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Julius Baer Whistleblower To Expose 2,000 High Net Worth Tax Evaders To The World
Two years ago when the US bailed out UBS and Switzerland from a brief but potentially terminal liquidity crisis, it succeeded in extracting a historic pound of flesh: it forced UBS to declassify thousands of bank accounts of US tax evaders which was the first nail in the centuries-old concept of Swiss bank secrecy. Today, Rudolf Elmer, a former COO of one of the biggest Swiss banks, Julius Baer, may have just nailed the last, and with that set off a chain reaction that will force a huge outcry against pervasive global tax fraud (but likely achieve nothing ultimatel). According to the Guardian, tomorrow Elmer will hand over details of 2,000 "high net worth individuals and corporations" to WikiLeaks which will make him "the most important and boldest whistleblower in Swiss banking history." And since among those exposed will be "approximately 40 politicians" expect all hell to break loose as photos of Assange having a underage orgy with Al Qaeda members are suddenly made public to diffuse what is bound to be another huge (if brief - after all human kind cannot bear very much reality).
From the Guardian:
British and American individuals and companies are among the offshore clients whose details will be contained on CDs presented to WikiLeaks at the Frontline Club in London. Those involved include, Elmer tells the Observer, "approximately 40 politicians".
Elmer, who after his press conference will return to Switzerland from exile in Mauritius to face trial, is a former chief operating officer in the Cayman Islands and employee of the powerful Julius Baer bank, which accuses him of stealing the information.
He is also – at a time when the activities of banks are a matter of public concern – one of a small band of employees and executives seeking to blow the whistle on what they see as unprofessional, immoral and even potentially criminal activity by powerful international financial institutions.
This is interesting: after all it was Zero Hedge that about 18 months ago suggested that all financial professionals should be very concerned: after all, all it takes is one sloppy firing, or one departure without the appropriate non-disparagement and non-truth telling clause, and all hell could break loose as those who were part of the inner sanctum suddenly find themselves on the outside... and wanting revenge. Elmer is just first of many. In the meantime, we hope that every single hedge fund, starting with that particular one in Stamford and going all the way down, has made plans regarding termination of its employees. All it takes is one person who believes they may have been wrongfully terminated to approach the SEC themselves, or, even worse, some blog or alleged terrorist organization with a penchant for disclosing the truth...
More on what will soon be the biggest case of exposed international tax fraud:
Elmer says he is releasing the information "in order to educate society". The list includes "high net worth individuals", multinational conglomerates and financial institutions – hedge funds". They are said to be "using secrecy as a screen to hide behind in order to avoid paying tax". They come from the US, Britain, Germany, Austria and Asia – "from all over".
Clients include "business people, politicians, people who have made their living in the arts and multinational conglomerates – from both sides of the Atlantic". Elmer says: "Well-known pillars of society will hold investment portfolios and may include houses, trading companies, artwork, yachts, jewellery, horses, and so on."
"What I am objecting to is not one particular bank, but a system of structures," he told the Observer. "I have worked for major banks other than Julius Baer, and the one thing on which I am absolutely clear is that the banks know, and the big boys know, that money is being secreted away for tax-evasion purposes, and other things such as money-laundering – although these cases involve tax evasion."
Below is Elmer's more verbose explanation of why the game of mutual assured secrecy works...until it doesn't.
"Once you become part of senior management," he says, "and gain
international experience, as I did, then you are part of the inner
circle – and things become much clearer. You are part of the plot. You
know what the real products and service are, and why they are so
expensive. It should be no surprise that the main product is secrecy …
Crimes are committed and lies spread in order to protect this secrecy."
What is interesting is that Elmer has penetrated not only onshore Swiss accounts, but offshore ones, anmely those located in the Caymans, which as everyone knows is the primary base of operations for tax evading "offshore" hedge fund LPs:
That first crop of documents was scrutinised by the Guardian newspaper in 2009, which found "details of numerous trusts in which wealthy people have placed capital. This allows them lawfully to avoid paying tax on profits, because legally it belongs to the trust … The trust itself pays no tax, as a Cayman resident", although "the trustees can distribute money to the trust's beneficiaries".
Now, Blum says, "Elmer is being tried for violating Swiss banking secrecy law even though the data is from the Cayman Islands. This is bold extraterritorial nonsense. Swiss secrecy law should apply to Swiss banks in Switzerland, not a Swiss subsidiary in the Cayman Islands."
Yet just like with cablegate, the end result of all this imminent disclosure will be merely the confirmation of what everyone has already long suspected: that nobody rich pays taxes, and all US, and world, politicians are massively corrupt. And therefore, no criminal charges will be filed against anyone. Expect of course Assange, who will soon be branded a threat to US national security.
Unfortunately, US society, having lost all forms of checks and balances. has gotten to a point where no incremental information will do anything to even dent the ponzi lie. After all, the simplest observations is that Madoff is in jail for life, while sacrifices are made on Ben Bernanke's altar each and every day. And they say gold is a religion...
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Good question. All this WikiLeaks shit may just be a big show with the end game being a crackdown on the internet which is spreading a lot of truth these days.
>> the internet which is spreading a lot of truth these days.
No doubt the truth is indeed to be found on the internet. The problem being it's hidden under a massive pile of self serving lies and deceit. Just like the ptb know how to manipulate the masses through the media, they manipulate the masses through massive amounts of disinformation posted on the internet.
"Just like the ptb know how to manipulate the masses through the media, they manipulate the masses through massive amounts of disinformation posted on the internet."
It's hard to hold on to the truth via the internet, because it can change with a few keystrokes. But then, many have said that history was written by the victors.
Here's another question, how does he do this with no job or money?
