Post: #1

I used to be conflicted about what to make of Simon Black but in light of recent global economic events, a lot of his ideas are really starting to stick. One article I read today pointed out something that startled me, cash-sniffing dogs at border checkpoints. Does anyone know about this firsthand? I'm not surprised that dogs can sniff cash (they can be trained to sniff anything). I just find it very troubling to think about should shit truly hit the fan.

http://www.sovereignman.com/trends/expec...ook-11440/

Quote:Expect these eight steps from the government’s playbook

by Simon Black on March 26, 2013

Reporting from Sovereign Valley Farm, Chile

To anyone paying attention, reality is now painfully obvious. These bankrupt, insolvent governments have just about run out of fingers to plug the dikes. And history shows that, once this happens, governments fall back on a very limited playbook:


Direct confiscation

As Cyprus showed us, bankrupt governments are quite happy to plunder people’s bank accounts, especially if it’s a wealthy minority.

Aside from bank levies, though, this also includes things like seizing retirement accounts (Argentina), increases in civil asset forfeiture (United States), and gold criminalization.

Taxes

Just another form of confiscation, taxation plunders the hard work and talent of the citizenry. But thanks to decades of brainwashing, it’s more socially acceptable. We’ve come to regard taxes as a ‘necessary evil,’ not realizing that the country existed for decades, even centuries, without an income tax.

Yet when bankrupt governments get desperate enough, they begin imposing new taxes… primarily WEALTH taxes (Argentina) or windfall profits taxes (United States in the 1970s).

Inflation

This is indirect confiscation– the slow, gradual plundering of people’s savings. Again, governments have been quite successful at inculcating a belief that inflation is also a necessary evil. They’re also adept at fooling people with phony inflation statistics.

Capital Controls

Governments can, do, and will restrict the free-flow of capital across borders. They’ll prevent you from moving your own money to a safer jurisdiction, forcing you to keep your hard earned savings at home where it can be plundered and devalued.

We’re seeing this everywhere in the developed world… from withdrawal limits in Europe to cash-sniffing dogs at border checkpoints. And it certainly doesn’t help when everyone from the IMF to Nobel laureate Paul Krugman argue in favor of Capital Controls.

Wage and Price controls

When even the lowest common denominator in society realizes that prices are getting higher, governments step in and ‘fix’ things by imposing price controls.

Occasionally this also includes wage controls… though wage increases tend to be vastly outpaced by price increases.

Of course, as any basic economics textbook can illustrate, price controls never work and typically lead to shortages and massive misallocations.

Wage and Price controls– on STEROIDS

When the first round of price controls don’t work, the next step is to impose severe penalties for not abiding by the terms.

In the days of Diocletian’s Edict on Prices in the 4th century AD, any Roman caught violating the price controls was put to death.

In post-revolutionary France, shopkeepers who violated the “Law of Maximum” were fleeced of their private property… and a national spy system was put into place to enforce the measures.
Increased regulation

Despite being completely broke, governments will dramatically expand their ranks in a last desperate gasp to envelop the problem in sheer size.

In the early 1920s, for example, the number of bureaucratic officials in the Weimar Republic increased 242%, even though the country was flat broke from its Great War reparation payments and hyperinflation episode.

The increase in both regulations and government officials criminalizes and/or controls almost every aspect of our existence… from what we can/cannot put in our bodies to how we are allowed to raise our own children.
War and National Emergency

When all else fails, just invade another country. Pick a fight. Keep people distracted by work them into a frenzy over men in caves… or some completely irrelevant island.

Post: #2

I thought this thread was about gold-digging bitches.

Post: #3

Thanks for posting this HK. Yeah it is becoming increasingly more and more a policed environment at least in the so called "1st world". It is really scary when you start thinking about it. One more reason to start an exit strategy in every aspect. And the irony in all this is that it's in the so called "3rd world" countries where one enjoys the highest level of freedoms. Some food for thought guys...

Post: #4

Yeah i definitely agree that this is scary although cash sniffing dogs have been around for the last few years. I think this become more of a thing after 911 and to deter drug smugglers due to mules transporting cash and such. But usually the standard amount of cash you can carry across International Borders is $10,000 without having to claim it at customs.

Post: #5

Can they sniff traveler's checks?

Post: #6

I saw some people on ZeroHedge hating on Simon Black calling him a broke fraud, or words to that effect. I guess I'm not too worried about cash sniffing dogs because I never carry huge wads of cash. If I wanted to carry a huge amount of money accross a border, I would pick a different negotiable instrument than cash.

Post: #7

As long as the usps doesn't use dogs to sniff my homies shoe boxes were good =3

Post: #8

(03-26-2013 04:00 PM)Menace Wrote:  I saw some people on ZeroHedge hating on Simon Black calling him a broke fraud, or words to that effect. I guess I'm not too worried about cash sniffing dogs because I never carry huge wads of cash. If I wanted to carry a huge amount of money accross a border, I would pick a different negotiable instrument than cash.

You could carry it on a nice watch.

