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Leisher 
Top 3%, yo.
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 26651
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: Jan. 18 2011,06:28 |
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Tax evaders about to be revealed.
So this former Swiss banker decides he's going to turn over information on 2000 accounts to Wikileaks so they can expose people who are hiding money to avoid paying taxes on it.
What an asshole.
I'm sure there are many misguided jackasses out there all excited thinking, "Yeah! Make those rich bastards pay up!" Short sighted bullshit.
First of all, if taxes were done right, people and the corporations with the means wouldn't need to hide money.
Secondly, who died and made this asshole Jesus? Seriously. He's not whistle blowing about some toxic chemicals that are harming a populace or revealing that a country is working on a nuke. He's simply tattle telling on people HE HELPED hide money for years. Who are they hurting? Nobody. They're simply protecting their own hard work and investments. (And don't even dare pretend that the taxes on this money would do anyone any good. Everyone with an IQ over 10 understands government waste and the ineffectiveness of almost everything it does.) This reeks of sour grapes. This guy is probably just upset that he worked for the people with money and never become one himself. This is his chance to get the spotlight.
Third, the only redeeming value that could come from this, and what he should be focused on if he's truly concerned for "the greater good" is showing what politicians might be stealing from their people.
On a different note, how many corporations are watching Wikileaks right now and thinking they need to reign in the amount of information they're putting into the hands of people they might not want to trust? I wonder if there will be a backlash against certain technology trends, like SaaS.
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| Post Number: 2
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GORDON
90%
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 36125
Joined: Jun. 2004
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Posted on: Jan. 18 2011,07:03 |
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If the swiss banks are no longer discrete, the money will go elsewhere.
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I don't give a fuck!
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| Post Number: 3
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Leisher
Top 3%, yo.
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 26651
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: Jan. 18 2011,07:07 |
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I want to say that I've heard the Cayman Islands have setup their banks to emulate the Swiss.
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| Post Number: 4
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GORDON
90%
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 36125
Joined: Jun. 2004
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Posted on: Jan. 18 2011,07:12 |
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I thought the point of swiss banks is that there is never a name associated with an account number?
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I don't give a fuck!
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| Post Number: 5
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DoctorChaos
Student of Entropy
Group: "Members"
Posts: 1579
Joined: Oct. 2004
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Posted on: Jan. 18 2011,08:10 |
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This is a really bonehead move. How many of these 'business' men know someone who can discreetly (or not) remove this asshole.
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Wadda mean? Other people can read this?!
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| Post Number: 6
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| Post Number: 8
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Leisher
Top 3%, yo.
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 26651
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: Jan. 18 2011,11:16 |
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(Troy @ Jan. 18 2011,13:05)
QUOTE
(Leisher @ Jan. 18 2011,06:28)
QUOTE First of all, if taxes were done right, people and the corporations with the means wouldn't need to hide money. Counterpoint: We are talking about humans, here.
And I'm only referring to legal money.
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| Post Number: 9
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Malcolm
I disagree.
Group: Privateers
Posts: 27168
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: Jan. 18 2011,12:32 |
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(Leisher @ Jan. 18 2011,08:28)
QUOTE I wonder if there will be a backlash against certain technology trends, like SaaS.
Info is power (well, half of it anyway). Â It's not unlike cash in that manner. Â People have and will always want to protect their cash. Â They also want to be able to move it around at the blink of an eye, though. Â The means of those two ends will clash more often than not. I don't think one's going to extinguish the other anytime soon, though.
Edited by Malcolm on Jan. 18 2011,12:32
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Diogenes of Sinope:
"It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
"Other dogs bite only their enemies, whereas I bite also my friends in order to save them."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC:
"Better dead than smeg."
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| Post Number: 10
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Leisher
Top 3%, yo.
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 26651
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: Jan. 18 2011,12:54 |
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One doesn't need a third party to move data around quickly.
And you're right, info is power, so why pay to have others babysit your info using underpaid people you don't know? Especially when it's cheap and easy to do it yourself?
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| Post Number: 11
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Malcolm
I disagree.
Group: Privateers
Posts: 27168
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: Jan. 18 2011,14:09 |
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(Leisher @ Jan. 18 2011,14:54)
QUOTE One doesn't need a third party to move data around quickly.
