Posts by Charles Ramos7

Nathan Morris3 said:Since this article is from September, I guess you aren't really breaking new ground here. This whole topic has been relevant since the refugee crisis first kicked off.
It's pretty obvious Germany has an economic interest in all of this. It would be kind of naive to think refugees—who probably make up maybe 2% of the workforce—won't impact the labor market at all. But I suppose the biggest pressure will hit those jobs that are already struggling. You know, roles where you don't really need specialized education or even the language. Like newsstand workers or whatever; they're already at minimum wage anyway. The folks moving to Germany are actually quite well-educated, but I guess it'll take years before they're fully productive. Eventually, though, they'll likely end up helping the German economy.

Overall, it seems like Germany made a pretty clever move with the refugee situation: first they export weapons to crisis zones, then they take in the people fleeing that very same weaponry, and somehow they manage to boost their GDP because of it.
The Germans seem to have things figured out; at least they're providing some benefit. What we're doing over here feels like a disaster: we sell a little bit of hardware to the region, but then we don't know how to leverage the refugees to help our economy, and instead, we just push them away—even though they're fleeing the stuff we sent. And one last thing, I guess... most American representatives in the European Union usually vote against arms embargos on Saudi Arabia (thankfully they were outvoted). At least German reps defend German interests, whereas I suppose we might never truly know whose interests our own reps in the European Union are actually defending.

If we're talking about legal employment, why would a German employer pick a refugee (assuming they have the paperwork) over a Romanian or an American? 🤔 The cost is exactly the same.

George Lewis9 said:It’s happening exactly how I called it back in September—right when the massive surge started. A race to the bottom for wages. Sure, there’s a legal minimum wage to protect people, but the reality is that more and more folks are getting stuck working for nothing more than that baseline.

It isn't refugees driving down wages—it's workers from third countries entering the European Union.☕

Jessica Torres63 said:What does that even have to do with anything?

The full text is right there in the link.

Germany's policy was basically—for whatever reason—inviting refugees into the country in the first place...

Short and sweet: it all comes down to political will. The influx into Western Europe is minimal today, and that's strictly because of simple political choices.

And yeah, it's true that he's working, but it's within a state-owned institution... He's essentially a slave whose situation is being exploited, just like I said before...

Also, you can't forget that over the last three or four years, the expectations of Americans here have really plummeted because of everything going on in our neck of the woods... people are settling for lower pay just to keep a job and accepting all sorts of conditions just to get by...

I don't know the legal specifics of how that one refugee from the article is employed, but bottom line: the legal minimum wage is $8.50 an hour.

Jessica Torres63 said:So, basically, the first wave of Syrian refugees in Germany are starting to pick up jobs for an absolutely insane wage—we’re talking one dollar an hour—and honestly, nobody is even trying to hide it anymore...

Back on Wednesday, the head of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, was out there saying "Germany needs more workers if they want to keep their lifestyle where it is." So, I guess now we finally see the "humanitarian spirit" Angela Merkel showed toward Syrians actually making sense from a purely economic standpoint...

Take Anas Al-Asadi, for example. He’s one of the first folks to arrive in Germany from Syria. After just a few days in the largest economy in Europe, he already landed a gig at a local youth center in a small town in Germany near New York City. His pay? A measly buck an hour, just doing basic tasks to help out the heads of the community center...

According to a report by Bloomberg LP, Al-Asadi wasn't just some random guy; back in Syria, he was actually a lawyer. He’s 26, highly qualified, and totally ready to work...

"Work isn't the issue for someone who was a lawyer in his home country, but let's be real, the pay is terrible," Bloomberg wrote...

And look, I get it, people from the North America really helped boost the German economy decades ago with their lower labor costs...

But even back then, when I was a young, educated guy moving over to Germany to work, Germany was the one reaping all the profits while America got left behind...

But man, what is this going to do to other immigrants, especially us Americans?

Are we really going to be expected to just show up, happy to work, and agree to take maybe a dollar or two an hour if they throw a meal in our direction...?

http://www.altermainstreaminfo.com.h...ce-rade-za-670

Why don't you quote the whole thing instead of just picking out the sensational parts? 🙂

It’s a harsh reality, but even a job like this for Al-Asadi might just be a temporary fix. According to sources in Germany, these initial refugees still aren't legally allowed to work for private companies under a standard contract.
It's worth noting that in Germany, the legal minimum wage for all workers, regardless of nationality, is 8.5 euros an hour.

