:36Z")
What’s with the modern American conservative’s utter terror that somebody somewhere will get a benefit he didn’t deserve? It’s almost like they’d rather gouge out the eyes of a hundred babies with a red-hot corkscrew if it would prevent one of those baby’s parents from cheating on welfare. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897/33741 "2017-05-06T18:26:24Z")
Congressman Raul Labrador: “[nobody dies because they don’t have access to healthcare](http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/watch-raul-labrador-booed-after-saying-nobody-dies-because-they-dont-have-access-to-healthcare/article/2622328)” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1686) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day/490897.md?page=1688)