Posts by Benjamin Taylor6

wearytrucker22 said:I was at your old firm twenty days ago—the one that got stolen from you, SAS Vector, Cop.
It’s pure misery; the plant is empty and there’s just one worker left rattling things around for himself. Is your part of SAS just as hollow?
And honestly, I feel for your old director and what he's dealing with after the good old days. The man behind the local economic miracle is losing an apartment worth $1.2 million.
Per the Zadar Municipal Court Enforcement Department, a two-story home with a yard totaling 7,200 square feet is hitting its first public auction on June 12th. It belongs to the well-known local businessman Stanislav Antić. Antić founded the SAS factory, which once drove the entire regional economy. By exporting specialized machinery—mostly to the former USSR—he funded the Pediatrics Department at Zadar General Hospital, the California marina, the SAS Vector shipyard, and even the current headquarters for OTP Bank. Antić also served two terms as a city councilman and led an independent ticket in the previous local elections.

SAS Vektor wasn't "stolen." It was just... let's call it "survey-based privatization." 🤔😲🤔😁

The reality is that right after 1995, the parent company, SAS Inc., was privatized. The government held the majority stake at the time. Then, some announcement went out asking small shareholders to decide where they wanted their shares to end up—whether they wanted them in SAS Vektor, Marina-Dalmacia, the charter fleet, the Engine Factory, or kept within the main SAS entity.
They pitched it to us as a mere survey. After all, the company was a single conglomerate with multiple divisions anyway.
But then, the director and a few of his little cronies decided they wanted the shares tied to the yacht-building division. They managed to snap up shares from a bunch of small-time holders—people who were practically begging for any scrap of value before they lost everything—by paying roughly 20% of the nominal value.
That small group ended up pooling enough shares to cover about 70% of the estimated value of the SAS Vektor division. Once they had that, they just headed over to the capital, pulled some strings, and triggered the spin-off. And just like that, SAS Vektor was detached.
The charter fleet was split off using the exact same playbook. They bought most of it using shares they acquired for maybe a quarter or a fifth of what they were actually worth.

As for our slice of the SAS pie?
We currently have about a third of the machinery we had twenty years ago—and keep in mind, those machines are, on average, thirty years old.
During the afternoon shift, there’s this palpable sense of dread being in the building. You see one worker for every hundred meters of floor space.😲

There are no more snack breaks, no more air conditioning, and hell, there isn't even heat in the winter. Unless you're standing in that tiny one-fifth section of the building where the coordinates are actually functional.

Nicholas Ross38 said:The IMF in America—what’s their deal lately? The International Monetary Fund is apparently losing sleep over the fact that the US is still stuck in this recessionary funk. They're pointing fingers at our uncompetitive exports, corporate debt levels, and the massive mountain of public sector debt. I guess they're worried. Are you guys actually ready for whatever austerity measures and "reforms" the IMF decides to throw our way? How are you planning to stay off their radar when the crackdown hits?

I am completely ready:
I've got a 3-meter plastic paddle for rowing and a 500-meter net for casting in the shallows. Plus, I have a 200-meter permit the government handed me for free. I'll sell my grandmother's house, renovate my father's old shack—which, mind you, doesn't even have clean titles—and slap some solar panels on the roof. That way, there's no property tax, and no bills for electricity or water (just a water truck).
All I need to do is buy five goats and a billy goat, and the crisis is solved. I have a few acres of scrubland at my disposal. Naturally, I'll also be following in my ancestors' footsteps.
The rest of the money goes to the kids so they can find it easier to settle outside the US. (They already have degrees, so they might as well enroll in advanced English, German, or French courses).

Jokes aside. The IMF isn't going to hit me too hard because I work for a private firm where I just pull in a raw salary. Personally, I'm all for the IMF.

ruggedgull36 said:Yeah, because we need some brutal cuts to the public sector and the government... and without the IMF, it’s just not going to happen.

We could have handled this ourselves, but clearly, we haven't done a damn thing. The finger-pointing just keeps going, while the national debt is pushing toward 100% and the economy is basically in freefall...

Our interest payments are way higher than Greece's, and our debt maturity is shorter too. Right now, we're essentially the riskiest country in the EU—aside from Greece—that isn't even properly accessing the markets.

With zero percent growth, interest rates are going to slowly start drowning us... and once the Fed hikes them up, the tidal wave is coming.

Slashing the size of the state is only one piece of the puzzle; we need to fix the entire tax system and everything else...

Up until now, they usually cut a little bit from everyone so that, in the end, the public sector still ends up with way more than those who actually create value.
So, the IMF might actually break that cycle: by cutting everyone equally just so we maintain the same proportional size of the public sector.
And that means cutting everyone's wages in the government by 10%, rather than hitting the public sector with a 30% cut.

Jeffrey Jackson9 said:Oh, so Germans produce things!!!
So Germans work!!!!
What's so bad about that!!!!
That's exactly why they can "dump" whatever they make onto anyone else!!!
And what exactly are we producing!?!?

The company I work for makes grinders and drills for Germans: http://www.taff-shop.com/media/catal...1001000000.jpg
They handed us a measly $10,000 for our 80% share of the job—only to watch them flip it later for $40,000. I guess they really know how to leverage their "brand name" and that tiny 20% stake in the product to squeeze out a massive profit. It's almost impressive, in a cynical sort of way.
And get this—the machine actually says Made in Germany on it. Not this little label here, though: http://www.goedicke.com/fileadmin/us...ke/7-34303.jpg

Meanwhile, the buyer is walking around all proud, bragging about how he owns a high-quality German drill. 😁

It seems like everyone is suddenly obsessed with Buddhism. Meanwhile, we have such beautiful, straightforward ideas sitting right on our own doorstep: 😁
http://www.nytimes.com/how-to-stop-caring...better/304570/

"Friends, it is finally time to tell all your painful little issues to 'f*** it.' Say 'f*** it' to toxic relationships, to what people think of you, to money, food, time, fear, the government, or even your job... Life loves it when you stop resisting—it actually starts working with you. It’s like giving the middle finger to convention, authority, and conformity, and simply stopping the act of doing things you don't actually want to do."

