gov't to withdraw 10% from everyone's bank accounts

[saxitoxin]

If you have an account in Cyprus ... too late!

http://m.aljazeera.com/story/2013316153138495325

In other news, mattress sales have gone through the roof.

[2dimes]

Fun. As bad as it sounds though. If it helps keep value in the remaining money so you don't lose 100% it might be a blessing in disguise.

[Night Strike]

Governments will always work to take money away from the people in order to line their own pockets.

[crispybits]

Sucks if you've just taken out a massive loan for home improvement or to buy a car or something and havent spent it yet

[patches70]

Haha! I know, that's so bad. In related news, there is a bulldozer parked in front of a Cypriot bank-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... gGV3-lNfKU

If you'd just had 9.9% of your money stolen and the rest was completely inaccessible, you'd park your bulldozer in front of the bank as well.....


Oh, wait, that money wasn't stolen, was it? It's been "forcefully reinvested" into the equity of the bank.

Ha ha! What a debacle. It's all fun and games until you run out of other people's money, then it's your money they come for. Welcome to Collectivism you saps!

[2dimes]

I think it will be "forcefully reinvested" into the failing government's share in the Euro.

[patches70]

Fun. As bad as it sounds though. If it helps keep value in the remaining money so you don't lose 100% it might be a blessing in disguise.

A blessing? Hmmm, they've got their money stuck in a bank that is insolvent. A real blessing that is! You think this "bank levy" actually addresses the underlying causes that made this measure necessary? You actually believe anything that comes from the mouths of the Eurogroup?

Hilarious.

[AAFitz]

Governments will always work to take money away from the people in order to line their own pockets.

Unlike Individuals, churches and corporations.

[2dimes]

Why yes I am amused that people here didn't read what the 10% will actually be taken from.

[Metsfanmax]

Governments will always work to take money away from the people in order to line their own pockets.

Unlike Individuals, churches and corporations.

Indeed. Isn't taking 10% of your income a core tenet of the theology that the Christian churches preach? I suppose God needs to line his pockets just as much as the next guy.

[rishaed]

Governments will always work to take money away from the people in order to line their own pockets.

Unlike Individuals, churches and corporations.

Indeed. Isn't taking 10% of your income a core tenet of the theology that the Christian churches preach? I suppose God needs to line his pockets just as much as the next guy.

It is NOT mandatory. That why its called a freewill offering. Go take your misconstrusion elsewhere. And if anything your example is corrupt anyways because the so called tithes are the only thing that support a church. The government here takes a third of your income and doesn't give you jack squat for it.

[Metsfanmax]

Governments will always work to take money away from the people in order to line their own pockets.

Unlike Individuals, churches and corporations.

Indeed. Isn't taking 10% of your income a core tenet of the theology that the Christian churches preach? I suppose God needs to line his pockets just as much as the next guy.

It is NOT mandatory. That why its called a freewill offering. Go take your misconstrusion elsewhere.

Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord.

Is this one of those parts of the Bible that we can safely ignore in modern times? Maybe God didn't get hit by the recession as badly as everyone else.

And if anything your example is corrupt anyways because the so called tithes are the only thing that support a church. The government here takes a third of your income and doesn't give you jack squat for it.

Incomplete list of things the government gives you for your tax contribution:

• Military protection
  Police department
  Fire department
  Court system
  Prisons
  Social security benefits
  Clean running water
  Waste disposal and recycling
  Public libraries and schools
  Snow removal and storm cleanup
  Maintenance of public roads
  Basic scientific research
  National and state parks
  Government inspection of food products
  Weather prediction
  Public transportation
  Copyright and patent protection

[saxitoxin]

Governments will always work to take money away from the people in order to line their own pockets.

Unlike Individuals, churches and corporations.

Indeed. Isn't taking 10% of your income a core tenet of the theology that the Christian churches preach? I suppose God needs to line his pockets just as much as the next guy.

I think this is more the idea that this is not a tax but a levy. There has always been a perception banks are a safe place to store the fruits of your labor, ergo the home economics courses in government owned schools that tell you not to bury your money in the backyard but to store it in a bank. In this case, everyone woke up one morning to find their accounts withdrawn by 10% with no notice and no discussion, while people who kept their money under their mattresses did fine (until house to house searches begin anyway).

Regardless of the ethics of the situation, it's difficult to imagine how this will not lead to the immediate collapse of all the banks in Cyprus. Who would store their money in a bank when it could be withdrawn by a third party in any amount at any moment? With no banks there are no mortgages. With no mortgages there is no home ownership. Home ownership is one of the definitive elements that separates a developed country from a developing country. The standard of living in Cyprus is on the verge of a collapse. People who becam accustomed to living with the comforts of a first world society are about to find out what life in the third world is like. Though, as 2dimes noted, this was probably going to happen anyway.