"Though an Australian citizen, Assange has not had a permanent address for several years.[5] Assange has described himself as constantly on the move. He has lived for periods in Australia, Kenya and Tanzania, and began renting a house in Iceland on 30 March 2010. For much of 2010, he was visiting the United Kingdom, Iceland, Sweden and other European countries."
Reminds me of Lee Harvey Oswald.
I am torn.
On the one hand, a means for some people (albeit only those Well north of me in the food chain) to avoid high taxes to pay for stupid government is being penetrated. That seems like a vaguely bad thing.
On the other hand . . . All hell breaking loose. That seems like a good thing, right about now. As the Police Inspector said in "Young Frankenstein" –
"A riot . . . is an ugly thing – And I sink its about time ve had one!"
+1 wooden arm.
My bookie has Chris Dodd at 3/2.
Yeah, chris dodd has already purchased the domain name "chris dodd sucks", LOL, just laugh and buy your metal.
As fascinating as it will be to learn the names of (some of the) politicians who have been evading US taxes, the "glass is half full" aspect of the story is that we almost certainly will have dozens of candidates with demonstrable records of their eminent qualification to replace Timothy Geithner as Treasury Secretary.
Why didn't Rudi just give the Guardian the info. If they didn't publish the list he
can always go to any News Paper or Wiki. Why wait. Don't make me wait! Please...
don't make me wait.
Hey Wiki Leaky Assange, where is the big bank fraud info... I'm still waiting!!!
Don't hold your breath...I think his sources may be more worried about their own freedom than in providing him with leaks.
Supposedly he did 2 years ago and they refused to publish the information. Now, maybe Wikileaks has agreed to publish it ... maybe.
And why in the UK? The limey's Official Secrets Act, coming to the good ole USA.
expect all hell to break loose as photos of Assange having a underage orgy with Al Qaeda members are suddenly made public to diffuse what is bound to be another huge (if brief - after all human kind cannot bear very much reality).
LOL! Will people hundreds of years from now look back and think what morons or just become stupider as now, gotta wonder.
People will stay the same.....just as many sheeples, conspiracy nuts, idiots with the "truth" and bent survivalists as always. And, just as many irrelevant assholes with no valid opinion (like me). That Assange/Al Queda orgy thing.....would that be a a homo or hetero thing...filmed in 3D?
anything w/ AQ muzzie's gotta be of the homo genre.
My, how a crisis changes everything...! I would've though tax evasion a wonderful blow against statism...but...
Uber-patriotic non-taxpaying entitlement-dependent masses need more tax dollars!! Now we have even Zero Hedge cheerleading, "SUPPORT YOUR GOVERNMENT!!"
Its a good point. But The whole Mollizo/Dodd/community re-investment act/GSE/TARP/QE2 thing kinda squared the circle for me.
Economic envy. I suspect you are a redistributionist socialist. Or Michael Moore. Remember, the REAL enemy here is government, not the banks, the rich, the masses, or even the Fed...
You might be right about economic envy. But probably not. I just don't see inflation created using 5 year bubbles as a way to motivate people to do more with their arc of life. If the original JP Morgan wants to haunt his "original gangster" McCastle on a private island in the St. Lawrence estuary, more power to him. If Hurst wants to play ghostly leprechan with all the still to be unearthed sweet viens of color. Let him. (not a goldbug ... this hurts my ZH cred)
But in support of the PM crowd, I am far more okay with letting dinasour wealth and motives be preserved (sans inflation) than the analogue equivalent (power over people/social engineering) using bubblicious trends, like flooz.com, pets.com, the tax code, housing, tulips, student loans for econ PhDs, etc.
@Kreditanstalt;
While historically I will agree in principle, the banks have bought their way in to the point that it is now a toss up. One could make the argument that they are simply different branches of the same family tree.
IMO, people who say government is the problem, not the banks do not get it: The banks control government because they create and distribute all money through debt. The government OWES (not owns) the banks. See below -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MC4Ydg0mRgQ&feature=related
I'm "flagged as junk" six times over. Obviously not too many libertarians here amongst the debtors, peasants and tax-eaters...
I have never claimed to be a libertarian.
Anyone who claims that the government is the enemy over the banks is attempting to misdirect others. The banks are in collusion with the government: in collusion, they are enemies one in the same.
I agree that banks are not per se the problem, but failure to see any of the perpetrating crooks behind bars can easily lead to the conclusion that those under the Fed's supervisory purview are. I know the IRS is officially a branch of the Treasury, but in this debt ponzi, I gotta wonder....Treasury issues debt that the Fed soaks up in exchange for dollars. Taxes go to whom? The Treasury or the Fed? Not so clear to me, the real machinations.
the banks own the government. now who owns the banks?
Exactly.
you dont want to know or you simply would, know.
How about the rich who ARE in the government?
There is a lot of bribe money in these banks because it HAD to avoid income taxes otherwise the bribes would have been obvious.
A government full of honest people would not be your enemy
Kreditan Schiesse
The banks ARE the government. Pimps don't let their whores have free reign.
We need less government, but that means less debt, less credit creation (the banks control the money-from-nothing magic button), so we will continue revving this engine until a piston blows.
Your local central banker and his board of directors does not take his marching instructions from laissez-faire capitalism.
Central Bankers are your "redistibutionist socialists" with restricted club membership.
Nice to see you are bleating again.
"The banks ARE the government."
Agreed. But the system that allows them to create money and pay it to themselves, etc., is a creature of government.
Anyway, this post is about whether or not people are justified in starving the government/banker beast of tax money through evasion ~ not mere economic envy.
Gosh with this news and STUXNET back in the NYT, hardly anybody is talking about the Cybersafe ID or whatever name they're using for it.
If that shit goes through, I'm using proxy servers and Opera Mini for EVERYTHING. Need to brush up on IRC, too, just in case and Alex Jones Event is in the offing.
SILC, not IRC, is the way forward.
