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Paradise Papers: New leak from offshore finance firm

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Re: Paradise Papers: New leak from offshore finance firm

#361

Post by ajdlinux »

eli_gottlieb wrote: post #353
curious_fella1 wrote: post #350

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> and still winds up doing harder things than Americans more easily Can you elaborate?

I was in the thread about "lessons from MIT", and thinking of a degree curriculum I looked at from the UK one day. It basically expected that students (who were going to learn PL theory) start off with a higher level of math knowledge (right out of secondary school) than most American CS students have in sophomore year. AFAIK, their students don't suffer as much stress or depression as the cohort of Americans who've…

> But for another example, well, every other country seems to have an easier time running a working train system than America does

Going somewhat OT, but in contrast, America seems to have an easier time running a working freight train system than most other countries.

Re: Paradise Papers: New leak from offshore finance firm

#362

Post by agumonkey »

pas wrote: post #354
agumonkey wrote: post #274

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tiny note: it's been many decades of the same issue, people work, people share, things go weird, they get angry (and rightly so). let me blame the victims slightly (barely at all, it's mental exercise). Isn't the problem in the tax -> action function ? it's a big black box. That's always the case when people get angry about anything, it's because they have to deal with an unpredictable and costly black box. Solution:…

budgets are public, no? FOIA works pretty well, no? people don't look, don't have time to understand it, and usually don't think, they just demand.

That's is also true. But I firmly believe that the solution is not to make two systems fight but rather to find a middle ground.

- Make a system that is slightly clearer and smaller

- Entice people to be more educated

Re: Paradise Papers: New leak from offshore finance firm

#363

Post by ajdlinux »

jpatokal wrote: post #336
noobermin wrote: post #79

Since there are no top level comments putting this out for probably obvious reasons, here is a supportive comment for the article. This is what people feel in their guts when they drive out on tattered roads and avoid going to the hospital even though they are sick, when they don't have a real increase in wages but are working longer hours. They have the sense that something isn't right, that there are two sets of ru…

I'm somewhat surprised to see Singapore mentioned as a paragon of social equality. This is a rich country where maids are treated like slaves (locked in apartment and on call 24/7/365, sleep on the kitchen floor etc) and many elderly have no pensions at all, and are forced to work in menial jobs like cleaning bathrooms until they die. It does show how bad things in the US have gotten though...

Singapore isn't a paragon of social equality, not at all.

However, in spite of that, the PAP has done a very good job of ensuring there's just enough by way of public services and subsidies to keep enough people happy that the government continues to command the people's respect and the opposition will never quite have enough fuel to build a viable political movement.

...and it's still better in many ways than large parts of the US.

Re: Paradise Papers: New leak from offshore finance firm

#364

Post by throw2016 »

noobermin wrote: post #79

Since there are no top level comments putting this out for probably obvious reasons, here is a supportive comment for the article. This is what people feel in their guts when they drive out on tattered roads and avoid going to the hospital even though they are sick, when they don't have a real increase in wages but are working longer hours. They have the sense that something isn't right, that there are two sets of ru…

A society that values financial and individual success above all else will inevitably lead to an impoverished society with concentrated pockets of wealth that once concentrated are adept at perpetuating themselves.

Its obvious something fundamental in governance changed in the late 70s that has directly led us here.

While technology, progress, wealth are important the magic is always people and humanity that elevate life beyond the mundane and brings happiness into lives.

There is no point being wealthy if most around you are suffering and and in desperate conditions. This can't make anyone happy, except sociopaths. You have to care for other people and society beyond just your immediate interest and benefit.

Re: Paradise Papers: New leak from offshore finance firm

#365

Post by andrenth »

SubiculumCode wrote: post #140
grondilu wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my humble opinion, the job of the government is absolutely not to give money to the poorest people, not even to maintain a "basic level of livelyhood". I'm also fairly certain this has nothing to do with the concept of justice.

Ah then you must also believe that the government should not be giving money to corporations, and special breaks to the rich; breaks that make it so the poor have a harder time escaping poverty?? They do, because the laws are bought by the rich.

The way to fix this is by design: to have a government small enough that buying it wouldn’t bring you advantages comparable to succeeding in the free market.

Most people disagree with that and seem to think it’s possible to have angels from heaven running the government machine. The thing is that even if you manage that, it’s bound to go wrong at some future election.

Re: Paradise Papers: New leak from offshore finance firm

#366

Post by wallace_f »

olivermarks wrote: post #293
fjsolwmv wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You lost me when you fell back to racist conspiracy theories. What the hell do you think "Zionist" means?

'zionist' - far right wing offshore mobster hiding behind Judaism in this context

I'm not sure what to think? Joe Biden told the media "I am a Zionist."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo-UXZ-1ups&app=desktop

Re: Paradise Papers: New leak from offshore finance firm

#367

Post by wallace_f »

BatFastard wrote: post #21
allenz wrote: post #16

The leak shows substantial Russian cash going to US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross; Twitter and Facebook; and Arsenal and Everton. It also shows the usual tax avoidance by powerful people including Lord Ashcroft and Trudeau financier Stephen Bronfman.

What will it take for people to say NO MORE

Hope this makes people see the collusion of the global elite.

Re: Paradise Papers: New leak from offshore finance firm

#368

Post by chii »

barrkel wrote: post #275
grondilu wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why should the family I was born to determine wether I have clean water to drink or not, for example? Because of this thing called reality. If the circumstances of your birth are unfortunate, that's sad, but it does not have to be other people's problem.

The only thing stopping someone stronger than you taking all your stuff are the rules society makes up. That's reality.

Those rules are enforced with an even stronger force than any individual can muster.

Re: Paradise Papers: New leak from offshore finance firm

#369

Post by ringaroundthetx »

sgt101 wrote: post #311
ringaroundthetx wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Governments are bound by the international market of other governments. They have to balance their taxation morality claims with incentivizing investment to have anything to tax at all. They’ve missed that balance by a long shot. Oops. Some places have attractive laws that attract investment. Some people lobbied for those specific laws and wrote them themselves. Think about how that happens. I would do the same as so…

Napoleon says "no". You do that and then one day 300000 people show up with guns. The lesson of modernity is that citizen armies beat all other forces hands down every time; contractors may be incredibly skilled but at the end of the day they are not fighting for the future. This was what the Prussians found and the Soviets in Afghanistan. Taxation isn't about morality, it's about functionality. It's about economic e…

and when the masses come to expropriate the wealth of the rich and form their own sets of governances, they'll still only get to get what is on shore.

Re: Paradise Papers: New leak from offshore finance firm

#370

Post by wallace_f »

brown9-2 wrote: post #92
tomkat0789 wrote: post #81

These leaks are juicy and all, but have our oligarchs had to change anything as a result of them? What were the big effects of the Panama Papers?

The biggest thing I can think of is the Prime Minister of Iceland resigning.

Wasnt SK's record-breaking protests an indirect result of the Panama Papers?
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