Is it ok for the little guy to rip off the system ?

Jumboman

Is it ok for average joe not to pay tax or work and claim the dole at the same time or generally rip off the system ?

I cant get worked up about ordinary people not playing by the rules when you see bankers etc who have robbed billions and get off scot free.

Also we have many politicians walking the streets who should be in jail.

How can we expect the average joe who is struggling to be honest when politicians and bankers have robbed the country blind and got away with it.

TheLastMohican

Yes. Until he earns more than me. Then do him.

TPD

Not really. The average man is ripping off other average men, whereas the bigwigs are also ripping off the average man. If the average man were ripping off all the fatcat bigwigs, sure, that'd be OK.

Corvo

Nah, because it's only another joe soap that gets the hardship eventually.

Friend Computer

"They do it so it's okay for me to do it"? What kind of crap logic is that?

frag420

This guy?


http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B_A4IDsJRi8

SmilingLurker

No. The person is stealing from everyone else. We all pay more to educate our kids, keep cops on the beat, ensure a doctor can treat you and keep our roads from being even worse.

"The System" is you. Change the question is it OK to steal the funds in offshore accounts on profits which have not been taxed?

You can vote out the politicians. The Irish people continue to vote for the corrupt and incompetent. (ah sure, he is a local guy, and has always been good giving out our own tax money to us). As a democracy we have only one group of people to blame, ourselves. The politicians and tax avoiders are not in prison because we have weak laws that we don't fight to change. I don't see a groundswell of support for taxing all money transfers in or out of tax havens.

Tombi!

Really depends.
If it's a necessity, like to feed yourself or to take care of your kids, sure.
If it's to get your TV subscription paid, then no

Jumboman

Friend Computer wrote: »

"They do it so it's okay for me to do it"? What kind of crap logic is that?

People get their morals from their "betters" or those higher up in society.

NuckingFacker

Friend Computer wrote: »

"They do it so it's okay for me to do it"? What kind of crap logic is that?

err, the logic that allows the bigger cats to get away with it day after day after day?

Artful_Badger

Its either not ok for anyone to do it or its all fair game. Just as you cant get worked up about the little guy doing it because of the bankers then you cant whinge about the bankers ding it if you think its ok for the little guy.

Jumboman

Heres an example of what I'm talking about

http://www.herald.ie/news/courts/woman-charged-after-25k-mistake-29160934.html

A WOMAN charged with the theft of €25,000, which was allegedly transferred into her building society account by mistake, will have her case heard before a jury in the circuit court next month.


Terese Murray (50) of Clybaun Rd, Galway is charged with stealing €25,000, which was the property of Vivienne McCourt at Irish Nationwide Building Society, Grand Parade, Dublin.
The money was allegedly deposited into her account by mistake, but Ms Murray had failed to report the error to the building society or respond when they later wrote to her.

Wile E. Coyote

Jumboman wrote: »

How can we expect the average joe who is struggling to be honest when politicians and bankers have robbed the country blind and got away with it.

Two wrongs don't make it right and its not the politicians and bankers he's punishing its other average joes. We're the ones who end up having to pay more tax to make up the short fall.

pablomakaveli

When the little guy rips off the system it doesn't affect the politicians or bankers.

The only people that get screwed over are the average man and woman.

If anything doing so is nearly as bad as what corrupt bankers and politicians have done to this country.

Alun

Jumboman wrote: »

I cant get worked up about ordinary people not playing by the rules when you see bankers etc who have robbed billions and get off scot free.

Where do you think all the "non-ordinary" people learn how to screw the system and hone their craft as they grow up? Yes, it's by observing and copying all the "ordinary" people around them doing exactly the same thing but on a smaller scale. Screwing the system is endemic here, from the bottom up, and using the excuse that people higher up are doing it too as some sort of justification stinks IMO.

purplepanda

Jumboman wrote: »

Heres an example of what I'm talking about

http://www.herald.ie/news/courts/woman-charged-after-25k-mistake-29160934.html

So why couldn't the building society reclaim the payment? Banks & such are usually quick enough adding charges to accounts.

oldyouth

We might as well delve into anarchy if Ordinary Joe decides to behave like the scumbag bankers, developers, drug dealers, pimps, thieves and murderers that live in our country. I still believe that good things happen to good people and I won't give up on Ireland yet. By God though, I'm being tested lately. Those Magdelene Nuns might tip me over the edge. Cnuts

the_syco

When the little guy screws the system, it goes one of two ways;
He keeps screwing the system on a small scale, until he gets caught.
or
He screws the system, becomes powerful, and becomes a big guy screwing the system, getting some real power, and starts screwing over anyone that does business with them.

hatrickpatrick

SmilingLurker wrote: »

No. The person is stealing from everyone else. We all pay more to educate our kids, keep cops on the beat, ensure a doctor can treat you and keep our roads from being even worse.