Now, I realize this might sound like some flippant, cliché advice from someone who doesn't have much else to offer—the kind of thing people suggest when they can't find anything profound to say. You might think they're just suggesting you should be indifferent to everything. But honestly, that isn't even close to the truth. According to John C. Parkin, this phrase is actually the most sublime spiritual path imaginable—a modern-day mantra that could genuinely shift the course of your life. He explores this in his recently released book, "F*** It," which has already been causing quite a stir here in the States.

Being unattached?!
That’s like saying you aren't even a fan. You just drift past the stadium like it’s some empty ghost town in the Midwest.
But eventually, some die-hard supporter is going to look you in the eye and tell you: you have no idea what you're missing out on. Just come hang out with us one day and cheer for the home team. Scream your lungs out, yell at the ref, curse out the coach—hell, give the players a piece of your mind too. That feeling is absolutely electric. And don't even get me started on when our guys actually score. Or better yet, when we pull off the win.

And if they lose? Well, then you'll spend the next three days moping around in misery.

Some shrink will probably claim that people who refuse to commit to anything are missing out on a massive part of the human experience.
They just spend their whole lives drifting along, half-asleep through it all.

mellownomad said:Look, nobody is stopping you from riding a bike everywhere if that's your thing.

Just send me a private message with a photo of the receipt after you buy the bike, along with a picture of yourself commuting to work on it...
Then maybe I'll consider doing the same.

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.

wearytrucker22 said:Personally, I say let's just ban all products coming from whatever country you work for. And what happens when the entire world goes bankrupt and falls into poverty? Where is your precious new country supposed to sell its goods and services then?

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/

mellownomad said:The core argument behind voting on this thread is quite simple: we shouldn't give Greece an inch of leeway. In fact, we should push them straight toward bankruptcy rather than offering any concessions.

Think about it this way: if we decide to bail them out, we aren't just helping one nation; we are effectively opening the floodgates. It would set a precedent that invites every other country to come knocking, demanding their own debts be wiped clean.
long live socialism! long live the Communist Party! long live Comrade Marshall!

Back when Josip Broz Marshall was in charge, credit flowed freely!!

You don't necessarily have to write off anyone's debt or play nice. But let's be real here—you aren't going to get a single cent out of the 50% of young Greeks who are currently unemployed.
😲😁😲😲

Unless you're planning on reintroducing slavery, that is.

mellownomad said:Are they destabilizing the nation by issuing these loans?
That’s a bit of a complex question... At the end of the day, a nation is comprised either of adults who are financially literate and capable, or a collection of people who lack judgment and require constant supervision.

Everyone claims to crave freedom, yet when they exercise that liberty irresponsibly, they aren't prepared to face the fallout. I call that a mindset of mental socialism.
It’s quite simple: you either embrace total freedom—complete with all its inherent opportunities and risks—or you don't have it at all.

The only people actually suffering from this "mental socialism" are the political cronies in government offices and their little sidekicks.
People working in the actual private sector have been grinding away in brutal capitalism for twenty-five years now!!

Providing loans doesn't destabilize a nation. A nation gets destabilized when people actually start demanding those loans be paid back.😁

Clearly, some people just need a babysitter. Ivo Sanders is the perfect example of that mindset.

wearytrucker22 said:And it isn't quite what you think—or what you actually believe—that Greece just grabbed and burned through $550 billion in debt.
Here is the actual breakdown of the situation as of May 1, 2015, regarding the debt.

$13.6 billion for the federal budget
$1.4 billion for the Federal Reserve
totaling $15 billion
And usually, European bankers use incredibly convoluted legislation and rules to force the budget to absorb commercial bank debt—in our case, $8.2 billion. This includes debt owed to their financial institutions and funds from the American private sector, mostly 30-50%, plus some foreign investment. $18.3 billion represents the principal and part of the larger foreign investments, but they execute that by penetrating the monetary system with about $6.7 billion.
To handle this, any normal country would constantly need emergency capital control laws, or printed bonds or a domestic currency.
For instance, Iceland refused to let the state budget take on the debt of commercial banks and private companies. All of Europe, led by the UK and the Netherlands, attacked them for it. In the end, they actually paid off a good chunk of that debt, though they did assume part of it themselves. Ireland, on the other hand, took on the private banks' debt without hesitation. That was the first time I discussed this here and asked if the Irish government was sane and why they would do such a thing. By doing that, they jumped from roughly $15 billion in central debt to today's $182 billion, and they're paying interest on it. With interest rates at only 0.5%, they're basically finished.

Are these laws really that bizarre? And does this apply to every single bank regardless of ownership, or just the foreign ones? The federal budget only guarantees deposits up to a certain limit, and anything beyond that is just a depositor's loss.
By that logic, if I lease a car, get hammered, and wreck it because it was my own fault, the insurance won't cover it and the bank won't be able to collect.
And then they're just going to dump that onto the taxpayers?!

wearytrucker22 said:Kulić: We need to tell the lenders that we aren't paying back debt that US Congress never authorized!
''They should start asking themselves who they're actually lending to. They ought to ask the Secretary of the Treasury if the decision to take on this debt was ever ratified by Congress. The message needs to be clear: the American people won't foot the bill for debts they were never informed about,'' says Slavko Kulić.

It is impossible to pin down the total foreign debt of America because of the endless cycle of restructuring and refinancing. We have no idea what the actual amounts of these new loans are, because during restructuring, the cash doesn't even enter the US; it’s just tacked onto the existing balance. To be blunt, maybe 10 to 20 percent of the money actually hits our shores, while the other 80 to 90 percent is just paper debt being added to the pile. This proves the government is acting more like an agent for big banks than a representative of its citizens. These institutions pump in capital that ends up being 150 times more expensive than what the Federal Reserve could produce on its own! This is unconstitutional borrowing, plain and simple, since central banks are responsible for managing a nation's financial flows. What we are looking at is nothing less than high treason by the political elite. They aren't saddling the state with debt; they are saddling every single citizen with it. We are left holding the bag, even though nobody bothered to ask us. The real motive—the true endgame behind all this borrowing—is to force the public into bankruptcy. The 'elite' wants to strip everything away from us so we don't consume the resources they want to hoard for themselves. They want to seize everyone's assets so we can't drive cars, can't heat our homes, and can't contribute to emissions, leaving all those resources untouched for their own use. That is the heart of the entire game,” explains independent economic analyst Dinko Bartulović.