Kenneth Fisher22 said:Look, I’m not sure how many people here actually follow the nuances of tax law, but I am looking for an answer exclusively from those who are intimately familiar with this specific scenario and can provide a concrete response. Today, I went into my local bank to open a checking account, and the representative informed me that under the current regulations, these types of accounts are now subject to automated fiscal monitoring. I only opened this account because I have some miscellaneous items I'm looking to offload, and I plan on listing everything on eBay. What I really need to know is this: am I technically liable for taxes on these sales, even if we are talking about negligible amounts? If someone sends small payments directly into my checking account, does the IRS flag those tiny transactions? Furthermore, is there any legitimate way to receive these funds without triggering a tax liability? I need to ensure that the cost of settling any potential tax bill doesn't completely wipe out the profit from selling these items online. Thanks in advance.

Why are you making your own life harder than it needs to be? 😵 Forget the damn checking account. If you don't have another account, people can just send money to a prepaid card or something.

driftingcrane83 said:Right now, I’m leaning toward Erste or Royal Bank. Royal Bank is a bit pricier, but at least you can find an ATM whenever you need one. Bank of America? They're bottom of the barrel.

Why's that? I mean, they have plenty of ATMs if that's really the dealbreaker for you.

It’s not even big deal information, like whether you were born in the US or anything. I run into this all the time—not at a bank, obviously—but it’s just standard procedure. I keep a template saved on my computer, so I just sign it and move on.

Sarah Ruiz42 said:

I don't know what to tell you. Some people just refuse to see what's right in front of their faces. It’s like talking to a brick wall sometimes. I’ve dealt with this before—remember that headache last summer when I was trying to deal with the DMV? Absolute nightmare. Same energy. People just want to stay comfortable in their own little bubble instead of facing reality. It's infuriating. I can't even begin to tell you how much this gets under my skin. Honestly, it’s enough to make me want to throw my phone across the room. I was sitting there just minding my own business when I saw it, and now I’m absolutely fuming. It’s like people just don't care about common sense anymore. Everything is just a mess!
Exactly. I get every single cent back without any hassle at all. 👍

Look, I get the whole thing about the credit cards, but it’s pretty obvious you’re totally missing the point on this part. Look, let's get one thing straight: credit cards aren't actually legal tender in this country. You can go to a shop and they can absolutely refuse to swipe your plastic if they feel like it. It’s a total joke. I tried using my card at a small diner outside of Austin last week, and the owner basically told me to pull out some cash or walk away. No apology, no nothing. People act like it's a right to be able to pay with a piece of plastic, but legally? It just isn't.Look, it’s just one single service from the bank where you hold your account. That's it.

Look, you can't just take these cards—any of them!—and treat them like some kind of universal blueprint or a rulebook for how to act. It’s ridiculous.

Let’s talk about "due process"—that concept everyone loves to preach about until they actually have to follow it. In the real world? It doesn't exist. We're talking about straight-up lawbreaking here, plain and simple.

I can't even deal with this right now. Seriously. Every time I log on, there’s some new nonsense going on that makes me want to put my head through a wall. It's constant. Just endless, repetitive garbage. Does anyone else feel like we're just circling the drain here? Because I definitely do. I'm about two seconds away from throwing my laptop out the window. Honestly, it's exhausting. kaže:
Life isn't a freaking buffet where everything is handed to you on a silver platter. You want things? You gotta go out there and grab them. It doesn't just happen by magic.

Look, Pladner and the rest of them are full of it, and you’re still out here digging for excuses. You’ve backed yourself into a corner with that claim of yours, and now you can't back it up to save your life. Honestly? I don't even care anymore. At the end of the day, my stance is clear: There is no such thing as a free credit card. Period. Stop falling for it! Look, I don't have anything left to prove. Period. You can go ahead and hunt for all the deep philosophies, excuses, or "interpretations" you want just to make yourself feel right, but newsflash: you aren't going to find a single thing that actually works.

