Below is my column on Fox.com on the demand for roughly a $455 million dollar deposit or equivalent bond for Donald Trump to be able to seek appellate review of the recent judgment against him. The combination of the fine and the deposit rule highlight the confiscatory elements of this judgment.
Here is the column:
In the wake of the massive judgment against Donald Trump, many in New York are celebrating the prospect that the former president could be forced to sell off his property just to be able to appeal the $355 million judgment against him. While Trump has good grounds to object to this excessive fine, he still has to come up with close to a half billion dollars just to make his arguments to the New York Court of Appeals.
In order to file an appeal, the courts require a deposit for the full amount of the damages or a bond covering the full amount. Even with escrow options, the call for cash or collateral can be enough to put some executives in a fetal position.
It can be challenging enough for many companies drained from years of litigation. For Donald Trump, the demand for $355 million plus $100 milion in interest could force a fire sale on properties to pony up just the deposit.
Many of us have been critical of the ruling of Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron who imposed the astronomical fine despite finding that Trump’s “victims” not only did not lose a single dollar but made handsome profits. Indeed, these banks testified that they wanted to continue to do business with Trump as a “whale” client, but Engoron is now barring them from doing so.
Putting aside the merits of this judgment, the threshold deposit rule magnifies the unfairness of this New York law that does not require that anyone actually lose money to claim hundreds of millions from a company.
One can argue that, if upheld, any insolvency is the fault of the company. However, this rule can force insolvency just to seek review of a judgment.
For Trump, even this fine would only amount to roughly 14-17% of his wealth. The addition of the recent $83.3 million in damages imposed in a separate New York courtroom for defamation would bring the demand to over half a billion dollars in deposits with interest.
So, by making the fine so large, Engoron not only makes an appeal difficult, but could guarantee that Trump will lose tens of millions even if his judgment is dramatically reduced or tossed out.
On top of this looming penalty, however, he already owes the writer E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million in damages from a separate defamation case that concluded in January. His legal fees are also mounting as he battles four criminal cases at the federal and state level.
There is already speculation of whether Trump will have to leverage or sell his iconic properties at distressed prices. He has 30-days to ante up with the court and buyers could use that deadline to their advantage. The added amount is due to another New York provision imposing a massive 9 percent interest rate on judgments.
That means that every day, Trump is being hit by roughly $90,000 in just interest increases.
Trump could secure a bond, but such a guaranty would come at its own premium price. However, a bonding company requires a defendant to put up 10% for the total and would lose that amount even if he prevailed. That is a roughly $45 million cost just to secure the right to an appeal. In this case, the cost could be higher given the judgment and the bar on Trump doing business for three years in New York.
Trump can move to ask the trial court (or the appellate court) to allow him to proceed without posting the money or bond. That, however, is up to the courts in granting an exception.
The expectation is that Trump can make the deposit or secure a bond to avoid what some gleefully called a “fire sale” on this properties. The deposit is now being celebrated as an added indignity and penalty.
However, as New Yorkers cheer this moment, many business are likely wondering “but for the grace of God go I.” Undervaluing or overvaluing property is a common practice, particularly in real estate. That is why representations, like the one made by the Trump Corporation, come with a warning that estimates are their own and that the banks need to make their assessments.
Faced with high crime and high taxes, the spectacle in Manhattan is only likely to accelerate the exodus of businesses and high-earners from the city. That prospect has already alarmed Gov. Kathy Hochul who declared “business people have nothing to worry about, because they’re very different than Donald Trump and his behavior.”
That sounds a lot like “you are fine so long as you are not Trump.” Yet, that is not reassuring to businesses who want a legal system that is based on something other than selective and arbitrary enforcement. Attorney General Letitia James campaigned on bagging Trump without even bothering to name the offense. She also sought to dissolve the National Rifle Association.
The line between doing business and a public execution appears to be the dubious discretion of Letitia James.
That is not the type of assurance that most businesses would accept in risking billions in investment. Despite the high taxes and falling services in New York, the city remained a draw for business as a commercial and legal center. The experience and objectivity of courts in dealing with business disputes was a selling point for companies.
That has been shattered by the James campaign and the Engoron ruling. Telling business to just “don’t be like Trump” is more menacing than consoling. Letitia James is now the face of New York corporate law — it is the “face that launched a thousand ships” . . . toward Florida. Businesses can get lower taxes, lower crime, better schools, and a better regulatory environment in virtually any other state. Fewer are likely to want to come for the shows, but stay for the disgorgement.
Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary said Monday that he would “never” invest in New York after this absurd judgment.
Creating an ad hoc business code for Trump undermines the city’s reputation as a premier jurisdiction for corporate and tax law. If the rate of exit increases, it will impact not just employees working for these companies (like the Trump companies) but the vast network of supporting businesses, including law firms.
As New York politicians campaigning on “eat the rich” platforms, the confiscatory Trump judgment leaves many in the city wondering if they could be the next course.
Couldn’t happen to a nicer city…
Trump needs to counter-sue NYC for $50 billion dollars. Forget the appeal, go on the attack.