@ malikai
Thank you for this. I've got some research to do.
Sorry, but proxy servers were a 90s solution. Now, you need a serious anonymity network.
Anything run in partnership w/ Google is in mvho inadvisable.
Yawn! That the filthy rich and their sychophants are immoral and tax cheats? Who would have thought? Unfortunately this will cause nary a ripple. But it is refreshing that truth, the daughter of time, is emerging helped along by those double-crossed in shady dealings. Pile truth upon truth and someday an avalanche may start - we can only hope so! By the way, who wants to pay taxes when they are simply pissed away.
Exactly WHAT is wrong with ~anyone!~ successfully evading taxes? More power to them!
Or do you statist hypocrites only support "low net worth individuals" evading taxes?
Indeed!
@Kreditanstalt
Maybe you are just too cynical, but I grew up enjoying the concept of a polite, egalitarian society where the rule of law kept things in check. If there is a way for some to cheat, it robs good men with good intentions; over time, you end up with a lot less good men and the public square becomes toxic. Lying and cheating are rewarded at the expense of honesty and hard work. Without the rule of law, we will discover anarchy. Russia has found it and it looks like the West is almost there.
The governments are the biggest threats to an egalitarian society. What about the redistributionist violence inherent in any government system?
Yet A LOT of people still believe the government to be their friend, some kind of benevolent, independent and impartial arbiter, peace officer and prosecutor-of-all-evil, not to mention cradle-to-grave milk-mother. They think that if only the right people were in office, all the laws were enforced and all crime prosecuted, we could carry on as before...
Much too late for that.
Unfortunately, now it is every man for himself, financially speaking.
And what about the violence inherent in the system?
Bloody Peasant!
But the violence has never been inherent in the system. The violence is inherent in human beings. Without a single authority with the right to violence, we would have many authorities committing violence. This is known as feudalism. You probably haven't heard of it, given your general ignorance, but it is widely considered to be inferior to a 'tyranny of the majority'.
If you don't believe in Government, tell me where you live, and be sure to let me know how many defenders you have, so I can organize a larger force! Wait ... you probably don't have anything worth stealing.
But I DO have some things worth stealing, and I'd like to be free, with my neighbours, to organize, and pay for, our own protection - without having to pay through the nose via taxes to have my earnings re-distributed to endless indebted and savings-less tax-eaters...
so when those people that you paid to protect you leave town with your money, then what?
Corrupt is corrupt - privatizing doesn't solve it
and who's to stop other towns paying for their own militia to beat down yours?
just get a dog
Or hide the stuff. And get a gun.
I think I'd rather have my corruption closer to home and accountable then, rather than in DC.
XPolemic
Dude read some Anarchism. Some Bakunin, Kropotkin, some Emma Goldman.
Read about places like Freetown Christianna and The Paris Commune.
Although government does crackdown on threats to itself, that's what did in the Paris Commune.
But people seem to self organize just fine when left to their own devices.
Yes! Governments are the primary source of incivility in the world. Who else has justified plunder, to the point where anyone questioning it is called evil, and no discourse is allowed?
Government is a criminal enterprise - always and forever.
Complete and utter BS. I grew up in a society where the norms of societal pressure and civil society kept things in check. The law and the police were there to deal with the true abberants who did not care about such things, but the vast majority of us kept up a civil society because of (1) what our fámily, friends and neighbours might think, and then (2) what the legal consequences might be.
We now have tens of thousands of laws and a vast police-state apparatus to keep things in check, but things seemingly only get worse, which I would propose is because of mindless drivel from people like you who tout the rule of law rather than the value of a civil society.
+10000
@ The Alarmist
Religion + Morals = Societal Norms = Rule of Law = Civil Society
See above the formula, you are arguing semantics. You don't get societal norms without some "policing" activity. Whether that is what you consider "The Police" or some other form, it is the rule of law that enforces the societal norms of which you speak.
This statement of yours confirms what I am saying above. So, I'm guessing you are not totally against a policing function. Without some policing activity, the number of abberants grows. Ultimately, our biggest societal problems are the disintegration of the family, which is the greatest policing force known to mankind.
I agree with the first part of what you are saying (re: we have too many laws), but you confuse today's events by attacking institutions which work when not corrupted. If people can avoid laws, we will have more worthless laws that are used capriciously against those out of favor with those in power - this was the point of the article. We cannot have a civil society if we allow wide scale corruption. That's what we have now and we have to change it.
I agree because I grew up under similar circumstances.
However, in those days, we never encountered or thought about the elitists (for whom the laws were created to protect). The elitists seemingly think of themselves above the law while subjecting us to it. This is a great cause of social pressure as this inequality is rubbed in people's faces every day. As time goes on, the social pressure to obey the now "so called" law diminishes because those who are most successful (fincially/power) ignore the laws unless to use it to oppress others.
A good person can still internally agree to live by morals and ethics, however it becomes more easily rationalized not to because none at the top do. What's a mother to do? Live by your ethics and be at a significant disadvantage (and be labeled a sucker or a loser) or bend any rule that you can get away with because everyone else is doing it.
This is what invariably leads to the next crisis and when faced with total destruction, those who do not live by laws agree (maybe with fingers crossed) to obey the laws (and this is how Glass-Steagall was established ... only to much later be repealed by the efforts of the unworthy).
+100000
There are a lot of opportunities to be found in anarchy.
Well I'm going to out a lot of shit right here right now that is going to piss off the powers that be to no end. I run into the strangest things during my life. I forgot exactly what I was researching at the moment but I ran straight into some interesting reporting and documentation of online game theories and game theories in general.
From my perspective one of the most important parts of the IT revolution besides making weapons more powerful by smarting them up is the online gaming systems. To them they spend a great deal of time learning how to control gaming populations. And their two favorite approaches are as follows.
