the Paradise Papers 11/8/2017 0 Comments   BIG U.S. POLITICAL DONORS PLAY THE OFFSHORE GAME A leak of offshore records provides a glimpse into the unethical and immoral financial maneuvers of Republican and Democratic contributors - graphic art credit International Consortium of Investigative Journalists -icij.org  by E.L. Christianson Jr. There are several things to understand about this 'scandal'.  What is being revealed are 'secrets' about people and corporations who 'cheat & steal' from the people of the country in which they reside (live, exist, do business, etc.).  Officially, the 'paradise' part is a descriptive name for what is commonly and usually referred to as a tax haven.  In the minds of those avoiding payment of their fair share of taxes, it is a 'paradise' or tax paradise. All of the names being listed are the names of crooks.  The law firm directing the action claims (as one would expect) that everything they do is legal.  They claim that there is no evidence of illegal activity.  They say that it is their business to advise their clients of legitimate and legal procedures for conducting honest business transactions. What must be understood is that the 'laws' are passed by the crooks themselves - the representatives of the millionaire class operating in government positions and creating a 'legal' framework for the rich to become richer.  The 'theft' is 'legal' because laws were passed making it 'legal' for the millionaire class to 'go off-shore' with their 'investments' and to cheat the tax system of their home countries.  It is illegal to sell cigarettes on the street corner of New York City, for example, but 'legal' to hide billions of dollars from the 'tax collector'. Among those who have provided the information to the public is the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, and an International Consortium of Investigative Journalists involving a couple of hundred investigative journalists in nearly 100 countries who collaborate on issues of international criminal activity. The consortium of journalists shared the database of information on a platform created specifically for this type of project which facilitated the investigative work by journalists around the world.   Bernie Sanders told the truth, saying, "The Paradise Papers shows how these billionaires and multinational corporations get richer by hiding their wealth and profits to avoid paying their fair share of taxes." The leak of 13.4 million confidential electronic documents gives one an idea of the scale of the 'completely legal' offshore universe of tax cheaters.  It shows the huge number of participants (over 120,000 people and companies) who, following the 'legal' advice of lawyers and accountants, shielded 10 trillion dollars from being taxed.  It involves both the 'rich' and the 'famous'.  It gives details of their use of 'shell' corporations used to reduce and/or eliminate the legitimate tax burden that should be paid - in a fair world. But, here we are in a world run by the criminal class. According to the papers, Facebook, Apple, Uber, Nike, Walmart, Allianz, Siemens, McDonald's, and Yahoo! are among the corporations that own offshore companies and have hidden trillions of dollars in taxable income and avoided billions of dollars of tax by using offshore companies. The papers reveal offshore interests and activities of more than 120 politicians and world leaders, including Queen Elizabeth II, and includes 13 advisers, donors and 'team' members of Donald Trump's administration, as well as of many of the world’s most powerful people and companies. There are also details from 19 corporate registries maintained by governments in secrecy jurisdictions – Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the Cook Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Labuan, Lebanon, Malta, the Marshall Islands, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent, Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vanuatu. see icij.org for more information There is a lot of history being revealed.  'They' have been stealing from us for a long time... the papers cover the period from 1950 to 2016. As an aside, and not to divert attention away from the immoral and un-ethical cheating on taxes, the Paradise Papers offer insight on the fake 'Russia-gate' episode.  The documents revealed that Russian state organizations with ties to Putin pursued between 2009 and 2011 large investments in Facebook and Twitter via an intermediary—Russian-American entrepreneur Yuri Milner, who befriended Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and was a business associate of Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law. When the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists published its first major revelations on financial secrecy in 2013, the public saw the way the financial system really works – and who it serves. The revelation prompted public outrage, provoked public discussions and helped build momentum behind a push for a more fair and more transparent society.  Each revelation offers more examples of inequality and injustice and points out systemic failure on a gigantic scale. As always, it is the poor, the vulnerable and the disadvantaged who suffer the consequences.   Ultimately, regardless of other factors, it is they who are being stolen from in these 'legal' but unscrupulous and unethical tax schemes. It is interesting to note that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange revealed the same type of 'truth' and has been declared a criminal by the United States which has forced him into 'hiding'. This isn't really 'news' because there is nothing 'new' about the wealthy using every trick possible to take advantage of everyone else.  And, as more and more information about the leak of data becomes known, the cry that 'nothing was illegal' will be shouted out to all of the world.  We ordinary citizens can sit and marvel at the dishonesty, chicanery and theft involved in the 'legal' cheating on taxes while we continue to pay our fair share of taxes.  Or, we can change our corrupt system.  We can remove the crooks who create laws that allow us to be swindled by the wealthy.  We can force real democracy into our political reality. If we want to see circumstances improved, we can make it happen.  But, we know, deep in our collective hearts, that the two political parties that hold our country in the grip of their power will not make the necessary changes.  If it is to happen, we have to find a way to do it for ourselves, and that's the truth !!!