I can't believe I'm even typing this, but someone had to say it. I am absolutely fed up with the constant nonsense we have to deal with lately. It feels like every time you turn around, there's some new hurdle or some ridiculous rule designed just to make life harder for everyone else. Honestly, it’s exhausting. I was sitting at my kitchen table this morning, staring at my coffee, just thinking about how much energy we waste fighting these pointless battles. It makes me want to scream! We deserve better than this constant headache. kaže:
How's it going? I am so sick of this. Seriously, I cannot deal with how much of a headache credit cards have become lately. It’s like every time you turn around, there's some new fee, a new security glitch, or some ridiculous policy that makes it impossible to actually use your own damn money. I was trying to grab a coffee downtown yesterday—just a simple transaction, right?—and the card reader decided to take a nap. Then, instead of just working, it flags the whole thing like I’m trying to pull some heist. It’s infuriating! You pay your bills, you play by the rules, and yet the system treats you like a criminal half the time. I’m tellin' ya, it feels like they’re just looking for any excuse to squeeze another couple of bucks out of us. Total joke. I finally got to it. Credit cards. Honestly, what a complete scam. I was looking at my statements the other day and nearly lost it. It’s like these banks just sit there waiting for you to make one tiny mistake so they can bleed you dry with interest rates that feel more like highway robbery than actual finance. I remember back when I first started working in Chicago, I thought I was being smart using a card for everything to build up my score. Big mistake. One month I bought a new grill for the backyard—totally worth it, by the way—and suddenly I'm staring down a mountain of interest that makes no sense. You think you're in control, but then you realize the house always wins. They design these things specifically to keep you trapped in a cycle of debt. It's infuriating. Be careful out there, seriously. Don't let them get a foothold on your wallet.? 😵 Maybe that would actually explain why your answers are so damn confusing and flat-out wrong.

Wait, excuse me? Where on earth does it say we were only talking about debit cards??

Are you seriously digging up philosophy books just to prove you're right? Give me a break.

And don't even get me started on those "free" debit cards. They aren't actually free! They hit you with a monthly maintenance fee, and if you look closely at the fine print in your contract, they basically admit that the card cost is buried right inside that service charge. So, it’s not like it's some kind of gift—it's just a total scam. It's like saying a meal is free when they've already padded the cover charge to pay for it. Absolute garbage.

I don't know what to tell you people. I’ve seen some nonsense in my time, but this takes the cake. It’s like nobody actually thinks before they open their mouths anymore. Just mindless noise. Honestly, it makes me want to throw my phone across the room. Fix your logic or stop posting. kaže:
If everything moves to electricity and high-speed internet, then bills basically vanish. You won't have a paper statement sitting on your counter, and you definitely won't have the option to just drop off cash at a local branch. At least, not if you want to stay on the right side of the law.
The real issue with credit cards? It’s all about people who just can't control themselves. Seriously.

Look, it’s perfectly legal. A voucher or a receipt is still a valid way to pay, especially when you process it electronically after the fact. It’s not some shady workaround; it’s how things work. Honestly, every single corner store in a city like Chicago or Philly handles transactions this way whenever the power goes out. They aren't breaking any laws—they're just keeping the lights on.

Look, when you’ve got cold hard cash sitting right in front of you, you don't need to hold back. But honestly, that leads us down some deep, messy rabbit holes that have nothing to do with how we actually pay for things.

True, but since you save money using the card, it ends up being more than free—you actually come out ahead.

Sarah Ruiz42 said:You don't get anything back. When you pay by card, they charge you down to the last cent, but cards—unlike cash—aren't actually legal tender in this country. It’s not a rule; it’s just a service provided by whatever bank you use.

Look, I’ve been around the block for fifty years, using both cards and cash, and it’s just plain wrong to say cards give you an advantage or make things faster.

For instance, when I hit a Shell station, I pull out $33, toss it on the counter, and I'm done. By the time someone finishes swiping their plastic, I’m already five miles down the road... Cash doesn't get declined (and it shouldn't!), and it doesn't care if the power goes out or the Wi-Fi dies. I’m not risking spending money I don't have or stuff that isn't mine. Especially since some banks make their cards out of cheap junk anyway. My son handles tons of card transactions daily, and he has plenty of horror stories that prove your "peace of mind" is a total lie...

Oh yeah? Why don't you tell us exactly what that "rule" is, so we can shut you down right now.

Really? And does that "financial genius" over here get his exact change back, or do they just pocket it? Stop talking nonsense. We aren't idiots, and we don't need you lecturing us on how money works...

We aren't even talking about the amount of money here; we're talking about a legal principle that's being ignored. That whole idea of "getting paid exactly to the cent" only works when you use cards, but cards aren't the primary legal way to pay. They don't even need to be, but you clearly can't grasp why, because you're too wrapped up in your own smug little bubble thinking nothing can ever touch you.