And you're right, info is power, so why pay to have others babysit your info using underpaid people you don't know? Especially when it's cheap and easy to do it yourself?
Alright, not just quickly. Â But reliably and (perhaps) anonymously -- unless that's your particular niche in life, yeah, you do need someone else. Â It's cheap and easy to do it yourself if you're not a moron. Â That already eliminates at least 90-95% of the world.
Information security over wireless networks is a bitch squared.
Edited by Malcolm on Jan. 18 2011,14:10
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Diogenes of Sinope:
"It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
"Other dogs bite only their enemies, whereas I bite also my friends in order to save them."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC:
"Better dead than smeg."
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| Post Number: 12
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Leisher
Top 3%, yo.
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 26651
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: Jan. 19 2011,06:48 |
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QUOTE But reliably and (perhaps) anonymously -- unless that's your particular niche in life, yeah, you do need someone else. It's cheap and easy to do it yourself if you're not a moron. That already eliminates at least 90-95% of the world.
I think we're talking two different things here. Your words there make it sound like you're taking about an individual. I'm talking about corporations. I can't imagine why a person would need anything a SaaS company would offer?
I totally agree most people wouldn't know how to do most IT related tasks, but a corporation can easily hire people to get the job done.
QUOTE Information security over wireless networks is a bitch squared.
Totally different topic, but my second biggest pet peeve in the IT world (currently) is the use of wireless just because it's wireless. I cannot tell you how many times I see wireless printers sitting right next to a PC or router.
Wireless is great when it fits a situation. When it doesn't, it's worse than worthless because it can actually cause problems.
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| Post Number: 13
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TheCatt
Top 2%
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 22951
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: Jan. 19 2011,11:06 |
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I'll be honest, if American lawmakers are among those - Yes, I'm interested.
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It's not me, it's someone else.
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| Post Number: 14
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GORDON
90%
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 36125
Joined: Jun. 2004
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Posted on: Feb. 09 2011,10:29 |
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This is the guy, yeah?
http://www.cnbc.com//id/41257962
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I don't give a fuck!
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| Post Number: 16
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Malcolm
I disagree.
Group: Privateers
Posts: 27168
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: Feb. 09 2011,10:39 |
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QUOTE After Birkenfeld's disclosures, the IRS offered an amnesty program for Americans with secret Swiss bank accounts. Over 15,000 people disclosed their hidden accounts in exchange for lighter penalties from the government.
But the government says Birkenfeld held crucial information from them, and charged him with conspiracy to commit tax fraud, which is why he's behind bars today and serving a 40-month sentence. He says the earliest he expects to be released is the spring of 2012.
Birkenfeld says that only a massive cover-up can explain why he is in prison after delivering such valuable information to authorities. And, he charges that the federal government is trying to protect the wealthy and powerful Americans who have millions of dollars hidden from the tax system in secret Swiss accounts like the ones he used to manage.
This is why you ought to be very careful when you threaten to fuck over people with millions of dollars to spend to make your life miserable.
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Diogenes of Sinope:
"It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
"Other dogs bite only their enemies, whereas I bite also my friends in order to save them."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC:
"Better dead than smeg."
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| Post Number: 17
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Leisher
Top 3%, yo.
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 26651
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: Feb. 09 2011,11:39 |
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Yeah, he really goes out of his way to paint himself as some sort of hero:
QUOTE He says he’s convinced that wealthy Americans are hiding as much as a trillion dollars in wealth outside the US tax system, and that’s putting a huge burden on the rest of the nation’s taxpayers. “The average American is carrying the weight for all these millionaires and billionaires,” he said.
“That’s the fact. That’s the truth. And until someone does something about it, it’s never gonna be cleaned up.”
The one item he's leaving out in his little Robin Hood speech?
QUOTE Birkenfeld's attorneys argue that he's entitled to a percentage of all the tax revenue recouped as a result of his whistleblowing. In theory, that could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars
I would bet anything that if he gets that much money a bunch of it ends up in overseas banks.
And fuck this guy. Who the hell made him judge, jury, and executioner? The U.S. tax system is a fucking joke. What millionaire or billionaire thinks it makes sense to pay in their hard earned money into a socialist system doomed to fail? They didn't get rich by making bad investments.
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| Post Number: 18
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Leisher
Top 3%, yo.
