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Saipan claims ComputerLand founder owes taxes

finance.yahoo.com

21–30 of 54 posts

Re: Saipan claims ComputerLand founder owes taxes

#21
Saipan is indeed one of the most corrupt backwards places on Earth. I know because I've actually been there and got to know some of the locals and politics of the place while there.

To say more eloquently what bugsy was trying to express, while it is unclear if Mr. Millard did commit a crime, you must take into account that the people chasing him for supposed tax abuse are some of the most corrupt people on Earth. Much of that information is available on Wikipedia, but just read some of the websites of ex-pats and such and you will get a good idea. Thus, I would take anything said by anyone in the Saipanese government with a large grain of salt. Furthermore, even if Mr. Millard is guilty, if the Saipan government gets his money, it will be a negative outcome for everyone.

Re: Saipan claims ComputerLand founder owes taxes

#22
post #2

I remember ComputerLand stores. Sounds like he was a hard working guy who earned his success. Saipan is one of the most corrupt backwards places on earth. As a US trust territory, for many years they had slave plantations that produced clothing for chinese companies which was labelled "Made in USA". Many workers were kept under brutal conditions, raped, beaten and killed. The Saipanese are mostly incredibly lazy and…

There are lazy and corrupt people everywhere, saying "one of the most corrupt backwards places on earth" and "the Saipanese are mostly incredibly lazy" tells me more about you then the N. Marianas. Tacking on "this is just about the people in charge" doesn't work either, paint with a thinner brush in the first place.

It's just an internet board, don't get worked up if you get downvoted now and then. Try not to call everyone monkeys and ignorant fools, we're mostly human beings and above average here.

Re: Saipan claims ComputerLand founder owes taxes

#23

Saipan is indeed one of the most corrupt backwards places on Earth. I know because I've actually been there and got to know some of the locals and politics of the place while there. To say more eloquently what bugsy was trying to express, while it is unclear if Mr. Millard did commit a crime, you must take into account that the people chasing him for supposed tax abuse are some of the most corrupt people on Earth. Mu…

A negative outcome for all of us would be to have a 20+ year tax cheat end up owing nothing. You can bet the plutocracy will be watching this case closely.

Re: Saipan claims ComputerLand founder owes taxes

#24
post #2

I remember ComputerLand stores. Sounds like he was a hard working guy who earned his success. Saipan is one of the most corrupt backwards places on earth. As a US trust territory, for many years they had slave plantations that produced clothing for chinese companies which was labelled "Made in USA". Many workers were kept under brutal conditions, raped, beaten and killed. The Saipanese are mostly incredibly lazy and…

I wouldn't have downvoted you, but then your edit included some incredibly bigoted and unwarranted stereotypes:

>...fundamentalist christian [sic] ignorant half retarded hillbilly sex fiend town...

>Typical small town american [sic] fundamentalist hillbillies...

>Southern Bible Thumping Fundamentalist

>The fundamentalist missionaries infected them with the peculiar sort of madness, entitlement, laziness and corruption that comes with that belief system.

This last one takes the cake. Even if I take it at your word that the Saipanese are as lazy and corrupt as you make them out to be (which seems to be the general consensus here and on Wikipedia, so I'll accept that for now), you have absolutely zero proof that they became that way because of "fundamentalist missionaries," rather than being that way to begin with. You say that these negative attitudes come "with that belief system." What belief system? It sounds like you're blaming the problems of Saipanese culture on some chimerical theology that doesn't really exist.

If those missionaries were protestants (especially if they were Calvinists) in the 17th, 18th, or 19th centuries, they most likely did their best to instill the indiginous people with a solid work ethic[1], exactly the opposite of the vices you are trying to pin on "fundamentalism."

Here's my anecdotal evidence: In college, I briefly dated a Samoan girl who was working on a graduate degree at a nearby university, with her research subject being the colonial history of the South Pacific. Samoa was proselytized by Calvinists in the 19th century, and she told me that when the missionaries first arrived, the Samoans were pretty much the way you describe Saipan today, and that the Calvinist influence helped bring about a more egalitarian and less corrupt culture (with unscrupulous European traders often at odds with the missionaries because they sought to profit from the native corruption). Samoa isn't Saipan, but it is an example of "fundamentalist missionaries" having exactly the opposite effect on a South Pacific culture from what you blame them for in Saipan.

