they found the line item

[GoodTaste]

What does "the line item" mean? It sounds there are many items and "the line" is one of them. I am not sure.

=========================
Sam Harris follows
Bret Weinstein
@BretWeinstein·2h
And what does “abolish” mean?
Quote Tweet

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
@AOC
· 4h
“Defund” means that Black & Brown communities are asking for the same budget priorities that White communities have already created for themselves: schooling > police,etc.


People asked in other ways, but were always told “No, how do you pay for it?”


So they found the line item.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

A line item is a single line in a budget. It consists of a name (e.g. photocopier paper) and an amount (e.g. $120).

If the line item says, "Photocopier paper: $120," it means that the organization plans to spend $120 on photocopier paper over the course of the fiscal year.

You can look up abolish. And photocopier. And fiscal year.

 

[GoodTaste]

Got it. But "the line item" is faced with the same question "How do you pay for it?"

I don't know how to make it consistent. Perhaps people think the budget or money for the line item is no problem? The logic is not clear to me.

People asked in other ways, but were always told “No, how do you pay for it?”

So they found the line item.

 

[GoesStation]

Got it. But "the line item" is faced with the same question "How do you pay for it?"

I don't know to make it consistent. Perhaps people think the budget or money for the line item is no problem? The logic is not clear to me.

The writer is a member of the US House of Representatives. She's referring to a question that has repeatedly been asked in government when the measures she's discussing have been proposed. Now she's pointing out that some people have found a budget line item which can be reduced to pay for the other proposals.

 

[GoodTaste]

OK. The line item question is solved. Now Bret Weinstein inquires: "And what does “abolish” mean?"

"Abolish" seems to mean defunding police completely and thus "eliminating" police brutality. I am not sure.

 

[GoesStation]

OK. The line item question is solved. Now Bret Weinstein inquires: "And what does “abolish” mean?"

"Abolish" seems to mean defunding police completely and thus "eliminating" police's brutality. I am not sure.

It means "eliminate currently-constituted police departments and replace them with a new, improved system". The American city of Camden, New Jersey has been held up as an example of a jurisdiction that has successfully implemented such a strategy.

 

[jutfrank]

I'm lost here.

Who said What does "abolish" mean? Sam Harris or Brett Weinstein? I'm not a Twitter user, so I can't easily tell from your original post.

And who originally used the word abolish, for Harris/Weinstein to be asking what it means? Where's the context?

 

[GoesStation]

And who originally used the word abolish, for Harris/Weinstein to be asking what it means? Where's the context?

If you look at images from the current American movement against police brutality, you'll often see two slogans with non-obvious intended meanings: Defund the police and Abolish the police. They originated in the mists of time of last week or so. Most promoters of these slogans don't mean they want to eliminate law enforcement. Rather, to the extent they think about their ultimate aims, they support eliminating current policing systems and replacing them with a system that wouldn't be prone to abuse.

 

[jutfrank]

So when they say Abolish the police, they don't actually mean that? That's a bit of an abuse of language if you ask me. Is that the point Sam Harris (or is it Brett Weinstein?) is making by raising the question?

 

[GoesStation]

So when they say Abolish the police, they don't actually mean that?

Right.

That's a bit of an abuse of language if you ask me.

It would have been hard to pick words that would be easier for the movement's opponents to use against it.

Is that the point Sam Harris (or is it Brett Weinstein?) is making by raising the question?

Maybe. I'm not following their thinking beyond what shows up here.

 

[GoodTaste]

I'm lost here.

Who said What does "abolish" mean? Sam Harris or Brett Weinstein? I'm not a Twitter user, so I can't easily tell from your original post.

And who originally used the word abolish, for Harris/Weinstein to be asking what it means? Where's the context?

Bret Weinstein said/tweeted it and Sam Harris retweeted it.