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Swiss Banks Making Concessions On Secrecy
Aryabhata writes in with news that should chill the hearts of evil dictators and tax cheats everywhere: one of the last bastions of strong banking secrecy, Switzerland, is bowing to international pressure and agreeing to cooperate with some foreign investigations of wrongdoing. "...the Swiss government announced on Friday that it would cooperate in international tax investigations, breaking with its long-standing tradition of protecting wealthy foreigners accused of hiding billions of dollars. Austria and Luxembourg also said they would help. ... The famed 'numbered accounts' that do not bear the owner's name will still be available for clients willing to pay for added anonymity. ... Over the past month, leaders have made similar promises in Singapore, Liechtenstein, Bermuda, the British islands of Jersey and Guernsey, and tiny Andorra... other 'offshore' banking centers are still available in the Caribbean, Panama, Dubai and elsewhere."
Like cheating an inept and corrupt government is wrong somehow.
If you consider that true, then considering how a perfect government is never going to happen, that would imply taxes should never be paid.
So much for civilization.
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And yet.. if you were trying to find out where 60 some odd billion dollars that some guy stole from peoples retirement accounts has gone to.. the high road just doesn't sound all that righteous..
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Dude what have you been smoking?
First let's tackle health care shall we...
Health care in private does not work because it is upside down economics. It is not like getting car insurance because for the most part you can avoid getting into an accident. BUT when you get old you cannot avoid cancer or a whole host of diseases that will afflict you.
This means when you are young you should actually pay more in insurance so that you are covered for the future. But health insurance is priced like car insurance and thus as you get sick you end up paying more. It is wrong!
When Ron Paul and such talk they talk CRAP, yes you read that right CRAP. They talk about breaking a leg, giving birth, etc. They are not talking about chronic diseases, which are actually the core of our health care dilemna. We have people who should have kissed their lives goodbye still living. And that COSTS A WHOLE HEAPING LOAD OF MONEY!
So if you are going to talk private I say make youngsters pay more when they are healthy than when they are old.
Oh yeah that will not work since we tend to be people who only react when they are having problems.
Let me give you a secret, do some research on Bismarck the state leader. He introduced concept of health care, and pensions. He did so to pacify the people. But he did so with a very high bar because he knew that health care and pensions can suck a government dry.
The true cost of health care, pensions and society can only be borne by the populace as a whole. Do the math and you will see there is no other solution.
Well there is a solution, those that have the money get it, those that don't die...
"You can't make a race horse of a pig"
"No," said Samuel, "but you can make very fast pig"