John Say
Appreciate your comments: well reasoned, well said, well supported. Thank you.
I like John Say’s comment too.
I find him arrogant and verbose.
This one particular “Anonymous” is a juvenile punk with a bad attitude. Hey “Anonymous”, go away, your mom is calling.
I don’t care if you are for Trump or Biden, you are a juvenile jerk.
He can be a little prolix, but he makes a lot of good points.
People generally find those who point out there errors arrogant.
The length of my posts reflects the scope and number of errors I respond to.
If you want shorter posts from me – make less mistakes.
All you have to do is check your on claims and get it right and I wont write a thing.
thx
There are many posters on this blog whose comments are worth reading. Including many posters I disagree with.
I am not going to name them – because inevitably I will miss someone.
Regardless, there are posters here who argue the facts, the law, the constitution, first principles, economics, …
citing information and data.
And there are those that just make things up, or who rant rather than argue. Orange man bad, is not an argument.
Each and every one of us is free to make choices in our own lives on any basis we wish – including our feelings, ouija boords, or dice.
We each rep the rewards or suffer the consequences of our own decisions, we are free to make them however we please.
We do not have limitless freedom to make choices for others. The social contract – the foundation for government, Empowers government to use FORCE to infringe on our rights in a FEW limited domains, for the specific purpose of realizing the optimal public order consistent with the maximum of individual freedom. Government is empowered to use force to punish those who initiate force against others – criminal law.
It is empowered to use force to assure that each of us keeps the binding agreements we make with others – that is civil law.
It is not governments business to determine whether the agreements we made were good ones or bad ones. Only to neutrally assure that whatever we mutually agreed to we do.
It is empowered to assure that when the actions of others cause us real harm – intentionally or not, that to the extent possible we are made whole – that is tort law.
Finally government is empowered to secure the nation. To protect us from outsiders.
Everything beyond that is the domain of the individual, of personal freedom.
The above is the duties and obligations of govenrment. As the declaration of independence says – whenever govenrment becomes destructive of those ends – it is the right of the people to alter an abolish it.
The US Constitution is a blueprint to achieve that. I think it is an excellent blueprint. But the constitution is a means to an end – it is the means to the end of the maximum of individual liberty consistent with public order.
To those on the right and left – the constitution and the laws of this nation are important., but they and our courts and our justice system are NOT the final authority. Nor are the people in the sense of political democracy.
The final authority is what works.
Many of the supra constitutional aphorisms that I cite regularly – “the rule of law, not man”, “Government is force, …”, …
Really boil down to what several millenia of experience have taught us works.
There is massive amounts of economic data that shows that the bigger govenrment is the slower the rise (or larger the decline) in standard of living. The USSR did not fail in the sense that its people were poorer 70 years later than at its inception. It failed because the rest of the world got richer much faster than the USSR – Though China actually managed to have ZERO increase in standard of living through the entirety of Mao’s rule.
We are in the midst of a massive fight today over morality. The left and the right do not even agree on what morality mean.
But the principles of western morality – if less than perfect, are the product of atleast 10 millenia or human development.
As they improve into the enlightenment, they resulted in the most rapid improvement in human standard of living that has ever occurred.
No matter what the merits of the lefts attack on western morality – and we have yet to acheive perfection, it is still inarguably by the evidence the best humans have ever acheived.
The rule of law, western morality, the constitution, all have merit BECAUSE THEY WORK, because they leave us better than we were before.
Conversely the morality of the modern left is a luxury good that to the extent it has any merit at all, only does so while resting on the foundation of the western morality that it all so often seeks to destroy.
Every moral claim the modern left makes. is close to unique to the modern era.
Diversity, racial equality, sexual equality, sexual preferences, sexual identities, are luxury goods that can not exist absent the underlying western morality that they seek to destroy.
This argument that things must work is very important. It is why the left is not going to succeed. Maybe this election is the turning point,
or maybe that will come later, but ultimately the modern left will fail – because its ideas do not work.
Those on the left rant at who those who disagree with them are Trump zombies. But it is not Trump that is failing right now.
Over the past al;most 2 decades democrats have had the reverse midas touch – everything they touch turns to $hit.
“What’s this button on the elevator for?”
“That’s for preventing elephants from getting in.”
“Elephants?! When have there ever been elephants on an elevator?”
“Exactly. Works like a charm.”
I don’t think we can usefully separate the quality of our morality from how well those morals are applied in law. Laws which “work” do so precisely *because* they are based on good morals. The reason the moral claims of modernity do not result in good law is not because they are “luxury goods”, but because the morals are bad. Collectivism (the root of the vast bulk of all modern moral claims) is inherently evil. It subjugates the individual, denying both freedom on the one hand, and responsibility on the other. No law built upon this fire pit will “work”, ultimately.
How do you establish the quality of your morals ?
For 99.99% of human existance 25% of people died as a result of the violent actions of another human.
No other species murders its own at the rates that we do.
All other animals operate under a moral system that is different from humans. A system that until recently resulted in less violence.
for 99.99% of human existance slavery was considered good and moral. Now it is not. Morality changes.