Post: #9

Last year crossing the frontier Peru-Brazil I saw a shitload of police dogs sniffing shit of cars, you know the usual k-9s but there were also some that had a different kind of uniform (haha dog uniform) I guess those were money sniffers.

Post: #10

It's not a recent phenomenon, I saw a documentary about this years ago.

If I'm not mistaken it's illegal to take more than $10,000 cash without notifying the IRS/Treasury. And has been like that for a long time.

Post: #11

Yeap, here in Argentina it is illegal to take more than 10K pesos to other country without notifyng the tax agency, and yes, there are cash-snifing dogs in the border passes, expecially in the Uruguay and Brasil border.

Post: #12

(03-26-2013 04:00 PM)Menace Wrote:  I saw some people on ZeroHedge hating on Simon Black calling him a broke fraud, or words to that effect. I guess I'm not too worried about cash sniffing dogs because I never carry huge wads of cash. If I wanted to carry a huge amount of money accross a border, I would pick a different negotiable instrument than cash.

Was there an article calling him out or were these comments from readers?

Post: #13

If you guys ever need to get money out of the country and you have a lot the easiest way is either diamonds or treasury instruments. US government debt comes in huge denominations. You could get one T-bill or note with all your wealth right on it and move it out of the country in your pocket. Not really smart to put it all on one instrument just in case you do get caught, so you should buy several denominations and hide them on you and in your bag.

Post: #14

You can move money internationally online - no need to carry anything. Bitcoin is one example.

Post: #15

(03-26-2013 11:39 PM)BIGINJAPAN Wrote:  If you guys ever need to get money out of the country and you have a lot the easiest way is either diamonds or treasury instruments. US government debt comes in huge denominations. You could get one T-bill or note with all your wealth right on it and move it out of the country in your pocket. Not really smart to put it all on one instrument just in case you do get caught, so you should buy several denominations and hide them on you and in your bag.

diamonds are great for moving large sums around the world and are globally accepted

Post: #16

(03-28-2013 09:30 PM)loki Wrote:  

(03-26-2013 11:39 PM)BIGINJAPAN Wrote:  If you guys ever need to get money out of the country and you have a lot the easiest way is either diamonds or treasury instruments. US government debt comes in huge denominations. You could get one T-bill or note with all your wealth right on it and move it out of the country in your pocket. Not really smart to put it all on one instrument just in case you do get caught, so you should buy several denominations and hide them on you and in your bag.

diamonds are great for moving large sums around the world and are globally accepted

It is also legal to do so. In Canada the price to bring diamonds in is 5%. Plus they let you value the diamonds yourself. So if you were bringing in a million worth of diamonds you could lie and say it was 500k and just pay 5% on that. It is a very easy way to move money out. Not to mention you can go anywhere in the world and Jew will buy them off you for cash.

Post: #17

(03-28-2013 10:59 PM)BIGINJAPAN Wrote:  

(03-28-2013 09:30 PM)loki Wrote:  

(03-26-2013 11:39 PM)BIGINJAPAN Wrote:  If you guys ever need to get money out of the country and you have a lot the easiest way is either diamonds or treasury instruments. US government debt comes in huge denominations. You could get one T-bill or note with all your wealth right on it and move it out of the country in your pocket. Not really smart to put it all on one instrument just in case you do get caught, so you should buy several denominations and hide them on you and in your bag.

diamonds are great for moving large sums around the world and are globally accepted

It is also legal to do so. In Canada the price to bring diamonds in is 5%. Plus they let you value the diamonds yourself. So if you were bringing in a million worth of diamonds you could lie and say it was 500k and just pay 5% on that. It is a very easy way to move money out. Not to mention you can go anywhere in the world and Jew will buy them off you for cash.

Yeah, they'll buy them alright, for a lot less than you paid. Go read up some of the stuff surrounding the lie that is/was the diamond cartel, the price fixing, and the bullshit myth that diamonds are an investment.

Post: #18

(03-29-2013 01:34 AM)porscheguy Wrote:  

(03-28-2013 10:59 PM)BIGINJAPAN Wrote:  

(03-28-2013 09:30 PM)loki Wrote:  

(03-26-2013 11:39 PM)BIGINJAPAN Wrote:  If you guys ever need to get money out of the country and you have a lot the easiest way is either diamonds or treasury instruments. US government debt comes in huge denominations. You could get one T-bill or note with all your wealth right on it and move it out of the country in your pocket. Not really smart to put it all on one instrument just in case you do get caught, so you should buy several denominations and hide them on you and in your bag.

diamonds are great for moving large sums around the world and are globally accepted

It is also legal to do so. In Canada the price to bring diamonds in is 5%. Plus they let you value the diamonds yourself. So if you were bringing in a million worth of diamonds you could lie and say it was 500k and just pay 5% on that. It is a very easy way to move money out. Not to mention you can go anywhere in the world and Jew will buy them off you for cash.

Yeah, they'll buy them alright, for a lot less than you paid. Go read up some of the stuff surrounding the lie that is/was the diamond cartel, the price fixing, and the bullshit myth that diamonds are an investment.

