OWS

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O Really
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Re: OWS

Unread post by O Really »

Not my area of expertise, but I think establishing the validity of the data would be a big hurdle. "Found it on the internet"? Sure, we all know that's totally a reliable source. Looks like you'd have to show at a minimum that the data really came as is from the source claimed, and that no one other than the accused could have created/accessed it. Testimony from a hacker, or a head of a hacking operation who's hiding out in an embassy might not be the most credible witness when the criminal criteria is "reasonable doubt."

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rstrong
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Re: OWS

Unread post by rstrong »

rstrong wrote:
O Really wrote:I don't get any competition in cable access now. Never have. Have you?
That's often because of outright corruption. Cable company bribing lobbying local officials to outright ban competing services. And when bribes $1000/plate campaign fundraising dinners aren't taken, there's legal action. Like Comcast and AT&T suing cities to block Google Fiber.
After North Carolina Republicans banned cities selling internet, a town decided to give it away instead
North Carolina is one of many states in which telcoms lobbyists have gotten the state house to ban towns and cities from selling high-speed internet to the public -- even in places where the cable/phone duopoly refuses to supply broadband.

FCC Chairman and decidedly non-dingo babysitter Tom Wheeler pushed through FCC rules invalidating these state laws, only to have Republican lawmakers and telcoms lobbyists use the courts to win back the right to force people to buy internet service from cable or phone companies, or do without if neither wish to supply internet to them.

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rstrong
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Re: OWS

Unread post by rstrong »

Wells Fargo continues to be.... Wells Fargo.

As is normal now with scammy businesses, Wells Fargo included a clause in their banking agreements dictating that ripped-off customers resolve their disputes with the bank in private arbitrations instead of court. A 2011 U.S. Supreme Court decision validated the practice. Those "private arbitrations" are notorious for being hired by - and getting their income from - the scammy businesses in question, so its no surprise how their decisions lean.

Last year a court dismissed an earlier lawsuit against Wells Fargo, saying that customers had signed arbitration clauses when opening their accounts. Outright fraud by Wells Fargo didn't matter.

In court on Wednesday, Wells Fargo took it a step further: They're demanding that customers whose signatures were forged on fraudulent new accounts should be subject to this agreement and denied a day in court. By unknowingly having their signatures forged by Wells Fargo, they agreed to Wells Fargo's terms.

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Vrede too
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Re: OWS

Unread post by Vrede too »

Wow, that takes some balls to even think of that argument. Yet another reason that we need more criminal prosecutions. Tort law often ain't enough.

Fidel Presente!
Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

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Vrede too
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Re: OWS

Unread post by Vrede too »

Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

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Vrede too
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Re: OWS

Unread post by Vrede too »

Petition to the U.S. Senate:
Donald Trump’s nomination of Steve Mnuchin is an utter betrayal of his promise to “drain the swamp” in Washington and take on the financial elite. Mnuchin became a Wall Street billionaire through a career at Goldman Sachs and running a “foreclosure machine” that foreclosed on more than 36,000 homes. He cannot be trusted to run the Treasury Department in the interests of working Americans. Please vote to reject Steve Mnuchin as Treasury Secretary.
I know that the vote won't be for at least 2 months, but outrage and pressure from Senators now could force Trump to pick someone else.
Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

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Vrede too
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Re: OWS

Unread post by Vrede too »

Opinion: When will Trump voters realize they’ve been had?
President-elect’s pledge to ‘drain the swamp’ is all wet


... Goldman Sachs.

... Goldman Sachs.

... Goldman Sachs.

... Rothschild & Co.

... Goldman Sachs.

... Bain Capital.

... Trumpkins, you’ve been scammed. There’s a sucker in this game — and it’s you....

Remember when Trump and his proxies assailed Hillary Clinton for allegedly being too close to Goldman Sachs because she gave a couple of speeches there? Trump even singled out Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfein, plus other Jews, in a sinister campaign commercial that inveighed against an “international financial structure” that cheated ordinary American workers....

What a number Trump has played on the “poorly educated.” No wonder he said he loves them.