Human morality has not been constant over time.
I did not say “modern morality”. I said the morality of the modern left.
Human morality changes over time – most of the time it improves.
I offer that the changes that endure, do so because they work.
When I say that modern left moral values are a luxury good – that does not mean they are inherently good – or evil.
What I mean is that you can not even have the discussion of whether they are good or not until society has reached sufficient affluence.
Again for 99.99% of human existance sex roles were rigid. They had to be. Average life expectance was 25. Most children died before they reached adulthood. The survival of the species required large families. And that required women to bear large numbers of children in the portion of their lifes that they were able to do so. The survival of the human species required that. Human sexuality may be fun and often non-reproductive – but its purpose for most of human existance has been the creation of the next generation.
All forms of non-reproductive sex was therefore immoral for most of the past.
I would note that modern demographic changes and collapsing populations could bring us back to some permutaiton of that past morality.
I personally beleive – as I suspect you do that the correspondance between what works and classical morality is no accident.
Western Morality? Just say it
The Bible and true Christianity.
I have no problems with those. But no that is NOT what I mean.
Western morality does NOT mean living up to leviticus. It has take us 300,000 years but slavery is now accepted as immoral That it was considered moral for most of human existance is something those on the left can not fathom. The Old Testiment is full of references to slavery with little condemnation.
Absolutely western morality rests on Judeo Christian foundations. the absolutely critical moral construct of free will comes from that tradition.
But western morality has gone beyond and in different directions than christianity.
“The Old Testiment is full of references to slavery with little condemnation.”
“The Old Testiment is full of references to slavery with little condemnation.”
John, man changes slowly, a recognition noted in the Torah. In part, the Torah is a set of lessons. Joseph is enslaved by his brothers, and then in Genesis, we find the Jews enslaved in Egypt. That teaches the people what slavery is and not to like it. But how does one go from slavery to its absence? Slowly. The Torah discusses slavery and adds a day of rest for the slave. Is that not a recognition that a slave is not fully owned by another man? The end of slavery has been set in motion, and then in Exodus 21:2, we read, ” he shall work [for] six years, and in the seventh [year], he shall go out to freedom without charge.”
The temporary status of slavery is revolutionary.
I too find John Say’s comments to be well reasoned, well said and factual.
Democrats have finally jumped the shark.
They have been jumping the shark repeatedly for over a decade. The only question is when will they have done so sufficiently frquently for everything to collapse on them.
\
We are getting there.
Yes, I think that we are getting there in one respect, that more people are seeing the Democrats for what they are – a party that buys votes through lies and handouts. That accounts for the welfare bloc of their support. But what about the non-welfare class support? The people with Bill Maher Syndrome, who will openly admit the Democrat Left is wacky, but will vote for them anyway. Because reasons.
I do not think most of these people will ever stop voting for Democrats short of a societal collapse, and even then, there are many who I suspect will continue to vote for them. Think of this – we actually have supposedly rational people who see nothing wrong with castrating kids, and in fact, call it genocide if we do not permit that to take place. Earlier, I posted a youtube walkaway video, that is about 47 minutes long, where a very articulate young woman explains her exodus from the Democrat Party. I think this should be required listening/watching and study for anyone trying to figure out how to accelerate the demise of the Democrats, prior to collapse. If that is even possible.
Particularly, about the last 8 minutes of the video. She has finally seen thru all the lies, bullsh!t, and craziness of the party. She leaves the Democrat Party. But she still can not yet bring herself to vote for Republicans, because of all the brainwashing that she has been subjected to. She eventually does escape the Matrix, but it was a struggle. I post it again here. Frankly, I do not see the majority of Democrats ever making this journey, save having to sleep in their car, and being mugged several times a week.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flp7gKg5G4E
Plus, like others, I always enjoy your comments.
More young women leave the Republican party than leave the Democratic Party:
“Why Republican Parents Raise Democratic Daughters”
https://www.americansurveycenter.org/newsletter/why-republican-parents-raise-democratic-daughters/
That was a fascinating read! Thank you! I think they hit on the reasons – abortion and indoctrination. Plus, women seem to be more willing to try to fit in. That is why when one stupid fashion thing comes out, they will mimic it. I note that Hillary was once a Goldwater Girl.
FWIW:
“Alexandra of Denmark had already become a trend-setter as Princess of Wales. She was a huge fashion influencer and the women in England would copy everything she wore. She had a small scar on her neck from a childhood surgical procedure and she often wore choker collars and jewelry high on her neck to cover the scar. English women started wearing similar style chokers. And -just as they had been influenced and tried to mimic royalty before, they did so with her. Even going so far as to imitate her permanent limp.
Here’s a quote from an 1869 Edition of the North British Mail newspaper: “Taking my customary walk the other day, observant of men, women and things, I met three ladies. They were all three young, all three good-looking, and all three lame! At least, such was my impression, seeing as they all carried handsome sticks and limped; but, on looking back, as everyone else did, I could discover no reason why they should do so.”
