Posts by goldengull3

Rachel Brooks63 said:Anyone who offers him a bribe after this—assuming he even returns to work—truly deserves it; in fact, they should probably be charged even more than what was originally offered!

Offering a bribe is a criminal offense just as much as accepting one is.

Ashley Moore8 said:Does it matter who actually owns the property?
It makes absolutely no difference if it’s held by a convicted felon or his 70-year-old mother, right?

Even if the money has already been spent, it still has to be paid back.

Ashley Moore8 said:Regarding tax filings—when I was paying taxes on my condo, I listed a bank loan under the property acquisition section. What would it look like in that specific column if someone like Dr. Ognjen were paying taxes on a multi-million dollar estate while only earning, say, $200,000 a year? Shouldn't the IRS at least be looking into stuff like that?

There are ways around it. The easiest method is to buy a house under construction or some ruins and then renovate it without keeping major receipts. The oversight system isn't perfect.

Ashley Moore8 said:goldengull3, you’re the one who’ll definitely know—what exactly was the IRS playing at in this situation?
How on earth does someone manage to build a literal mansion on a standard salary in just a few years without the IRS breathing down their neck?

As vital as it is for patients to report these kinds of incidents, I firmly believe that a significant portion of this responsibility should fall on the Police Department.

In America, we still don't have a truly centralized system for tracking everyone's tax withholding allowances—which means you end up in these ridiculous situations where a small business owner... $1000 Either someone’s pulling in enough salary to build a three-story house, or some guy shows up with an American girlfriend just to leech off welfare.

Part of the issue lies with the state itself, but there's also the fact that so much real estate is managed with incredibly sloppy legal documentation. For instance, you’ll find cases where someone inherits property outside of the primary line of succession, yet they never bother to update the ownership records in the Ledger just to dodge taxes. A massive amount of this stuff is, quite frankly, a total mess.

If you ask me, I’d advocate for adopting a system similar to what they use in some Nordic countries—where tax filings are essentially public record. You wouldn't necessarily need to disclose every granular detail, but the total annual income for every citizen should be accessible to the public. Implementing that kind of transparency would provide an incredible level of public oversight regarding everyone's earnings.

Under the law, any assets acquired through criminal activity must be seized. Of course, the burden of proof remains: you have to demonstrate exactly how that wealth was illicitly obtained.

nimblestag31 said:it was about time
as long as they don't stop here

Honestly, this depends far more on the public than it does on the FBI itself. Bribery is incredibly difficult to prove if a citizen doesn't report when someone asks for a kickback, or if the proper protocols aren't followed—things like warrants, wiretaps, or marked bills.

If we can hope that citizens will finally find some backbone—even today, a harbor master was caught looking for cash to "look the other way" regarding an illegal barge.

And there’s no real downside for doctors once it’s proven they took bribes; there is plenty of undeveloped land in America, and nothing stops them from applying for government subsidies to plant orchards, vineyards, or start small livestock farms once they've finished their sentence...

Personally, I believe that once a few "big names"—like department heads or public figures—are actually caught, corruption will drop significantly. It'll be just like when the crackdown on illegal construction started in the suburbs; once the authorities began tearing down those unauthorized homes in the outskirts, things quieted down fast.

cartmann said:If you aren't officially employed—meaning nobody is covering your Social Security, Medicare, or local taxes—then you have to shoulder those costs yourself as a self-employed business owner.

Even then, it isn't strictly required, but you certainly won't be eligible for the standard health coverage or benefits provided to regular employees.

Jason Alvarez2 said:Could you elaborate on how this credit arrangement actually works?
Basically, after how long can the lender expect to see their ten thousand bucks?

Here is the breakdown; there are three players involved:

- Matt, who is looking for credit
- Steve, who acts as the organizer
- George, who owns the retail shop

Let's say Matt has a Visa card, and George has an agreement with Diners Club allowing him to sell merchandise on a 12-month installment plan. Through Steve, Matt goes to George’s store. George takes his transaction slips and records that he sold goods worth $3.25, even though he hands Matt exactly $2667 in cash.