1. Their favorite strategy is to crack down on simple things that don't mean anything. For instance they spend most of their monitoring resources cracking down on character names. Their theory is that if you crack down on small things it induces fear in violating big things.
2. Making examples of people. They are interesting in how connected we are and how many people like us and are freindly towards us. They then take those individuals and make examples of them when they violate the gaming rules. If you are in a game system or game world and you don't interact with anyone or chat much you can dupe and violate terms of service all day long without drawing too much attention. If your a guild leader or activate the chat system by receiving alot of tells constantly they plot you on a connectedness basis. They will come down those people like a hammer because it ripples through their connections and is much more effective.
3. You can deduce from these "confessions" they made about controlling online populations that they do the same thing in the real world. This is why you are seeing that blade guy go to prison. Why 50 cent is doing a pump and dump. And they will take these highly connected individuals and crack down on them for maximum ripple and impact.
4. You can deduce from that there is serious tax problems. I can't find any underground blackmarket or anything in my city or state but there are serious tax problems. Either people are not willingly posting taxes or they are doing things like buying years worth of food over internet bypassing taxes. Or more likely big business is simply collecting taxes and keeping it to avoid avoid inflating prices. Because many businesses don't have much more margin than taxation to deal with.
So there ya have it. Get to work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOY_aqkUTxY
And if they come for you to make an example out of you. Make it a bad example.
Cypress Hill - Hits From Da Bong
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qoCq-KsmZU
I'm not linked in. I could probably murder you and nobody would care. LOL
You better check me out on google trends before you get yourself in trouble. LOL
Oh sorry forgot for a moment. You created a monster and now your problem is too many people connect to often and swamp your ability to risk arbitrage and manage dissention.
But seriously your biggest problem is likely that one day you'll finally collect the evidence that everybody on the planet hates you. And they aren't going to stop it.
Yawn. Lol' ....
Give me another doomer post, i'll give you another rail traffic top tic'
Ah just take that Justin Beiber and fuck him in the ass in broad daylight. You'll have 14 year old girls terrified of you for months.
Because you'll never get me to write a book.
You'll never make me famous.
You'll never make me rich.
You'll never make me an asshole to decent people.
Hephasteus
"I can't find any underground blackmarket or anything in my city or state but there are serious tax problems."
Dude buy some dope. That's Black market. Sit at some bars long enough to become a regular and you can buy guns.
Once you get accepted with the "Black Market" crowd you can pretty much find any scam or aquire damn near any good.
Every city has one no matter how small. Usually "young" people know where it is and how to make contact.
Yes, and the really shrewd guys will find ways to link them.
It's not just the tax cheating it's the hypocrisy and lying. When it's policitians, and please let it be the Bushes, Clintons, Gores, McCains, Liebermans, Dodds, Pelosis, Giulianis, Romneys, etc., their policies are exposed as the shams they are.
It's not that people want them to pay their taxes it is that they are gaming the system that they are trying to get everyone else to abide by. It is the "elite" entitlements, the tax cheating, that they won't admit to which is the other side of the entitlement quid pro quo. Shut up the little people with some cough syrup and government cheese handouts so that they won't even think to ask about their public "servants" responsibilities or participation in the tax scam.
The IRS boogeyman scares the people that put the most in as a percentage of income and if the bread winner in their family goes to jail they can't eat. That hardly applies to some silk robed pampered ass caviar kleptocract.
Temporalist
http://www.scribd.com/doc/20917896/Illuminatus
I caught the references to Aristotle, the old man of the tribe with his unfortunate epistemological paresis, and also to that feisty lady I always imagine is really lost Anastasia, but I still didn't grok. "What do you mean?" I asked, grabbing a wet handkerchief as some of the teargas started to drift to our end of the park. "Chairman Mao didn't say half of it," Hagbard replied holding a handkerchief to his own face. His words came through muffled; "It isn't only political power that grows out of the barrel of a gun. So does the whole definition of reality. A set. And the action that has to happen on that particular set and on none other." "Don't be so bloody patronizing," I objected, looking around a corner in time and realizing that night I would be Maced. "That's just Marx: the ideology of the ruling class becomes the ideology of the whole society." "Not the ideology. The Reality." He lowered his handkerchief. "This was a public park until they changed the definition. Now, the guns have changed the Reality. It isn't a public park. There's more than one kind of magic." "Just like Enclosure Acts," I said hollowly. "One day the land belongs to the people. The next day it belongs to the landlords." "And like the Narcotic Acts," he added. "A hundred thousands harmless junkies became criminals overnight, by Act of Congress, in 1927. Ten years later, in '37, all the pot-heads in the country became criminals overnight, by Act of Congress. And they were criminals, when the papers were signed. The guns prove it. Walk away from those guns, waving a joint, and refuse to halt when they tell you. Their Imagination will become your Reality in a second." And I had my answer to Dad, finally, just as a cop jumped out of the darkness screaming something about freaking motherfucking fag commies and Maced me, as was certain to happen (I knew it as I crumbled in pain) on that set.
Have you ever heard of paragraphs?
Excellent post. Case in point: Turbo Tax Timmay.
Naw, that's bullshit.
Talking about *most* people, sure. But when talking about US politicians, wrong angle. Those are the very people who could actually do something about taxation in order to work to create your fantasy-world...er...more egalitarian society if they have noble aims and a functioning sense of justice.
It is unacceptable hypocrisy for them to work to maintain a system of tyranny which they refuse to respect.
If every single tax-evading pol is a rabble-rousing libertarian who has struggled to bring the problem of economic injustice to attention and has been marginalized, I might agree with your view. But there aren't enough of those guys in the USA.
its about the elites demanding more and more from the little people while taking most for themselves. two sets of rules. too much government. its become a monster who keeps getting hungrier.
