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Thailand Imposes Gamers Curfew
bg writes "How addicted can you be? According to this article, Thailand will install a curfew to "protect" their childern from the addiction from Gaming. "Game servers, both local and overseas, will be blocked from 10.00pm to 6.00am daily from July 15 to Sept 30, while Internet cafes will also have their hours curbed to those times". Under particular attack is Korean role-playing game Ragnarok, which was introduced to Thailand seven months ago."
A standard libertarian talking point that is provably false. If you don't pay your taxes the government probably won't catch on for a few years. When they do, they'll insist you pay them. If you don't, they'll probably take legal action against you and try to seize your property. "Jail", despite what you libertarians believe, rarely enters the picture.
Al Capone was put in prison. Granted, that was 60-70 years ago, but it still happened. Can you find me someone who didn't pay their taxes and didn't go to jail?
It's not your money. The government prints and regulates it. And if you want to avoid paying taxes? Barter your work for food and shelter.
Technically, nothing I purchase with MY money is mine either. My computer was made by Dell, so that's not mine. My television was made by Panasonic, so that's not mine. Even my bread was made by D' Italiano, so even that's not mine. About the only thing that's mine, according to your definition, is the crap that comes out of my ass... which even then, since it's just a redefinition of the food I eat, should logically belong, by way of shares, to the companies that provided the food I ate. Even my body wouldn't be mind, since it largely consists of things I've ingested over the course of my lifetime. So what is mine? My ideas? I get those ideas because my brain is developed enough. My brain gets developed enough because I eat enough food to keep it going. According to your definition, and your questionable logic, nothing at all is mine, and nothing is yours either.
How about a new definition for "own"? Let's take Websters definition. Own (v): To have or hold as property. Possess. To have power over. Control. That seems pretty cut and dry. I have my money in my possession. I have power over it, and I control what I spend it on. While I'm looking things up, let's look up "earn". Earn (v): To receive as return for effort and especially for work done or services rendered. I've never seen a definition so clear. It even says "especially for work done or services rendered". So, I own my money because I work to earn it.
"It's better to have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it." ~ Christian Slater, True Romance
For when you get fragged:
Fucking stop camping or I'll call the cops on your ass!
The only example you can think of is Al Capone? I think that tells us something. Also please note that they went after Capone for tax evasion because they were unable to try him for murder. Also keep in mind that Capone deliberately falsified his financial documents. There is a big difference between not paying your taxes and committing a felony to hide how much money you make and where it comes from.
At least I named an example. You didn't even do that. You just gave a statement, and offered no supporting evidence. However, you asked for more examples, so here they are:
William F. Wadsworth of Ohio failed to file federal income tax for 1995, 1996, and 1997. He was sentenced to a number of things, including "three years probation, with the first six months in home confinement with electronic monitoring".
Karl F. Kleinpaste of Pennsylvaniv was convicted by a jury to 30 months in prison for "willful failure to file income tax returns, income tax evasion, and making false statements in loan or credit applications".
Here's a good one that just happened in October of 2002... "Edward Bruce Baker of Florida was sentenced to 24 months in prison on two counts of failure to file federal income tax returns and was remanded to the custody of the Marshals at that time."
Barry Eugene Brooks was sentenced to 21 months in prison after a jury found him guilty of failing to file his 1995, 1996, and 1997 tax returns.
"On October 3, 2002, Gregory Bruce Zolman of Lake Ann, Michigan, was sentenced to 12 months in prison followed by 12 months supervised release. Zolman was arrested without incident on April 23, 2002, following a Grand Jury indictment on four counts of willfully failing to file a 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998 federal tax return."
Samuel F. DuPont, of Georgetown, Maryland, was sentenced on September 27, 2002, to twelve months in prison and one year of supervised release after pleading guilty last June on two counts of willfully failing to file income tax returns.
On September 16, 2002, Paul Soyk, of Sterling Heights, Michigan, a CPA who also has a Master of Taxation degree, was sentenced to five-months in prison, followed by five-months home confinement and two-years supervised release. Soyk was earlier convicted after a three-day trial on four counts of tax evasion for the years 1996 through 1999.
Are you noticing a trend here? I'm only half-way down THE FIRST PAGE, and I'm not going to continue because I'm tired of typing all this.
You've completely and utterly missed the point.
No, you have missed the point. I earn my money, and I own it until I deem it necessary to part with it. The government is taking something by threat of force that I earned, and belongs to me. If I did that, I'd be put in jail.
"It's better to have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it." ~ Christian Slater, True Romance
Chances are, you went to public schools...
...drive on public roads with a car that pollutes the public's air...
...have water, electricity...
... and the mail delivered to your house, every day.
Which should be funded by local funds, gotten by local taxes from local citizens. The federal government has no place in local education.
Which should be funded by way of tolls. Tolls should be stopped when the road has been paid for. As far as air, when did anyone lay claim to air? Did we suddenly move to Mars where air is a luxury? The air is fine. If it wasn't, our average lifespan wouldn't be twice as long as it was a couple hundred years ago.
Water isn't taxed. I pay for my water, depending on my usage. If I didn't use any water, I wouldn't get a bill. Same thing with the electricity.
Which can, should, and have been privately funded. Ever hear of the Pony Express? Privately funded, and was successful until the Civil War started.
How do you think the (GD, tyranical, POS, worthless) government pays for all this, advertising? If you want to live like a libertarian, move to Afghanistan, dude.
If you want to live in a government controlled nightmare, move to China. I'll stay here where we at least PRETEND to still be a free country.