It was the “Alexandra Limp” and it caught on like wildfire. A faked limp that was put on by women in the upper-class areas of London in order to appear more like Alexandra of Denmark. Women would walk with a pronounced limp and go so far as to use a cane that they didn’t need. They didn’t have any ailment. They faked it. “
They didn’t say that it’s indoctrination. They said that conservatives suspect that. And you omit other issues they identify, including LGBTQ Identity and Trump. You present no evidence that young women try to fit in to a greater extent than young men do.
They said Conservatives suspect indoctrination, and so I said yes. Gotta problem with that? If so, what. As for all that gay queer stuff, perhaps. A lot of people say they are non-binary to get in on the victim racket. And, I am not required to mention it, if I do not think it is a big factor. This is still a free country as far as me being allowed to have my own opinion. You ain’t the boss of me.
Does it matter the precise way that one finds themselves adopting a dysfunctional ideology ?
As to evidence – we KNOW that anxiety and depression are on the rise.
We KNOW the increase is worse among the young, among women, among left leaning women,
The difference in anciety levels between a young left leaning woman and an old right leaning and are about a factor of 6.
The probability of that not having a clear cause is ZERO.
Further though there have always been differences – since 2013 those differences have been dramatically amplified.
To answer your statement, “Why Republican Parents Raise Democratic Daughters”.
The ones that actually are birthing people, got the smart phone flu, and now after a decade or two of not accomplishing anything, feel they have to do something. Since they have no employable skills, they join a group to protest something and become leftists.
“Alexander Smirnov, a longtime FBI informant with ties to Ukraine, had claimed to have proof of Biden and his son Hunter accepting bribes from a Ukrainian oligarch. Republicans repeatedly touted Smirnov’s claims in their quest to impeach the president. But last week, the Justice Department announced that it was charging Smirnov with making a false statement and creating a false record related to the bribery allegation. Now, in a detention memo filed Tuesday, the Justice Department revealed that Smirnov confessed that Russian intelligence officers helped him smear Hunter Biden. …”
https://newrepublic.com/post/179163/republicans-star-hunter-biden-witness-epic-disaster
No doubt that JT will discuss this in his next Hunter Biden column. /s
And what reason do we have to beleive the DOJ/FBI ?
This would be the same DOJ/FBI that tried to sell us all the collusion delusion.
I guess you never heard the story of the little boy who cried wolf growing up.
BTW, we are assuming (though likely true) that Smirnov is the CHS to the FBI 1023 that was provided to Grassley several months ago.
Assuming it was that FBI 1023 did not claim “PROOF” whatever that is, it claimed that Smirnov was a party to a conversation in which the terms of the corrupt hunter/ukraine deal was negotiated.
It is really hard to disprove that.
I do not know if Smirnov confessed to anything, and I do not trust DOJ/FBI – it is not like they have not gotten false confessions from people before. It is also not like they have not lied about evidence before.
Pick a decade – any decade since the inception of the FBI – I will bet I can provide you you with atleast one example of unbeleivably corrupt actions by the FBI in that decade.
Very hard to know what is going on here. Smirnov was said to be a trusted CHS for years. So much so that Wray justified withholding the 1023 as a way of protecting him. My guess is that there will never be a trial. Either Smirnov will plead or disappear.
As to whether Smirnov fabricated the story about the bribes Zlochevsky paid, it is surprising that he identified a colleague who was with him at his meetings and on the calls. He must have known that the story could be checked. Perhaps he is that stupid?
“ Assuming it was that FBI 1023 did not claim “PROOF” whatever that is, it claimed that Smirnov was a party to a conversation in which the terms of the corrupt hunter/ukraine deal was negotiated.”
But republicans did claim it was proof of Biden’s corruption including Turley. Even you got played with that narrative.
Smirnov already admitted to lying and being in contact with Russian intelligence. He admitted they told him the story of bribery and burisma’s being helped by Hunter. This is supported by testimony showing no proof of the claims made by the committee.
They were either fooled or they knew it was a lie.
Let’s not forget that this began when Trump was in office and under the authority of AG Barr. Not Biden.
“Alexander Smirnov, a longtime FBI informant . . .”
So a trusted informant since about 2010 is suddenly outed by Biden’s Praetorian Guard (er, FBI). And true to form, the Left swallows it whole.
There are none so gullible as a cynic.
Further, even if true, this has zero bearing on the facts of the Biden family’s corruption and bribery — the millions received from Ukraine, Russia, China, et al. Or on the policy favors (amply documented here and elsewhere) Joe Biden granted in exchange for those millions.
Reasons to trust the FBI ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_FBI_controversies
Robert Hansen
Filiberto Ojeda Ríos
Ibragim Todashev
David Koresch
Randy Weaver
Bruce Ivers
Sen. Ted Smith
Robyn Gritz/Gen. Flynn
Richard Jewel
cointel proo
Elvis Presley,
Frank Sinatra,
John Denver,
John Lennon,
Jane Fonda,
Groucho Marx,
Charlie Chaplin,
the band MC5,
Lou Costello,
Sonny Bono,
Bob Dylan,
Michael Jackson,
Mickey Mantle.
