Friday has come and gone at last, and in fact we’re well into Saturday now unfortunately, due to my needing to have covered so much this time.
Additionally, at long last it looks like the ongoing saga of California vs Amazon is coming to an end. Amazon had already floated the idea of compromise with the Democrats on their unconstitutional plan to try to bully Amazon with respect to California’s high sales tax rates.
But now it looks like the firm got cold feet. Having already put itself on the line with a plan to lobby for a national law on the matter, with a promise to pay the tax if now law is passed in two years, they caved and cut the “safe harbor” down to one year. As you might guess from how I said that, I disagree that Amazon was wrong to play hardball. I think Amazon was wrong to give in after playing hardball, because if things go wrong they risk victor’s justice.
Joe Mathews says Amazon has given an example of “how not to do business in California.” At this point, I don’t see why anyone should do business in California, with all the corruption and corporatist socialism going on in this one great state.
This matters if you don’t live in California, by the way, because of the next steps.
As a worst-case scenario, Amazon may now turn on us who supported them by joining Wal-mart and the other pro-tax forces to try to ram a national, Canada-style Harmonized Sales Tax down our throats, such as one proposed by Dick Durbin, which will be the gateway to a true national sales tax, if it passes.
Amazon hasn’t come out for the Durbin plan, mind you. I’m just floating that as a possibility. But forces are at work which might give us a national sales tax through the back door.
Bad news: the Senate passed the patent bill of Patrick Leahy which intentionally, purposefully changes America’s patent system to stop awarding patents to the first person who invented the patent. And I’m sorry but it’s delusional to think that this system will reduce patent litigation, when in fact this is a Jobs Bill™ for patent attorneys. 89-9 was the vote to copy Europe and award patents to the company with the most lawyers. Shame.
It’s like we want to send innovation to Asia or something. Not that it happens there, what with Samsung’s shameless copying of Apple leading to court losses worldwide.
Big patent lawsuits are growing in number, and we just rewarded that business. Yes, I’m frustrated.
Maybe we’ll at least beat PROTECT IP, the national Internet censorship bill that, if passed, would threaten America’s leadership online. Because while patent trolling just got some legal support, copyright trolling isn’t thriving as a business.
Another issue to watch: the funding of the radicals who are pushing a big government agenda on us. In the case of AT&T/T-Mobile, radical groups are claiming responsibility for the Obama/Holder lawsuit. So they’re influencing policy while wealthy foundations are funding groups like Free Press, including our good pal George Soros and his Open Society Institute.
I have to wonder, is Obama really being too credulous of Sprint’s claims, or are they just along for the ride as the administration obeys the whims of OSI-funded organizations? After all, the administration is capable of playing favorites, as with Google. Regardless, I do hope AT&T can fight off this corporatist socialism.
TPM is under attack by Anonymous for exposing arrested criminals of theirs. This must not stand, regardless of what you think of TPM.
Bad wireless phone coverage where you live? It might be your local government’s fault due to zoning issues.
How bad is regulation nationally? even “moderate Democrats” like Harold Ford, Jr. are coming around.