Trumpkins are learning the hard way what happens when you buy an investment scheme from a con-artist. I’ve been writing about scam artists for more than 20 years. They always promise you the moon — that is, until your check clears.

When will these voters get it? Maybe never. Author Maria Konnivoka notes in her book The Confidence Game that many victims refuse to admit they’ve been scammed — no matter what the evidence. Indeed, she says, many just keep coming back for more. This is something I’ll bet Donald Trump knows full well, and which he’s banking on (pun intended) in 2020.

Meanwhile, give credit where credit is due. Trump is fattening the bank accounts of the elite, but he also may have saved 1,000 jobs at Carrier (by giving a massive bribe to Carrier). If he really did, good for him. Those who opposed Trump should stop being so churlish. After all, on President Barack Obama’s watch the U.S. economy generated 8.6 million net new jobs — equal to 2,945, or about three Carrier deals, every day, including Sundays, for going on eight consecutive years. And who can forget all of those patriotic Republicans congratulating Obama for that?
Unemployment rate tumbles to 4.6%, lowest since August 2007
Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

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rstrong
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Re: OWS

Unread post by rstrong »

Vrede too wrote:
Trumpkins are learning the hard way what happens when you buy an investment scheme from a con-artist.
And when going broke in Atlantic City is a stepping stone to the White House.

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rstrong
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Re: OWS

Unread post by rstrong »

Vrede too wrote:
Petition to the U.S. Senate:
Donald Trump’s nomination of Steve Mnuchin is an utter betrayal of his promise to “drain the swamp” in Washington and take on the financial elite. Mnuchin became a Wall Street billionaire through a career at Goldman Sachs and running a “foreclosure machine” that foreclosed on more than 36,000 homes. He cannot be trusted to run the Treasury Department in the interests of working Americans. Please vote to reject Steve Mnuchin as Treasury Secretary.
I know that the vote won't be for at least 2 months, but outrage and pressure from Senators now could force Trump to pick someone else.
Trump’s pick to lead the Treasury tried to kick a 90-year-old woman out of her home over 27 cents

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Vrede too
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Re: OWS

Unread post by Vrede too »

Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

Mr.B
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Re: OWS

Unread post by Mr.B »

Image

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rstrong
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Re: OWS

Unread post by rstrong »

rstrong wrote:Wells Fargo continues to be.... Wells Fargo.

As is normal now with scammy businesses, Wells Fargo included a clause in their banking agreements dictating that ripped-off customers resolve their disputes with the bank in private arbitrations instead of court. A 2011 U.S. Supreme Court decision validated the practice. Those "private arbitrations" are notorious for being hired by - and getting their income from - the scammy businesses in question, so its no surprise how their decisions lean.

Last year a court dismissed an earlier lawsuit against Wells Fargo, saying that customers had signed arbitration clauses when opening their accounts. Outright fraud by Wells Fargo didn't matter.

In court on Wednesday, Wells Fargo took it a step further: They're demanding that customers whose signatures were forged on fraudulent new accounts should be subject to this agreement and denied a day in court. By unknowingly having their signatures forged by Wells Fargo, they agreed to Wells Fargo's terms.
And they're having a lot of success. Some judges are ruling that yes, customers whose signatures were forged on banking agreements to create fraudulent new accounts, are indeed bound by those agreements.

New York Times: Wells Fargo Killing Sham Account Suits by Using Arbitration
In 2013, David E. Douglas, a Wells Fargo customer in Los Angeles, filed a lawsuit claiming that several bank employees had forged his signature and opened many sham accounts in his name to meet sales quotas. The actions he described in his complaint are precisely the kinds of illegal acts the company acknowledged this year, when it paid $185 million to settle cases brought by federal regulators and the Los Angeles city attorney.
But Mr. Douglas’s testimony never reached a courtroom. A judge granted Wells Fargo’s request to move the case to arbitration, whisking it out of public view.
But hey, at least it can't any worse than th....
Ana Bárbara, a Mexican music star who lives in Los Angeles, sued Wells Fargo in June, saying a bank employee had created sham accounts and credit lines in her name and taken out more than $400,000 of her money. To cover his tracks, the employee regularly stopped by Ms. Bárbara’s house and stole Wells Fargo statements from her mailbox, according to her lawsuit.