Haven’t we heard enough “Russia, Russia, Russia” ?
One of you anonymous left wing nuts just told us all that Even Putin endorses Biden.
It is so odd that when it is both in Putin and Russia’s interests to support Democrats for POLICY reasons – Democrats have pro-russia energy and other policies, and for personal reasons – Democrats have far more personal ties to Putin and russia.
Still those of you on the left persist in beleiving that Putin constantrly interferes in US elections and investigations to Benefit Trump and Harm democrats ?
Are you capable of Critical Thinking ?
I do not Know if Smirnov actually heard the conversations he reported in his 1023.
I would be surprised if at some time or another he did not meet with Russian Intelligence officers -t hat is the nature of being an FBI Confidential Human Source. But I would be shocked if in 2020 Russian intelligence was working to try to get Trump elected or to screw over Biden.
But you left wing nuts CONSTANTLY seem to beleive that foreign bad actors act to Favor those you hate and harm those you like – even when the opposite is clearly in their interests.
Do you honestly beleive that Russia deliberately tried to screw Clinton and favor Trump ? or Deliberately tried to screw Biden and favor Trump ?
Is there really a UNIVERSAL Get Out Of Jail For Free Card??
Well, yes, there IS such a thing! But it is kept well hidden and is known about by only a very few though, due to various reasons. The main one, is the populace is kept ignorant, dumbed down, as some like to say, via the public fool system. No one is taught real history or how to think about things anymore. Virtually no one knows what logic is or how to use it. Nearly everyone is taught only the mantra of “go along to get along”. Another one is “Why tell the truth, when a lie will serve almost as well?”. As if truth is a rare commodity that must not ever be wasted on trivial things, being saved for only the most momentous of occasions!
So, what things could possibly be written on this all powerful and totally universal card? There are many things, but all of them have one concept in common, all of them expose some kind of fraud that is going on in the legal system. This may not seem like such a big deal at first glance, but it IS a big deal! It’s because fraud is one of the major things that the legal system is supposed to stand in opposition to, but without committing copious amounts of fraud on a daily basis, the current legal system couldn’t exist at all! Whom of the Actors, Operators, Agents or Officers that run the privately owned legal system, would ever tell you that compliance with it is done strictly on a voluntary basis? It MUST be done on that basis, because it is a criminal enterprise, and no man or woman can be forced to join in any criminal activities! To get around that technicality, the legal system uses something called “implied consent”, which is no consent at all, since fraud is involved. Look up the definition of Consent in any law dictionary, and then see how it applies to the legal system. While you are at it, look up Contract, Fraud and Person too, and see how those definitions fit into the legal system.
When one looks at the legal system as just a few snippets of it here and there, one at a time, it is difficult, if not impossible, to know what the entire picture looks like! But after looking at enough of those tiny little bits and pieces, recognizing how they overlap and interact with each other, remembering the importance of each one and its complexity and its location, the bigger picture can be seen to emerge from all of the chaos and confusion.
Consider now the reversal of a land mark case called Roe v. Wade, in 2022. Back in 1973, the USSC/SCOTUS made a decision about the life or death of unborn babies. Then, 49 years later, a whole new panel of “judges” said that it was an egregious mistake that had been made, without ever bringing in any new evidence, witnesses or legal theories! How is that possible? One day the decision of 9 men was totally valid, as it had been for 49 years, and then suddenly, the next day, it was not! What almost no one noticed there, was that the USSC/SCOTUS announced to the whole wide world on that very same day, that it is incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial when it comes to making sound and logical and correct legal decisions! If those men in what is considered to be the highest court in the land could not render a correct decision, then how can ANY court in the 100% corrupted legal system, make correct decisions at ANY time? Are we to wait around for 49 years to see if it was right or not?
Another thing on this most magical of cards, is the demand for a copy of our written guarantee of actually getting a fair trial! If we do not have that guarantee, then every fake trial instantly transforms into one of two things; either it is a pure gamble with no outcome known beforehand, like in a coin toss, or, it is a well orchestrated scam being run on us, with an outcome that is known well in advance of the conclusion of the “trial”. There is no third option possible there, so take your pick of those. No man or woman can be forced to make bets or compelled to participate in any kind of a crime! If there is such a law, and it is a valid one, then where can it be found so all can read it and agree to it?
We can add to that card The Seven Elements Of Jurisdiction, the Void For Vagueness Doctrine, Fraud upon the Court, the definitions of the words Contract and Fraud. And don’t forget that anything that is alleged to be a bona fide contract, is vacated for fraud, threat, duress, coercion, mistake, illegality, immorality, impossibility, insanity, unlawfulness or age of minority. Those things violate the five ESSENTIAL elements of a contract, and since there is no possible means to measure out how much violation of them is OK and how much is too much, we must not have any at all.