Dr. Slavko Kulić, a highly respected scientist, makes a similar argument.

We absolutely have to understand the structure of American debt.
This proposal can only apply to the debt taken on directly by the US government to keep federal institutions or public utilities running.
As for all the other liabilities, the state as a single entity isn't responsible for them.
Here is a solid article on the subject: http://fizzit.net/posao-i-financije/...e-bojati-1-dio

So, who is actually on the hook to pay that money back? The state pays its share, the banks pay theirs, and finally, the citizens pay theirs via the loans they took out. Look, if you find the statistic that every American is technically liable for a certain amount intimidating, just think about your own mortgage or that lease on your imported car: if you can't make the payments, nobody is going to step in and pay it for you. What happens if you default? Well, then the person who lent you the money—primarily the bank—has a massive problem on their hands. And the foreign owner of that bank will have a problem too. But does the government have a problem? Probably not. And neither do your neighbors: it is highly unlikely you'll be forced to settle someone else's debt unless you specifically signed as a guarantor.

CONCLUSION:

First off, as one can see from the text—which is buried under a rather paranoid headline—the debt of the US as a legal entity, or what the text refers to as the "central state," does not amount to 46 billion dollars as the headline claims, but rather 5.9 billion dollars. And that is the only slice of external debt that actually increased last year, and it's the only part the administration has direct control over: it's the external debt that Americans most commonly associate with the word "government." That is simply budget money that was spent when there wasn't enough domestic revenue to cover it.

Therefore, the aforementioned law can only apply to the Democratic Party!!



THE GOVERNMENT OWES US A REFUND ON GREENBACKS!! And honestly, that’s not even the most pressing issue here. As for everything else above that level—well, let the people who actually took out the loans deal with the fallout themselves!

Take my buddy, who’s currently staring down bankruptcy—he was just telling me the other day about how he’s stuck paying off his wife’s nebulous debts. He ended up acting as a guarantor, and now the bill has landed squarely on his doorstep.
They're looking at a $20,000 debt being settled by him and their partner, who’s already retired.
That works out to roughly $400 per person.
It makes you wonder—if their business partner had passed away, there wouldn't even be anyone left to settle his share. Unless, of course, the partner was smart enough to transfer all his assets over to his wife and kids beforehand. In this case, the wife played it smart and transferred the house to their daughter. It’s been over three years now, so it’s far too late for creditors to try any fraudulent conveyance lawsuits.
Regarding their specific debt, if they can't pay it back, the US Congress doesn't need to step in and pass some massive new piece of legislation. We already have wage garnishment laws that allow for up to a third of an average paycheck. That should be more than enough.

rapidbear65 said:Thanks for the deep dive, man!

Self-inflicted illness is basically when some street psychic tells you that you’re going to drop dead just because you didn't give them $3.25. And then—believe it or not—you actually get sick because you swallowed that nonsense whole. Then, a buddy of yours shows up at your hospital bedside with some shaman who spends half an hour banging on a drum and lighting incense. He also hands you a check to donate to the Red Cross $33. You pay it, and suddenly, you're cured.

New book: http://www.healthycow.com/readingroom/321/you-are-the-placebo

Joe Dispenza argues that we are our own placebo—that our thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions actually shape our reality, and by extension, our physical health. He presents documented cases of people who fell ill or even passed away simply because they believed a—as it turned out—completely erroneous, fatal diagnosis. If our minds can be that powerful, why on earth wouldn't we harness them to heal ourselves and live better lives?

Dr. Dispenza points to numerous examples from his workshop participants who used the power of their minds to overcome cancer, heart disease, arthritis, depression, Parkinson’s, thyroid issues, MS, and more. Drawing from the latest research in quantum physics, neurology, psychology, biology, and hypnosis, Dr. Dispenza has developed a transformation model designed to help us trigger that placebo effect—the very thing his patients believed in, resulting in miraculous recoveries that are backed by actual science.

The book also includes instructions regarding ..........

rapidbear65 said:Does that mean science is still in its infancy and lagging way behind spirituality? Personally, I feel like once science really levels up, we might actually be able to grasp the divine. Not trying to claim I know everything though...

It isn't in its infancy, it just has a massive amount of work left to do:
http://www.americanforum.com/showpost.php?p=4...&postcount=114

Is scientific progress more important, or spiritual elevation, or perhaps both happening in parallel.....

Scientific progress is a profession!

Spiritual elevation is a hobby.

😁

So, a buddy of mine just got hit with a garnishment notice because he co-signed a loan for his wife’s business. Here’s the kicker—she’s actually living and working over in Germany right now. The Bank has no clue because she never bothered to update her address with them—just a classic case of leaving loose ends
The big question is: what does my friend need to do to make sure this creditor goes after the actual borrower instead of him as the guarantor?
It gets a bit messy since she’s currently working out in Germany, which adds a whole extra layer of complication to the situation.

wearytrucker22 said:Look, if you've got a subpar lawyer at home, you're asking for trouble. I dealt with something similar when an AT&T bill showed up out of nowhere. I filed a formal dispute, making sure to emphasize that I distinctly remembered paying that bill a decade ago and that I had all the receipts (total lie, by the way). I challenged the validity of their documentation and demanded they produce the actual proof, insisting on a full forensic audit of the records and my account history for the entire calendar year.
About four or five months later, I finally got word that the collection agency was dropping the whole thing.

