Latest rat in the pantry

[Gingerale]

I don't think I would like the taxes in Denmark! I don't like them here in the US !

But a higher minimum wage is good for those that don't go on to a technical school or career path.

[Pop]

Yeah all in all to each nation their own approach, and even if there was not such a large Tax pressure I think the size of the US would make it unfeasible to adopt the social models from Scandinavia, you kinda need a "village" sized population to pull it off I think.
Thanks to the high minimum wage, you dont need a second job if you work at macdonalds here, Despite the tax pressure.
On the other hand, if you dont save up and start your own business, you are stuck as a wage slave forever.
Dubious changes to business law in the past 25 or so years (post joining the EU) have caused a situation where ALOT of companies are run purposfully with negative income, its a bit of a complicated situation but can somewhat easily be explained like this:

You start up a company that rent out specialized tools, get a business loan to buy said expensive specialized tools.
Start another company that does construction, get a business loan to fund the leasing of expensive specialized tools.
Lease your 2nd company tools from the 1st company at an outrageous price, bankrupting the second company.
You then sell the tools to recapture 50% of the original loan.
You now sit on 150% of the value of the tools, and all the debt belongs to your companies, not you.
Declare bancruptcy and do it again.

I know first hand because I have done so myself al-be-it with different types of companies, it is technically not illegal, thou pretty immoral.
It usually is not the objective when starting a company, but if things dont go well, it is a tempting way to get off the burning ship.

[Lemon Cheesecake]

I guess you don't have the same bankruptcy laws as here then? Actually, I am not sure you could legally do all that here anyway. I believe if have more then one company there are ethic laws. Not sure what it all entails because I haven't had a need to be self employed like that before. Makes my head spin.

I think people do use bankruptcy to escape having to pay out though.

[galled]

I think the loophole is the lending rules. People think bankers/loan officers are smart or tough, but it's not always the case.

[Pop]

Having read up on it just now, it seems a law was implemented that states you need to pay a security deposit to start a company now.
Wont really solve the issue, just bars entry to the fraud for poor people

But yes, the main issue (besides a lack of morals) would be that financers dont really loose any money on lending, since banks can lend out money they dont have (you deposit 10$ and the bank can legally lend out 100$ based on that deposit), there is effectively no loss when people dont pay them back, in addition that non-existant money is insured so they get paid for taking no loss.
The system "works" until you more than 90% of all loans forfeit, at which point a country is so far gone economically that it effectively wont exist for much longer anyway.

[Gingerale]

Nice, you got a moon back ground from fishing!

People aspire to have their own business but it is actually a big head ache.

[Pop]

yeah got two different moon BGs in a row from fishing, so once in "a blue moon" I might switch it up

[Lemon Cheesecake]

hahha that was clever! There are five different moon backgrounds.

[Pop]

Getting all the space space stuff it seems.
Even got Pluto in there!

While I am a big fan of empyrical evidence, I do belong to the segment of Science fans that like having 9 planets and dinosaurs without feathers

[Gingerale]

When the star pond came out it was a space theme event so hence, lots of space theme items.

Dinosaurs with feathers are just giant birds.

[Lemon Cheesecake]

Pluto is a planet! I don't care what they say...Pluto is a planet and the Voyager proves it!

[galled]

V'ger phone home!

I'm in the Pluto is a planet group. Didn't they find that Pluto has a moon? I think that would seal it-you can't have a moon unless you're a planet, right?

Now the moons especially around the gas giants are really interesting.

[(-o-)]

I heard Pluto isn't considered a planet, yet, because it's currently too small and hasn't cleared out it's "neighborhood" of space junk. This was many years ago, however, so I doubt the accuracy of my memory... and the actual information haha.

[Vivianne]

I think I read that one of Neptune's moons has a moon! It's a moonmoon!