Is This A Thing?
Is this a case of someone blowing something out of proportion, or is this an actual thing?
Louisiana bans using cash in sales of second-hand goods?
by Patrick · October 24, 2011
Is this a case of someone blowing something out of proportion, or is this an actual thing?
Louisiana bans using cash in sales of second-hand goods?
Patrick
Patrick is a mid-40 year old geek with an undergraduate degree in mathematics and a master's degree in Information Systems. Nothing he says here has anything to do with the official position of his employer or any other institution.
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Doesn’t that violate federal law: legal tender and all that?Report
The text of the law provided seems to be very clear. The “keep the information for three years” is particularly creepy. I used to buy used books, I cannot imagine buying several hundred books and then be expected to document who sold them and then save the data for three years.Report
Heck, what about the 1099 rule?
Or the CPSIA, which nearly ran Goodwill out of business by refusing to grandfather older items (which meant that everything designated as a “children’s product” had to be either tested for lead content or thrown away.)Report
DD:
But it was for the children an that makes it ok.Report
“Used books” is the best way to launder money.
You come in with a $20 book. I buy it from you for $2 (or $3 in trade!). I sell it for $10.
I now have $8 accounted for… and *NOTHING* else. 100 of these transactions a day and I am laundering good money. 1000 a day and I am laundering real money.Report
Damn, you’re saying my local used bookstore is a Mob front?Report
Look for signs that say “cash or check only”.Report
I thought all you had to do to launder money was to buy a casino and then pay somebody to go walk into it and lose $10,000 a throw betting on random insanity.Report
Step 1 is a barrier to entry for most of us.Report
Improvise, adapt, overcome!Report
So when the crotchety old men who run the stores sit around and complain to anyone who’ll listen about this “Amazon” and “Internet” running them out of business, they’re really referring to Sicilians angry that they won’t pay their protection fees?Report
“What are we paying protection for?”
You never, never, never *EVER* want to hear your people ask this question.Report
Mind blowing.Report
Since I live in Louisiana, I must admit that the article was certainly correct about this idiotic bill flying under the radar. The first I heard about it was from Mr. Cahalan. I can’t believe my congress critters think this will fly. It is merely another law that few people will bother about.
Personally, I think the law is another way to make sure they get the sales taxes.Report
Well, we should just be grateful that Louisiana didn’t let the whole “we’re going to impound cars of litterers” slip through. I don’t thrift store shop in Louisiana, but I do drive through it from time to time.Report
As a Louisiana man who lives next to a river that is the playground for four wheelers and litterbugs I think enforcing a litter law is a good idea.
East Baton Rouge Parish has a good garbage and recycle collection service and the parishes around us don’t, so neighbors think it is a good idea to throw their old stuff under the bridge. I have found beer bottles, soda cans, coolers, refrigerators, beds, roofing material, dirty diapers, and things so funky I could not identify them on the property.
I also maintain the small lawn for my wife’s studio and some days it takes longer to pick up the trash than it does to mow the lawn.
Way too many people around here think that if it isn’t their property, it is okay to trash it. If I had one wish for Chirstmas, I would wish that all the trash people threw out during the year would magically appear in their bedroom Christmas morning. I would wish that it would appear in their bed, but since the total weight would kill some of them, the bedroom will have to suffice.Report
I have no problem enforcing litter laws. I do have a problem confiscating cars.
(And, to be blunt, I have a problem trusting Louisiana’s police when it comes to confiscations more generally.)Report
I too think taking a person’s car for littering is way over the top. I would like to see litterers doing community service cleaning up the highways.
I think it is wrong to take autos for minor drug busts.
I did find it humorous that one of the reasons for killing the bill is that it would hurt the banks.Report
Nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced.Report
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