Panama Papers source issues statement
panamapapers.icij.org
Panama Papers source issues statement
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Re: Panama Papers source issues statement
#2>> "Source known only as John Doe says income inequality "one of the defining issues of our time" and calls on governments to address it."
Calling on any government to create change, not it citizens, is a mistake - especially on a topic like this.
Re: Panama Papers source issues statement
#3>> "Source known only as John Doe says income inequality "one of the defining issues of our time" and calls on governments to address it." Calling on any government to create change, not it citizens, is a mistake - especially on a topic like this.
That's a distinction without a difference considering that, in most democratic countries, the government is nothing but a segment of the overall population appointed as their legitimate representatives.
It is the government responsibility, in their mandate as representatives, to address the problems perceived as important by the citizens (as, for instance, the problem mentioned in the quote).
Now, if the government is unable or unwilling to use the power it was given "by the consent of the governed" to address such important issues then __that__ become "one of the defining issues of our time", not income inequality or any other problem derived from that.
Re: Panama Papers source issues statement
#4And yet... why no American names in the leaks? Funny that.
Re: Panama Papers source issues statement
#5But most of all, the legal profession has failed. Democratic governance depends upon responsible individuals throughout the entire system who understand and uphold the law, not who understand and exploit it.
Sigh. One of the most puzzling questions I have to deal with in my mind. Why is there so little moral left in this world?
Re: Panama Papers source issues statement
#6There's a lot to parse in that statement, but the call for whistleblower protections seems to be the single most important (and achievable) item. Most people are aware of Snowden and Manning, but it really surprises me that these haven't been reported more:
"Bradley Birkenfeld was awarded millions for his information concerning Swiss bank UBS—and was still given a prison sentence by the Justice Department. Antoine Deltour is presently on trial for providing journalists with information about how Luxembourg granted secret “sweetheart” tax deals to multi-national corporations, effectively stealing billions in tax revenues from its neighbour countries."
Law enforcement agencies don't have the resources or knowledge to go after much of the corruption and wrongdoing inside governments and large companies. If insiders with integrity don't have a safe way of stepping forward there will never be a way to keep wealthy/powerful/connected individuals from abusing the system.
Re: Panama Papers source issues statement
#7But most of all, the legal profession has failed. Democratic governance depends upon responsible individuals throughout the entire system who understand and uphold the law, not who understand and exploit it. Sigh. One of the most puzzling questions I have to deal with in my mind. Why is there so little moral left in this world?
> Why is there so little moral left in this world?
You can buy moral pretty much everywhere nowadays ;-)
Re: Panama Papers source issues statement
#8>> "Source known only as John Doe says income inequality "one of the defining issues of our time" and calls on governments to address it." Calling on any government to create change, not it citizens, is a mistake - especially on a topic like this.
That's a distinction without a difference considering that, in most democratic countries, the government is nothing but a segment of the overall population appointed as their legitimate representatives. It is the government responsibility, in their mandate as representatives, to address the problems perceived as important by the citizens (as, for instance, the problem mentioned in the quote). Now, if the government i…
> It is the government responsibility, in their mandate as representatives, to address the problems perceived as important by the citizens
But it is the citizens' responsibility to make clear to their representatives the problems they consider important. For a couple of examples of this principle in action, see the civil rights movement of the '60s, or the marriage equality movement of the noughts and teens. No politician would've dared approach those issues until the citizenry made its voice heard.
As a rule, on issues that we as peoples consider important, we lead our politicians, they do not lead us. This is partly because of the incentives in play in modern democracies and partly because, as you say, they are merely our representatives, not our dear leaders.
Re: Panama Papers source issues statement
#9And yet... why no American names in the leaks? Funny that.
I wish there would be a Panama Papers leak, why do only a limited amount of people are allowed to see these things, who's deciding what to publish? (I know, they always quote privacy as a reason but just as John Doe said: Those who use the vehicle of an offshore account has most often something to hide...)
Re: Panama Papers source issues statement
#10And yet... why no American names in the leaks? Funny that.
It is a legitimate question but it could simply be the case that the US has laws that made it impossible for Americans to exploit the services of this particular law firm.