"It's better to have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it." ~ Christian Slater, True Romance
I actually checked many of those examples you linked to. Almost without exception they dealt with people who had consciously defrauded the government by hiding assets, etc. I'll state it again, there is a difference between not paying your taxes and filing false information.
You are lying. Those were DIRECT QUOTES FROM THE IRS, ON THE IRS.GOV WEBSITE. Not only that, the page title is "Significant Case Summaries: Nonfiler Enforcement". That doesn't say "Signicant Case Summaries: Fraud Enforcement". That page is here. Either you're lying, or you can't read. You want me to print the entire list?
Well suck it up. You owe it. I know you don't want to owe it. Neither the government, nor I care.
Quote from the Constitution, Article I, Section 9, Clause 4: Clause 4: No Capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion to the Census or Enumeration herein before directed to be taken. The 16th Amendment changed that to allow for a "graduated" income tax, that is CLEARLY UN-Constitutional. You obviously do NOT know what you're talking about because you give no examples, no evidence, and no intelligent points to discuss and argue in a civil manner. I gave you multiple examples from the IRS dictating their powers, by way of specific cases with dates, names, and time sentenced, and you say the equivalent of "nuh uh!".
"It's better to have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it." ~ Christian Slater, True Romance
As you've obviously flunked 3rd grade let me explain it to you; Constitutional amendments are part of the Constitution. THEREFORE THEY CAN'T BE UNCONSTITUTIONAL, CAN THEY?
ANY addition to the Constitution has to be approved by the legislature. The Legislature is SUPPOSED to review an Amendment to make sure it's Constitutional in its direct, and indirect consequences. I could almost understand if it was an addition that had indirect contradictions, but it has glaring ones. It was Unconstitutional when it was proposed, it was Unconstitutional when it was approved, and it remains Unconstitutional today. Period, end of story. You're pathetic whining about Constitutional Amendments not being Constitutional proves only that you're the idiot that doesn't know any history. Obviously you can drink alcohol, can't you? Yet that was an Amendment back in 1920's.
"It's better to have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it." ~ Christian Slater, True Romance
OK, we'll go through it step by step for you, and I'll even use different examples since you seem to have something against Mr. Wadsworth from Ohio, and Mr. Kleinpaste of Pennsylvania. I'll even use short examples that even your feeble brain MIGHT be able to comprehend.
On October 1, 2002, Edward Bruce Baker of Altamonte Springs, Florida was sentenced to 24 months in prison on two counts of failure to file federal income tax returns and was remanded to the custody of the Marshals at that time. During 1994, Baker received gross income of approximately $231,339 and in 1995 received approximately $281,824. For both of these years, Baker failed to file returns. Baker was found guilty by a Jury on July 22, 2002.
That is the entirety of the section devoted to Mr. Baker of Florida. No Fraud. No Laundering. Only failing to file income taxes, twice. One year in PRISON for each time he failed to file federal income taxes. Let me put it this way. Fail to file for 1 year = 1 year in prison.
On November 20, 2002, in the Eastern District of Texas, Barry Eugene Brooks was sentenced to 21 months in prison after a jury found him guilty of failing to file his 1995, 1996 and 1997 tax returns. According to the Indictment filed on December 4, 2001, Brooks was a self-employed with his principal place of business in Jacksonville, Cherokee County, Texas.
That again, is the entirety of his section. No Fraud. No laundering. No murder, rape, pillaging, or other idiocy. He was found guilty of "failing to file his 1995, 1996, and 1997 tax returns" and got "21 months in prison". An average of 7 months per year for not filing. Again, failing to file for 1 year = 7 months in prison.
On March 21, 2002, Dr. Joseph Fanfan, Jr., pled guilty to failing to file federal income tax returns for 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997. According to the indictment charged on October 11, 2001, Dr. Fanfan earned gross income of approximately $150,956, $199,306, $221,005 and $266,452 in 1994-1997, respectively. Dr. Fanfan was sentenced on July 26, 2002, receiving 60 months probation.
60 months probation isn't prison, but it's one step away from it. 4 years of failing to file = 60 months probation.
On April 29, 2002, in Little Rock, Arkansas, Ernest Clyde Swisher, a Missouri attorney, was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for failing to file federal income tax returns for 1995, 1996 and 1997. Swisher received nearly $1.4 million in the three year period.
In January 2002, a jury deliberated approximately one hour after four days of trial. During the trial, Swisher and his attorney argued numerous "tax-protest" defenses, including that there was no statutory requirement to file income taxes. During the sentencing hearing, the Judge expressed that it is important that the public recognize the failure of "tax-protester" arguments and that the maximum sentence that he imposed should reflect as much.
Just so you don't lose count, that's 36 months for failing to file for 3 years. Once again, 1 year of failing to file = 1 year in prison.
Maybe you'd be interested in this page. I summarise (it's a graph, few words for reading):
Fiscal Year 2003 (9 months) as of 6/30/2003
Prosecution Recommendations: 223
Indictments / Informations: 160
Convictions: 172
Incarceration Rate (may include prison time, halfway house, home confinement, or a combination thereof): 82.6%
Avg. Months to Serve in Prison: 45
Avg. Months to Serve (all sentences): 43
Fiscal Year 2002
Prosecution Recommendations: 269
Indictments / Informations: 233
Convictions: 227
Incarceration Rate (may include prison time, halfway house, home confinement, or a combination thereof): 88.1%
Avg. Months to Serve in Prison: 45
Avg. Months to Serve (all sentences): 49
Fiscal Year 2001
Prosecution Recommendations: 244
Indictments / Informations:
"It's better to have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it." ~ Christian Slater, True Romance