Give me a break. You pay interest on EVERY single credit card loan, but you don't pay it on debit cards—assuming you're actually staying in the black and not digging a hole in your checking account. And even if they don't call it "interest," they just wrap it up in some other stupid fee, like a monthly "maintenance charge" or whatever... look, you're always paying something. Don't try to play dumb and act like you're the only one who understands how these cards work. We aren't idiots.

Does it really matter if they count as a primary payment method? All I care about is making sure they don't hit me with an extra fee.

Sarah Ruiz42 said:You don't get anything back. When you pay by card, they charge you down to the last cent, but cards—unlike cash—aren't actually legal tender in this country. It’s not a rule; it’s just a service provided by whatever bank you use.

Look, I’ve been around the block for fifty years, using both cards and cash, and it’s just plain wrong to say cards give you an advantage or make things faster.

For instance, when I hit a Shell station, I pull out $33, toss it on the counter, and I'm done. By the time someone finishes swiping their plastic, I’m already five miles down the road... Cash doesn't get declined (and it shouldn't!), and it doesn't care if the power goes out or the Wi-Fi dies. I’m not risking spending money I don't have or stuff that isn't mine. Especially since some banks make their cards out of cheap junk anyway. My son handles tons of card transactions daily, and he has plenty of horror stories that prove your "peace of mind" is a total lie...

Oh yeah? Why don't you tell us exactly what that "rule" is, so we can shut you down right now.

Really? And does that "financial genius" over here get his exact change back, or do they just pocket it? Stop talking nonsense. We aren't idiots, and we don't need you lecturing us on how money works...

We aren't even talking about the amount of money here; we're talking about a legal principle that's being ignored. That whole idea of "getting paid exactly to the cent" only works when you use cards, but cards aren't the primary legal way to pay. They don't even need to be, but you clearly can't grasp why, because you're too wrapped up in your own smug little bubble thinking nothing can ever touch you.

Give me a break. You pay interest on EVERY single credit card loan, but you don't pay it on debit cards—assuming you're actually staying in the black and not digging a hole in your checking account. And even if they don't call it "interest," they just wrap it up in some other stupid fee, like a monthly "maintenance charge" or whatever... look, you're always paying something. Don't try to play dumb and act like you're the only one who understands how these cards work. We aren't idiots.

That’s not quite how it works. It isn't bundled into a membership fee, because people pay that flat rate regardless of whether they use their card once or a hundred times. If it were part of a subscription, those high spenders would be stuck paying even higher monthly fees.

Sarah Ruiz42 said:Honestly, you’re just enabling a disorganized system. In places like Germany or Austria, even if prices end in .99, you actually get that penny back! I have never once experienced anyone trying to shortchange me by a cent because everything in this damn country is "rounded" to the nearest .99. Between those tiny margins, Walton and his crew probably rake in enough profit in a single day at a massive Walmart to cover everyone's entire payroll.

No, it doesn't. Not a single one of them is actually free. Even those prepaid cards aren't truly free, and with credit cards, the interest rates they charge are absolutely insane.

Sure, they might offer it "without an annual fee" for the first year, but they'll get you on the interest. By the second year, you're totally screwed—you're stuck paying everything from membership fees to high interest. Banks are living proof that the things labeled "free" are usually the most expensive traps out there.

They only make that money off people who don't pay attention to their receipts.

Sarah Ruiz42 said:Honestly, you’re just enabling a disorganized system. In places like Germany or Austria, even if prices end in .99, you actually get that penny back! I have never once experienced anyone trying to shortchange me by a cent because everything in this damn country is "rounded" to the nearest .99. Between those tiny margins, Walton and his crew probably rake in enough profit in a single day at a massive Walmart to cover everyone's entire payroll.

No, it doesn't. Not a single one of them is actually free. Even those prepaid cards aren't truly free, and with credit cards, the interest rates they charge are absolutely insane.

Sure, they might offer it "without an annual fee" for the first year, but they'll get you on the interest. By the second year, you're totally screwed—you're stuck paying everything from membership fees to high interest. Banks are living proof that the things labeled "free" are usually the most expensive traps out there.