[2dimes]

The government here takes a third of your income and doesn't give you jack squat for it.

Wow that's harsh. You should totally move to a place with roads, schools and police. It's sure a lot better than where you are now!

[Metsfanmax]

Governments will always work to take money away from the people in order to line their own pockets.

Unlike Individuals, churches and corporations.

Indeed. Isn't taking 10% of your income a core tenet of the theology that the Christian churches preach? I suppose God needs to line his pockets just as much as the next guy.

I think this is more the idea that this is not a tax but a levy. There has always been a perception banks are a safe place to store the fruits of your labor, ergo the home economics courses in government owned schools that tell you not to bury your money in the backyard but to store it in a bank. In this case, everyone woke up one morning to find their accounts withdrawn by 10% with no warning and no discussion, while people who kept their money under their mattresses did fine (until house to house searches begin anyway).

Well, assuming these people aren't just about to depart from their country en masse, I would assume it's better to be proactive and make a move now to take 10% out rather than let the economy fail and have the banks run out of money, leaving most people with a permanent 100% loss. But yes, it's totally absurd for a government to just go and do this without actually asking for permission.

[2dimes]

Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord.

Is this one of those parts of the Bible that we can safely ignore in modern times? Maybe God didn't get hit by the recession as badly as everyone else.

Well you could, but it's more fun to pretend it's seperate from the rest of Leviticus.

[saxitoxin]

Governments will always work to take money away from the people in order to line their own pockets.

Unlike Individuals, churches and corporations.

Indeed. Isn't taking 10% of your income a core tenet of the theology that the Christian churches preach? I suppose God needs to line his pockets just as much as the next guy.

I think this is more the idea that this is not a tax but a levy. There has always been a perception banks are a safe place to store the fruits of your labor, ergo the home economics courses in government owned schools that tell you not to bury your money in the backyard but to store it in a bank. In this case, everyone woke up one morning to find their accounts withdrawn by 10% with no warning and no discussion, while people who kept their money under their mattresses did fine (until house to house searches begin anyway).

Well, assuming these people aren't just about to depart from their country en masse

This is probably an astute observation. With no banks to finance the capital for internal economic development, Cypriots will be the next Filipinos or Nepali. All healthy young men will be expected to go to Dubai to work high risk construction for five years; a kind of rite of passage. Cyprus saved its country from implosion but the cost is going to be high and incredibly transformative for the culture of the nation and the shared experiences of its people. Then again, a slave state may be preferable to no state at all.

The poor Greeks just can't catch a break.

[Metsfanmax]

Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord.

Is this one of those parts of the Bible that we can safely ignore in modern times? Maybe God didn't get hit by the recession as badly as everyone else.

Well you could, but it's more fun to pretend it's seperate from the rest of Leviticus.

Well, with such choice fragments as a ban on eating shellfish

But whatever is in the seas and in the rivers that does not have fins and scales among all the teeming life of the water, and among all the living creatures that are in the water, they are detestable things to you.

and on having a rounded haircut

You shall not round off the side-growth of your heads nor harm the edges of your beard.

maybe we should just skip that whole thing and go straight from Exodus to Numbers? Oh, wait...

While the Israelites were in the desert, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. Then the LORD said to Moses, “The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.” So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the LORD commanded Moses.

I guess the tithe isn't looking so bad anymore.

[2dimes]

Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord.

Is this one of those parts of the Bible that we can safely ignore in modern times? Maybe God didn't get hit by the recession as badly as everyone else.

Well you could, but it's more fun to pretend it's seperate from the rest of Leviticus.

Well, with such choice fragments as a ban on eating shellfish

But whatever is in the seas and in the rivers that does not have fins and scales among all the teeming life of the water, and among all the living creatures that are in the water, they are detestable things to you.

and on having a rounded haircut

You shall not round off the side-growth of your heads nor harm the edges of your beard.

maybe we should just skip that whole thing and go straight from Exodus to Numbers? Oh, wait...

While the Israelites were in the desert, a man was found gathering wood on the Sabbath day. Those who found him gathering wood brought him to Moses and Aaron and the whole assembly, and they kept him in custody, because it was not clear what should be done to him. Then the LORD said to Moses, “The man must die. The whole assembly must stone him outside the camp.” So the assembly took him outside the camp and stoned him to death, as the LORD commanded Moses.

I guess the tithe isn't looking so bad anymore.

See? The whole book is a great read.

[rishaed]

Governments will always work to take money away from the people in order to line their own pockets.

Unlike Individuals, churches and corporations.

Indeed. Isn't taking 10% of your income a core tenet of the theology that the Christian churches preach? I suppose God needs to line his pockets just as much as the next guy.

It is NOT mandatory. That why its called a freewill offering. Go take your misconstrusion elsewhere.

Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord.

