PELHAM

You're changing the argument - you stated that the top 1% must pay an extra 15% of the tax. Now you are suggesting that the top 1% are all criminally avoiding tax and must be locked up? Is that actually true? Robert Mugabe the president of Zimbabwe followed the exact policies you suggest and look what happened to that country. The rich simply packed up and emigrated and the economy collapsed. He stripped them of their citizenship and they did not really care. See also Eastern Europe after WW2, Idi Amin and many others. It doesn't work. What you fail to see is the contribution they make through investment, enterprise and employment. You will never manage to implement such tax laws globally. Sanctions don't work - Mugabe, Gadaffi, Hussein and dozens of other super rich dictators have survived for decades with sanctions against them. Many of the people you are considering going after are far wealthier. All they have to do is pull their money out and wait - we will end up starving and begging them to return, on their terms not ours. Well tell us how to do it then Comrade Walker? Please don't send me to the Gulag for uttering defeatist nonsense lol.

Thanks for your help. Downloading..........

They were not working alone? What about the politicians? I want a piece of Gordon Brown - he promissed me he had eliminated boom and bust. They pay 24.1% of the total income tax in the UK already? Just what do you call not pulling your weight? Will this be done globally? Not possible - they will simply leave whichever country brings in such a rule then you have 24,1% of your total income tax bill missing. The people left including poor people will have to pay more. It all sounds very nice and convincing Walker - can't implement it though can you?

Nose picking is more important in space than on earth! It's the Zero-G, can you imagine what it's like to inhale something that someone else has picked and flicked? It floats around you see. If I ever get into orbit I will be sure to wear one of those surgical masks, especially when I sleep. RE the blood - you need to back off a little there! Anything deeper than the 1st knuckle is too far!

All NASA technology has produced great spin offs, teflon, velcro, micro electronics etc. - you never know this might produce a tool that is more efficient at picking noses than the average finger. :D

Well maybe we should discuss the other prominent topic in US politics at the moment. Err can someone remind me what it is?

Wrong - Jesus is the biggest land owner - his dad made it all in the first place. Neither of them have ever paid any tax! I suggest we sue God for 4.54 billion years in back taxes - that would eliminate the concept of being poor wouldn't it??? RE the Queen - the 'ownership' is largely ceremonial, the land is 'owned' by the crown. She can't actually sell it or earn income from it so this so called fact is another falsehood. If it were true she could simply sell parts of Australia and Canada for the repairs that are needed on various palaces - they are not in a good condition and thats why they rely on the civil list. The lands she supposedly owns do not contribute anything to the civil list.

That's a different argument - Walker was talking about paying your way. Your chart refers to what people have. So what do we do? Pass a law that takes away someones wealth if they are too rich? They will simply move somewhere that will allow them to keep it. Then how do you make up that 24.1% of tax? Oh yes, the rest of us will have to pay more. So to stop them moving out of the country you could arrest rich people, lock them up and take their assets? How does this square with human rights? If you are rich you are not entitled to any? It's nice to bash the rich and think we deserve more - how you make that work in practice is a little more difficult. It would be nice if the protesters and the anarchists came up with some answers instead of rabble rousing. Robin Hood, if he existed, was an outlaw aristocrat - he stole from the rich and kept it for himself. Is an ancient fable the best basis for a modern fable? Much of the above was tested in the failed communist and marxist states across the world - look what happened to them.

Top 10% earners pay 53.3% of the income tax in the UK? Thats before they get to spend or invest anything, as soon as they do they are taxed again. Top 1% pay 24.1% of the income tax - who cares if they award themselves bonuses - 50% or more ends up back in the public purse. There is a very small rise in public dissent because the far left and the anarchists are spreading crap to try to further their influence and their cause.

I agree fully. Greece was warned for 25 years about their silly voluntary corrupt tax system. How can a country survive when the norm is to choose not to pay what you should - answer EU handouts and EU guaranteed loans. They get no sympathy from me.

Exactly right - the Pashtuns do not even recognise there is a border. Once again we fall into the trap of labelling people by geography. They consider themselves Pashtuns 1st, Afghani or Pakistani 2nd. Same for Iraq or anywhere else in the world you might consider.