There is a maxim of law, the legal system, which states that fraud vitiates all that it comes into contact with. Only a mere and brief contact is all that is required, not a thorough mixing in of the fraud like the spices in a cake mix! So we do not need some crazy idiot in a black robe who is self deluded into thinking that he/she has been elevated to being some kind of god or other, to adjudicate on the amount of fraud that is OK to have, and how much is too much!
This card is indeed universal in nature, because if a fair trial cannot be guaranteed, then what is the point of having one? In a country under a Communist dictatorship, like we have here in America at present, where guilt is determined by criminals before the fake trials even begin, why bother with one? Why not just take all apprehended people, and execute them right there on the spot and save all of that wasted time, effort and money? What is to be gained by having any fake and rigged up trials, except to distract the populace from what is really going on?
The legal system, as has been shown earlier, is just one big scam being run on us all! Papers such as The Legal System Is Even WORSE Than Gambling!, The Achilles’ Heel Of EVERYTHING In The Universe!, Pulling The Teeth Out Of The Mouth Of The Legal System, The Scam Of The Legal System, The Holes In The Legal System, Any Person Subject To…, Betrayal Of The Public’s Trust, I Do Not Recognize, Alleged Jurisdiction, Are These Questions Too Hot To Handle?, Do Not Detain Do Not Molest List and many more, are extra sources to read for this data and come to a greater understanding of the world around us.
It IS the completely corrupted legal system with all of its Officers, Agents, Actors and Operators, that enforces the tyranny of the few upon the many of society. The legal system has NO justification for its breaking of its own rules and regulations! And THAT is why the legal system MUST be run on a completely voluntary basis, none can be compelled into joining it, if they do not want to, because it runs contrary to the laws of Nature and Nature’s God.
When enough people are educated in these facts and can see the logic in them, they will begin to decline the offer to be a part of the criminal cabal we call the legal system, they will call it into question, and it will lose too much business to be able to stay in business! And speaking of business, EVERY courtroom in America is listed in Dun & Bradstreet as a business, because that is exactly what they all are! They are set up and run to generate profits off of the uneducated majority! What business can keep its doors open, if no profits are being made?
What would happen, if just 4% of the people who are scheduled for a fleecing in the legal system, submitted an Affidavit to the court, stating that they promise to not commit any kind or amount of fraud, and demanded that every other participant must do the same? WHO will take up that challenge? Certainly not the fake judges with their prostituting attorneys they keep in their back pocket! Not one of the private attorneys or LIEyers will sign it! Not one Bailiff or any Clerk of the Court or Public Defender will do so either! No Deputies or police officers will ever dare go near it! Who will be left then, other than the Court Reporter, whose job is to record accurately the proceedings of the scams and other crimes going on in there? The Circus Maximus will be devoid of all of the men and women who put on the show trials, so there won’t be any need for any spectators to be there. Don’t forget to ask what is the EXACT AMOUNT of crime that any man or woman has a Right to commit or is obligated to endure, and what is the BASIC PREMISE that is being operated off of, in the instant case too!
What do we do then to get our justice when we are injured in some way? We go back to Common Law Courts like we had before the case of Eerie R.R. Company v. Tompkins in 1939, when the legal system was hijacked by the criminal B.A.R. THAT is what we do! The jury of our actual peers get to decide our cases! “And who are a man’s Peers? They are his friends, neighbors and business acquaintances, for who else should know him better in order to judge him?”. Let those last few words weigh on your mind, for they ARE the truth that needs to be heard!
You wrote, “Consider now the reversal of a land mark case called Roe v. Wade, in 2022. Back in 1973, the USSC/SCOTUS made a decision about the life or death of unborn babies. Then, 49 years later, a whole new panel of “judges” said that it was an egregious mistake that had been made, without ever bringing in any new evidence, witnesses or legal theories! How is that possible? One day the decision of 9 men was totally valid, as it had been for 49 years, and then suddenly, the next day, it was not!”
You know, I had one of those, “How is that possible?” moments. There I was, a vulnerable young lad. In love with the idea of love. I met a girl, and we went on a date. We kissed. We kissed some more. She said that she loved me, and I said that I loved her. Things progressed. I was her sweetie pie, her lovey-dovey. Then, 10 years and two kids later, she said that an egregious mistake had been made! How was that possible? One day she loved me, and she did for 10 years, and then suddenly, the next day, she did not!”
If Trump really is smart, then why doesn’t he just demand to see his written guarantee of actually getting a fair trial? Don’t simple little thoughts like that ever cross his mind? If we don’t have that guarantee written out for us, then the trial is one of two things, either it is a pure gamble, or it is a rigged up scam! There is no other option there!
Since I don’t know if this site will accept it because it’s two pages long, I will use a separate posting for my paper called The UNIVERSAL Get Out Of Jail For Free Card! and hope that it goes up and stays up.
No, this is not a victimless crime.
The victims? The people of the State of New York.
The perpetrators? Kathy Hochul and Letitia James, who chose to sacrifice the integrity of New York’s legal system and business environment in order to pursue a nakedly partisan, short-sighted political vendetta.
