What do Asian Americans care most when electing local officials?

It is helpful to start with what Asian Americans care most. There are certain fundamental values which should appeal to voters regardless their ethinicity or party affiliation.  

 
Asian Americans in general and Chinese Americans in particular put a premium on children's education. They want their kids to be the best and brightest, to be able to compete on the world stage with kids not only in Europe and the Americas but also kids in Taiwan, Kong Kong and China. They want their children to be able to enroll in the Gifted and Talented Program in New York City if the kids' grades are good enough. After all, it is every Asian American family's dream that their kid can get into a reputable college and get prepared for success in a changing and competitive modern society. 

So we need to ask the question, does your candidate support such parents' choice in children's education? Or does the candidate promote teaching Critical Race Theory at schools? 

Asian Americans value public safety in their area, especially after the incidents where Asians were attacked in New York City. Regardless of race, every family wants to have safety, especially for women and children.

Crime not only harms people's safety and state of mind, but also their property values. Safe residential areas with low crime rates tend to increase in value whereas properties in crime-ridden areas tend to lag in appreciation. Chinese Americans are known to be buyers of premium  properties. They certainly hope to see their investments not to be reduced in value because of crimes. 

Is your political candidate pro-police? Is she or he tough on crime? Does your candidate want to defund the police while using private security for herself? Does the candidate want to have loose bail for criminal defendants?

For those Asian Americans with prior experience in a country of dictatorship or an once-free-city-turned-into-dictatorship like Hong Kong, individual freedom and the right of free expression in the U.S. are so precious because they actually lived in an environment where they were deprived of such freedom and rights. These people know what it is like being censored and not being able to express their thoughts, feelings and opinions. Some feel the pain of the loss of private property or being incarcerated because they simply wanted free elections of local officials. They know the misery of not being able to elect representatives who stand for their interests but having to cope with corrupt local officials who behave like bandits.
 

They treasure the freedom America provides, free speech and the opportunity to make a living with dignity and to pursue their happiness without a party-controlled police monitoring every movement. 

The above are some fundamental values that are dear to many Asia Americans. If a political candidate is a true believer in these values (not a fake), then she or he will have a large chance of winning Asian Americans. It is also time for those apolitical Asians to realize exercising their rights to participate in local elections can affect not only their lives, but their children's as well. It is time to act and select their own political representatives. 

长沙男子因太能吃被自助餐厅拉黑

11月17日，“长沙一男子因太能吃被自助餐厅拉黑”一事经媒体报道后引发热议。

对此，有网友指责店家“玩不起”，也有网友调侃称，去了几次都这样吃，商家

确实有些“吃不消”。18日上午，涉事门店工作人员对记者称，目前餐饮行业不容易，很担忧因此事导致闭店。律师认为，一般情况下商家是可以拒绝消费者消费的，但理由必须合情合理，不得歧视个别消费者。

男子因太能吃被自助餐厅“拉黑”

　据11月17日报道，前几天，顾客康先生拿着团购券到长沙一自助餐厅消费时，

遭到了工作人员拒绝。康先生称，他前几次到店消费，有一次吃了3斤多猪蹄，

还有一次吃掉7、8斤虾，最后一次吃光了羊肉串。但康先生觉得自己也没浪费，

店家玩不起，歧视能吃的人。对此，店内工作人员称，康先生吃得太多了，

一次得喝几十瓶豆奶，每次来店里他们都要亏几百块，吃的时候还直播，

店里以后不接待直播的顾客。

对此，有网友认为商家玩不起，“自助餐本来就是让能吃的人多吃点，不能吃

的人少吃点，这样达到一种平衡，商家也是盈利的”。也有网友调侃称，顾客

没必要照着这一家店使劲“薅羊毛”，去了几次都这样吃，商家确实有些“吃不消”。

18日上午，有记者联系上涉事门店，一工作人员称，自己不清楚此事的

具体情况，不便作出回应。不过，他告诉极目新闻记者，康先生当时在一平台

上购买的团购券，但收银台并没有核销。记者在一团购平台上看到，该门店单

人自助餐团购券为58.8元，半年已售2.3万张。

　“因为疫情的影响，我们几经关店，如今好不容易挺了过来。我们现在很担忧，

如果这个事情处理不好又会面临闭店。”上述工作人员说，店长因为此事正向

公司进行说明，目前不在门店。

律师：若未开始消费，商家可拒绝

记者发现，顾客康先生在18日上午发布的视频中表示，自己对店家的服务态度

有所不满，并且认为自己在自助餐店吃再多东西都是正常的。不过，到18日中午，

记者发现，该顾客此前发布的有关此事的视频均已删除。

那么，商家是否有权拒绝顾客消费呢？记者首先咨询了湖南省市场监管局执法

稽查局方面，一工作人员称，“应该不存在侵犯消费者权益行为，商家有权利拒绝”。

不过，该工作人员也表示，由于不清楚具体原因，涉及到的相关法律知识，得向专业人士咨询。

对此，北京大成（武汉）律师事务所柴欣律师表示，一般情况下消费者和商家之间

是一种民事活动，要遵守双方平等自愿的原则，也就是说商家不能强制消费者消费，

消费者也不能强制商家提供消费服务，因此一般情况下商家是可以拒绝消费者消费的，但商家拒绝消费者消费的理由必须合情合理，不得歧视个别消费者，上述新闻中店家可能只是想止损，所以拒绝康先生，还算不上是歧视。

湖北好律律师事务所陈亮律师也认为，如果商家已经收费，则不能拒绝本次消费；

但若尚未开始消费行为，视为尚未达成消费合同，商家或消费者均有权拒绝。

不过，柴欣律师也提到，如果商家在团购网站发布了团购信息，且没有特别标注前

往用餐的限制条件，比如对消费者的身高、体重或最大食用限量有限制声明，则

当消费者预付完款项，商家已经接单的情况下，商家不可以再以事先未标明的条件、

理由拒绝提供服务，否则商家就涉嫌违约。

Tesla has again increased the price of the Model Y in the US, making it the eighth time this year. It is coming as new incentives are expected.

Tesla prices have increased widely across the entire lineup in 2021. Last month
alone, there were two significant price increases on Model 3 and Model Y. In November, Tesla started the month with another significant price increase across the lineup. Now just a week later, the automaker is again increasing prices, but
this time it’s only for the Model Y.

Tesla Model Y prices

With the very frequent price increases this year, Tesla would generally apply
them to both Model 3 and Model Y, which share lots of parts and the automaker blamed price increases on supply chain costs. However, in this price increase revealed through another overnight configurator update, Tesla only appears to be increasing the price of the Model Y.

Both trims have received a $1,000 price increase. The updated prices for all versions of the Model Y are:

Tesla Model Y Long Range Dual Motor: price went from $57,990 to $58,990

Tesla Model Y Performance: price went from $62,990 to $63,990

Here’s what Tesla’s Model Y configurator looks like after the overnight update:

While $1,000 might not be much relative to the total price, it is more about the accumulation of the smaller price increases throughout the year.

Early in 2021, Tesla was selling the Model Y Long Range for just $50,000. It is
now $9,000 more expensive.

New EV incentive in the US

The recent price increases have come as Tesla buyers are expected to soon
regain access to the federal EV incentive.

The pending Build Back Better Act should give Tesla buyers $7,500 in tax credit.