My lawyer is frankly terrified of litigating this down in Miami. It isn't exactly a breeze traveling from New York City to Miami, especially when everything hinges on $400 this specific legal battle. Every time you file an objection, you're basically signing up for a day in court.
That is, assuming the creditor doesn't just decide to back off first.
On top of that, I missed the window for an appeal because I was out of town—some buddy acting as a mailman signed for it on my behalf
so by the time the envelope actually hit my hands, ten days had already slipped through my fingers.
My attorney is busy handling collections cases himself, so he operates under the assumption that the opposing side is just as savvy with the legal "tricks of the trade."
But there is another, much more significant "legal loophole" at play here: judicial bias. Unfortunately, it’s becoming increasingly obvious—especially when the plaintiff lives in the same city where the trial is held and is backed by a massive corporation.
A friend of mine told me today that he really took a hit $1667 and ended up paying it off in twenty installments. 😲
Back about six years ago, he was involved in a minor car accident where he wasn't even at fault. At the initial hearing, he won regarding the material damages.
But then, suddenly, his lawyer decided to try and squeeze out a few extra thousand dollars by citing the emotional trauma and minor injuries his ten-year-old son sustained during the crash. After three long years of litigation, the ruling came down that he had completely miscalculated. Interestingly enough, that very same lawyer—the one who tried to milk the situation—backed off and explained that times have changed, and nowadays, Allstate doesn't lose these kinds of cases nearly as easily.
I've seen this pattern play out more than once. Here is a bit of dark humor that nearly became a personal tragedy for the author: 😲

http://www.newsoutlet.com/articles/29...but-veterans

Continuing his statement, Sherman emphasized how bafflingly fast the court scheduled the first hearing in this matter. The private lawsuit was filed on the 7th, yet by March 14th, the primary hearing was already set. He noted that this left him virtually no time to secure counsel, as nobody wanted to take the case—and those who were willing were mostly just looking to score political points on his behalf, something he refuses to permit.

- Because of exactly that, I would appreciate it if someone in this institution could explain why a defamation suit can be scheduled so rapidly, while other people end up waiting years for their day in court.

The problem is that the general public remains in the dark about why that tycoon eventually dropped the lawsuit. Apparently, one of the protesters delivered a "verbal complaint" that immediately ignited the whole situation.
And that complaint was nothing more than a single, chilling sentence whispered to the mogul behind a corner: "Watch your back." 😲 😲

I was digging through my old files yesterday—just doing some much-needed organization, though we all know how that usually ends up being a massive waste of time—and I stumbled upon something actually pretty interesting.
I closed the deal on that apartment back on October 15, 2006. Looking back—and I say this with a bit of a heavy heart, honestly—it feels like a lifetime ago. It’s funny how time stretches out, isn't it? One minute you're signing papers in some stuffy office, thinking about what you'll do with the cash, and the next, decades have slipped through your fingers. I remember the weather that day, too—crisp, perfect autumn air... anyway, the point remains, the sale was finalized on the 15th of October, 2006.
I’m pretty sure I remember signing that paperwork—including the part where I handed over my phone—during that same month!
I don’t have the transfer date on my end—and honestly, even Deutsche Telekom doesn't have it in their system either! It’s just completely missing.

And the bill—get this—it’s actually dated for November of that same year!

Alright, look—I’m getting a very distinct sense that something is seriously off here. Honestly? Something smells fishy, and I can't quite put my finger on it yet, but my gut is screaming.

John Clark6 said:Man, oh man... things are totally different over at Verizon... they don't even go after you for forced collections down there... hahaha

There is absolutely no such thing as forced collection!!

I’m sticking strictly to gift cards—period. There is absolutely no way I’m entertaining the idea of a subscription.

And don't even get me started on the data—we need high-speed internet for both the phone and the laptop! Honestly, if you aren't running a solid connection across all your devices, what are you even doing? It’s become an absolute necessity these days... I mean, I was trying to hop on a Zoom call the other day from my home office—just a simple thing, really—and the lag was enough to make my blood boil. You can't be tethered to a single spot like it's 1995 just to get a decent signal. We need seamless coverage, whether we're scrolling on a smartphone or grinding away on a MacBook. It's about total connectivity.

That’s it. I am officially done. I am not signing another single contract with anyone—ever! Seriously, I’m hanging up the pen for good. After everything that’s gone down lately—and believe me, I have had enough of the fine print and the backstabbing—I just can't deal with the headache anymore. It’s always the same story, isn't it? You think you're making a solid deal, maybe grab a coffee at a Starbucks, shake hands, feel good about the future... and then, boom. They twist your words, change the terms, and suddenly you're left holding the bag while they walk away scot-free. I've learned my lesson the hard way—too many times, actually—and frankly, my blood pressure isn't high enough to justify this kind of stress. No more. Just consider me completely off the market for any legal commitments. I'm out.

I honestly can't even begin to wrap my head around what we're looking at here. It’s one of those situations where you just have to sit back, take a breath, and wonder if anyone actually thought this through before it hit the fan—though, knowing how things go lately, I probably shouldn't be surprised. It feels like we're constantly circling the same drain, chasing these half-baked ideas that look great on paper but fall apart the second they touch reality. I remember back when I was working a similar gig over in Chicago—completely different industry, mind you, but the same fundamental lack of foresight—and we spent six months building something that was obsolete before the ink even dried on the contract. It’s frustrating, really. You want to believe there's some method to the madness, but sometimes it just looks like chaos dressed up as a plan. Anyway, I digress. What are we actually supposed to do with this? Benjamin Taylor6 says:
I’ve got a bit of a question for you all—and since I can't seem to dig up an answer anywhere in this endless ocean of posts, I figured I might as well just throw it out here:

So, I just got hit with this absolute nonsense—an old bill from AT&T that was supposedly due back in 2016. Can you believe that? They actually dug up some charge from eight years ago out of nowhere. Then, to top off the absurdity of the whole situation, I received an official notice regarding debt collection about two years back. Of course, it’s Hanžeković handling the legal side of things. It’s just one of those endless loops where they dig up ghosts from your past just to squeeze a few more dollars out of you. Honestly, the sheer lack of organization is maddening.

Is there actually any way to file an appeal at this stage—I mean, once the account has been frozen for over six months? It feels like such a long stretch of time that I'm starting to wonder if the window for even making a noise has slammed shut entirely.
If I’m reading this right—and I usually am, though I sometimes second-guess myself when things get messy—the bill itself should have been out of the picture a long time ago due to the statute of limitations. But, because of some sheer, utter negligence on their part, the appeal wasn't even filed within that critical eight-day window. It’s just one of those situations where someone dropped the ball, and now everyone is dealing with the fallout of their lack of accountability.

Is the damage already done, or is there still some way to scrape together enough to trim down the debt—or maybe even wipe the slate clean entirely?
So, I was thinking about this earlier—it’s one of those things that seems straightforward until you actually get into the weeds of the legal system—but can you actually file an objection or an appeal to a higher court? And if so, what does that whole process actually look like?

Thanks!