The problem is that only the banker/government power bloc gets to avoid taxes while everyone else doesn't. The problem is that the tax system is designed/practiced in a way that creates an aristocracy under law, where we pay while they don't. This is the exact system that libertarianism warns against. I have no problem with people avoiding taxes, but when they do it under a guise of a legal system that cements their advantage over everyone else, fuck em. I'm sick of this shit, socialism for us peons so the tax base remains stable while they carry on business totally free without restraints.
Well said. Are you listening Weisentahl? You miserable revolving door repair man.
Poll #1:
Tomorrow's Guardian's headline:
The Swiss wistleblower died in a
1. car accident
2. airplane accident
3. drowned
4. heart failure
Yes, but more importantly, can you also predict if the market will be up or down tomorrow?
Yes, I predict it will be one of those.
you were wrong, it opened unchanged
... And left a suicide note ...
No... they'll wait at least a week or two. The sheep aren't THAT stupid.
Well, maybe they are, but I still think they'll wait a little.
it amazes me how, if you put "wiki" before anything and then post it on the web, people will assume it is true and accurate without any confirmation or verification of any kind whatsoever. There must be a way to make money out of this. Oh, wait, Assange already figured out how to do that.
Why do you care if it is says wiki if it turns out to be real? It is reasonable to have some suspiscion about the validity of the cables. However, on the surface it appears to me that these cables are real. If there is disinformation, it is that there are cables that are missing. For those suggesting that the lack of super incriminating cables is reason to believe these are disinformation, I would ask a simple question: would you write an email to your boss, knowing that others might view that email, suggesting that someone up the chain from you is a doing something criminal? The authors of these cables are professionals at CYA. Anyone expecting a lot of incriminating evidence in these cables is likely to be disappointed.
I dont care if it turns out to be real and says wiki, what I care about is that there is no way to know if its real or not and nobody is trying to vet the info before they make decisions based on it. You accept the cables as real because it appears real on the surface, but I don't. If they are real, then at best what has been done is nothing more than the same as someone intercepting a private letter between two illicit lovers, photocopying them and plastering them all over town. But, without the original letter you have no way to know if the copies all over town are fake or genuine. Everyone so raptured by wikileaks is ready to ignore this because they are happy to see this happening to the government of the usa but that is not a subsitute for certainty. Look, I got four junks for just asking the question. It is quite easy to take advantage of people and dupe them this way when they want to believe. And I dont believe in coincidences.
Unless I am missing something, I don't understand the need for a middleman like Assange. Elmer doesn't have access to the internet or a phone? Elmer can post on YouTube, the Yahoo! boards, ZH, Market Ticker, HuffPost, or all of the above. Elmer's name is already known, so no need to protect the whistleblower's identity. Who voted for Assange as the arbiter of what is a worthy secret? It's mid January already and he seems to have been "encouraged" not to release the BAC(?) info, so why believe he'll get right on this and not dither yet again? Bernanke was quicker to answer the Pittman FOIA request than Assange.
He may get it out but it will be taken down by any of those sources. All of them (not sure yet about ZH) are controlled by TPTB and censor heavily. HuffPost especially is a joke and posts nothing true if controversial.
It would be interesting to see if it lasted on YouTube.
oh, wait! WikiLeaks again? did they already published the "dirt" they've claimed they have on that mega-bank? Then noone will ever see the names of these individuals. Seems to me like WikiLeaks is in he business of self-promotion, not truth finding. The State Dept dump was to attract attention, nothing ele. Not a single really secret and damaging document was released.
The Julius Baer clients may sleep peacefully. If anything, sometime down the road WikiLeaks will offer them to buy this info.
I think the story should read "...expect all hell to break loose as photos of Assange having a underage orgy with Al Qaeda members with out a condom are suddenly made public..."
or
"expect all hell to break loose as photos of Assange having a underage orgy with Al Qaeda with out saying he loves them are suddenly made public..."
May the fleas of 1000 camels...
Years ago we used to make jokes about private banking divisions of Swiss Banks. One of the multiple choice questions we put on our fictitious pre-employment test was:
A man walks into your office carrying a large bag of cash. He is decked out in a military-looking uniform covered in medals and campaign ribbons. He has blood stains on his jacket, and is wearing a necklace made of human ears. You:
1) Call security
2) Overpower the man, steal his bag of cash, then call security
3) Offer the gentleman an espresso and a Cohiba
3) Offer the gentleman an espresso and a cohiba.
Then assure the man of your dedication to the Swiss confidentiallity laws, that his money will earn interest, be safe, and he can continue to make deposits in large bags containing foreign currencies, ears not accepted.
You:
1) Compliment him on his ear coups.
2) Check the money for authenticity
3) Offer him complimentary laundry service
4) Deposity the money
5) Rip him off at ever opportunity
6) When he comes in to complain, deny all knowledge of his account, point out that the receipts he is proffering as proof are obvious forgeries & anyway, no-one of that name works at your bank. THEN call Security.
---yawn----
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnyZyiq6N1w&feature=related
Wake me when Geithner is named...or Rangel....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyC-Ho4V_hQ&NR=1
Move to Canada. We've got plenty of gold, silver, oil and land to accommodate everyone. Our politicians are too boring to be corrupt and our bankers aren't celebrities. Our currency is still cheap relative to the $USD ... but time is ticking, so get on it.
Most importantly, once you make the move, you'll spend A LOT less time fretting about Washington / Wall Street.
Seriously, we'd love to have you. We're not perfect ... but it sure beats what America has to offer.
Regards,
George ... The Greek ... From Canada
Thanks for the invite, but I will have to pass. The North Dakota winters are nearly too much for me. The thought of moving even closer to the pole chills me to the bone.
Amen to that.
AGORACOM
Fuck dude your country just Banned the song Money for nothing by Dire Straights.
