Offside Chat Archives (2014-2021)

James Anderson5 said:Back in 1705, Peter the Great actually introduced a tax on beards. Honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing something like that happen today...

Get outta here, Satan! ☕

Paul Sanders5 said:Get outta here, Satan! ☕

😁

Please bring back the mustaches ☕

Honestly, we need to crank up the taxes, but specifically in those states that didn't have to deal with the brunt of the war—you know, the "blue" ones, all out West and in the upper Midwest where things stayed quiet.

The veterans from those areas? They shouldn't pay a dime extra.

It’s time for those folks to chip in their fair share. They seem to have forgotten way too fast where all that blood was actually spilled.

Patrick Martin said:Honestly, we need to crank up the taxes, but specifically in those states that didn't have to deal with the brunt of the war—you know, the "blue" ones, all out West and in the upper Midwest where things stayed quiet.

The veterans from those areas? They shouldn't pay a dime extra.

It’s time for those folks to chip in their fair share. They seem to have forgotten way too fast where all that blood was actually spilled.

🤣🤣🤣

Will this oblivious nation ever finally grasp the fact that taxation is essentially theft? 🤷

Look, taxes are a totally normal and necessary part of running a civilized country, but the whole thing only works if everyone plays by the rules—everyone pays up on time, instead of giving some people a free pass while squeezing everyone else dry.
The government’s one actual job should be collecting those taxes consistently, especially from the big shots and the shady characters trying to dodge their responsibilities. I swear, the underground economy is still thriving in this country. Despite having all these inspections and agencies crawling everywhere, we still can't seem to get our act together even today.

A few years back, the IRS actually had the nerve to publish a "list of shame" featuring tax delinquents, but honestly, BTJ, that's just an embarrassment for the agency itself. It's basically just a public scoreboard showing how much they've failed at their jobs.🙄

I mean, seriously, the level of absurdity we deal with in this country is something the rest of the world hasn't even dreamed of.🙏

Before we get to the list of idiots who failed to ensure their names weren't on it

And don't even get me started on the whole mess of dealing with names—that’s a whole different nightmare, a total twilight zone situation altogether.

Regarding inspections 🤣🤣🤣

Inspections seem to exist solely for their own sake.

The American obsession with bureaucracy, endless regulations, constant inspections, taxes, and levies is truly a global phenomenon.

At this rate, I’m just waiting for a tax on the very air we breathe, accompanied by an inspector sent to measure my lung capacity and count my breaths per minute! ☕

Justin James10 said:🤣🤣🤣

Will this oblivious nation ever finally grasp the fact that taxation is essentially theft? 🤷

Amen. Whether it's in Sweden, America, or xyzyzzxyz, the whole system exists just so the government can snatch 100% from the people and then hand back maybe 10% to a handful of insiders—usually just whoever happens to be in the right voting bloc at the time.

Patrick Martin said:Look, taxes are a totally normal and necessary part of running a civilized country, but the whole thing only works if everyone plays by the rules—everyone pays up on time, instead of giving some people a free pass while squeezing everyone else dry.
The government’s one actual job should be collecting those taxes consistently, especially from the big shots and the shady characters trying to dodge their responsibilities. I swear, the underground economy is still thriving in this country. Despite having all these inspections and agencies crawling everywhere, we still can't seem to get our act together even today.

A few years back, the IRS actually had the nerve to publish a "list of shame" featuring tax delinquents, but honestly, BTJ, that's just an embarrassment for the agency itself. It's basically just a public scoreboard showing how much they've failed at their jobs.🙄

I mean, seriously, the level of absurdity we deal with in this country is something the rest of the world hasn't even dreamed of.🙏

Just look at how much Toda has pulled from the government through unpaid loans, state subsidies, tax evasion, and companies handed over for basically nothing. That's a much bigger issue than the gray economy, which honestly just helps people scrape by...

Besides those who are clearly on the edge of the state, obviously...

Honestly, what’s even the point? Even if the shadow economy starts paying taxes again, everything you spend money on already has sales tax baked in. Plus, if you just keep your cash in the bank, the government takes a cut of your interest anyway. There's really no way to outrun it...

James Anderson5 said:Just look at how much Toda has pulled from the government through unpaid loans, state subsidies, tax evasion, and companies handed over for basically nothing. That's a much bigger issue than the gray economy, which honestly just helps people scrape by...

Besides those who are clearly on the edge of the state, obviously...

Honestly, what’s even the point? Even if the shadow economy starts paying taxes again, everything you spend money on already has sales tax baked in. Plus, if you just keep your cash in the bank, the government takes a cut of your interest anyway. There's really no way to outrun it...