And here comes another absolute gem from the geniuses in charge—it’s almost impressive how they manage to mess things up this consistently. The decision regarding the foreclosure was actually issued two years ago, yet somehow, it only officially kicked in six months back. It’s just one of those bureaucratic loops that makes you want to put your head through a wall—honestly, I don't know how anyone gets anything done in this country when the paperwork moves at the speed of a snail on vacation.😁

So, to put it bluntly—can we actually get anything done here? Is there any way to make this work?
If I’m reading the situation correctly—and I usually am, even if I tend to overthink things—it sounds like you're looking at filing an appeal with the Supreme Court. Now, look, that’s a massive undertaking, and it isn't exactly a "walk in the park" type of deal. It's more like trying to navigate a legal maze while someone keeps moving the walls around on you. Regarding the procedure, it’s incredibly dense. You aren't just sending a letter saying, "Hey, this feels unfair." You have to demonstrate that a fundamental constitutional right has been violated. It requires a very specific legal framework, rigorous documentation, and—this is the part where people usually hit a wall—an airtight legal argument. You essentially have to prove that a lower court or a government entity stepped outside its bounds and trampled on the Constitution itself. It’s a heavy lift, and frankly, it can be quite exhausting to prepare. As for the financial side of things... well, there’s no sugarcoating it. We aren't talking about a small fee or a quick transaction. If you want to do this properly—meaning, if you actually want to stand a chance—you’re looking at significant legal fees. Hiring a high-caliber constitutional attorney in a major city like Chicago or D.C. isn't cheap. Between the billable hours for research, the drafting of the petition, and the sheer complexity of the filings, you could easily be looking at tens of thousands of dollars. It’s a serious investment, and if you go in underprepared, you might find yourself throwing money down a drain. I remember once dealing with a complicated administrative dispute back when I was working near Seattle—tried to fight a local zoning ruling—and even then, the paperwork felt endless. A Supreme Court case is on an entirely different level of intensity. Just make sure you have your ducks in a row before you dive into this deep end.😁

Is it even possible for someone who isn't a licensed attorney to be drafting this kind of thing? Seriously—I mean, I’ve seen some amateurish attempts at legal reasoning in my time, but this feels... off. It’s like watching someone try to perform surgery with a butter knife—you can see the intent is there, I suppose, but the execution is just fundamentally lacking that specialized precision you'd expect from a trained professional. I'm sitting here looking at this, wondering if anyone actually vetted this before it went live. Honestly, it makes me wonder about the standards being applied here.

You really have to be surgical about this—you need to know the exact date you sent that debt notice to Hanđeković and the precise moment he actually received it. If that notice lands in his hands within twelve months of when the debt was first incurred, then you aren't looking at a statute of limitations issue at all. It’s a total trap. Because if that window stays open, he can basically hunt you down for the rest of your life—I mean it—just piling on interest like he's playing a high-stakes game of Monopoly. It’s enough to make your blood boil, honestly.
I was reading this piece earlier about how certain consumer protections—specifically those regarding product liability and warranty claims—seem to be getting more complicated as we age, and honestly, it just gets me fired up. You’d think that as we get older and, let's face it, start buying higher-end goods because our backs can't handle the cheap stuff anymore, the rules would become clearer. Instead, it feels like every time you try to hold a manufacturer accountable for a lemon, there’s some new legal loophole or a bureaucratic wall standing in your way. It reminds me of a situation I had back in Chicago a few years ago—I bought this high-end espresso machine, one of those heavy-duty ones that costs as much as a used car—and when the heating element fried after only six months, the company basically told me that "limited warranties" didn't cover what I thought they did. It’s infuriating. You pay the premium price specifically so you *don't* have to deal with this exact headache, yet here we are, navigating fine print that feels like it was written by someone trying to dodge responsibility rather than serve the customer. There’s this sense that the system is shifting—moving away from protecting the individual buyer and leaning more toward shielding big corporations from the consequences of shoddy craftsmanship. We’re seeing these trends where the burden of proof is being pushed onto the consumer, making us jump through hoops just to get what we were promised at the point of sale. It’s exhausting, really. You shouldn't need a law degree just to get a refund for a defective toaster or a malfunctioning appliance. We need more transparency and less fine-print maneuvering if we want any semblance of fairness in the marketplace.

ruggedmaker2 said:Are you absolutely positive you filed that appeal with the right office?
Shouldn't you have sent it directly to whoever issued the original judgment in the first place?

Well, since I have a lawyer in the family, he went ahead and reached out to the notary in San Francisco who’s handling the case over in San Diego.
And honestly, he just went on the offensive—threatening to report them to the Bar Association to get this settled after eight long years. After a bit of back-and-forth, we finally reached an agreement: they’ll pay the amount, not $867 but strictly ONLY $383 😲😁😲 regarding that debt from $96 back in November 2006.

The thing is, I was at the AT&T store in San Diego, and they were completely clueless—it's like they don't even have the records in their system anymore. Meanwhile, the creditor (AT&T) always has the option to withdraw their enforcement request whenever they feel like it.

Since they weren't being particularly helpful—or even remotely courteous, frankly—I walked straight into the competitor next door (Verizon) and signed up to port my number over to their service.
My Verizon line should be active by tomorrow.
On top of that, I'm getting ready to cancel both my landline and my mother's landline, which are under my name. She barely uses it, and I only ever use it for the internet. My kids just call my cell since they get unlimited minutes anyway.
I think I'll buy my mom one of those old-school, ugly flip phones with buttons, and for myself, I'll grab a Verizon hotspot stick for wireless internet. I'll set up free calls on the phone for $17 months.
All in all, Deutsche Telekom is going to lose two entire accounts.

Nathan Long5 said:You’d definitely end up facing criminal charges. For a first offense, you might dodge jail time, but if you did it again, you’d almost certainly be looking at prison.
And honestly, you’d probably get hit with a restraining order keeping you far away from that person in the future.

The real headache starts when this kind of thing becomes a widespread trend—you know, people throwing eggs at politicians as some sort of protest.
But honestly, the government has a way of handling that too: they'd just slap it under the category of Hooliganism!