I am well aware of the cartel and how prices work. I own glitter and greed. I also trade in diamonds. The price fixing works to my advantage.

Not only do wholesalers pay up they pay more than what I purchase the diamonds for. So no it is not true that they buy them for a lot less than you purchase them. I am not a special case either. That is how the industry works.

Post: #19

(03-26-2013 09:21 PM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  

(03-26-2013 04:00 PM)Menace Wrote:  I saw some people on ZeroHedge hating on Simon Black calling him a broke fraud, or words to that effect. I guess I'm not too worried about cash sniffing dogs because I never carry huge wads of cash. If I wanted to carry a huge amount of money accross a border, I would pick a different negotiable instrument than cash.

Was there an article calling him out or were these comments from readers?

Comments afaik.

Post: #20

Interesting stuff.

What about banks with international operations like Citi or HSBC? Could you deposit your money in a Citibank in the United States, withdraw it in a Citibank in a foreign country, and then deposit your money in a local bank in the foreign country?

Post: #21

(03-29-2013 02:40 AM)BIGINJAPAN Wrote:  

(03-29-2013 01:34 AM)porscheguy Wrote:  

(03-28-2013 10:59 PM)BIGINJAPAN Wrote:  

(03-28-2013 09:30 PM)loki Wrote:  

(03-26-2013 11:39 PM)BIGINJAPAN Wrote:  If you guys ever need to get money out of the country and you have a lot the easiest way is either diamonds or treasury instruments. US government debt comes in huge denominations. You could get one T-bill or note with all your wealth right on it and move it out of the country in your pocket. Not really smart to put it all on one instrument just in case you do get caught, so you should buy several denominations and hide them on you and in your bag.

diamonds are great for moving large sums around the world and are globally accepted

It is also legal to do so. In Canada the price to bring diamonds in is 5%. Plus they let you value the diamonds yourself. So if you were bringing in a million worth of diamonds you could lie and say it was 500k and just pay 5% on that. It is a very easy way to move money out. Not to mention you can go anywhere in the world and Jew will buy them off you for cash.

Yeah, they'll buy them alright, for a lot less than you paid. Go read up some of the stuff surrounding the lie that is/was the diamond cartel, the price fixing, and the bullshit myth that diamonds are an investment.

I am well aware of the cartel and how prices work. I own glitter and greed. I also trade in diamonds. The price fixing works to my advantage.

Not only do wholesalers pay up they pay more than what I purchase the diamonds for. So no it is not true that they buy them for a lot less than you purchase them. I am not a special case either. That is how the industry works.

Can you elaborate on this? From everything I know about diamonds, wholesalers buy their diamonds straight from cartels or they get traded through tight networks. How can a civillian go somewhere, other than Sierra Leonne, buy some diamonds and take the somewhere else and sell them for more than their worth? I can see if you have some special connections in the industry, but you're saying that you don't.

Post: #22

I get them straight from the congo. I have them cut in Canada and I sell them to the wholesalers. Anyone can do it and as far as I know you can bring back any dollar amount as long as you pay the tax on it.

Why are you using the word civilian ? These aren't soldiers

Post: #23

By civillian, I mean someone who isn't already in the diamond business.

My understanding of the diamond industry is that the cartels control the global supply, especially in large, high quality diamonds. The cartels keep this stuff in limited supply to keep the price high. Wholesalers don't start buying second-hand diamonds and diamonds from other sources, because the cartels will cut them off from the supply of high quality diamonds, which is where they make their real money. So, the idea that the average person could buy $20k worth of diamonds in NY get on a plane to London and sell those diamonds for $20k, thereby moving that amount without declaring it, doesn't seem believable.

If you're talking about importing uncut stones and selling polished diamonds, that's a different story. But I would still think that the average dude would lose unless he already had the connections. You have to get to Congo and buy diamonds, without getting ripped off or worse; get them out of the country without getting shaken down; find a polisher who you trust; and then find a wholesaler who is actually going to pay you what they're worth. Can someone who hasn't spent years in the business already pull that off?

Post: #24

The cartel controls 50% of the market. Moving 20k in diamonds around is nothing, that is a drop in a bucket. We are talking about a multi billion dollar a year industry. I am sure being Canada is an advantage as we are such a small market that they wouldn't even care what is going on here. We are also licensed and pay the import tax. So it's not like we are sneaking around.

I just started doing this at the end of last year. This is my 5th month being involved in it. I have a friend who was born and raised in Kenya and he found the congolese contact last year. I would never set foot in the Congo myself so I don't really know the dangers of it. But these guys move in and out of the country no problem. We get the diamonds cut and polished in Calgary and so far just sell the finished product here in Alberta. But in the next couple weeks I will be flying around meeting other wholesalers. So far we have had no problems selling the stones for exactly what we want for them.

Could things go wrong and we get fucked ? Perhaps. But you never get ahead in life if you don't take chances. Also I am just playing with house money now. After the third trip my original investment has been exceeded. We net about 40% return on each trip.