And these Canucks would disagree with a lot of your comment.
small dead animals
WTF, Canada banned Dire Straights?
one of the most corrupt countries on the planet. our elected officials recently bailed out the banks , $75 bil. put the taxpayer on the hook for most of the mortgage debt in the country, in effect privatizing profits and socializing risk. we are unable to think for ourselves and all decisions are made by washington. the cia runs foreign and as a matter of fact all departments. let the brian mulroney story be the benchmark for the standard of our political crooks. soon we will be as corrupt as greece, if not there already.
we export all of the gold and silver that eric sprott doesn't buy. our oil is for export at foreign prices and we are taxed to death. we don't have permissive handgun laws and the only place to work if you want the perks and pension is the government.
a squid waterboy runs our central bank and our media is owned by the same people who own wall street. have i missed anything?
oh yes, our current prime minister wants to be an american. the leader of our main opposition party is an american and the third leader of the socialist ndp party just wants to get invited to the party. i won't mention quebec because i have already mentioned greece.
and anything saved in medical premiums is lost at the liquor store
But I might miss the comforts of home:
- Giant housing bubble: check
- Homeless epidemic: check
- Drug / gang violence : check (in Vancouver anyway)
And it's butt cold? No, thanks.
on Sun, 01/16/2011 - 02:17
#879651
Move to Canada. We've got plenty of gold, silver, oil and land to accommodate everyone. Our politicians are too boring to be corrupt and our bankers aren't celebrities. Our currency is still cheap relative to the $USD ... but time is ticking, so get on it.
Most importantly, once you make the move, you'll spend A LOT less time fretting about Washington / Wall Street.
Seriously, we'd love to have you. We're not perfect ... but it sure beats what America has to offer.
Regards,
George ... The Greek ... From Canada
*******************************************************************************
My Ex is from that frost bitten hell hole of perma sheets of ice, dry pedsestrian people are bountiful... would be new republicans are bountiful... ignorance along with thin lines of genetic material.
But the will power of the people of Canada is something to take note of.
Canada in the summer. Florida or the Islands in the winter.
Heaven ?
the ex... has me up in arms... not even 9-11 had me this pissed at that shit hole ice fucking berg. women, cant live with them, cant kill them.
Sounds like it's time for you to switch to guys.
AGORACOM
That's some mighty fine Koolaid yer drinkin.
Have you looked at the unfunded liabilities in government employee pensions ?
Fortunately (unfortunately?) the newly imported citizens have much experience in the black market, so they aren't going to be much help with those annual winter vacations for the parasite class.
Without the U.S. consumer directly (and indirectly through China), Canada is but another self-important backwater.
Not to mention Canada is going muslim faster than you can rap your womans ankles with a long staff
http://www.nationalpost.com/Quebec+immigration+consultant+arrested+fraud+ring/4070879/story.html
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/rcmp-probe-report-saying-canadians-training-with-al-qaida-in-pakistan-for-jihad-113682179.html
Consensus on my invitation to ZHers to move to Canada:
... So how many should I put you down for? :-)
Regards,
George ... The Greek ... From Canada
You can drink yourself silly, and make millions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP2YYc39_TA&feature=related
They are not smart...just rich.
You clearly don't watch CNBS.
After flipping thru a few of the articles and posts tonite ... and after more than a few glorious Guinesses, here's what came to mind:
Fear not the madman in the wood,
But fear the Evil done for Good.
Pretty slim, I admit, one lonely couplet but, upon reflection, it does go to the heart of the matter, no? Think Keynes. Think socialism. Think!
don't be a two line wonder. continue.
Slim but good!
That was a great post.
This is not interesting because of possible tax evasion. It is interesting to see what huge amounts of money politicians have hidden away and there explanation for it.
Tax evasion is just a nice way to prosecute them if you cant do them for corruption, which is why they hid the money in the first place.
Agreed, the laundering angle could be an unexpected bonanza.
back taxes bitchez
nice!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnbiRDNaDeo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5_57PF7HwM&feature=related
Who gives a damn, who gives a damn, I'm on my way!
I wouldn't be surprised to see that even the Tunisian's wealthy families and Ben Ali's are part of this list...
I mistrust these expose's from the mainstream media, while factual and welcome my question is what could they be trying to deflect attention from? I have avoided the Guardian for years, trying to pick the good from the bias has not been for me a productive expercise. It has been noted in the UK that the MPs (member of parliament) expenses scandal has just been front page. Just for interest an MP's salary is approx £66K (~$100K) and the fiddled expenses £14K and £18K sums that in executive renumeration and financial sector bonus culture would be considered derisory. My question would be where all those 100s of billions of £/$ went to the banks. What we see so far is the equivalent of forresting in the rain forrest with nail clippers!
However I will concede that even with nail clippers, if one has the patience, a large tree can be felled as long as they are directed towards the roots. Nibbling the leaves and the odd twig is purely cosmetic and just plain theatre.
"Why So Serious"
The final solution for those 40 politicians, and soon thousands of others, is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo5BBHtn4tM
To the rest of 1960 assholes; you were stupid enough not to keep money in gold!
Gold never talks or pay taxes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JuVjI6gPPI&feature=related
'never talks or pay taxes'
sssssssshh.
Heres a tin foil hat thought, assange is really a pupppet of the almighty powers that be (wall street that is-period!) to create fear in the market. All the whlie they CONtinue to assrape the shorts creating this elusive "wall of worry".
Someone still belives in the Wikileaks fairy tales? Even Assange himself saw that he got completely discredited in some intellectual circles, and as a last resort sold out his shitty autobiography rights. Here come wikileaks jokes again, the message is "there is hope, they are not in complete control, wiki is here, join the revolution (to nowhere)".