I agree, Tax Avoidance is the one that really needs curbing. It's a dirty, shameful practice.

Many people want Bout dead - most of his customers have been overthrown and the victims want justice. He also knows many secrets about what former KGB and Russian Military officials got up after Glasnost. You will have observed that 99% of his distributed weapons were Eastern Block manufactured? The US officials transport him under maximum protection because they know this. The US also knows that if anything should happen to him they would get the blame. As soon as his death was announced, many would write on blogs that he was killed by the US to cover up CIA secrets.

I vote no. The culture of borrowing money we could not hope to pay back was encouraged by governments, media as well as corporations. We should also look at ourselves - did you borrow when you knew deep down it wasn't a good thing? I said 7 years ago that something was deeply wrong when the economy was based on debt. People smugly told me I was talking nonsense and got out their credit cards to wave at me. Gordon Brown stood in Parliament and stated that he had eliminated 'Boom and Bust'. (Poor man is now almost living as a recluse). You can't just blame the banks and the rich. Everyone was living a fairytale. The idea of blaming the banks was an attempt by the politicians to absolve themselves of their part in the whole sorry mess. The idea of blaming the rich is from the Anarchists who have alterior motives to persue.

Bout had many dealings with many nation states and often played them off against each other. Your original writings on this matter seem biased against one particular nation state and many elements of it are untrue and the links you make are absurd. While intelligence agancies are forced to use dubious people occasionally it does not mean they aporove of them or support them. Bout can make any statements he likes from prison and yet he has not done so? Also you seemed to suggest that the USA would be behind a plot to kill him, yet years later he is still in perfect health.

Malema investigated for corruption South Africa's new Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, dubbed the Hawks, are investigating Julius Malema for corruption, money laundering and fraud related to government tenders in Limpopo. Julius Malema feels his human rights are being undermined by media leaks from the police, SABC news reported on Tuesday. The broadcaster said Malema was considering approaching the public protector and the Human Rights Commission over the matter. Famous video of Malema threatening a BBC journalist. s_mI04tnoLc guQ-SPulPog 100s invade land in Eastern Cape Hundreds of people have invaded land belonging to the Uniting Reformed Church outside Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, SABC news reported on Tuesday. Church representatives said the invaders formed a committee which had divided the 57ha of land and were selling it for R7 000 per site, the broadcaster said. The church has already applied for an eviction order which was served on some of the invaders last Friday. Some people still remained on the land by Tuesday, erecting buildings on the plots. SA Parliament reviews secret 'censorship' order to prevent journalists interviewing officials without permission. A previously unkown "Policy on Media Relations Management", signed in 2009, which directs journalists to request interviews with anyone in Parliament through Parliament's media office was put under review. After an interview with an unnamed ANC parliamentary official, Independent Newspapers journalist Deon de Lange's parliamentary media accreditation was threatened with suspension. According to reports, secretary to Parliament Zingile Dingani wrote to the Independent Group editors asking why he should not withdraw De Lange's accreditation. ANC chief whip Mathole Motshekga reportedly also threatened to crack down on De Lange's source and ordered an investigation. It was "beyond absurd" to control who journalists spoke to in Parliament through an "unearthed" set of rules, the Parliamentary Press Gallery Association said on Tuesday. Sanef spokesperson Raymond Louw said the policy was signed at roughly the time the PGA was moved out of the Parliament building to another building in the precinct. At the time, it was seen as an attempt to prevent ready access by reporters to members of Parliament. The policy seemed to have a similar motive - to prevent reporters from having open contact with MPs, Louw said. "The intention of removing Deon de Lange's accreditation is a form of censorship," said Louw. ANC-YL members storm private land A group of people has invaded private land in Hilton outside Pietermaritzburg, claiming it belongs to ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema, according to a report on Monday. Land owner Rusty Roodt told The Witness newspaper he would approach the high court in Pietermaritzburg on Monday to obtain a court order to stop people from invading his property. He said the police had done nothing to stop the land invasion at Winterskloof in Hilton. One of the land invaders reportedly said: "We are continuing what we started when we marched on Thursday and Friday to reclaim what is ours," in reference to an economic freedom march from Johannesburg to Pretoria led by Malema. 2 weeks previously, Malema told people in Thembelihle in Lenasia, south of Johannesburg, last week to forcefully occupy land.