Is this one of those parts of the Bible that we can safely ignore in modern times? Maybe God didn't get hit by the recession as badly as everyone else.

And if anything your example is corrupt anyways because the so called tithes are the only thing that support a church. The government here takes a third of your income and doesn't give you jack squat for it.

Incomplete list of things the government gives you for your tax contribution:

• Military protection. It also provides for Wars Conflicts overseas, part of the result in that we usually Meddle in quite a few different countries trying to bring to them our type of government. So its somewhat justified here.
  Police department. I wonder how much is state and local, not the Big boy feds.
  Fire department- How many volunteer fire departments do I have in my area, alot.
  Court system. Can't really argue all that much with this one though its already part of teh Government..
  Prisons-Sure the inmates get educated (nothing wrong with that) housing,food and clothes.
  Social security benefits- The Politicians in Congress already spent it all. Thats why Social Security is suppossed to have run out. Well News for you, it already has.
  Clean running water. Provided by the town to which we pay for, (water heating all that)
  Waste disposal and recycling. Also provided by your local town not the big boy up there.
  Public libraries and schools. I am fortunate enough to have a Carnegie library. But these aren't supported by the feds either, mostly State.
  Snow removal and storm cleanup. THis also is town.
  Maintenance of public roads. State and County taxes. . . As for any toll road I bet its owned by a foreign country for ex. China.
  Basic scientific research. Hmm. . . I don't know all that much about this one.
  National and state parks. Sure I can agree with you on this one?
  Government inspection of food products. As if the E-Coli issues weren't enough, we get GMO'd products and other issues.
  Weather prediction. Thank you NOAA, i can live well enough without it as much as with it.
  Public transportation. This is funny! America has the worst public transportation system I have ever scene. Travel to Europe, you'll get disillusioned real quick. As they say without a Car you ain't goin nowhere here.
  Copyright and patent protection. And just how many people abuse this to patent "future technologies"

Overall, what the picture is is that most of the things that you call supported by the government are local and state, and when I meant a third of your income it goes to the IRS, and the Fed. (also known as income tax).
Now where else do your taxes go . . .
CIA-Hmm. . . this can be good/bad IMO
FBI. If they run like they should then yeah its okay.
Any other Program (Overt/Cover) run by the Feds/CIA.
Health Insurance for all ex and current congressman +families.
Salaries of Retired Presidents.
Secret Service
Pet Projects attached to Bills, such as Waterparks.
Pay Raises for Congressman.
(Not into our Debt)
(Not into supporting our Post Offices which is a Government organization what 8-10 Billion in the hole now?)
I would wager that more of our taxes goes into lining current representatives pockets so that they can stay in office, buy fancy houses, cars, and things Than is to be done for the people.
Healthcare- Thats what you call a great joke!
They run what a 3,8 TRILLION DOLLAR (by the way thats about 2,2 Trillion dollars more than Clinton in 1996) budget? How much does the average working person see of this, with unemployment maybe a little bit, military as well. Don't get me wrong our soldiers deserve a Pay raise far more than these blood sucking ticks on Capitol Hill do. The first thing I would do would be to Get Rid of the Debt. Money doesn't grow on trees (well maybe it does cause they sure like printing more). All in All whatever money they do put into infrastructure is a drop in the bucket compared to other things.
fp'd.
And yet remarkable how that in the Middle Ages Jewish people had less problem with disease were among the wealthier percent because of the very law that you seem to despise.

The Sabbath was made for men, not men for the Sabbath.

[saxitoxin]

Since there seems to be some confusion about the topic of this thread, this is a thread about Cyprus, a British retirement home in the Mediterranean.

[Metsfanmax]

rishaed, your standard is unfair. Of course federal tax money often goes to projects that the average person does not see a direct benefit from; the scale of the country is too large for that not to be the case. Local tax money is, by necessity, what goes into funding local projects that you see the direct benefits of, except when the federal government nationalizes some sector (e.g. retirement benefits, health care, education). The existence of organizations like the FBI and the DOE provide real but indirect and long-term benefits.

Since there seems to be some confusion about the topic of this thread, this is a thread about Cyprus, a British retirement home in the Mediterranean.

Oh, I read the title and just assumed it was the US government.

[GeneralRisk]

Invest in guns. If SHTF u will be in better shape, if not u will double your money in 6 months. Death to the Sheeple.

[2dimes]

Since there seems to be some confusion about the topic of this thread, this is a thread about Cyprus, a British retirement home in the Mediterranean.

Not anymore. Now it's about France's FBI.

[GreecePwns]

Governments will always work to take money away from the people in order to line their own pockets.

They aren't even lining their own pockets! They're lining the pockets of the IMF (read: western nations in general) and the ECB (read: Germany).

Germany is singlehandedly destroying the Eurozone with its insatiable hunger for the periphery's money.