I'm guessing this isn't illegal? Seems like it should be.

/I'm glad I work for a nonprofit.

Clearly the answer is to crack down on unions.

raerae1980: I'm guessing this isn't illegal? Seems like it should be.

Oh it probably is.
But good luck arresting anyone or bringing up any criminal charges for it.

FTA: "We need to elect a fiscally conservative President and Vice-President and stop this ridiculous government spending"

Inigomontoya.jpg

SilentStrider: raerae1980: I'm guessing this isn't illegal? Seems like it should be.

Oh it probably is.
But good luck arresting anyone or bringing up any criminal charges for it.

The GOP would scream "Infringement of free speech"

As usual, the comments in TFA make me want to punch a kitten. It doesn't matter what the source, the comments in TFA are always worse than almost anything seen here.

The IT industry is exploding right now. If his software company is struggling it's because he's incompetent and he should be losing money.

Mugato: As usual, the comments in TFA make me want to punch a kitten. It doesn't matter what the source, the comments in TFA are always worse than almost anything seen here.

It is pretty sad when the Fark Politics tab is the LEAST troll-infested place on the internet.

/if you really want to get in the kitty smacking mood, take a look at Barack Obama's Facebook page

Surprised he just didn't deduct from their paychecks.

All of this shiat is what happens in an atmosphere where an irrational hatred and caricaturisation of your opponent is strategically engineered. Any...and I mean ANY...means by which you defeat the straw man you've manufactured is justified. To these people, the imaginary all-powerful, Voldemort-like specter that is OBAMA!!!!1111111OMGSOSHILIZM!!!1111 must be defeated at all costs.

I don't want to overstate, but I'm actually concerned about what some of these pin-headed zealots might do when Obama wins.

The idea of voter intimidation used to seem kind of silly since someone can swear up and down that he'll vote one way and do whatever he wants to when he actually gets in the voting booth but now that everyone has their own portable video camera, it's suddenly a lot easier to make someone prove that they voted for who they say they did.

The thing of this, too, is that unlike the vote, since campaign contributions are reported, you really can check to see if your employees did as you asked. This is some scary shiat, and the FEC should be all over anyone who pulls this shiat.

SilentStrider: raerae1980: I'm guessing this isn't illegal? Seems like it should be.

Oh it probably is.
But good luck arresting anyone or bringing up any criminal charges for it.


I doubt its illegal.  Its a private company (by private I mean not part of the government or tied to any campaign).  They call on their employees to do whatever they want.
 
The illegal part would be punishing/firing them for not contributing.
 
Its skeevy by all means.  And I'm not a lawyer and all that, so maybe someone could show me where I'm wrong.  But it seems legal to me.

jake_lex: The thing of this, too, is that unlike the vote, since campaign contributions are reported, you really can check to see if your employees did as you asked. This is some scary shiat, and the FEC should be all over anyone who pulls this shiat.

They can also check to see who donated to the opponent.

Mugato: The idea of voter intimidation used to seem kind of silly since someone can swear up and down that he'll vote one way and do whatever he wants to when he actually gets in the voting booth but now that everyone has their own portable video camera, it's suddenly a lot easier to make someone prove that they voted for who they say they did.


I'm pretty sure its illegal to take a photo inside a voting booth.  Lots of people were proud to vote for our first African American president 4 years ago, and took photos of their ballots.  While I'm sure the feds weren't knocking on anyone's doors... I distinctly remember it being mentioned as illegal.

dustman81: jake_lex: The thing of this, too, is that unlike the vote, since campaign contributions are reported, you really can check to see if your employees did as you asked. This is some scary shiat, and the FEC should be all over anyone who pulls this shiat.

They can also check to see who donated to the opponent.


Is it not anonymous under a certain amount?  Serious question, thought it was.  Now... I'm sure you get a reciept, and therefore someone could force you to show you donated and all that.  But can I look up every $5 donation to Romney or Obama?

downstairs: Mugato: The idea of voter intimidation used to seem kind of silly since someone can swear up and down that he'll vote one way and do whatever he wants to when he actually gets in the voting booth but now that everyone has their own portable video camera, it's suddenly a lot easier to make someone prove that they voted for who they say they did.


I'm pretty sure its illegal to take a photo inside a voting booth.  Lots of people were proud to vote for our first African American president 4 years ago, and took photos of their ballots.  While I'm sure the feds weren't knocking on anyone's doors... I distinctly remember it being mentioned as illegal.

Depends on state law. Here in Wisconsin it's illegal to show a completed ballot to anyone.

Codenamechaz: downstairs: Mugato: The idea of voter intimidation used to seem kind of silly since someone can swear up and down that he'll vote one way and do whatever he wants to when he actually gets in the voting booth but now that everyone has their own portable video camera, it's suddenly a lot easier to make someone prove that they voted for who they say they did.


I'm pretty sure its illegal to take a photo inside a voting booth.  Lots of people were proud to vote for our first African American president 4 years ago, and took photos of their ballots.  While I'm sure the feds weren't knocking on anyone's doors... I distinctly remember it being mentioned as illegal.

Worked as an election judge for the '08 and '10 elections. Having recording devices in a place of voting is illegal in general. Voters could have their cell phones with them, but they had to be either off or completely put away. And judges were absolutely forbidden to have anything of a technological nature, short of a digital watch, on them while out on the floor.


Voter intimidation in general is illegal, the legality of recording your ballot is irrelevant at that point. The point being that now more than ever it's easier to make sure the person votes the way you want them to vote.

raerae1980: I'm guessing this isn't illegal? Seems like it should be.

/I'm glad I work for a nonprofit.

It is illegal, although it's fairly common.SilentStrider: raerae1980: I'm guessing this isn't illegal? Seems like it should be.

Oh it probably is.
But good luck arresting anyone or bringing up any criminal charges for it.

I have heard of people being prosecuted for this. Often it is "bundlers" trying to get around campaign contribution limits by making their employees donate, often by reimbursing them for the "contribution".

Precious Roy's Horse Dividers: FTA: "We need to elect a fiscally conservative President and Vice-President and stop this ridiculous government spending"

Except government spending in the form of military spending. Let's crank that up a notch.

And, of course, some stimulus money, like Ryan asked for is, okey dokey.

Old and busted: this meme
New hotness: any meme since 2010

So where are the usual suspects whining about union dues being used to support the "Democrat party"?

Waiting for the Shills to come defend this.

It gets better. Arthur Allen also asked his employees to defer their compensation until December to help the company meet a $15 million interest payment. That was after urging them to donate $2500 to Romney. Link

This guy's a farking imbecile. You cannot expect emails like these to stay out of the news. Who's going to buy enterprise software from a firm that has to borrow from its employees?

Raharu: Waiting for the Shills to come defend this.

Crystal clear example of freederp of speech.

Free_Chilly_Willy: DeadlockVictim: The IT industry is exploding right now. If his software company is struggling it's because he's incompetent and he should be losing money.

Then those that are offended should have no problem finding another job. The free market solves all.

Also


How is this any different from unions giving "dues" to support the soon to be elected out of office president?

The way it sounds like this company is being run (having the CEO ask employees not to be paid until December to make a $15 million interest payment), whoever is still working (which I don't know why they would still be there) won't be there much longer after they go bust.

It's not the President who is killing his business, it's his own dumbass.

Serious Black: Seriously, if Obama were as bad of a president as Republicans say he is, why would they have to lie to, blackmail, and disenfranchise people to get them to donate to and vote for Romney? Why couldn't they just tell the truth and let that be enough motivation? What are they really afraid of?

Reality, as usual? Even if President Fartbutt is as bad as they say, they can't well be honest, and stand up and say that they want to double down on everything bad and break everything even remotely good.

What kind of an asshole must this guy be to work for. MY boss is a diehard republican. He spouts off about Obama birth certificate, shows crappy youtube videos about "how the n****r still failed", says how Obamacare is going to drive him out of business (he's got 12 employees, so it doesn't even apply to him), and every other day he's biatching about how "the kenyan asshole" personally changed our local building codes to fark him over when he tried to build a new shop without a permit. The only talking point he doesn't repeat is the 'no new hiring until Obama is out of office' line.

And even HE wouldn't be brave enough to send out an email asking people to pony up $2500 for Romney because he knows he'd get laughed out of his own shop.

UltimaCS: Howie Spankowitz: I don't want to overstate, but I'm actually concerned about what some of these pin-headed zealots might do when Obama wins.

Eh, we were worried about the same thing back in 2008. It turns out that all the spitting hatred from shaved-head "Real Americans" was a whole lot of bark and no bite.

I'm more or less setting my concern dial to moderate for whomever wins, as the past few days have more or less told me that because it's a close election, this simply means that one of the parties stole it.

Or if your party wins, then the other party tried, but couldn't manage to steal it.

"Corporations are people, my friend!"