3 ms·

"FWIW Estonia has ~1.3 million people living there, the vast majority of them earn their living in legal ways " I never said anything against Estonian people,

"FWIW Estonia has ~1.3 million people living there, the vast majority of them earn their living in legal ways " I never said anything against Estonian people, neither did I say anything against Mexicans. Most people earn their living in a legal way. Even in a favela (Brazilian slum) the drug dealers make a tiny tiny fraction of the population. (In fact, I did not even say anything against drug trade. I think the war on drugs has failed tremendously and drugs should be legalized as much as they can be reasonably legalized). "FWIW Estonia has ~1.3 million people living there, ..have underpowered financial, legal and enforcement branches" Well, how many inhabitants does Luxembourg or Liechtenstein have? A fraction of this. This can't be an excuse.

jacquesm 3y ago
Luxembourg and Liechtenstein are both fabulously wealthy and also have historically had a huge problem with illegal deposits. Not the best examples, to put it mildly. What you wrote was that this was 'the businessmodel of Estonia', and I'm illustrating to you that this isn't true. Whether you intended to sleight the Estonian people or not goes right out the window when you make such generalizing claims about the entire country. It just isn't true.
- Beijinger 3y ago
  "Luxembourg and Liechtenstein are both fabulously wealthy and also have historically had a huge problem with illegal deposits." So you are hinting that they build their wealth the same way as Estonia does now? :-)
  - jacquesm 3y ago
    No, I'm stating that they have already done so and that Estonia isn't doing this in a purposeful way. Liechtenstein, Gstaad, Monaco, Luxembourg, the Channel Islands and a bunch of other entities within Europe have all made bank over the last 100 years or so by taking illegal deposits of all kinds within their regulated banking system. Estonia isn't in that league, nor are they trying to get there. They simply can't cope with the influx, whereas for those others that influx of illegal capital was the goal itself, which is well documented, and which, incidentally is one of the reasons moneyed interests aimed to have the UK secede the EU. Unless you have actual proof that Estonia created their program with the express interest of attracting illegal cash I think you should drop the generalization.
    - Beijinger 3y ago
      I don't think influx of illegal capital was the goal. But it might have become an interesting source of income. " I think you should drop the generalization." Maybe it is the 20k I lost. But Estonian law enforcement is abysmal.
      - jacquesm 3y ago
        > Maybe it is the 20k I lost. I will not belittle that in any way and I understand your frustration, and given the amount involved it is just in that grey zone where trying to recover it is likely just throwing good money after bad. For an extra zero it would be well worth it and a zero less and you probably wouldn't lose sleep over it. > But Estonian law enforcement is abysmal. This we fully agree on.

jacquesm 3y ago

Luxembourg and Liechtenstein are both fabulously wealthy and also have historically had a huge problem with illegal deposits. Not the best examples, to put it mildly. What you wrote was that this was 'the businessmodel of Estonia', and I'm illustrating to you that this isn't true. Whether you intended to sleight the Estonian people or not goes right out the window when you make such generalizing claims about the entire country. It just isn't true.

Beijinger 3y ago
"Luxembourg and Liechtenstein are both fabulously wealthy and also have historically had a huge problem with illegal deposits." So you are hinting that they build their wealth the same way as Estonia does now? :-)
- jacquesm 3y ago
  No, I'm stating that they have already done so and that Estonia isn't doing this in a purposeful way. Liechtenstein, Gstaad, Monaco, Luxembourg, the Channel Islands and a bunch of other entities within Europe have all made bank over the last 100 years or so by taking illegal deposits of all kinds within their regulated banking system. Estonia isn't in that league, nor are they trying to get there. They simply can't cope with the influx, whereas for those others that influx of illegal capital was the goal itself, which is well documented, and which, incidentally is one of the reasons moneyed interests aimed to have the UK secede the EU. Unless you have actual proof that Estonia created their program with the express interest of attracting illegal cash I think you should drop the generalization.
  - Beijinger 3y ago
    I don't think influx of illegal capital was the goal. But it might have become an interesting source of income. " I think you should drop the generalization." Maybe it is the 20k I lost. But Estonian law enforcement is abysmal.
    - jacquesm 3y ago
      > Maybe it is the 20k I lost. I will not belittle that in any way and I understand your frustration, and given the amount involved it is just in that grey zone where trying to recover it is likely just throwing good money after bad. For an extra zero it would be well worth it and a zero less and you probably wouldn't lose sleep over it. > But Estonian law enforcement is abysmal. This we fully agree on.