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 26651
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: Aug. 30 2011,05:59 |
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More from WikiLeaks.
The twist this time is that they didn't bother trying to protect people. No names have been removed meaning sources we have inside fun places like Iran, Syria, North Korea, etc. have just been publicly exposed. I'm sure their families are thrilled (although, it is pointed out in the article that U.S. officials assumed this was coming and started getting these people out of harm's way).
I'm still waiting for the release of information from other countries or did I miss a news story? Or maybe they're doing all the U.S. stuff first? Didn't they have some big secret Swiss banking info? Where is it? Because so far, WikiLeaks seems to have an agenda against the U.S. despite their claims that they're trying to end all secrets.
Also, at what point do we hold them responsible for people being hurt because "unknown sources" are being exposed? This might be more of a philosophical question, but how many lives are considered acceptable losses in the dissemination of these "huge secrets"? And before anyone answers that, I guess I'd also want to know what kind of damage WikiLeaks' tactics have done to the governments of the world and their secret keeping from their people? Has WikiLeaks changed the world? Are governments now far more open or are they simply doing more to guard their secrets?
Diplomats are douche bags, people in power abuse it, countries lie to each other a lot, etc. I don't need people's lives put in danger or my countries' bargaining position damaged to figure out any of that. Maybe the next WikiLeaks posting will tell us the sky is blue?
Ok, serious question about WikiLeaks:
They say that no government should hide secrets from its people right? And they go out exposing those secrets. Now they don't bother hiding names of innocent people. So taking all that into account, if the WikiLeaks people got a hold of the list of people, and their addresses, in the federal witness protection program, do they post it? Or do they not post it, and release their mission statement is bullshit, and sometimes governments DO need to keep secrets?
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| Post Number: 19
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TPRJones
I saw The Fault in our Stars opening night.
Group: Privateers
Posts: 12384
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: Aug. 30 2011,08:08 |
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(Leisher @ Feb. 09 2011,13:39)
QUOTE So taking all that into account, if the WikiLeaks people got a hold of the list of people, and their addresses, in the federal witness protection program, do they post it? Or do they not post it, and release their mission statement is bullshit, and sometimes governments DO need to keep secrets?
Yes, they post it. They'd have to. Not because of some moral obligation regarding their mission (which I mostly agree with overall, even if I'm not sure I like all their tactics), but because it would be the only way to get the government to do the right thing and move all of those witnesses to new locations and new identities. Because if they have it then it's compromised and other people probably have it, too, and those witnesses should be moved anyway. But given how the government has been acting the last few decades, they'd try to hush it up instead of just deal with the problem and move them. Publishing forces them to do it right.
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Vidi Perfutui Veni
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| Post Number: 20
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Leisher
Top 3%, yo.
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 26651
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: Aug. 30 2011,08:30 |
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QUOTE Yes, they post it. They'd have to. Not because of some moral obligation regarding their mission (which I mostly agree with overall, even if I'm not sure I like all their tactics),
That's what really pisses me off about them. I don't completely disagree with what they're doing, but I absolutely disagree with tactics.
They don't need to publish innocent people's names and put them in harms way. On top of that, they don't need to reveal certain people's feelings or observations about another in negotiations. That's stupid and nobody needs to know that. It's like telling everyone about someone's tells in poker.
Tell me diplomats are using money to buy hookers for each other. Tell me how half of Congress is hiding money in Swiss banks. Etc.
Don't tell me gossip bullshit, and people's names.
QUOTE but because it would be the only way to get the government to do the right thing and move all of those witnesses to new locations and new identities. Because if they have it then it's compromised and other people probably have it, too, and those witnesses should be moved anyway. But given how the government has been acting the last few decades, they'd try to hush it up instead of just deal with the problem and move them. Publishing forces them to do it right.
Apparently, our government has proven you wrong, and quite honestly, it's a relief in a way.
Read the article, and you'll see that the government has been silently moving the people named around and warning them long before these documents were released.
It's nice to know that sometimes Hollywood has it completely wrong, and everything isn't a conspiracy involving the government allowing people to die. Although, one could also argue that keeping those sources alive is a huge boon for the government's credibility when reaching out to other potential informants. They'll see the treatment/protection the previous ones got and be more willing to cooperate.
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