How? By cynically commandeering the legal system to destroy their most feared political opponent. And by destroying job and economic opportunities for the people of New York. The very people that Hochul and James are duty bound to represent.
The irony of it all? Hochul and James actually did act with scienter.
There is a civil war in America right now. It’s the elites against the people. The elites won this battle but they are awakening the people to the fact that the war is real.
New York is now the belled leper of states.
It’s new, truly appalling reputation overshadows all else. People and institutions will veer away for reasons they can’t articulate or perhaps can’t even recognize. But they will avoid it. Shun it as they would resist having a picnic in a leper colony. For the business world New York is diseased.
If the jihadists want it as far as I am concerned they can have it. I and mine wouldn’t fight for it.
Jonathan: There is a lot of talk these days about the threats to our constitutional republic. For many on your blog the threat comes from left-wing prosecutors and their lackeys in the judiciary who are trying to keep DJT off the ballot–it comes under the rubric “election interference”. Seems to me the problem boils down to three categories for DJT supporters: (1) refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election; (2) the use of violence (Jan.6) to try to overturn the 2020 election and (3) the cult of personality surrounding DJT. I’d like to focus here on (3).
This has come to a head this week with Judge Engoron’s judgment against the head of the cult. Some on your blog think we live in a “banana republic” where there is a coordinated attempt by the Dem’s “lawfare” to keep DJT off the ballot… and they are backed by their “lackeys” in the judiciary. Such delusional thinking passes as rationale discourse.
What is remarkable is that if DJT were anyone else would we see the same type of irrational thinking? When I say “anyone” else I am referring to other big players in the real estate market in NY. Anyone heard of Richard S. LeFrak? He is the biggest real estate investor in NY City. He’s worth $3.4 billion. Suppose, instead of DJT, Letitia James brought the same charges against LeFrak? Would anyone on blog take notice–or even care? Nope. That’s why the cult of personality surrounding DJT is so dangerous. It prevents any rational discussion of Engoron’s decision or any of the other civil and criminal charges DJT faces. The MAGA supporters of DJT have descended down a black hole in which their leader is above the laws and the Constitution. Now that is the makings of a true “banana republic”!
Dennis – I think you have been smoking your banana peels. Your argument against the reality of Lawfare requires you to imagine someone else being charged under the law used against Trump, and then imagining that no one here would care. This is not proof of anything, except your desperation.
These thoroughly corrupt organized phonies gave themselves a ring of legal protections that insulates them from almost every crime immaginable. Jon, You, dear friend, Must intervene and expose these whores. If not now, we will never restore our once prestigious judiciary. Without a judiciary the people trust, democracy crumbles. It is a Canon violation promise.
Put the fanny in prison.
https://georgiastarnews.com/news/fani-willis-took-over-8500-from-first-campaign-as-repayment-for-loans-missing-paperwork-submitted-without-date-and-signature/tpappert/2024/02/19/
Is it time to investigate the criminals donning black nightgowns? Tis. Jpnathan, I hear your calling!
get an appraisal of mar-a-lago, then put that up as collateral.
The appraisal alone should exonerate him and cost the judge, prosecutor, and jury their careers and assets.
There’s another barometer of We The People going on. One of Trump’s supporters has started a Go Fund Me account, last reported holding $500,000.00. That’s near 1% of what he needs on the appeal. It’s early days. Stay tuned.
Trump’s lawyer already said they have the money, meaning over 500 million including the tacked on interest or whatever judge fraudster is calling it.
As a non-lawyer, I’m wondering whether it might make more sense for DT to file a federal civil rights lawsuit against New York. If you find the idea worth writing about, I’ll be eager to read what you write.
Another thought I’ve not heard anyone discussing is the inherently arbitrary and subjective nature of value. (e.g. a trip to the casino or a bottle of Tequila are of scant value to me, whereas a trip to the public library or a cup of coffee are worth my time and I would be willing to pay for either.) Everyone has his own opinion and if anything has an objective true value it could only be known to God, certainly not the government. “Value” as we use it for assessing property taxes or net worth is merely an inexact figure based on what price we predict something might sell for. And we usually quantify that in dollars which fluctuate in value (or price certainly) themselves.
You could fill an entire book with the absurdities and rights violations of the law they weapon used against Trump.
One last thought: Give power hungry tyrants a tool for stealing from and punishing their opponents/enemies, and it’s likely to be used as often and for as long as they think they can get away with it.
If any of that’s useful, please use it with or without attribution.
Glenn Hedin
Climax Michigan
Hedinglenn@gmail.com
Here’s one simple example of the problem with your theory: it’s not a matter of opinion whether Trump’s condo is 33,000 sq ft or less than 11,000 sq ft, which is the correct number. Perhaps you could quibble about comparative values per sq ft in the NY City market, but Trump LIED about the square footage by tripling the actual size. That’s just one example of the fraud found by the Judge. And, it wasn’t a typo either—it was deliberate. So, should he just get away with lying like this?
Bzzzt. Poor Giggly.
Do you understand the meaning of a material misrepresentation?
The bank does their own due diligence.
Now what’s the significance of that?