There is a call for civility across the country and that is good, but likewise we need transparency and truth. Civility will never hold if it is just a trick to keep the LIES going.
Wikileaks has done more in a few years of transparency then the last 50 years of elections
I'm no longer even surprised at how many ZH commenters actually APPLAUD this government agent of a "whistleblower"...you're all Keynesians now, aren't you?
Funny how ardent capitalists suddenly turn into jealous socialist government-loving redistributionists when they see someone with lots of money, isn't it?
I would have thought that a few reads of ZH would enable even the most naive to realize that the real threat to capital accumulation, to a secure retirement, to job creation and to personal liberty is GOVERNMENT.
Not the bankers. Not "the rich". Not any particular political party. Not capitalism. Not the budget deficit. Not even the Federal Reserve, or fractional reserve banking or central banking itself.
The middle classes in western nations spend a lot of time desperately trying to glom onto someone else's money, having wasted all of theirs and saved NOTHING. They are really busy out there playing VICTIM, crying to the governments with the guns for "justice". "The banksters have stolen our money and our houses!!!" they scream...
But it is just economic envy. They really HATE free capitalism, even though they may profess support. They want those entitlements to continue, they NEED them. They will support any party, any individual, any government who will get them the money...
Michael Moore is a prime example of course, but so are many Tea Party types - all pseudo-socialists and income redistributionists. They haven't run out of other people's money YET...
Here are your neighbours, screwed by government policies on everything from interest rates to overregulation to war overspending and job-destroying taxes. Yet they love those governments so much they'd fink on any of their neighbours making a few tax-free dollars under the table, or doing business tax-free on weekends or selling online.
And when big guys do it, the socialists get REALLY jealous. It's easy to blow one's own trumpet as a patriotic, big government-loving American tax-"payer" if the tax scofflaw targets are obscenely rich, isn't it? Kind of makes a tax-eater feel RIGHTEOUS, doesn't it? Even if it's crap.
If ZH readers really think government is there for them, and wish it to prosecute anyone with any money, well I'd hope you're on the wrong website.
You better have ONE principle for everyone, rich, poor or otherwise. OR you're in bed with Obama, Boehner and the other socialist dinosaurs. Have fun making "the rich" pay those taxes, but there for the grace of god go YOU. Wait till the cheap money runs out...or there are no "rich" left. Whichever comes first.
I agree with most of what you say, but unfortunately the 'banksters' are an 'extension' of government here is the USAoA since 1913 (and before in various forms). Due to this perverse marriage (geared to keep a select group of 'elites' in power and control), there is no such thing as 'equal opportunity'. It is for that reason that many on the 'lower net worth' platform feel 'vindicated' when those on the 'higher net worth' platform face the power of 'justice'. For there to be a true libertarian society there must be a 'level playing field' which is negated by the very nature of 'government'. So while 'government' is the ultimate problem the 'banksters' are equally complicit and, IMHO, are two sides of the self-same coin.
You think so little of people ... maybe because it is a reflection of yourself. I think people can be and a majority ARE better than that.
Corruption is not inherent in people, but it is a quick road to success in America. FYI corruption does NOT equal capitalism ... as you seemingly think.
on Sun, 01/16/2011 - 08:46
#879744
I'm no longer even surprised at how many ZH commenters actually APPLAUD this government agent of a "whistleblower"...you're all Keynesians now, aren't you?
*******************************************************************************
Keynesians, are like any other cult.
Funny how ardent capitalists suddenly turn into jealous socialist government-loving redistributionists when they see someone with lots of money, isn't it?
*******************************************************************************
You cant speed my money its in the safe... and its shinny. right next to the ammo, which has far greater value in the long run.
I would have thought that a few reads of ZH would enable even the most naive to realize that the real threat to capital accumulation, to a secure retirement, to job creation and to personal liberty is GOVERNMENT.
**********************************************************************************
There is no George Washington coming to the rescue, the monies have been thinned to prevent such and exercise.
Not the bankers. Not "the rich". Not any particular political party. Not capitalism. Not the budget deficit. Not even the Federal Reserve, or fractional reserve banking or central banking itself.
***********************************************************************************
Bankers are thieves, the good ones any way... WAIT! the ones making good money, sorry.
The middle classes in western nations spend a lot of time desperately trying to glom onto someone else's money, having wasted all of theirs and saved NOTHING. They are really busy out there playing VICTIM, crying to the governments with the guns for "justice". "The banksters have stolen our money and our houses!!!" they scream...
**********************************************************************************
They have printed away 30 FUCKING % of those monies set aside in 12 calander months... you fucking idiot!
But it is just economic envy. They really HATE free capitalism, even though they may profess support. They want those entitlements to continue, they NEED them. They will support any party, any individual, any government who will get them the money...
***********************************************************************************
That is what we have now... people here (for the most part) are seeking change. all .0001% of the populace!
Michael Moore is a prime example of course, but so are many Tea Party types - all pseudo-socialists and income redistributionists. They haven't run out of other people's money YET...
************************************************************************************
Mike? the fat bastard has more money that you will ever see.
Here are your neighbours, screwed by government policies on everything from interest rates to overregulation to war overspending and job-destroying taxes. Yet they love those governments so much they'd fink on any of their neighbours making a few tax-free dollars under the table, or doing business tax-free on weekends or selling online.
***********************************************************************************
Now you just sound like a pissed off land lord with tier 2 - 3 properties suffering losses, in your commercial space. Should have built to suit for the GSA, stupid.
And when big guys do it, the socialists get REALLY jealous. It's easy to blow one's own trumpet as a patriotic, big government-loving American tax-"payer" if the tax scofflaw targets are obscenely rich, isn't it? Kind of makes a tax-eater feel RIGHTEOUS, doesn't it? Even if it's crap.