Update: I actually filed a formal complaint with Verizon.
But honestly? They seem pretty skeptical that it’ll go anywhere.
Even AT&T doesn't even have data from 2006 in their systems anymore—and you can bet I certainly don't. Now, mind you, this is a bit of a weird edge case.
Back then, we sold our house and handed over the account number to the buyer. The buyer never bothered to tell me there was an outstanding balance,
and the company never sent a single notice to my new address.
Instead, they just sat on it—perfectly silent for nine years—while letting interest pile up at 12% annually.
And now, to top it all off, they’re coming after me for $733 additional interest.

If this is what passes for a legal system in America:

America spent fifty years living under one single mindset; now, it looks like we'll spend the next fifty in total chaos!

ruggedmaker2 said:Give me a break. Statutes of limitations definitely exist. We’ve said it a million times on this board already—the courts aren't going to do the work for you. They won't look at the expiration date on their own. You have to be the one to step up and claim it during the appeal process.

Just file your appeal and cite the statute of limitations. That's how you play the game.

Well, I actually sat down and talked to my lawyer!

The statute of limitations doesn't apply here because the notary received the request for enforcement eight years ago.
The real question is... why on earth did they wait this long? ?????????????
So, basically, he could have waited another ten years and we'd still be stuck in the same boat—no statute of limitations.

We are dealing with VAGUE LAWS here. The whole thing really ought to be challenged in the Supreme Court, but that costs a fortune, and then you're right back to waiting forever. If I decide to go through with an appeal, it kicks off a full-blown lawsuit.
And let me tell you, that isn't cheap at all—especially since the notary is located in a completely different city. Plus, there's no guarantee a judge will even rule in my favor.

At this point, it feels like the statute of limitations is a total joke. We might as well just hoard every single receipt until the end of time, because you never know when some random bill might get lost in the mail.
Think about it: a creditor sends a "lost" bill to a notary, claiming it's an outstanding debt. Then, ten years later, this guy sends you an enforcement order because he's banking on the fact that nobody keeps paperwork for that long!??!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!😵🙂🙂😲🙂🙂😵

I can't quite wrap my head around what you're getting at here—it’s a bit vague, isn't it? A little cryptic, perhaps. If you've got a point to make or a specific grievance to air, just lay it out on the table. I'm all ears, though I usually prefer a bit more substance before I dive into a discussion. kaže:
Hey there.

So, this kid owes money to AT&T—we're talking about a mobile plan, right? Something in the ballpark of... $1000So, looking at this situation—since the guy doesn't even have an active bank account, the whole enforcement process is basically hitting a brick wall... I mean, we don't even know if they’ve actually attempted to pull the funds yet—my main question is: is there any way this debt just... expires? You know, goes into statute of limitations territory? I’m not entirely sure what the legal window for that looks like here in the States, but it seems like a massive loophole. On top of that, he hasn't got a single piece of real estate to his name. It's just one thing after another with these cases.

I realized something incredibly important today—something that really puts things into perspective:

Theoretically speaking, here in the States... Look, let me get this straight—there is absolutely no such thing as a statute of limitations kicking in if the creditor actually gets their act together and files the paperwork for an enforcement order. It doesn't matter how long you think they've been sitting on it; once those legal documents are officially submitted to the court, that clock effectively stops. I remember dealing with some nonsense involving a utility bill back in Chicago years ago—I thought I was home free because they hadn't sent a notice in months, only to find out the legal gears were already turning behind the scenes. It’s a bit of a headache, honestly, but that’s just how the system works here in the States. Once the filing hits the desk, the game changes.

So, I finally got that enforcement order in the mail the other day—you know, one of those official notices that makes your stomach drop just seeing the envelope from the county clerk. It’s one of those things where you think everything was settled, you think you've done the work, and then—bam—legal paperwork lands on your doorstep like a freight train out of nowhere. Honestly, it’s enough to make anyone lose their cool for a second. $67 Wait, hold on—are you telling me I missed a phone bill from November 2006?! Seriously?! !!!!!!!!!!!!!????????
So, here’s the deal—the attorney representing AT&T received the formal request and handed it off to their legal firm, but those guys just went ahead and sent it out for enforcement only a few days ago. It feels like one of those situations where things move just a little too fast for comfort—you know, that sudden rush to pull the trigger before everyone has even had a chance to catch their breath? It reminds me of when I was dealing with some paperwork back in Chicago years ago; everything seemed settled, then suddenly, the hammer comes down out of nowhere. Just a bit much, if you ask me.
Look, if anyone actually thinks they’ve dodged a bullet just because ten years have crawled by—well, they’re dead wrong. It’s a massive misconception. Under the current legal framework here in the States, a collections agent can basically sit on their hands and wait to execute a judgment for as long as they damn well please. There aren't any hard expiration dates on these things that people realize. I remember back when I was dealing with some old credit issues—nothing major, just some messy paperwork from a decade ago—and I thought I was in the clear because the statute of limitations felt like it had passed. Turns out, the collectors were just playing the long game, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. So, don't go thinking you're off the hook just because time has passed; the clock doesn't necessarily stop working in your favor.

James Scott12 said:Here is the situation. I have several questions regarding a garnishment and an ongoing legal proceeding. To give you all enough context so you can offer the best advice, I’ll start from the beginning. 🙂

I have been separated since 20XX. My ex-husband and son managed to set up various service contracts—internet, Max subscriptions, and things like that—using my information through AT&T customer service. I canceled everything within my power, but I was essentially forced to pay those bills on their behalf. At least, I was paying the ones I received before the separation while I was still living with them. Because I haven't been able to register at a new address, I am still officially listed at my old residence. I have already appeared in court twice over this exact same issue. Each time, their lawyers failed to show up, and the judge dismissed the case. Just the day before yesterday, I had to go back to court for the same matter yet again (this makes it three times now), only to find their attorney actually present this time. The moment we stepped into the courtroom, she attacked me, claiming that because I changed my name, I am responsible for everything. Essentially, she is holding me liable for unpaid balances that I never even knew existed, using my Social Security number as proof of identity. We have another hearing scheduled for May. I have protested every single time. I have written detailed appeals and laid out my arguments, but I am at my wits' end. I am currently living on minimum wage as a renter, and my landlords are hesitant to register my residency... and I’m not sure if it would be wise to ask someone else to register me at their address. Can anyone advise me? What should my next move be? I have all my documentation ready. Should I try to contact the judge directly? She presided over one of my previous hearings. Should I be filing more formal appeals? To whom, and what kind? Please, I need help.

