You know there isn't some dude named "goldman sachs" right?
Yeah, I know. They're a bunch of a$$holes, that's what they are. The number of unethical things they have done could fill dozens of megabytes of text. Half of the current administration has ties to that company. Obama himself worked for them once.
And if I wanted to buy shares of a$$hole companies, I'd stick to ČEZ. They do productive things, like build powerplants and produce power, both of which are tangible goods I can understand and most of their misdeeds are publicly known. Goldman Sachs is more mysterious and stinkier, but a trading company that managed to pull what, a hundred days of profits, each day, during some of the worst financial times in the last fifty years has obviously rigged the game.
Actually, in most european countries (germay included) manufacturing has declined due primarily to labor costs associated with entitlement growth...the only way france for instance can compete on the world stage with their domestic mfg is by MASSIVE tax breaks to their companies (which, btw, raise rates on individuals to make up the shortfall, so it does cause problems
[citation needed]
Couldn't find a single article detailing tax breaks to either French or German car makers. I know of tax-breaks in central Europe, but those were given for 5 to 7 years to newly established factories.
As to 'decline' of manufacturing, it still produces 20% of their GDP and contributes to their trade surpluses. Japan has a similar share.
As to .. 'entitlement growth'. Afaik, conservative CDU has been in power in Germany for the last.. let me check. Six years? And they've cut welfare. The sociali democrat gov't before that did so too. So, it doesn' seem to me that their welfare state is growing. Looks like the opposite. It'll be a wonder if they'll be able to pare it down, as this silly universal franchise idea means welfare cuts are about as popular as smallpox.
If you don't want profit motivated entitities to exploit the tax code, MAKE IT SIMPLER!
Exactly my sentiments. Accounting standards also need to be higher, so taxes can't be dodged.
Some time ago, I worked with the ERP software SAP. Didn't like it, the software is a monster, SAP AG are a$$holes, who won't even provide whole helps to companies which pay hundreds of millions for the right to use software. Because that would mean less business for their own consultants..
SAP actually has a a set of procedures that are used in order to hide profits by various means by related companies. Didn't check it myself, just was shown the interfaces by a co-worker. Management still needs to know the real profits, but for tax purposes, a company using SAP can cook up entirely different numbers.
Keep waiting for your handout, eventually, those like you will simply take everything from people like me...or at least TRY to.
I suppose you are of the Ayn Rand school of debating. When you don't have anything to say, you accuse people who disagree with you of being craven.. That's pathetic. I feel sorry for you. The only handouts I've ever recieved were from my parents, or gifts from old family members. I know I could've gotten a lot more had I asked for it, as others, more hedonistic family members have.
who don't understand either the rewards (monetary and emotionally) that go along with self-made success
Yeah? I mean, you don't know
the first thing about what I do, yet you claim I don't understand success.
I perfectly well know what success is, and it's not 'earning' loads of money.
Money is nothing more than means to an end, and success to me is making something work, and that's why I am studying engineering, and not finance or Darwin forbid 'management'. I mean, isn't management a bad joke? The mere fact that there are huge companies specializing in management consultancy makes it obvious 75% of these people don't have the faintest idea of what to do..
Arguing with people on the internet is not furthering my aims* these holidays.. so I guess I won't allow myself to post much.
Someone once said, we always lie the loudest when we lie to
ourselves.
You criticize my work ethic as causing health problems or limiting my social life, when I do it dealing with health issues already that you probably can't fathom,
I had no idea you had multiple sclerosis. And yes, I know what it is, but you can't expect others to have personal experiences with rare and crippling diseases. I know what chronic pain is, though, and I'm fairly glad I got rid of it.
And if you indeed do what you do, well, I'd say I understand your motivation to work hard, as you're living on borrowed time, so racing motorcycles seems actually understandable, not foolish. I can expect another fifty years of good health at least, and possibly much more. On the other hand, terminal diseases are handy. If one doesn't have long to live, one can do amazing *expletive deleted*it and escape legal consequences in the most reliable manner.
*complete bachelor's project a year ahead of schedule, a working pcp airgun and then set up numerical models of it, with the aim of eventually desiging an airgun valve that would have emergency power output useful for self defense purposes (300-400J).