************************************************************************************
$800b, just the TARP Monies... the first go round... would have paid for 20% un-employment benefits for 29 fucking years... you fucking idiot... here dumb fuck -----> http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp=gsih&xhr=t&q=%24800b+TARP&cp=9&qe=JDgwMGIgVEFSUA&qesig=CnfNHK0SwCKq7tP9GHhDNQ&pkc=AFgZ2tnuq3XCm2n007Kh-V0XvhfIf4kku4TJkWaDJkftlBZQ9yzBSPHQeJBsOKuhp4URTmGaLFdNqofqer2xTkeWbAR9sSu6qg&pf=p&sclient=psy&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=%24800b+TARP&pbx=1&fp=ddb181364976507e now divide the carry of whatever % of un-employment you like... 40% un-employment could be carried for 10+ years... just with the $800b... you fukcing idiot, do you own a calculator? you dont like numbers or money, I think.
If ZH readers really think government is there for them, and wish it to prosecute anyone with any money, well I'd hope you're on the wrong website.
************************************************************************************
Prosecute anyone who have circumvented the law, I have off shore monies... I am taxed in those jurisdictions where the money is located.
You better have ONE principle for everyone, rich, poor or otherwise. OR you're in bed with Obama, Boehner and the other socialist dinosaurs. Have fun making "the rich" pay those taxes, but there for the grace of god go YOU. Wait till the cheap money runs out...or there are no "rich" left. Whichever comes first.
**********************************************************************************
Eat the Rich is not the message, you stupid fuck!
I Junked YOU! and here is why....
The game is fixxed... you dont have money, you just think you do... you would need $100m to figure what being poor is really all about.
Thusly the bottom 80%, 70%? with 7%(ish) of the Global wealth... and once again, even if you where in the top 1%... you would only then truely figure out what broke is.
As for those who live outside the law, it would be nice... for a change... if they where made to suffer.
By the language you use, I'm pretty sure you're a 24-year old unemployed Midas Muffler installer...nothing more.
so the personal attack is you way of giving up? ok thanks for playing.
Hit the nail on the head, in theory. Of course, a lot of these guys using these services are absconding with loot...or loot from loot looted by the government...so I'm somewhat torn.
They are happy to see plunderers exposed, not honest people who have created value.
good lil monkey!
So will this even begin to open up the records of Ugland House in Georgetown Grand Cayman where over 8000 US Corporations and entities have "offices"?
I thought all those "companies" we're CIA and Feral Reserver fronts.
Yeah, keep bashing "the banksters". But remember to salute and bend over when "your" government says to...and patriotically PAY YOUR TAXES...!
Nice sentiment, but we are at the point where nearly more than 50% of the households in the US do not pay federal income taxes and many receive sufficient refundable tax credits, e.g. Earned Income Tax Credit, and other subsidies, e.g. "crazy money" for their kids with ADD, that more than offsets other taxes such as social security. A lot of this news is deliberately manufactured so that this crowd can feel a little bit better about being leeches because the dirty rich are doing their best to evade paying their "fair share."
And KA, government per se is not the problem ... it is politicians, who take the necessary means of government and turn it to the ends of cementing their own power for posterity, that is the problem.
No one impotent ever pays the price folks. Keep moving and buy those dips
Not even Bob Dole?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7oh1so-2M8
OK, what do you guys think, am a making a come back with appaling smelly? All my other handles were discredited, but smelly is getting some attention. There's hope for a discredited bufoon like me after all.
Hey I have to find some way to stop DoChen and Akak from turning the whole of sheepledom on to silver.
What's next, people stop watching the Dance with the starts, and start reading ZH and see DoChen' posts and start buying silver?
Stop me JonNadler, stop me!!!
Actually, buddy akak and I are more into gold. But, silver in a pinch, and what do I know?
But, you and Smelly are right! Blythe may yet give you a bonus so there is hope!
Au to $0.02
Ag to $0.01
Anyone smart has long ago liquidated all US assets and gotten the heck out of Dodge.
on Sun, 01/16/2011 - 08:46
#879792
Anyone smart has long ago liquidated all US assets and gotten the heck out of Dodge.
********************************************************************************
Aus.?
I feel really weird about this, tax evaders are my favorite people, but politicians are my least favorite. My worldview might just implode.
That's what you get for being a sycophantic lackey, Renfro.
I have had a slow evolution of thought over the last two years. String them up. String them all up. We just need a critical mass and it is slowly building. If laws and prisons are only for little people then the little people will take the law into their own hands. Do you hear that GG? I suspect the next guy who goes after you 47 wont advertise. There is an ugly mood in this country. Cry havoc and unleash the crazies of war.
what is the point of thousands of laws and regulations??
ask Al capone, when someone steps out of line the idiots working for the system (even they dumb as rocks)can find laws broken, regulations violated..
the purpose of laws is to protect the elite and those who benefit from them the leaching the wealth of the subjects of US law.
How many US citizens know congress exempts itself ( the pols) from many of the laws they pass..healthcare, Soc sec, two big examples.
Governments could structure taxes so that it does not matter whether a person keeps his income and wealth a totally private matter or not. But governments have done the exact opposite. Taxes on incomes also destroy financial privacy. And low income tax rates decrease the incentive to try to dodge the tax.
All that being true, when your Swiss bank account only pays 1.25% pa, there is not too much tax to dodge!
http://www.swissquote.ch/sqweb/savings/introduction.jsp
In 1971, one dollar would buy over 4 CHF.
Today, one CHF buys $0.9
Only gold and silver do better than CHF.
But those idiots still keep money in Switzerland.
So, propably most money in Switzerland is dirty money, stolen from tax payers money or bribe money.
More, there is a danger that CHF will completely collapse one day.
No, Switzerland is both too big and too important to fail. It's where TPTB keep their stash, so they are never going to let it fail.