all the money u could comfortably need...

[stront692]

if somebody offred u this, but u knew for a fact that it was coming from ill gotten gains would u still accept

i dont mean a lot of money but enough to comfortably live on, certainly enough to pay off my debts at the mo which are quite sizeable  in themselves

[longmanshort]

No.

A 'friend' at university once tried to argue that if the mafia gave a million quid of drugs money to a charity, then the charity should accept it.

Ill gotten money is founded on the misery of others, every time you spend it you are receiving something in exchange for someone else's pain ...

[House of Usher]

What kind of ill-gotten gains are we talking about here? Has someone robbed a bank for me, or are we talking about profiting from the sale of tobacco or weapons, or exploiting the poor and starving?

[longmanshort]

Has someone robbed a bank for me, or are we talking about profiting from the sale of tobacco or weapons, or exploiting the poor and starving?

Is there much of a difference?

[The Amstor Computer]

I'd be very tempted, but if we're talking about "ill-gotten gains" from something criminal, I'd say no. Apart from the illegality of accepting the money, I'd always be worried that it would be tracked back to me - and what do you do when all of the cash is taken from you, and you're put in a position where you have to repay what you've already spent?

[Art]

I've always thought that part of the appeal of luxury good such as gold, diamonds, cocaine etc... Was the shear evil of their origin, which usually involves some kind of exploitation or conflict.

[House of Usher]

Is there much of a difference?

F***, yeah! Banks are not at all averse to making money through the suffering of others, and the money they make looking after our money for us, they can afford to lose the odd ten thousand here and there.

[House of Usher]

if we're talking about "ill-gotten gains" from something criminal, I'd say no.

...but ill-gotten gains is okay as long as it's from something legal? I hope not. That's digusting!

[JimBob]

 All criminal procceeds are based on some one elses misery. You'ld be amazed at quite how devastating something as simple as a bag snatch can be to a victim, burglary, theft, all carry a sense of personal violation.
 and don't tell me theres no such thing as a victimless crime, the employee who's sacked or finds a black cloud hanging over their carreer becuase it's there "fault" a crime was allowed to succeed would disagree.
The most common "victimless" crime of smuggling booze and fags and selling it on is taking revenue away form those who need it.
 I don't want to sound all Steve Ditko on crime but I've seen the direct results of pretty much aany crime you can think of and it's left me with a fairly strong belief on whats right and wrong. (The fact I'm currently waiting to see if I get the all clear on  a blood test after getting a junkies hyperdermic in my hand isn't doing a whole lot to soften my stance either)

Jim.

[The Amstor Computer]

Heh. Just read LMS' reply, and my "I'd be scared someone would find out" doesn't look particularly noble, does it? ;-)

[Art]

So, Stronty, this money, what would I have to do for it?

[Dudley]

if somebody offred u this, but u knew for a fact that it was coming from ill gotten gains would u still accept

I live in the UK, so I already do!

Polina and I recently started sponsoring a child in Zaire.  Her father is able to keep them alive if he makes ?8 a month.  Zaire owes over ?3billion to Western governments, and is repaying them.  That money - all the money from all the national debts - goes right back into keeping your taxes low.

Other ways the poorest are forced to help us include us creaming off shitloads of our doctors and nurses from the Third World, in order to avoid paying NHS staff a decent wage.

So, if you think you wouldn't take ill-gotten gains, you might need to redefine your parameters!


Personally, in this hypothetical situation where it's never going to come back onto me and I wouldn't have to do anything illegal/immoral myself, I'd take the fucking money and try to do something worthwhile with it, rather than leaving it in the hands of criminals.



Just to check, though, Stront - it's not an email from Nigeria or Iraq or similar, is it?

[The Amstor Computer]

"...but ill-gotten gains is okay as long as it's from something legal? I hope not. That's digusting!"

I wasn't entirely sure how he was defining "ill-gotten gains" - I normally use it to mean profit from something criminal, but I've heard it used in other ways (the profits of tobacco and alcohol companies being one example)

[Dunk!]

No.

'Cos when i shave in the morning i have to be able to look at myself in the mirror.

[Oddboy]

That's what you paid for it.

We don't know how much it's cost us yet.http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00005KITA.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg">