A new bill in Florida would require bloggers writing about Ron DeSantis to register with the state o

It's paid bloggers, i.e. it's either an in-kind political donation, or an outright monetary one. And the press is specifically exempted, as are those of us here, we're free to talk about him as much as we want.

However, if some other campaign is paying us to do so, or the DNC, or any other party, that is something that falls under campaign finance, and should be disclosed. It's just like our resident paid Pooteen shills.

It's one thing if I'm expressing an opinion that is my own, it's quite another if I'm being paid by a political party to put out hit pieces under the guise of personal opinions.

I'll concur that the headlines attached to this are completely misleading clickbait, but the actual bill is a good idea, and is needed. Of course, foreign entities trying to influence our elections by paying people to post online and influence opinion based on being an interested party are unlikely to cooperate, a situation which there is little that can be done, as I'm not even sure we can make it a crime for someone who has never set foot on US soil to post paid political commentary, but that's one area where our technology has outpaced our laws, and it broaches a fundamental question of just how far a particular government's tentacles can reach.

You guys don't have freedom of speech (or of much anything else, sadly), but we do, meaning I can go onto an Australian political forum and say things that an Australian citizen cannot. I don't bother putting my nose in places it doesn't belong, but I could, and if someone was paying me to, sure, why not?

But a paid political operative, which is what we're talking about here, is a far sight different than an individual expressing their own personal point of view, and it's absolutely reasonable to report such things.

I spent some time as a Treasurer for a county level party committee, and if someone mowed the grass around the office without charging us, I would have to report that to the PDC (Public Disclosure Commission) as an in-kind contribution.

This is not even close to being as unreasonable as the press wants you to believe. They see Desantis as the likely GOP nominee, or at least one of the final two should Trump live long enough and actually gain traction again. I think even most GOP members are tired of him, so I think that won't happen, but I'm gonna be wrong about something at some point before I die. Maybe, anyway.

 

The press is exempted from this, so a legit op-ed in even a minor newspaper doesn't count. It's when you are being paid to be a political operative, especially if your financial interests are not disclosed.

It's one thing when I say that the RKBA is absolute, and applies to individual citizens just as the Supremes have found repeatedly, it's quite another if the RNC is paying me to do so.

 

Exactly. Reading any blog these days requires a ton of ad closings. That tiny "X" is getting smaller and smaller. Reading on a tablet is a daunting task. That's the primary source of revenue for some of these bloggers.

 

Oh please. Nobody who loves DeSantis is going to chastise him in a blog; paid or not.

DeSantis wants an easy way to keep track of people criticizing him. He went after Disney for their exercise of free speech. Going after his political enemies seems to be his new hobby.

 

He isn't. A fact you would know had you bothered to read the bill from the link that YOU posted. It's a talking point created by an unknown person or group of persons in an attempt to make this look like it is what you are saying it is.

A paid blog post is no different than a paid political commercial. And the people have a right to know if someone is expressing their own personal opinion, or is being paid to say what they're told to say, even if it's something they themselves disagree with.

Reading is fundamental.

 

I have no idea what kind of blogs you read, but this is a problem I don't have.

That said, if you have an Android tablet, you can use Edge as a browser that has AdBlock Plus built in. It's not something they go out of their way to publicize for obvious reasons, but it's there. Google your tablet and you'll find the instructions. I imagine if you are on Apple that you are SOL, as I don't see those guys giving up one red cent in advertising by allowing ABP to even exist on one of their devices.

And when I say 'their', when it comes to Apple, that's not really a stretch, as they exercise so much control over what you can and cannot do, it's almost like they still own it, and have blessed you with the privilege of using it.

I wholeheartedly recommend the Galaxy Tab s8+, or Ultra if you want bigger and it's convenient for you. The base s8 which is smaller, and would therefore be easier to carry around, sadly doesn't have the AMOLED display that the plus and ultra have, so unless the size is a deal breaker, don't go that way.

 

Apple Store has tons of Ad-Blocker apps, including Adblock plus.

 

Some of us don't mind paying people for their work.

 

Republicans claim to be Conservative. What a pile of bull crap

 

Lol sure.

I mean it's real hard reading the name of the author on the blog.

I mean that's how Obama went after his fast and furious critics.

 

I see, so you approved of that? I didn’t

 

A conservative Republican in Florida is proposing this. Conservatives on this board, generally, are agreeing with this.

A law does not have to "tell" anyone anything. There are ways in which the free press can be extremely mitigated or the exchange of ideas.

For point#1, most bloggers will have to register. It is already costing the person who is blogging money to blog, namely the internet access fee, the annual site registration fee, and so forth. If they are monetized, then that can help defray their costs. Second, they would have to register as a lobbyist, which means they have to adhere to the lobbying regulations on what they can and cannot do. Third, by making this done, it will get rid of the blogs and the blog posts, hence, by defacto means, not allowing people to post about the Florida Government for fear of registration. the additional professional fees will either be too much for them or too expensive to continue operations as a blogger with those posts about the government. This will reduce the number of bloggers who will state opinions Finally, by obtaining the income streams and who is paying them, the government now has access to who is paying and will make efforts to get them to discontinue by allowing them to have access to the web host platform, among other things. The desired effect is to get rid of the bloggers and their free speech by trying to mislabel them as lobbyists. Might as well register anyone who decides to write an opinion and posts it on the internet as a lobbyist, even if they are not a blogger, which you would have to prove.

For Point #2, There is no compromise. It is either death or victory. Your problem, you are outgunned, figuratively speaking unless you really want it to be real.

For Point #3, yes, the First Amendment does say that Congress can make no law prohibiting the free exercise of free speech therein, among other things. But isn't that what this bill is doing? If yes, then it will be challenged in the courts and the SCOTUS will more than likely rule on it, against the conservatives.

 

LOL, having the information on who pays you and how much as a government official gives you great leverage, especially in a state like Florida. There are a myriad of ways in which the Governor, legislature, and their associates can and will pressure businesses of dropping bloggers from using their servers for their websites and other avenues. It will be done privately of course until someone writes about it and may have to register. But if they register, expect 50% or more of the bloggers to not write about the government at all, in an effort to avoid legally those professional registration fees, especially if the blogger is not monetized. and if the effect is to get rid of bloggers from writing critiques about DeSantis or the Florida legislature, that would be a win for the conservative cause, would it not? But it won't be a win for free speech or freedom of the press.

And yet, you have to prove it if you are called into question about it. But getting paid is not something as simple as Person X pays Person Y. For most bloggers, it is advertising cents. It is how e-commerce works with blogging, vlogging, and similar enterprises. Geez/

 

A paid blogger would be someone who is monetized through ad cents. It does not have to be "an in kind political donation. But the problem is that the government won't know which bloggers are getting monetary compensation for their blogging and which ones are not. Thus, many bloggers will "have to prove" that they do not get compensation. Enter the CPA for a fee of course. But most will try to do a simple statement stating that they are not monetized. Hence, the blogger will have to prove they don't get income. That is harder than you think.

 

Tsk tsk. The right complain mightily about the second amendment 'shall not be infringed' , but, hey, if it's the first amendment, the very first one the founders thought of, that one is fair game.

And No they don't fall under any guidelines applicable to lobbyists.. Bloggers are just folks expressing their opinion on the internet. Lobbyists are paid millions to persuade congress and the senate to pass or repeal bills in the favor of the industries they serve and if they write about it, it's in the furtherance of that purpose. .

The proposed Florida state law requiring bloggers who are compensated for their work to register with the state if they write about Governor DeSantis, etc., would likely violate the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which protects freedom of speech and the press. This bill would be an unconstitutional attempt to regulate and restrict the exercise of free speech.

The bill would have a chilling effect on the exercise of free speech because it would discourage bloggers from expressing their opinions about Governor DeSantis (or anyone else) for receiving compensation for their work. The registration requirement would impose an additional burden on bloggers, and the threat of government regulation and enforcement would likely deter many bloggers from writing about the Governor.

This proposed law also raises serious concerns about government interference in the free press. The government should not be able to control or regulate what the press writes, especially when it comes to political figures. This bill would give the state government the power to track and regulate bloggers who write about Governor DeSantis, which could have a chilling effect on the press and undermine the public's right to know.

Finally, this bill would be difficult to enforce and could lead to arbitrary and capricious enforcement. It is unclear what criteria the state would use to determine who is compensated for their work and whether they write about Governor DeSantis. This lack of clarity could lead to arbitrary enforcement, which could further undermine the free speech rights of bloggers and the press.

What is the purpose of the bill other than to make it easier for the government to control bloggers, such as if they say crap those whom they write about, they get their registration revoked and what, pay a fine? What's the purpose of the registration? There is NO constitutional purpose whatsoever.

This bill will fall flat on it's face in any court.

 

It is not just that but apparently this was exactly Putin’s first move to stifle the internet in his country

 

So they make them register with a private company that didn't share this information with the government it's all okay?

 

I read the proposed bill. Jason Brodeur sounds like a total moron.

 

So I Googled Jason Brodeur thinking someone this stupid must have a track record of funny stories and found this report from a conservative entity:
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/senator-jason-brodeur-is-a-moron-but-hes-a-solo-moron/

 

Jon Stewart has a good debate on YouTube basically laying out how Republicans seem to love 2A while doing things to undermine 1A. Both are equally important imo

 

You demand compromise (which really isn't compromise) with gun regulations that violate the 2nd Amendment. Why aren't you holding the same standard, now?

The cost of internet service is no different than the cost of ink, paper. It's no different than the cost of a gun for people to excercise their 2nd Amendment rights.

The Florida legislature isn't "Congress". But, you all insist that the 2nd Amendment only gives the right to keep and bear arms to "a well regulated militia" and not the people.

Are you seeing the necessity of the 2nd Amendment, to guard against tyranny, yet? Not just tyranny of the Executive Branch of the Federal government, but tyranny from any government, or group.

I don't support this law. It's unconstitutional AF. Just like gun control laws are unconstitutional AF. That's called "constancy". You oughta get onboard with it.

 

So since all the righties here are defending “registering” for “free speech” in Florida, then I am absolutely sure you would agree that you should have to do everything in this bill in relation for a firearm, Like monthly reports on what you did with your firearm, and monthly reporting on who pays you, and any advertising you received from any gun manufacturer/seller/reseller and all the ammo you bought and used in that month…

This “law” is DOA once it gets to the SC.

 

What compromise? I literally said "no compromise" Second, the point of costs is just that, cost. It is not the point what is more material or not. However, bloggers, most of them, do this for "fun" more than they do it as a business even if the blogger does get paid. But even as a business, if costs are too expensive, then that business won't do it and will change the business motiff. What this means for bloggers is they will swing a wide berth in not blogging about the legislature rather than continue to do so with the professional lobbying fees, which can get expensive with multiple reports with multiple subject matters. Financially, it is too cumbersome, hence the result is to diminish the number of bloggers talking about the Legislature, the governor, the Lt. Governor, or any other officer in the executive branch. And that would leave only one avenue, the "official line" and nowhere else. People tend to get their new sources from bloggers, at least for background information.

If tyranny does come, we have the courts first, the votes and elections second. Anything beyond that is more Hollywood talking than anything else, at least in this country. Additionally, a AR15 is not going to stop a tank or other heavily armed vehicles. But there are ways. It appears who have not learned Vietnam. To quote a movie, you had a group of people who were outgunned and outmanned but still found a way to win the war as freedom fighters in their country's eyes.

 

I don't think this bill will pass the senate in its current form since about half of the GOP rank and file in Florida are against this anyway.

 

The citizenry is easier to control if it's unarmed. The lesson you need to learn is that when you relinquish one right, you relinquish them all.