It’s one of those things that just gets under my skin—this whole situation where people are stuck renting, living under someone else's roof, while their landlord refuses to actually register them or file the proper paperwork. It’s a mess, really. You’re essentially living in a legal gray area through no fault of your own, just because the person holding the keys wants to dodge taxes or stay off the radar of the local authorities. I remember back when I was staying in a small apartment over in San Francisco—nothing fancy, just a place to crash—and the guy running the building was the same kind of character. He’d look you right in the eye, take your cash, and then act like you didn't even exist if anyone from the city offices came knocking. It puts you in such a vulnerable position. Without that official registration, you have zero leverage. You’re basically a ghost in the system. No proof of residency for a driver's license, no paper trail for credit scores, and absolutely nothing to protect you if things go sideways with the lease. It’s predatory, honestly—taking someone's hard-earned money while denying them the basic security of being a recognized tenant. I mean, if things really go south, I can always reach out to social services—then my official residence would just be listed as a state-run facility. It’s a bit of a grim thought, honestly, but sometimes you have to look at the fallback options when everything else falls apart.
I saw a similar situation play out once with a buddy of mine—he actually ended up selling his condo just to clear out his debts. It was a tough call, but sometimes you just have to liquidate everything to get back to zero.
So, he ended up basically living as a free tenant in some old guy's basement—an old man who, quite frankly, refused to report him to the authorities. It’s one of those messy situations that just keeps spiraling. He actually let me in on the fact that people in that kind of spot can technically file themselves as homeless... which, if you think about it, opens up a whole different set of legal headaches.

Michael Anderson2 said:Look, you can label it however you want—fate, the will of God, deterministic chaos, luck, misfortune, "it is what it is," or just how things go—but at the end of the day, it simply cannot be any other way.

To put it bluntly: it is what it is, so just deal with it...

Yeah, you could frame it that way—explaining reality as "God's will" or saying "God gives us what we need"—but really, you're just putting a label on the fact that things are what they are and they couldn't be anything else. It's inevitable, and there's nothing you can do about it...

Actually, there is a way to fight back if we arm ourselves with actual knowledge. That's how we stop being so dependent on the whims of nature or the unpredictable behavior of the people around us.
Back in the Middle Ages, people were convinced the Black Death was a punishment for their sins—that it was God's direct will, hitting both the wicked and the righteous alike. Fast forward to today, and we know it was actually microorganisms. We found ways to resist them. It isn't "God's will" anymore for millions of people to die from the plague.
Though, I suppose one could argue that the purpose of it all was to force humanity to learn those lessons.

steelmarlin77 said:You've got a point there. Sometimes I find myself looking for some kind of "higher power" to guide me, too. I've never made money that I didn't have some sort of right to—money I hadn't earned or wasn't somehow meant to be mine. These two guys represent exactly that, and that's the crux of the issue. There are ways to get there, but we won't get into the weeds of that right now. Simply put, you have to sell yourself. Not in the usual way, like for a paycheck or a job, but in a different sense. You have to engage with certain circles, organizations, certain cliques. People say the Masons run this world however they please, but then they pay triple in hell for it later. I can't verify that, so I won't claim it's true. Personally, I am given what I need. However, in this specific case, these gentlemen were right to take what belongs to me. It's not like they were specifically targeting me... they just spread their lies among anyone willing to swallow them, and in this instance, they swallowed them even by people who matter to me. You might wonder why I don't just take revenge on the media outlets spreading these lies, but obviously... Hanzi is now formally tied to one of those outlets, and they hold others under the table... I could leave them alone, but I can't just sit by while people are poisoned by their falsehoods, because that hits home for me personally. Taking a Gandhian approach, I don't want to defeat them with the money they have and I don't, nor with an army, but with the truth. I'll turn their own army against them, because nobody fights for a liar who makes promises only to break them.

The real headache is that immoral people often lack the self-awareness to realize they’re being immoral. They genuinely believe their behavior is just standard operating procedure. Just look at Bill Clinton—he built quite an empire through some pretty shady dealings, all while acting like a man of high principle. To make matters even more surreal, his siblings were deeply religious. His brother was a priest and his sister was a nun. How could they not see that their own brother wasn't exactly walking the straight and narrow? Or maybe they just think everyone is entitled to a little "finder's fee."
I mean, what’s the actual difference if I were Ken Lay, closing a $100 million deal with some overseas partners and asking for a 2% kickback sent to my account in Bermuda 2? If Sanders closes a similar deal and asks for his cut, what changes?
The only distinction is ownership: Ken Lay owned his conglomerate, whereas Sanders never owned the state-run companies. He was just a temporary manager handed the keys based on an election.

Michael Anderson2 said:Sure, but I'm not saying it was "necessary" for Hitler to kill millions—that's nonsense. What I mean is that the mass murder itself is an absolute necessity of logic; it simply cannot be anything other than what it is. It is a factual necessity, plain and simple, and there's no escaping that reality. What is, is.

Is it necessary? It feels like we're staring right into our own destiny—that inevitable, slow-motion train wreck we can't seem to steer away from.

In the hands of fate.
So, I was reading about this legendary Japanese warlord, Nobunaga—an absolute powerhouse—who decided to go all-in against an enemy force that outmatched him ten to one. Ten times his size! Can you even imagine? Most people would have just packed up and headed home, but he wasn't most people. He had this unshakable certainty that victory was inevitable, even though his own troops were looking at him like he’d completely lost his mind. They were skeptical, hesitant, probably wondering if they were walking straight into a meat grinder—which, let's be honest, usually happens when you're outnumbered like that—but he stayed the course anyway. It makes you wonder about that kind of conviction... or maybe just pure, unadulterated madness.
On stops by a local Shinto shrine on his way through—just a quick detour, really—and tells his crew, "Since I'm visiting this Shinto site, I'm going to flip a coin. If it lands on heads, we win; if it's tails, we lose. It’s all in the hands of God now."

