• @venusaur
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      228 months ago

      Politicians should be banned from stock market. Total conflict of interest.

        • @venusaur
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          58 months ago

          if we keep electing people trying to maintain the status quo, then it’ll never happen

          • @disguy_ovahea
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            58 months ago

            It’s a catch-22. To get elected, you need to learn to manipulate within the system. Once elected, you know how to leverage the system, so why would you change it?

            The best chance we’ll have for systemic change will come when boomers die off. That shouldn’t discourage efforts today, but impart some hope for the future.

            • @venusaur
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              68 months ago

              I want to believe that the most change will happens when boomers are gone, but I don’t trust that the new era of politicians won’t get caught up in the game.

        • @venusaur
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          18 months ago

          Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

          What does that mean?

          • @disguy_ovahea
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            38 months ago

            It wasn’t put to a vote after being read aloud on two separate introductions. It was then forwarded to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee where it went to die.

            • @venusaur
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              18 months ago

              They don’t review it and then hand it back to congress?

              • @disguy_ovahea
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                38 months ago

                If they see value in the bill they can mandate a vote. That was over six months ago, so I wouldn’t hold my breath.

                • @venusaur
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                  18 months ago

                  they’re probably all sucking the teat one way or another, even at the lowest levels.

        • @venusaur
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          28 months ago

          Thanks! I never heard of this show.

      • AFK BRB Chocolate
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        18 months ago

        I’d be fine if they were allowed to invest in things like mutual funds so that they could take advantage of the market without being able to do insider trading of a specific stock.

        • @venusaur
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          28 months ago

          that would be better, but they could still invest in specific sectors or industries.

          • AFK BRB Chocolate
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            edit-2
            8 months ago

            Yep, and maybe that’s somewhat acceptable, but we could also confine it to diversified mutual funds meeting specific criteria.

            Edit: confine, not congratulations

            • @venusaur
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              28 months ago

              Congratulations!

              But yeah you gotta limit it

    • @disguy_ovahea
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      8 months ago

      That’s not true. It’s still illegal even though they get away with it. You’re thinking of bribery lobbying.

      According to the STOCK Act of 2012, they could be brought up on charges for a trade performed after gaining knowledge of a pending change in legislation that would affect the value of a stock, prior to the legislation being publicly enacted. The SEC just hasn’t charged them.

      What they do is not legal, they just live above the law.

      • @DharkStare
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        98 months ago

        Just to clarify. Insider trading is illegal but it is not illegal for politicians in Congress to use the information they obtain from their jobs (such as through classified meetings) to engage in stock market trades.

      • @ajoebyanyothername
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        18 months ago

        If everyone doing it gets away with it, then is it actually illegal?

        • @disguy_ovahea
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          58 months ago

          Yes. It is. They just need to be arrested and prosecuted. I agree that it should be taken more seriously, considering that it’s against the law.

          • themeatbridge
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            38 months ago

            No one has ever been prosecuted in the decade and change that it has been illegal, despite frequent violations.

              • @TropicalDingdong
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                -28 months ago

                That doesn’t change the law.

                Oh you sweet summer child.

                  • @TropicalDingdong
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                    8 months ago

                    You have a philosophy around what laws are and what they mean that is incongruent with reality.

                    What is the word we use when people have believes that don’t match up with the previous or future state of things?

                    Laws on paper are only one aspect of what a law is. How those laws are interpreted and how they are enforced matter far, far more. Law is what is applied and enforced. If something is a ‘law’ but is not enforced, then its not really law.

                    And its fine that you have a different philosophy around what the law means. I just don’t find it particularly useful because it doesn’t predict the past, present, or future states of the world.

                    In other words:

                    spoiler

    • @AllonzeeLV
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      58 months ago

      Fun fact: Everyone with hundreds of millions+ in holdings either trades with insider information or pays others to do it, because our metrics and enforcement for insider trading are a gallows joke.