[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant_work_ethic

Re: Saipan claims ComputerLand founder owes taxes

#25
post #2

I remember ComputerLand stores. Sounds like he was a hard working guy who earned his success. Saipan is one of the most corrupt backwards places on earth. As a US trust territory, for many years they had slave plantations that produced clothing for chinese companies which was labelled "Made in USA". Many workers were kept under brutal conditions, raped, beaten and killed. The Saipanese are mostly incredibly lazy and…

I am unfortunately familiar with the CNMI/Saipan and what you say was true 8 years ago; no reason to think it has improved.

How the USA treats trust terriories is pretty shameful.

Re: Saipan claims ComputerLand founder owes taxes

#26
post #25
post #2

I remember ComputerLand stores. Sounds like he was a hard working guy who earned his success. Saipan is one of the most corrupt backwards places on earth. As a US trust territory, for many years they had slave plantations that produced clothing for chinese companies which was labelled "Made in USA". Many workers were kept under brutal conditions, raped, beaten and killed. The Saipanese are mostly incredibly lazy and…

I am unfortunately familiar with the CNMI/Saipan and what you say was true 8 years ago; no reason to think it has improved. How the USA treats trust terriories is pretty shameful.

rdl: "what you say was true 8 years ago" //

So you put your name to this?

">...fundamentalist christian [sic] ignorant half retarded hillbilly sex fiend town...

>Typical small town american [sic] fundamentalist hillbillies...

>Southern Bible Thumping Fundamentalist

>The fundamentalist missionaries infected them with the peculiar sort of madness, entitlement, laziness and corruption that comes with that belief system."

Re: Saipan claims ComputerLand founder owes taxes

#27
post #2

I remember ComputerLand stores. Sounds like he was a hard working guy who earned his success. Saipan is one of the most corrupt backwards places on earth. As a US trust territory, for many years they had slave plantations that produced clothing for chinese companies which was labelled "Made in USA". Many workers were kept under brutal conditions, raped, beaten and killed. The Saipanese are mostly incredibly lazy and…

In response to your edit, I've downvoted & flagged you. I've never flagged a comment before.

I have no use for such vitriol in my communities.

Just so you know why I did it.

Re: Saipan claims ComputerLand founder owes taxes

#28
post #2

I remember ComputerLand stores. Sounds like he was a hard working guy who earned his success. Saipan is one of the most corrupt backwards places on earth. As a US trust territory, for many years they had slave plantations that produced clothing for chinese companies which was labelled "Made in USA". Many workers were kept under brutal conditions, raped, beaten and killed. The Saipanese are mostly incredibly lazy and…

I wouldn't have downvoted you, but then your edit included some incredibly bigoted and unwarranted stereotypes: > ...fundamentalist christian [sic] ignorant half retarded hillbilly sex fiend town... > Typical small town american [sic] fundamentalist hillbillies... > Southern Bible Thumping Fundamentalist > The fundamentalist missionaries infected them with the peculiar sort of madness, entitlement, laziness and corru…

Saipan is inhabited by the Chamorro, who are mostly Roman Catholic. Quite the opposite of Calvinists.

Re: Saipan claims ComputerLand founder owes taxes

#29
post #23

Saipan is indeed one of the most corrupt backwards places on Earth. I know because I've actually been there and got to know some of the locals and politics of the place while there. To say more eloquently what bugsy was trying to express, while it is unclear if Mr. Millard did commit a crime, you must take into account that the people chasing him for supposed tax abuse are some of the most corrupt people on Earth. Mu…

A negative outcome for all of us would be to have a 20+ year tax cheat end up owing nothing. You can bet the plutocracy will be watching this case closely.

Excuse me, but why do you believe Millard to be guilty of tax evasion? The fact that the WSJ claims him to be does not make it so. Here is some more information about Millard, you can find it by restricting your google search to items published before 9/1/11 - http://articles.latimes.com/1986-08-25/business/fi-16194_1_t...

It seems there was more talk about the fact that Saipan was trying get his money by changing their tax laws, not that he fled the US because he was wanted for tax evasion as the WSJ article makes it sound.

edit: for clarity

Re: Saipan claims ComputerLand founder owes taxes

#30
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am unfortunately familiar with the CNMI/Saipan and what you say was true 8 years ago; no reason to think it has improved. How the USA treats trust terriories is pretty shameful.

rdl: "what you say was true 8 years ago" // So you put your name to this? "> ...fundamentalist christian [sic] ignorant half retarded hillbilly sex fiend town... > Typical small town american [sic] fundamentalist hillbillies... > Southern Bible Thumping Fundamentalist > The fundamentalist missionaries infected them with the peculiar sort of madness, entitlement, laziness and corruption that comes with that belief sys…

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