Author Topic: Morality of snitching (Read 2924 times)

poche · « **Reply #11 on:** December 09, 2014, 10:53:01 PM »

1. They grow dope (Cannabis) in a state where it is illegal and sell it to adults and make a five figure profit (say $20k per year) which they spend on supporting their family. So they are not getting rich from this but they are subsidising their family. If you object to cannabis then let's assume they brew beer and sell it without a licence, though as far as you know do it responsibly and with regard to human health.

The first question is how would you know that they were doing this? If they were doing this openly (ie growing it in the back yard) whether yousay anything or not it is only a matter of time before it comes to the attention of the authorities. People who sell drugs like that are a public nuisance. Even if cannabis were legal the high traffic volume is a nuisance in neighborhoods which are zoned as residential instead of commercial. They also give scandal to their children when they engage in this immoral activity.

poche · « **Reply #12 on:** December 09, 2014, 10:58:53 PM »

. They run a legitimate business but fiddle their taxes and pay thousands less than they should. Not simply tax avoidance but tax evasion.

3. They are engaged in tax fraud where they are creating false IDs and invoices and claiming large amounts from the IRS in say welfare benefits. Not merely not paying taxes, but stealing by fraud money they have absolutely no claim over.

There again the question is how would you know about this situation. If you are their tax preparer or their accountant you;
a - have a natural duty to confidentiality
b - would be complicit in what they are doing. As being complicit the law would consider you as equally guilty as they were in helping them to perpetrate this fraud.

PereJoseph · « **Reply #13 on:** December 10, 2014, 01:12:38 AM »

Quote from: BTNYC

Quote from: claudel
Congratulations, ggreg. This is a provocative moral topic—for a change—and it has already generated some interesting and thoughtful responses, whether one agrees with them or not. The comments here certainly beat the pants off the comments in the Feminism of Men thread, where guys are congratulating one another on how manly they are, on how much they despise long hair and the color pink, and on how much they like to drink. Indeed, readers could do far worse than make it a rule of thumb that any thread where the word "tankard" appears is a thread worth ignoring.

Seems your tankard is full of wine pressed from sour grapes, Claudel. I can't for the life of me figure out what crime PereJoseph could have committed to have merited such lasting, unrestrainable ire from you.

Well, don't worry, because I'm pretty sure that Claudel doesn't know, either. He likes to read cynical meanings into innocent comments. I will say, though, that for somebody who spends so much time and effort in insulting people, at least he's an elegant writer. He's turned gratuitous insults into a kind of art. It's like being a master at mumblety-peg or the knife game : It's not a noble skill, but one can't deny talent.

awkwardcustomer · « **Reply #14 on:** December 10, 2014, 03:21:57 AM »

ggreg said,

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So if someone was stealing millions in an organised fraud from the US Treasury, you would not report them?

Correct, I would not report them.

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Would you report a neighbour who drilled into a bank vault and stole several million dollars but did no violence to anyone? The bank are insured by the Treasury so the net effect is the same.

As above. I would not report them.

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Why is non-violent theft of public monies a special case? Or why is violence or physical harm a special case. Both are mortally sinful acts. Both against the Ten Commandments.

This is a very good question. I expect I would be in the wrong for turning a blind eye to the activities you describe, both morally and legally, although the police and the courts would not be able to prove that I knew what was going on and chose to say nothing.

I have to admit that part of me would be saying - go for it - to the people you describe. That is probably a moral failing on my part, evidence of a secret admiration for anyone who manages to get one over on a thoroughly corrupt government and banking system. If they were stealing from individuals, however, I would not be nearly so ready to turn a blind eye.

You are right that non-violent theft of public monies is against the Ten Commandments. It's just that the government and banking system does it all the time.

What would you do, ggreg, in the cases you cite? Would you inform on those people?

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Author Topic: Morality of snitching (Read 2924 times)

Graham

Morality of snitching

poche

Morality of snitching

poche

Morality of snitching

PereJoseph

Morality of snitching

awkwardcustomer

Morality of snitching