What do you mean, interest rates? You only end up paying those if you actually use a revolving credit line.

rowdypilot33 said:Hy,
I recently got a Visa card that I haven't even used yet.
My monthly limit is 10 $0.00 and I have a 36-month repayment plan set up.
I'm wondering if this card can be used to pay bills and if so, where exactly?
I tried at the local post office, but the clerk told me it only works as a debit card—meaning I'd need the cash in my account first. This involves $2000. If I actually had that kind of money, I wouldn't be using a credit card in the first place...
Or, say I just withdrew $667 from an ATM every single day until I reached the amount I needed, how would that interest be calculated?
Thanks!

I haven't personally tested that specific card, but the post office has an online portal where you can pay bills using a Mastercard.

Scott Rodriguez19 said:You seriously think Turkey doesn't have regulations? As if you don't owe the government anything at all?

Of course they do, but things are just way more straightforward over there than they are here. It always strikes me how many agencies just run minibuses instead of full vans; when you realize they aren't even using tachographs, it explains a lot.
No tachographs, no paper trail, let alone digital receipts, and you can take almost any currency... it's basically the Wild West for business.☕

I don't know much about Erdogan or all those deep analyses, but I’m planning to head out around New Year's Day with a few thousand dollars just to balance my books a bit. 🙂 😉Considering we get over 40 million tourists visiting us every year, you do the math.

Keith Sanchez10 said:Hey there
I’ve heard it’s best to just use a checking account for all my online shopping—basically keeping just enough cash in there to cover whatever I’m planning to buy.
But then I heard a rumor that if you start depositing money into your account, the IRS might flag it as extra income or something, which could lead to some annoying tax headaches.
?

That whole thing about the checking account is nonsense. Just grab a prepaid card instead; you can load it with whatever amount you want to spend.

I’ve got my accounts over at JP Morgan Chase and I’m pretty happy with them. I haven't really used their ATMs much, but those big banks offer all these extra perks you might find useful down the road—one day you're just looking at online banking, then suddenly you're thinking about credit cards or mutual funds. Honestly, most of the hate you hear is just people complaining about loans. Everything else is pretty straightforward.

Arthur Baker3 said:I’m looking to open a basic checking account. Honestly, I don't plan on using any of the extra bells and whistles—no online banking or anything like that—now or anytime soon.

Can anyone tell me which banks I should stay far away from?

I’ve been digging through various threads about different banks, but everything feels so scattered. I even downloaded fee schedules from their websites, but I’m still stuck in indecision.

Everyone seems to have such wildly different experiences with these places, but I’m flying blind here. I tried reading through old forum posts, but half of them are one, two, maybe three years old. They aren't much help since things change so fast.

Don't worry too much about what others say. Since you aren't planning on using online banking, just look for whichever branch or ATM is closest to you.😉

Sam Ruiz60 said:Everything would be fine if they were offloading products on us using money we actually earned, rather than money taken on credit. We're talking about funds that artificially inflated our economy, creating this illusion of progress and a higher standard of living—making everyone feel like they can spend like a billionaire just because they have a loan.

If that money had never actually entered the system, there wouldn't be any credit, there wouldn't be all this spending, and people wouldn't be buying expensive German cars. Our standard of living would stay low, sure, but at least we wouldn't be drowning in debt.
As it stands, our quality of life will remain low, and the country will end up sold off piece by piece.

What money are you talking about? In the US, there's trillions sitting in savings; how are car salesmen supposed to know which specific dollars someone is using to buy a vehicle? Besides, back in the day, people were still buying cars even before consumer credit became this huge thing. So much for the idea that they're "pushing" them on us through debt.

Sam Ruiz60 said:We shouldn't have just outlawed borrowing by decree. If credit hadn't been available, people wouldn't have had any way to afford expensive cars in the first place.

What does that even have to do with Germans? It's not like they were borrowing from German banks, nor was anyone forcing them to buy expensive German cars.

Sam Ruiz60 said:The real issue lies with the corrupt politicians who allowed this to happen. But was there corruption coming from foreign power centers? We could have lived quite comfortably off tourism and domestic manufacturing if we hadn't piled up massive debts immediately after gaining independence and chased a fake standard of living based entirely on imports.
We wouldn't be facing such significant debt today.
Foreign entities shouldn't play the victim and pretend they didn't know what they were doing. They knew exactly which politicians they were dealing with and who they needed to bribe to walk in here and treat us like mindless cattle, leading us straight toward ruin.

What are you getting at? That we should have banned German cars (while simultaneously voting to join the EU)? And again, what "dumping" are you talking about when anyone can just go out and buy the car they want?