Random Thoughts Thread

[Ack]

And our corrupt quasi non-existing government does nothing about it. I swear, Belgium must be the laughing stock of the world by now...

Nah, you have this guy to thank for that:



But your waffles kick ass.

[elmagicochrisg]

And our corrupt quasi non-existing government does nothing about it. I swear, Belgium must be the laughing stock of the world by now...

Nah, you have this guy to thank for that:



But your waffles kick ass.

Touché...

[Ack]

Truthfully though elmagicochrisg, Belgium is one of the few other countries I've ever visited, but I found it to be quite nice.

[YoshiEgg25]

"We are going to close down those evil nuclear power plants"

Translation from politiquese:

"We are going to buy our electricity from France"


Sad, but very true.

That's EXACTLY what happened here in Belgium. Buy our electricity from Suez France because those green fuckers (politicians) wanted to cut down the electricity coming from our nuclear power plants. Prices have gone up like you wouldn't believe. We now have the most expensive electricity in Europe mainland. Suez is mafia I tell you...

And our corrupt quasi non-existing government does nothing about it. I swear, Belgium must be the laughing stock of the world by now...

I'm sure Suez France must've paid a few corrupt spanish politicians a shitload of money to try and get this thing pushed through in your country too...

What is this "Belgium" you speak of? Is it THIS Belgium?

[elmagicochrisg]

Truthfully though elmagicochrisg, Belgium is one of the few other countries I've ever visited, but I found it to be quite nice.

It is for tourists, not for the people that live here...

At least not for those that try to be self employed or make something of their lives. Taxes are ridiculously high for one. Most entrepreneurs fail miserably in this country. Taxes too high, and too many rules to protect the shitheads in our country. For example, I tried to lease a small apartment in Ostend where I live. I took a €50.000 loan and paid €20.000 in cash (all the money I had) to buy it. Now the idea was to pay the loan with the rent I got from the apartment. Impossible so it seems. I had 3 people in it in 3 years time. All of them failed to understand you have to pay to rent a place once you're in it. And once they signed the contract, you simply CANNOT get them out. It takes more than 6 months to get someone out of your place once they stop paying. And once you get them out, there is no chance in Hell you can recoup the money they failed to pay all those months. Because in most cases they don't make enough money according to the state to get anything out of them. On top of that, some don't even wanna leave even after the court rules in your favour (after more than half a year mind you). In that case you have to go to a 'deurwaarder' and pay another + €1.000 to get them out legally. Which is like another 3 months of rent's worth. This has resulted in me not being able to pay the loan and getting on a 'black list' meaning there is no chance in Hell I can get another loan for years to come. This is ridiculous...

I looked into becoming independent also. Self employed people pay 50 percent taxes on what they make, more or less. That's right, 50 friggin' percent!... I think in the US it's less than 25 percent max. So again, try to be an entrepreneur and you're fucked.

Sure, we have good social security. But at what cost?... The only people that Belgium is good for is the lazy good for nothing shitheads. For them Belgium is simply Paradise. I'm not joking, and trust me, I am far from exaggerating. You don't wanna do shit?... Come to Belgium. We'll give you money, for doing shit. Why do you think Belgium is one of the most preferred countries to go to for immigrants?... Because it's friggin' don't-do-shit-and-we'll-give-you-money-anyway Paradise!... Again, I swear, I am not exaggerating.

Belgium: Corrupt politicians, lazy motherfuckers, and hard working people that barely make ends meet...

Anyways, those of you who remember how I got fucked by the judicial system -ridiculous charges we cannot prove simply because they are ridiculous but we'll condemn you anyway because we want all your money and all the money you don't have- know I have no future in this country anyway. The apartment I was talking about will be taken away from me before the end of this year, and all I'm going to be left with is a €280.000 fine, which I'll never be able to pay anyway. So you know what?... I am one of the bums now. And quite frankly, aside from some volunteer work, I don't do shit. The more I tried to make something of my life, both legally and (admittedly) illegally, the more I drowned. Up to the point that it even cost me my health, both physically and mentally. To make it in Belgium you need a lot of money to start with, a powerful supportive family, and be a hearthless son of a bitch. I have none of the qualities above. And they surely showed me I don't, and made sure I never will...

So yup, there you have it. Belgium in a nutshell...

And yes Yoshi, thàt Belgium... lol

PS No worries, I make some money by buying and selling videogames and stuff. Nothing much, but enough to get by and be able to buy the stuff I want. In september I'm going to take Spanish lessons (for 3 years to come) and have a look at my options outside of Belgium after that. Anything better than Belgium... Sure, Spain is flatbroke. But I speak Dutch, French, English, a little German, and by then Spanish. So at least I should be able to find a job in a hotel or something. Until I can do what I really wanna do... ^^

PPS Maybe now you guys understand why I can be a cynical / sarcastic prick sometimes. Let's just say cynism and sarcasm can be lifesavers in some situations... Heh heh...

But hey, enough of Belgium already. They can shove their good waffles for all I care...

[elmagicochrisg]

Shit, where did that all come from?...

[Ack]

Shit, where did that all come from?...

Damn dude, that's quite a story. I know it doesn't help at all, but I'm sorry you're in this situation. I'm just really surprised that your renter's laws are so messed up. It's pretty shocking.

Then again, Belgium not having a government for so long and folks not caring...I suppose I can see why now.

Good luck getting out.

[gtmtnbiker]

For example, I tried to lease a small apartment in Ostend where I live. I took a €50.000 loan and paid €20.000 in cash (all the money I had) to buy it. Now the idea was to pay the loan with the rent I got from the apartment. Impossible so it seems. I had 3 people in it in 3 years time. All of them failed to understand you have to pay to rent a place once you're in it.

So you were a landlord? This is one of the risks of being a landlord. This is why you have to screen people and check their credit, etc. Yeah, you have to be able to afford the hit if you have to evict someone or repair the damage that they did. It's not an easy business.

I have looked into buying rental property but in the end, I decided that I would rather invest in the stock market.

I looked into becoming independent also. Self employed people pay 50 percent taxes on what they make, more or less. That's right, 50 friggin' percent!... I think in the US it's less than 25 percent max. So again, try to be an entrepreneur and you're fucked.

In the US, self-employed people have to pay 6% extra in FICA (Social Security). Otherwise, I think their tax rate is the same which is a sliding scale based on your income/investments. This chart seems accurate:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_tax ... _tax_rates

So you pay 10% on the first X dollars, then 15% on the next X dollars, etc. It's kind of complicated because you also get exemptions & deductions to reduce your taxable income. Investment income is taxed differently and at a much lower rate if you're in the upper tax brackets. I haven't sat down to figure out how much I pay in real money for taxes. It's probably at least 40% (US, state, FICA, Medicare, excise taxes, property taxes).

[Flake]

Say what you will about lulzsec - they have good taste in video games.

[BoringSupreez]

I don't think I'll ever move to Belgium. So far as I know, Norway, France, and Switzerland are the best places to live in in Europe.