Posts by Charles Ramos7

"Quote:"

Sam Ruiz60 said:If they were offering it to you, you’d probably end up buying a Mercedes or a Honda.
Well, obviously a Mercedes—because with those price tags, owning one becomes a status symbol, and that's exactly what they're banking on.
People get hooked. They play on basic human impulses just to turn a profit, exploiting fears of shortages or promises of sudden prosperity. Now, everyone's chasing this idea of "the good life." They see a neighbor driving a Mercedes and think, "Why should I settle for less?" Even if it means taking out a massive loan. And thank God, banks seem to sprout up everywhere like mushrooms after a rainstorm, specifically popping up just to offer these endless auto loans.
People land jobs, start businesses, spend money they don't have, and pile up mortgages and car loans.
Then, once the banks decide to tighten the screws, they seize the real estate and the Mercedes vehicles. On top of that, you have a government that borrowed heavily just to fuel consumption, forced to take out even more loans and liquidate assets as if the group that came in specifically to fleece us hasn't already taken enough.
And then, to top it all off, they have the nerve to lecture us through the IMF.

Exactly. You buy German stuff because your neighbors have it, not because you're obsessed with Germany. So why blame the Germans for that?

Sam Ruiz60 said:We could just flip the script and imagine a world without Greece or America, couldn't we?

Think about it—people buying overpriced Volkswagens and Mercedes, or filling their carts at Walmart and Lidl with German goods because their own domestic industries were systematically dismantled by central planning.
The Germans would be left with absolutely nothing.

They don't have raw materials, and they don't even have a climate suitable for large-scale agriculture.
All they really have is what they manufacture, which they then offload onto other nations, often using the IMF and similar tactics to pull the wool over everyone's eyes.
Of course, people go along with it. I mean, who wouldn't choose the path of least resistance when there are plenty of people willing to do all the heavy lifting for them? But does that mean we owe anything to such manipulative players after they've used us?

Who's telling you what to buy? Since when is it forbidden to pick up a Japanese car or shop at Walmart instead?

Nicholas Ross38 said:Maybe America could have gotten things moving without all these cuts and reforms—but I guess that’s up to the people, isn't it? It seems we just need outsiders to come in and tell us exactly what to do and how to do it, even if those measures are absolutely brutal and end up leaving us high and dry.

It’s not about suffering; it’s about paying the tab after a long night out. Even if you have a headache.😉

Got a reply in my inbox: yeah, I’m just sticking to the facts here. ☕

Nicholas Ross38 said:The IMF, the European Central Bank, and those little man dictators from the European Commission

Germany:



Greece:



America:

Benjamin Taylor6 said:Out of the 25 engineers on our team, I’m the only one who consistently commutes by bicycle.
But I can't exactly hand over a receipt because—get this—I found this bike in a dumpster five years ago!!😲😁😲
Some guy was moving apartments and tossed everything into the trash, including a bike with completely flat tires. I picked it up, swapped in some new tubes from $17 total.
As for my old bike, I took that out to Martha's Vineyard just to ride it there.

Every single capitalist would be absolutely screwed if someone actually managed to implement this model:
Money is never a blessing, whether you have it or not, according to Banjalučanka Maja Risović, who decided a few months back to join the Ubuntu community in Africa and live a life entirely free from monetary means.

The ideology goes like this: http://zvono-istine.org/kraj-novca-j...km-od-chicago/

If you say so. 🤦 I mean, food alone won't cut it when you need, I don't know, someone to fix a broken tooth.

Monday is a holiday 😉 by the way. You don't really have a choice here—it’s pretty much a baseline requirement. You either pay one amount or the other, either 5% or $32 if that 5% ends up being less than $32. To put it simply, if you spend $33, you won't be stuck with the 5%; instead, you'll pay $1.75 rather than $32. If you spend $167, you're back to paying $32 because that 5% falls short of the 95.

Brian Moore12 said:I just want to point out that banks are way more "curious" (to put it politely) than retail chains or any other type of business. They ask for everything under the sun, and honestly, I don't think they should be allowed to do that.

Take this recent experience: I emailed JPMorgan Chase with a pretty straightforward question. Some lady replies with a total deadpan response saying if I actually want an answer, I have to hand over my personal details, a mountain of other info, and my Social Security number. What on earth would I need to give them my SSN for? Are they insane? Handing over my SSN via email just to get an answer to one harmless question?
Pure arrogance and rudeness.