Nobunaga steps into the sanctuary and offers up a silent prayer. Then, he walks back out and flips a coin—heads. It’s almost poetic, really. His soldiers were practically starving for a fight, just itching to get into the fray, and sure enough, they swept through the battle without breaking much of a sweat.
“It’s just one of those things—you can struggle against it all you want, scream at the sky until your lungs give out, but the truth remains: nobody can change the hand fate dealt them. It's written. You can try to bluff, you can try to fold, but once those cards are on the table, that’s the reality you're living in. I remember sitting in a diner outside of Chicago back in the nineties, watching this old man play solitaire—he was playing like his life depended on it, rearranging the deck, sweating over every move—but even then, you could see it. Some patterns just aren't meant to be broken. It’s a hard pill to swallow, I know, but fighting the inevitable is just a recipe for exhaustion."That's what his follower told him after the colors faded," he said—though honestly, I can’t help but wonder if anyone was actually listening at the time.
"It’s just impossible," Nobunaga muttered, holding up a coin that had come up double-headed—heads on both sides.
😁

But what if we're actually heading in the wrong direction? Seriously—what if this whole thing is just a massive detour? Even then, I suppose we should just keep being "grateful," right? Just keep smiling while the ship hits the iceberg. Life is just one giant, cosmic waiting room—kind of like being stuck in a terminal at LAX during a massive thunderstorm, only without the overpriced Cinnabon. You sit there, staring at the departures board, wondering if you’re actually going anywhere or if the universe is just playing a long-form prank on you. I was thinking about this the other day while I was trying to fix that old espresso machine—you know, the one I swore I’d repair back in 2019? It’s a lost cause, much like most of our grand ambitions. We spend our entire lives building these elaborate structures—careers, reputations, even our little social circles—thinking we’re constructing something permanent. But honestly? It feels more like we’re just rearranging the furniture in a hall that’s constantly being remodeled by forces we can't even begin to comprehend. It’s easy to get caught up in the minutiae—the bills, the traffic on the I-95, the endless notifications on your phone—and feel like these things define us. But when you step back and look at the sheer, terrifying scale of everything, all that noise starts to fade. It’s a bit overwhelming, sure. There’s a certain heaviness to realizing how small our "big moments" actually are in the grand scheme of things. But maybe that’s the trick. Maybe the point isn't to find some profound, lasting meaning in the chaos, but to just... exist within it. To accept that the room is spinning, the lights are flickering, and we’re all just passengers on a very strange, very beautiful flight to nowhere in particular. It's a bit absurd, really—this whole business of being alive—but I suppose that's what makes it interesting. Otherwise, what would we have to talk about?

Man, there is an incredible, almost terrifying level of freedom inherent in being human. That’s where the real beauty lies—it's our greatest glory, really. Freedom isn't just some concept you read about in a textbook; it's an immeasurable gift from God. The thing is, most people walk around like they've been pre-programmed, following some invisible script without ever questioning it. You haven't been handed a detailed blueprint or a step-by-step manual for your life. You have to build yourself from the ground up—you have to be your own creator. It’s a heavy realization, I know. So, at the end of the day, everything rests squarely on your shoulders. The choices are yours alone. You could strive to become a Buddha or even reach the heights of Bahaudin, or—on the flip side—you could turn into someone like Adolf Hitler or Benito Mussolini. You could choose to be a killer, or you could choose to be a meditator. It all comes down to you.

If you actually spend your days doing what you believe you were meant to do—not just some soul-crushing grind to pay the mortgage, mind you, but actual meaningful work—you aren't going to have the luxury of feeling bored. It’s a simple equation, really. Boredom is usually just a symptom of being disconnected from your own purpose. I remember back when I was working that dead-end retail gig in Chicago—just staring at the clock, waiting for five o'clock like it was a prison sentence—that was pure, unadulterated boredom. But once you align your actions with your internal compass? That restlessness disappears. You're too occupied with the task at hand to sit around wondering where the time went.

The Sufi mystic was completely broke—just an outcast, really, exhausted from years of constant traveling. He rolled into this small town in the middle of the night, hoping for a bit of rest, but they wouldn't have him. The place was populated by these strictly orthodox Muslims, and let me tell you, when those types take hold of a community, trying to reason with them is like talking to a brick wall. They were so set in their ways that they wouldn't even grant him shelter within the city limits.

The night was freezing—biting, really—and he was just exhausted, starving, and honestly, way too underdressed for the weather. He ended up sitting there right outside the city limits, huddled under a tree. His students were right there with him, too, though they looked absolutely miserable—just a heavy cloud of depression and simmering anger hanging over the whole group.

Then he just started praying—really getting into it—talking to God like, "You’re incredible. You always give me exactly what I need." Honestly? It was just too much. Too much.

One student actually had the nerve to look me in the eye and say, "Hold on, you're taking this a bit too far—especially tonight. Those words of yours just aren't true. We’re starving, we’re exhausted, we aren't even properly trained, and this freezing night is closing in on us. There are predators everywhere in these woods, we've been kicked out of the city, and we don't have a single place to take shelter. So, why on earth are you giving thanks to God? What exactly are you thinking when you claim, 'You always give me exactly what I need'?"

The mystic once remarked—and I remember reading this somewhere back in college, probably during one of those long, aimless nights in Chicago—"Yes, I’ll do it again. God provides everything I actually need. Tonight, I need to experience poverty; tonight, I need to feel rejected, hungry, and in danger. Otherwise, why would He grant me such things? It has to be out of necessity. It has to be required, which is exactly why I ought to be grateful. The way He looks upon my needs... it's truly beautiful."

Look, this isn't even about what's actually happening right now—and that’s the point. The current situation? It doesn't matter to him. He's completely detached from the facts on the ground.

steelmarlin77 It’s got to be this way here, too. There can be no talk of forgiveness or love—none at all—until the Hanđeković crowd, those Trilateral Commission types, and the rest of the architects behind this disaster are brought to their knees. I want them to feel nothing but pure, unadulterated rage and hatred while they suffer the consequences of their actions—hell, until they're practically begging just to survive the fallout. You can't skip straight to grace. Forgiveness only has any actual meaning if there is real, visceral justice served first. Punishment for evil is a prerequisite for mercy.

Sure, you can choose to fight by hacking away at your opponent's legs—brute force, I suppose. But honestly? It’s much better to take a page out of Gandhi's book. In other words: just completely ignore people like Todorić and Hanđeković.