You're kind of tripping there. Honestly, almost every small business owner buys EVERYTHING—and I mean everything—tax-free and uses it for their own personal stuff. How they justify that as "business expenses" to stay legal? Beats me.🤷

This country is basically El Dorado for business owners, yet everyone acts like they're struggling.🤔

James Anderson5 said:Back in 1705, Peter the Great actually introduced a tax on beards. Honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing something like that happen today...

What, is yours not growing?

Patrick Martin said:You're kind of tripping there. Honestly, almost every small business owner buys EVERYTHING—and I mean everything—tax-free and uses it for their own personal stuff. How they justify that as "business expenses" to stay legal? Beats me.🤷

This country is basically El Dorado for business owners, yet everyone acts like they're struggling.🤔

That’s not what I meant. I was talking about when they buy bread, furniture, and all that personal stuff—they pay sales tax on those things. Business owners don't get out of paying tax on everything; someone always ends up footing the bill

Amanda Evans2 said:What, is yours not growing?

It feels a bit too "metrosexual" watching these guys walking around with perfectly groomed beards. Is it really normal for a guy to spend more time brushing his beard than some girl spends on her hair? Between the oils and the tiny combs, it's quite something...

James Anderson5 said:That’s not what I meant. I was talking about when they buy bread, furniture, and all that personal stuff—they pay sales tax on those things. Business owners don't get out of paying tax on everything; someone always ends up footing the bill

It feels a bit too "metrosexual" watching these guys walking around with perfectly groomed beards. Is it really normal for a guy to spend more time brushing his beard than some girl spends on her hair? Between the oils and the tiny combs, it's quite something...

I haven't even touched a razor in at least three years, and frankly, I don't see the issue. I actually spend less on beard maintenance than most women do on their pre-wash hair routine—especially when they're out here slathering coconut oil on as a primer before they even hit the shower.
When I head to the barbershop, my stylist just tidies up the beard along with my haircut and that’s the end of it.
You wash it just like you wash your hair, maybe use a specific shampoo, and that's it. There really isn't some grand philosophy behind it...

Patrick Martin said:You're kind of tripping there. Honestly, almost every small business owner buys EVERYTHING—and I mean everything—tax-free and uses it for their own personal stuff. How they justify that as "business expenses" to stay legal? Beats me.🤷

This country is basically El Dorado for business owners, yet everyone acts like they're struggling.🤔

Look, where I live, if you're a savvy business owner with a solid accountant, you know the drill. You go to pick up supplies for the company and load up way more than you actually need. Then, when you grab stuff for some buddy who needs to patch a few holes or just wants a deal, you just ask for a discount. Usually, that discount is around 15%, which conveniently covers that whole sales tax thing (here we call it GST/HST, which is about 13%).
Then, on the job you're actually working, you charge the full sales tax because you have to—even though you didn't pay it upfront. You've already padded your margins by 30% just on the materials alone!
And don't even get me started on the leftover materials. You end up with extra supplies to fix some random basement, which you've already been paid for, and then you charge for them again including the tax. It’s all just part of the game!

Amanda Evans2 said:I haven't even touched a razor in at least three years, and frankly, I don't see the issue. I actually spend less on beard maintenance than most women do on their pre-wash hair routine—especially when they're out here slathering coconut oil on as a primer before they even hit the shower.
When I head to the barbershop, my stylist just tidies up the beard along with my haircut and that’s the end of it.
You wash it just like you wash your hair, maybe use a specific shampoo, and that's it. There really isn't some grand philosophy behind it...

And look, a classic, old-school beard is totally fine, but those overly manicured "metro" beards? Seriously, they aren't normal...

Patrick Martin said:You're kind of tripping there. Honestly, almost every small business owner buys EVERYTHING—and I mean everything—tax-free and uses it for their own personal stuff. How they justify that as "business expenses" to stay legal? Beats me.🤷

This country is basically El Dorado for business owners, yet everyone acts like they're struggling.🤔

It really is an El Dorado for entrepreneurs, isn't it? 🙏🤣🤦

Honestly, Patrick is hitting the nail on the head regarding our economy. It's crystal clear that there is no better place in the world for private enterprise! 🙄

James Anderson5 said:And look, a classic, old-school beard is totally fine, but those overly manicured "metro" beards? Seriously, they aren't normal...

Well, funny enough, the guy you're quoting is rocking exactly that kind of beard—the very one you're claiming isn't normal. 😁

nimbleranger17 said:Well, funny enough, the guy you're quoting is rocking exactly that kind of beard—the very one you're claiming isn't normal. 😁

here's what I call an insane beard



but hey, if that's your style, go for it...

That's a seriously impressive beard ☕