I wouldn't say they're nosier, just that they aren't as good at hiding it as stores are. A bank knows I spent a certain amount at a specific shop, whereas a store can look at what I buy and figure out if I'm a drunk, if I'm having an affair, or if I can't cook a decent meal to save my life.😁

Brian Moore12 said:Sure, they probably do that too. But banks try to collect your entire life story like they’re the FBI or the CIA. Shopping malls aren't quite that "curious"—they mostly just care about the majority, which is what you already admitted.

Btw, regarding your point about not needing to give honest info—by signing that form, you're legally swearing everything is true. If you make stuff up, you're committing fraud. Don't take it lightly. If you've decided to hand over data, you might as well be honest; otherwise, you're looking at a criminal charge.

It’s pretty obvious what banks are thinking here. If most of their customers have kids, they're going to want to offer some competitive college savings plans or junior accounts just to keep them around.

Brian Moore12 said:Look, we're talking about pulling averages based on the shopping habits and preferences of a group of people.
What banks actually do is harvest all sorts of data from individuals—and it isn't anonymous. Big difference.

I don't follow. Doesn't a bank also use averages for certain groups? 🤷

Brian Moore12 said:And what if that guy isn't a beer drinker? 😁

If they can pull that off, imagine what banks are capable of...

It’s not about one specific guy; it’s about how the majority acts. Anyway, I was just using that as an example of how much data they can scrape from credit card info.

Sarah Morris57 said:I mean, maybe he's just picking up pads for his sister. Or hey, maybe he heard they work great for cleaning up spills or soaking up odors... who knows!
Maybe he's got a sister and he's grabbing diapers for his niece since, ya know, his sister doesn't drive.
Or maybe he's helping out elderly neighbors and picking up those adult diapers for them.

Bottom line is, there's really no reason for the cashier to be interrogating anyone about it.

It's not that the cashier is questioning you; you're basically handing over that info voluntarily, and like I mentioned earlier, they just use it to try and upsell you.

Brian Moore12 said:And what if he's just a guy using his wife's card to buy pads for his buddy's mistress?
😂

Honestly, it doesn't matter. All the store cares about is the data showing men buy pads, so they might as well put the shelf right next to the beer aisle.😁

Brian Moore12 said:Total nonsense. What exactly are they getting from loyalty cards? Consumer habits, what people buy, and which brands they like. That's it. They aren't collecting data on who’s married or what kind of pension someone's grandma is drawing. Banks, being as arrogant as they are, act like they own the place and that the rules don't apply to them—specifically GDPR. People, stop handing your personal info over to these banking suits. Stand up for your rights under the law, and if those arrogant institutions keep giving you grief, report them to the authorities where they belong....

If a guy is buying feminine hygiene products, isn't that enough of a hint that he's in a relationship? Or if someone's picking up diapers, we know they have a kid. Hell, if they're buying adult diapers, we might figure out they're caring for an elderly relative. You can learn a lot more through purchase history than you ever would by answering a banker's questions, which you don't even have to answer truthfully anyway.

It’s not just banks being nosy; every single company out there wants a piece of your data. The only difference is they're much more subtle about it. I mean, what's even the point of having loyalty programs if they aren't just tracking every cent you spend? Not to mention how much info you can dig up on someone online these days.

quietseal11 said:How are they even going to calculate the tax? On what basis?

I'm asking because fund returns aren't some fixed number you can just run a tax calculation on, unlike interest from a savings account.

I assume it's based on your gains—if you buy a share for $100 and sell it for $110, you pay on that $3.25 profit. By the way, they tax it in Canada, so you can see how that works out over there.

The term "fund" is pretty broad—whether you're talking about cash, stocks, or whatever else is in the mix—so you can't really lump it in with just simple savings.

boldskipper6 said:Honestly, you really should've stopped being such an old-school grandma type by now—at your age, too...

Does the truth bother you that much? Since when does getting older mean you have to start lying?

boldskipper6 said:Come on, you know he was talking about Social Security numbers—you're just acting like you don't get it.

What Social Security number? No one even mentioned that...😕

Nicholas Ward5 said:Look, for instance:

Only government agencies, local municipalities, or public officials are allowed to ask for a Social Security number.

And then there's all this other stuff too... endless stuff.

Section 6.

(1) Those required to have one must use their assigned Social Security number:
1. on all applications and documents used when communicating with the individual,
2. on any paperwork used for business operations (like invoices, receipts, or similar documents), and
3. during electronic transactions and banking activities.