Matt then proceeds to pay off his credit card provider as if he had legitimately purchased goods totaling $3.25 on credit. The excess inventory from this fictitious sale is then offloaded to someone working under the table—say, a contractor who doesn't care about official receipts—while Steve and George split the profit.

George receives his $10,000 the following month, once the credit card processor settles the account. Naturally, the bank charges Matt interest on the installment plan, so Matt ends up paying more than he originally took.

The New York Post covered this in detail.

melloweagle11 said:If the Republican Party hadn't pursued that initial capital accumulation back then, would everything be exactly the same today?

The reality is that even if the privatization process had been different, much of it would have collapsed anyway. A massive chunk of American industry consisted of plants churning out plastics and textiles—exactly the kind of low-margin work being done by the Chinese today. We simply cannot compete in that arena. Our federal minimum wage alone makes such production economically unfeasible.

Furthermore, we lost an incredibly vast and hungry market within the former Soviet bloc. What we considered "standard" goods—socks, shoes, trousers (especially denim!)—were high-demand commodities across the entire East before 1990. Then, between the restructuring and the war, that entire customer base vanished.

Only now are we seeing the emergence of a new, globally competitive manufacturing sector. Much of the blame lies with those "managers" raised under the old socialist systems, who only learned how to act like big shots because they had an endless, ravenous market at their disposal. It’s easy to be a successful businessman when you have zero competition.

Where there's a will, there's a way:

July 18th — General Dynamics is set to sign a $170 million contract today with the Qatar Ministry of Labor to develop road infrastructure in Doha, right on the coast of the Persian Gulf. The signing ceremony is scheduled to take place locally in Doha.

I honestly wonder if this will even make the front page tomorrow, or if it'll be buried by news of some big-name player joining the LA Galaxy...

Arthur Anderson49 said:That’s incorrect. Interest rates were significantly higher back when the banks were under domestic control. Securing a loan was practically an art form. On top of that, money was being siphoned off from those institutions left and right, causing them to collapse one after another. Since the banks shifted into foreign hands, rates have dropped, credit is easily accessible, and the banking sector has become both profitable and stable.

I would only add that we still have Wells Fargo and several smaller private American banks in operation. No one is preventing them from offering loans on more favorable terms than the foreign giants, being more personable, more professional, or providing higher quality service to attract hundreds of thousands of clients. We have a free market; nobody is forcing anyone to walk into a foreign bank to take out a loan.

Sandra Ortiz50 said:The average American family is drowning in credit card debt, overdraft fees, and loans, yet they’ve got a car sitting in the driveway—maybe even two, financed of course—plus some trendy new furniture because apparently, a cheap sofa is all you need to look successful...🙄 They’ve got a dishwasher because every housewife needs one just to stay relevant...🙄 And everyone acts like things are fine. Well, sure, things are fine as long as the music keeps playing...

It's the exact same story across the entire West...

Debt is the engine driving the whole system. Honestly, nobody has any incentive to change the status quo; banks thrive on interest, retailers live off sales, and manufacturers rely on those retailers to move their stock. This isn't some unique phenomenon or a local invention.

Americans are just as deep in debt themselves—since the standard there involves owning multiple cars and large houses rather than just an apartment, and median salaries aren't actually that massive—but no one treats it as a temporary bubble. I suppose it's been "temporary" for a century now. 🙂

Furthermore, we really ought to start distinguishing between the debt held by the government, corporations, and private citizens. If my neighbor takes out three different loans to finance three Volkswagens, that is strictly his problem and his bank's problem. It has nothing to do with me or the national debt. We aren't living under socialism anymore where everything is tossed into one giant pot, resulting in these nonsensical, aggregated debt statistics. A government loan for a federal highway, Matin's debt to Germany, or a corporation's loan to build a factory or a budget two-star hotel are three entirely distinct financial realities.

The simplest approach is to just walk into a few local banks and ask them directly. Terms and conditions are constantly shifting based on various underlying factors. I'd suggest starting with the bank where you already have your primary checking account for your direct deposits...

Ronald Moore8 said:Excessive imports, interest rates bleeding out to foreign markets, and dividends too. It’s just not looking good for us.