Last week Malema also racially insulted South Africa's large Indian population. http://mg.co.za/article/2011-10-20-outrage-over-malemas-indian-slur/ Malema escorted into a courthouse accompanied by men armed with Dashprod SAR M14 rifles. Malema's security guards, devoid of any insignia or logos, threatened lawyers involved in his court case, and some positioned themselves outside and inside the court. Equality Court Judge Collin Lamont had to stop proceedings to order the removal of “people carrying guns†in his courtroom after being told about their presence. There was no credible threat to Mr. Malema's security and this show of armed force in a court room is unprecedented. Malema has organised an ANC Youth League march (for 27th Oct) on government offices in central Johannesburg as a first step in a direct challenge to President Jacob Zuma's authority. The organisation of the march was widely criticised by police and public safety officials. ANCYL has refused to pay insurance and the march is expected to turn violent. Residents and the public have been warned to stay away from the area. The march was taking place a day after testimony in Malema's disciplinary hearing was concluded. He and several co-leaders face charges of bringing the ruling party into disrepute.

Going back to the main topic of this thread! War in Afghanistan: Not much can happen until Pakistan stops training, funding, arming and giving sanctuary to the Afghan Taliban and others. They have also taken steps to prevent any kind of peace process by arresting any Taliban leaders who negotiate without permission and organising terrorist attacks against Afghan government officials who are involved in peace talks. The fact that Osama Bin Laden was discovered hiding in plain sight in Pakistan is not mysterious when you look at the other activities of the Pakistani ISI. Their duplicity began during the original invasion 10 years ago when they airlifted all the senior Taliban leadership out of Afghanistan to safety and misled the US about the operation. Pakistan originally set up the Taliban to prevent Indian influence in Afghanistan - that is still their long term strategic view. There is already a secret war going on in Pakistan - I guess the options are leave Afghanistan to its fate or attack Pakistan? I just hope the west stops handing money to this supposed friend.

Had a look into this and I take much of what you say here with a grain of salt. :rolleyes:

I'm talking about corruption and bribes - do you know what that actually is? They don't send you a bill when they want you to pay a bribe?

Go back and read from Road Runners post about the corruption he experienced day to day at the airport in Iraq. In the middle east and elsewhere corruption and bribery is part of every day life. I was told that the same thing happens in the west - we just wear suits while we do it. My question was - has anyone living in a western country had to pay a bribe to a civil servant, policeman, customs official, local councillor, teacher, dentist or doctor recently? Because I have never had to and I thought I would ask because mrcash originally seemed to think that corruption in Iraq was on a par with corruption in the west. ---------- Post added at 09:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:14 PM ---------- Yes elaborate - I have not had to pay anyone anything ever?

:rolleyes:

Anyone living in a western country had to pay bribes to corrupt officials, civil servants or in a place of business or witness such a thing occurring frequently or even at all? In 20 years I have only personally encountered this sort of thing once. I was offered an all expenses paid business trip and although they didn't specifically say it, I think my audit report was to be more favourable than it otherwise might have been. I accepted the trip, looked around their factory and turned in an honest report - it was bad. I then received free theatre and sports tickets in the mail and another offer to revisit the factory to see 'improvements'. I told them I could not be bought and returned all the above to sender.

I was simply and obviously commenting on bribery and corruption in Iraq in every day life (Road Runner's post). No need to embellish what I said or read into it things that aren't there. You will find Iraqis paying baksheesh on a daily basis - that does not happen in the US or western European countries, so factually incorrect also.

Good video on Fox - someone was standing at the end of the runway with a camera and the aircraft passes over him! http://video.foxnews.com/v/1253372619001/767-lands-without-landing-gear/?playlist_id=162726