Devin McRae, Ms. Bárbara’s lawyer, said he would have preferred to try the case in court, where it would generate a trail of public records. But the case was moved into arbitration in September.

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rstrong
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Re: OWS

Unread post by rstrong »

It's been a week. Time for another Wells Fargo scandal:

The Intercept: Accusations of Fraud at Wells Fargo Spread to Sham Insurance Policies
Wells Fargo has a partnership with Prudential to sell a low-cost life insurance policy to the bank’s retail customers. After news of the Wells Fargo settlement in September, Prudential ordered an internal review of its dealings with the bank, to make sure nothing was amiss with the joint endeavor.

A lot was amiss. According to three former managers in Prudential’s corporate investigation division, Wells Fargo employees appeared to have signed up bank customers for Prudential insurance without the customers’ knowledge or permission. In some cases, they even arranged for monthly premium fees to be withdrawn from their customers’ accounts.

...The average annual premium is $288.71...
Those managers at Prudential pressured the company to investigate their findings more aggressively and to notify regulators. They were kicked out of Prudential’s office, put on unpaid leave and fired.

Bonus facts:

- Donald Trump personally owes Wells Fargo $100,000,000.

- $410,000,000 if you count his various business fronts.

- Wells Fargo is also an underwriter to Ladder Capital, another major lender to Trump.

- Incoming Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, has sat on the Wells Fargo board since 2011, earning $1.2 million.

- The company’s main federal antagonist, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, is in line to be neutered in a Trump administration.

- And more.

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Vrede too
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Re: OWS

Unread post by Vrede too »

Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

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Vrede too
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Re: OWS

Unread post by Vrede too »

Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

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rstrong
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Re: OWS

Unread post by rstrong »

rstrong wrote:
Vrede too wrote:
Petition to the U.S. Senate:
Donald Trump’s nomination of Steve Mnuchin is an utter betrayal of his promise to “drain the swamp” in Washington and take on the financial elite. Mnuchin became a Wall Street billionaire through a career at Goldman Sachs and running a “foreclosure machine” that foreclosed on more than 36,000 homes. He cannot be trusted to run the Treasury Department in the interests of working Americans. Please vote to reject Steve Mnuchin as Treasury Secretary.
I know that the vote won't be for at least 2 months, but outrage and pressure from Senators now could force Trump to pick someone else.
Trump’s pick to lead the Treasury tried to kick a 90-year-old woman out of her home over 27 cents
Aaaaaand now that people are looking, Steve Mnuchin turns out to be an even bigger conman and thief.

The Intercept: Treasury Nominee Steve Mnuchin’s Bank Accused of “Widespread Misconduct” in Leaked Memo

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Vrede too
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Re: OWS

Unread post by Vrede too »

Trump is "the swamp" and his voters were idiots to think otherwise.
Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

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Boatrocker
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Re: OWS

Unread post by Boatrocker »

Vrede too wrote:Trump is "the swamp" and his voters were idiots to think otherwise.
:thumbup: How obvious does something have to be?
I will not lie down.
I will not go quietly.

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Vrede too
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Re: OWS

Unread post by Vrede too »

Eight men own same as poorest half of world: Oxfam

... The wealth of the world's poorest 3.6 billion people is the equivalent to the combined net worth of six American businessmen, one from Spain and another from Mexico.

Picked from Forbes' billionaires list, they include Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg who co-founded Facebook, and Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon....
Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

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Vrede too
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Re: OWS

Unread post by Vrede too »

Petition to Senate Democrats:

"Oppose any changes that would undermine the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s ability to continue protecting millions of Americans from financial scams and predatory lenders, including any alterations to the agency’s leadership structure, funding or regulatory authority."
Always be yourself! Unless you can be a goat, then always be a goat.
-- the interweb, paraphrased
1312. ETTD.

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