"The System" is you. Change the question is it OK to steal the funds in offshore accounts on profits which have not been taxed?

You can vote out the politicians. The Irish people continue to vote for the corrupt and incompetent. (ah sure, he is a local guy, and has always been good giving out our own tax money to us). As a democracy we have only one group of people to blame, ourselves. The politicians and tax avoiders are not in prison because we have weak laws that we don't fight to change. I don't see a groundswell of support for taxing all money transfers in or out of tax havens.

Who the f*ck else are we supposed to vote for? I'm getting so tired of seeing this bullsh!t argument, it's not my fault that I voted for a political platform that turned out to be a lie, I voted based on the information available to me at the time of the last general election, most of which turned out to be fabricated. I don't blame myself, I blame the gobsh!tes who chose to misrepresent their policies in order to steal votes.

Dostoevsky

No, because I am a "little guy" and I'm paying my way (actually, as a PAYE worker I'm paying more than my way when I see what wealthy self-employed people get away with).

If other "little guys" avoid paying their fair share that means in effect I, and people like me, will have to cover them.

Friend Computer

Jumboman wrote: »

People get their morals from their "betters" or those higher up in society.

They do? First I'm hearing of it.

NuckingFacker wrote: »

err, the logic that allows the bigger cats to get away with it day after day after day?

I'm still not following how that means it's okay for the 'little guy' to do it.

Femme_Fatale

I opted for "It depends".

If someone is on the dole and gets the odd nixer here and there, I think they're dead right. It would be stupid actually IMO not to take a bit of work that's not enough to live on by itself.
People who refuse to pay for stuff that most other people pay for, and pretend they're doing it to stand up for the little guy... are full of sh1t though. They're not standing up for anyone else, they're just suiting themselves.

Jumboman wrote: »

Heres an example of what I'm talking about

http://www.herald.ie/news/courts/woman-charged-after-25k-mistake-29160934.html

How was the woman who got the money in error wronged?

becost

Jumboman wrote: »

Is it ok for average joe not to pay tax or work and claim the dole at the same time or generally rip off the system ?

I cant get worked up about ordinary people not playing by the rules when you see bankers etc who have robbed billions and get off scot free.

Also we have many politicians walking the streets who should be in jail.

How can we expect the average joe who is struggling to be honest when politicians and bankers have robbed the country blind and got away with it.

I'm just waiting for them to re-introduce the back to work scheme so I'll have even more money.

Karl Stein

Morally they're both wrong. As regards the harm they do the little guy does an awful lot less social harm.

The little guy does a lot less harm because the vast majority of the money he makes goes back into the system.

The fat cats offshore or hide the proceeds of their 'ripping off' so it is literally draining the country of wealth.

Dyr

Jumboman wrote: »

Is it ok for average joe not to pay tax or work and claim the dole at the same time or generally rip off the system ?

I cant get worked up about ordinary people not playing by the rules when you see bankers etc who have robbed billions and get off scot free.

Also we have many politicians walking the streets who should be in jail.

How can we expect the average joe who is struggling to be honest when politicians and bankers have robbed the country blind and got away with it.

No, because Paddy would be jealous if someone in the parish was getting one over him. The banks are grand though, paddy does'nt drive past their gaffs every day

Paddy votes Fine Gael just like his daddy did, and that bollox not paying his tv licence votes for the other lot. The bollox.

Jumboman

purplepanda wrote: »

So why couldn't the building society reclaim the payment? Banks & such are usually quick enough adding charges to accounts.

My point is that if you steal 25k from a bank they will come after you with the full force of the law but if you steal 25 billion nothing will happen to you,

wicklowstevo

obviously not, when the little guy becomes the big guy and keeps ripping everyone off, well that's what got us where we are today isn't it , epically in a country where a primary school teacher in in charge of the country . we are a nation of small people who operated out of our debt ended up fcuking it all up .