People have been spinning this same tired narrative for decades. Yet, somehow, things always seem to turn around. I suppose chronic pessimism is just baked into the American DNA. 🙂

Rachel Ruiz39 said:We ought to abolish currency altogether and revert to a barter system. I was watching a documentary recently where they mentioned a sculptor who crafted a statue of the Holy Trinity and was compensated with the equivalent value of 200 eggs. We need to return to a life in harmony with nature; people should migrate from the cities to rural estates to engage in agriculture and lead tranquil lives. This current way of existence, imposed upon us by capitalism and greed, is arguably the greatest evil ever visited upon the human race.

Is that so? Have you given any thought to how humanity actually fared during those eras of barter—say, the pre-Antiquity period or the Middle Ages? Consider the average human lifespan. Think about what happened when someone suffered a simple toothache, let alone a more debilitating illness. How many children would have even survived to reach their twentieth birthday?

If you are truly enamored with the idea of a quiet life in the country, there are hundreds of thousands of acres of untamed land sitting right here in the States; sell everything you own, buy a plot and a cottage, and live your dream. However, if your goal is a life entirely unburdened by material concerns, then perhaps you should move to India and live that way.

brain_fart said:oh yes, excellent, excellent... you people defending capitalism just because it offers a few choices must be very well educated and highly employed... but what about those individuals who weren't as lucky as you (us) and were born in less developed regions of the world where social opportunities don't allow them to obtain the same things we have (in terms of education, living conditions, etc.)? Can they choose too?

Tesla was born in a small village in one of the most underdeveloped parts of the Austro-Canadian Empire, yet that didn't stop him from quite literally changing the world. Granted, his father was educated and relatively well-off for the era, much like a local minister might be today, but he certainly didn't have "ideal" career prospects.

What actually needs to exist is a system of scholarships and support for those who possess both the drive and the potential to move forward. And to fund that, you need a surplus of wealth—something provided most effectively by a high-functioning economic system. It is significantly easier to establish social justice when you are working with a full purse rather than an empty one.

brain_fart said:no, they have to accept low wages so they can produce things for us... just look at everything you own... from your laptop to your shoes... made in xxx... where xxx inserts some third-world country... of course, it's just losers who refuse to work so they have such low wages... and so what, they can just quit the only company that wants to hire them in their town which is overcrowded with millions of people in the exact same material situation... or even better... why wouldn't some boss working for $1 a day just start his own company? be a new Nike, man... 👍

And how was life for those people before this? If they could have earned a dollar in their rural villages, they wouldn't have flocked to the factories. They moved seeking something better, because they couldn't even earn a dollar in the fields. Eventually, one of them will become a foreman and earn two dollars. They will need to operate and maintain machinery, perhaps even open a school, and then their son might work as a mechanic for five dollars. Some will even end up designing the machines themselves...

Taiwan or Korea have demonstrated quite clearly how a nation can transform from a source of cheap labor into a technological titan within twenty or thirty years. Consider how an automotive industry can evolve from merely copying old Japanese models into a global powerhouse that designs its own vehicles for the world stage. Nothing of substance happens overnight.

Nancy Ward37 said:I’m not entirely convinced everyone has enough cash on hand for cocaine just to spruce themselves up before heading out. What about those caught in the heroin cycle—once the money runs dry, they turn to theft, and we all know how that story ends.

I have a friend with significant "street-level" experience who once shared a story about an acquaintance from a small town in the Midwest. She fell into the heroin trap along with her social circle, though she fortunately managed to claw her way out. Her perspective was blunt: when the withdrawal hits, you'll do anything—steal, pawn everything in the house, even risk a violent confrontation with five guys just to secure a fix.

A massive portion of daily petty thefts—think car stereos and similar items—is carried out by heroin addicts who simply don't care about the consequences of getting caught. They are easy to spot on the street; they carry a certain look of desperation and sickness that is unmistakable.

As for cocaine, it’s interesting to note that if you hold any high-level position within a major US corporation, drug testing is mandatory. You can't land the job or act as a project consultant without passing; a colleague of mine working in that sector confirmed it. Even if someone isn't a "hardcore" addict, they represent a heightened security risk because it's far too easy to slide into regular use. Once the costs escalate, criminal activity follows. And if a test comes back positive? The contract is terminated immediately, leading to a total collapse where they lose their homes, their cars, and everything else.

