Wednesday, August 29, 2012

How Sweet! A Boat From the Nation Where Romney Keeps His Money Came to the GOP Convention

Because nothing says "I understand the problems of average Americans" like throwing a party for super-rich donors on a boat that is registered in a nation best known for hiding the money of scoundrels and tax-evaders.

Romney Party Yacht Flies Cayman Islands Flag

Gov. Mitt Romney's campaign toasted its top donors Wednesday aboard a 150-foot yacht flying the flag of the Cayman Islands.

15 comments:

  1. Meanwhile, first-time unemployment filers were up more than expected...

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    1. And, despite Republican sabotage, the economy continues to grow.

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  2. I guess that after his total F*up at diplomacy in Europe, he is trying desperately to show us he can get along with 'some' countries.
    Seems kinda out front tho in his attitude. Fundraising in other countries like this.
    w3ski

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  3. Fundraising in other countries like this.

    Good point. The insides of a yacht registered in the Cayman Islands is theoretically Cayman Islands territory. So Mitt Romney, who wants to be President of the United States, cannot even be bothered to fete his funders on U.S. soil. How... patriotic.

    - Badtux the Snarky Penguin

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    1. The insides of a yacht registered in the Cayman Islands is theoretically Cayman Islands territory.

      Only in international waters. In another nation's port, the vessel is subject to the laws of the port nation. Only foreign flag warships and government ships not in commercial service can visit a port and claim "foreign soil" status for their ship's decks.

      If the cops got a search warrant to search the "Rich Cracker" (or whatever her name is), all they neded to do is find a judge who is not obsequious to the rich.

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    2. Nope, it's still theoretically Cayman Islands territory while inside U.S. territorial waters, even though it's subject to the laws of the host nation (the U.S.) whose waters it is transiting. The laws of the sea are sorta funny that way, making it Cayman Islands territory that's subject to U.S. jurisdiction and that must obey U.S. laws while inside U.S. waters or in a U.S. port. Regarding searching the "Rich Cracker", the Coast Guard doesn't even need a warrant, they can board and inspect at any time and bring any other law enforcement they wish with them (Title 14 section 89 USC, which dates back to the 1700's and basically says ships in U.S. territorial waters are subject to U.S. border controls). Which still makes the irony rich as a chocolate soufflé that the wannabe President of the United States was soliciting funds on Cayman Islands territory :).

      As for why it's flagged in the Cayman Islands, that should be discussed too. The principal advantage, other than tax evasion (duh), is that Mittens doesn't have to follow U.S. wage and safety laws. He can hire Filipino ratings for $3,000 per year rather than have to pay American ratings the minimum of around $30K per year after paying unemployment comp, worker's comp, the employer portion of Social Security, and so forth, and his ratings have no recourse to OSHA or Wage Enforcement if forced to work under dangerous conditions without proper safety equipment or if The Romney just decides he doesn't feel like paying them what is owed. So why is The Rmoney costing Americans jobs by flagging his boat in the Cayman Islands? Is that what a good patriotic American would do? I don't think so!

      - Badtux the Good American Penguin

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  4. Why are you guys obsessed with the fact that Mitt Romney is financially successful? Look at Barack Obama and Mitt Romney side-by-side. Both are strong family men. Both seem like they are truly decent people. Both are multimillionaires.

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    1. It's not that Romney is rich. It is how he acquired his money.

      Take, for example, Joaquín Guzmán Loera. He is, no doubt, financially successful. He should be, he is the head of the Sinaloa Cartel.

      Or does that not matter?

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    2. How many times has Romney been indicted? How many complaints has he had to answer from the SEC. How many times has he appeared before the IRS tax court?

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    3. John, laws are for the little people. How many Wall Street bankers were indicted for selling "AAA-rated" mortgage-backed securities to pension funds that they knew were worthless "junk bonds" backed by liar loans (and we have documented evidence that they *knew* those loans would go bad)? How many years in prison would you get for selling arsenic water to someone claiming it was a youth potion? But they're filthy rich and we're not. So they can conduct fraud and we can't. Because laws are for the little people, not for the rich and powerful, who have either written themselves exceptions to the law, or are "too big to touch".

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    4. How many Wall Street bankers were indicted for selling "AAA-rated" mortgage-backed securities to pension funds that they knew were worthless "junk bonds" backed by liar loans (and we have documented evidence that they *knew* those loans would go bad)?

      Hey, I'm totally with you there. I really think that the Obama administration missed a great opportunity to make strong points with the American people when they chose not to go after the Wall Street fat cats for what seems to be an open-and-shut case of fraud. I will forever wonder why they didn't. Please don't take this the wrong way, I am not disparaging Obama and the DOJ, just merely wondering why the inaction on what seems to be something that would be politically popular and REALLY easy to obtain convictions.

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    5. Ditto for breaking up all the entities that were deemed "Too Big to Fail." When the country's economy went into the toilet, and so many individuals were impacted by the action/inaction of Citi, Chase, Countrywide, I think there would have been rejoicing in the streets had they been subdivided into parts that we could say, "Oh well, let 'em fail for their own crappy decisions."

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    6. And my point is that Mitt Romney will never see the insides of tax court over his tax evasion, or ever see the inside of a courtroom for defrauding investors by looting companies then letting them burn, because a) his ilk have bought laws making their conduct legal, because b) laws are for the little people. If you want to see something really disgusting, read this month's Rolling Stone article "Greed & Debt: The True Story of Mitt Romney & Bain Capital". Mitt made his money by destroying American companies and American jobs for profit, selling most of the assets overseas to our nation's competitors and pocketing the proceeds. The fact that his boat is flagged in the Cayman Islands is just a symptom of how much he really loves America -- if he loved America, he'd be flying an American flag despite the extra costs. But he's running for President of the United States, not President of the Cayman Islands where his boat (and money) live... and that's our point.

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  5. So, John, are you saying that it's OK to steal so long as you don't get caught? For that's what you seem to be saying.

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    1. Huh. I thought he was saying that it was fine to steal as long as you bought laws making it legal for you to steal. But who knows what goes thru what passes as the "mind" of a right-winger? :)

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