Engoron’s decision is fodder for Trump’s lawyers.
Regardless of whether any bank or other lending institution does or does not do “due diligence” makes no difference to the fact that Trump LIED by tripling the size of his condo. I don’t know how many ways there are to reiterate the fact that detrimental reliance or actual default is not required under NY law to prosecute Trump for lying. Loan applications are submitted under oath. Do YOU understand the meaning of “material misrepresentation”? The square footage of a condo unit is an objective item–not subject to an opinion. Lying about the size of an apartment by tripling the actual square footage IS a material misrepresentation, and that’s just ONE example of many in Judge Engoron’s opinion. But, I’d still like to know how he justifies asking working class people who earn money by the sweat of their brow (which is most of the MAGA crowd), unlike Trump who was gifted or inherited whatever wealth he has, to pay fines and legal bills for him. How does he get the gall to ask such people to pay his legal bills for lying, and for his refusal to negotiate with the AG over his lying? There is no defense to lying to the extreme degree that Trump did. After summary judgment was granted, if he had sat down with NY AG attorneys and agreed to pay a fine, to corporate oversight and to stay out of operations of Trump Organization for a period of time, I have little doubt that the matter would have settled, but he saw a chance for more publicity and to prey on his fans by playing the victim, getting them to pay for his misdeeds. The fact that he’s manipulating you for his own benefit is what you MAGA fans don’t understand, and that manipulation exponentially magnifies his wrongdoing.
Ya, thats BS, they cant do that, its a APPEAL of a RULING.
It was 20 years ago when I declared our most corrupt branch of government is the judicial branch. (post 911 rulings)
No one was paying attention to them before that. They could do whatever they wanted.
Now they do whatever they want, up front and center while smirking for the cameras and prime time coverage.
I was never brought up to believe it, the zeitgeist, TV, radio, newspapers and magazines had a constant rah rah America pumped into everyone’s head. No idea it was even happening. It was an instilled sense of pride, thus it worked.
Yeah, they were lying then, and they’re lying a lot more now.
Justice Gone Wild
I’m sorry to see the US on the road to becoming a banana republic.
The US has long enjoyed a special place in the world. The dollar is the world’s reserve currency. Our stock market is in an enviable position, where international companies want to list and investors want to invest. We have had amazing innovators that have brought trailblazing products to the market. Part of the reason why the US has held this position is that we have the Rule of Law that can be relied upon. Our companies have annual audits that can be relied upon. People choose to work and invest here because they know what to expect, and know that they will be treated fairly. This case is undermining our position in the world.
The BRICs, among other countries, will be happy to replace us.
Hochul’s statement that you’ll be OK as long as you’re not Trump is at best short-sighted.
I am reminded of “Then they came for me—and there was no one to speak out for me.”
I don’t live in NY or AZ. How is it ethical for DAs to target and actually run on “getting” anyone including a retired president? These two then carried out their plans on what are at best “novel” grounds. Ethics, state laws and constitution are irrelevant? I didn’t pay attention to these cases until this week because they would both deserved to be promptly dismissed. It’s mind-boggling that they’ve made it so far.
In oh so many ways – the US is behaving like a banana republic – or worse still – like a stalinst or maoist or hitlerian country.
That said – US failure will take a very very long time and far more mistakes than we have made thus far.
We can fight over the southern broder – but in the past 3 years 10m people tried to copme here.
I am not trying top defend they chaos and disaster that is our border.
But it is still important to understand that people STILL want to come here more than anywhere else in the world.
Furthert those who are tryingt to come here – are not for the most part pasty white europeans.
They are people from “$hithole” countries who want better for themselves and their family.
Places that are actually going to h311 build walls to keep people in – the iron curtain.
The US has lots of problems and the most important of those are the fault of left wing nuts.
But we are orders of magnitude away from failure – even if we are headed in the wrong direction.
I hope this election is a blowout, a course change. And it looks like it will be.
But even if it is not – the pendulmum has changed direction – peak woke was 2 years ago.
The failure of the left is inevitable. How fast and how painful that will be is all that is up for debate.
A useful discussion of the case:
On its face, a penalty of nearly half a billion dollars is hard to fathom given that no lender or insurer claimed it suffered a financial loss as a result of the transactions at the center of the case, which was brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James. But the law under which James sued Trump and his co-defendants does not require any such loss. The money demanded by Engoron’s 92-page decision, which goes to the state rather than individual claimants, is styled not as damages but as “disgorgement” of “ill-gotten gains.” It is aimed not at compensating people who were allegedly harmed by Trump’s misrepresentations but at deterring dishonesty that threatens “the financial marketplace.”
https://reason.com/2024/02/19/how-a-judge-arrived-at-a-staggering-disgorgement-order-against-trump/
Total BS
In other words, it is the kind of legalized confiscation of assets that was a regular feature of the early Roman Empire. All the State needs is a clueless and unethical judge to find “fraud”, bsed on his/her uninformed opinion as to valuation of assets, and then, voila!, the State can plunder the assets of the wealthy. It is really time to leave New York,