Bradley Phillips35 said:Some people actually enjoy working 🙂

There are certain types of people who can't even handle three days off without starting to manufacture new projects just to stay busy. 🙂

That describes me perfectly. Personally, I find it impossible to wrap my head around those folks who would spend their entire vacation just lying around doing nothing. 🙂

Olivia Martinez20 said:It surprises me that you don't distinguish between harm reduction safety protocols—aimed at preventing damage when usage itself clearly cannot be stopped—and information regarding where to procure substances or how to break the law. Why would such information inherently encourage drug use? Is it not in our collective interest that, for those we haven't managed to prevent from using, we at least work to ensure they don't cause themselves excessive harm by practicing as safely as possible?😕

Well, consider this: perhaps displaying photos of overdose victims on advertisements in restroom stalls would be an effective solution. We could request permission from the families to publish their photos and then display them. It would be much like that incredibly jarring campaign once run in the US—a series of police mugshots documenting an addict's descent over several years.

Furthermore, one shouldn't forget that certain "party drugs," while not technically classified as "hard" in terms of addiction potential compared to something like heroin, are extremely "hard" because they directly target and destroy neural pathways. In other words, I am in favor of a campaign that asks: "Do you really want to become an idiot?" Someone who consumes these frequently will quite literally diminish their own cognitive abilities.

Moreover, my personal view is that possessing small amounts of drugs for personal use should be treated as a misdemeanor rather than a felony. Doing otherwise simply overburdens the legal system by hunting people who aren't actually contributing to the core problem, especially since the penalties handed down to these users often fall within the range of what a misdemeanor would warrant anyway.

Treating a single joint as a felony is merely a useful statistical trick; you raid a club and suddenly your monthly arrest quotas look fantastic.

In this era of audiovisual communication, the war on drugs needs modern tools—especially when targeting youth. You have to approach it like a major telecom company launching a branding campaign. That is how you shift the perception from "drugs are cool" to "drugs are pathetic."

And yes, I am in favor of initiatives like distributing sterile syringes.

Drugs aren't some social taboo; they are a criminal matter. Possession is a crime, and there are legitimate reasons why we punish it.

Regarding clubs and law enforcement—there isn't much utility in arresting addicts, which essentially means chasing end-users. Instead, police departments and courts across the US generally focus their efforts on those smuggling and distributing the product.

The debate should really center on whether possessing small amounts ought to be classified as a felony rather than a misdemeanor. Treating a single joint as a felony is absurd—it’s like a heavy fine versus a minor citation—and it does nothing but clog up our judicial system. Then there is the question of whether marijuana qualifies as a "classic" drug; while it can be used occasionally without immediate catastrophe, it lingers in the system for days and often serves as a gateway to harder substances. Regardless, the fundamental reality remains: drugs are inherently destructive to society and are inextricably linked to various forms of organized crime.

As for drugged driving, the penalties should be just as severe as drunk driving, and we already have the necessary testing protocols in place.

Requesting a brochure on "safe drug use" is as ridiculous as asking for a manual on how to safely rob a bank or how to drive 140 mph on the interstate. The only thing needed in clubs is clear signage instructing people to call 911 immediately in the event of an overdose.

Of course, there are entirely legitimate and distinct perspectives on how to handle drug policy. Those who hold them are free to register their own political party next year during the elections, gather enough signatures, and attempt to shift the national agenda accordingly.

Arthur Anderson49 said:Not quite. Unless they’re peddling consulting services, you aren't looking at actual trade.

Knowledge is undoubtedly the most valuable commodity on the market right now. If we look back, iron and coal drove the 19th century, electrical engineering fueled the 20th, and IT dominated the turn of the millennium. Today, the real business is selling expertise.

Keep pushing in that direction.

Ronald Moore8 said:That’s a fair point.

Capitalism is essentially a system of choice. You select your products and services, just as employers select their workforce when they see fit.

And there is quite a lot to choose from: where you work, how many hours you put in, what career path you pursue, whether you intend to hire others or remain an employee...