You should speak for yourself, I do not commit felonies everyday. Our laws regarding the movement of money into the U.S. are good, they help collect taxes-from those that would otherwise not pay what they owe (leaving the rest of us to pick up the tab), and helps stop illegal trade, guns, funding of terrorists, drugs, etc. The very argument that others do worse, therefore; we should not prosecute anyone else is on its face, almost insane! The failure to declare (in fact, in this case change their paperwork in an attempted obfuscation) the amount of money moving into our country has long been a crime, and has nothing to do with the "war on terror" or the "war on drugs", it will help in both cases, but has been the law for a longer than either of these "wars". Non Americans coming into the U.S. with undeclared sums of money (in excess of that allowed by law), should be prosecuted. Just as any other smuggler.
BALLISTIC stated:
What if it were 50 kilos of heroin? Would you still be making the same argument? I hope not, but one never knows.....
If they made it all the way to PHL with 50 kgs. of Heroin, I would give them a high five! That is a feat; to make it halfway across the world with a known product that most countries consider an imprisonable offense. You do realize that Heroin addicts are the least problematic users in society right...? They are just below stoners, they get high and slump in a corner for hours on end without moving and usually people have to prod them to make sure they are still alive. Beyond that stupidity, if you really want to find financial crimes being broken look into the banks themselves, as they commit more crimes against our laws, and humanity than every other entity combined when you consider the dollar amount. You are naive if you think that a couple bringing $27K into the US is going to cause grievous harm to our society, and yet the banks are legally allowed to conduct business here extort and launder billions of dollars a year. Oh yea, they are fined every now and again for meaningless sums. HSBC is ordered to pay $2 billion, or what is being called 5 weeks profit, for their drug laundering to the Mexican cartels, and JP Morgan has the largest fine of $11 billion for numerous illegalities committed, the largest fine ever, but this is like being pulled over for drunken driving, doing 50 over the speed limit, with multiple narcotics, and being 'forced' to give up a months pay to 'settle', all the while NO ONE BEING INCARCERATED! Please tell me again about American laws, and the rule of law versus the rule of men.
The fact that you would give a "high five" to anyone smuggling heroin in the U.S., says everything I need to know. I wonder how much each of the terrorist that killed so many Americans in the 9/11 attack brought into the U.S.-I don't have to wonder how much "grievous harm" they caused our country.
Again, it seems many are confused by the concept of "Rule of law". The Rule of Law does not mean, if someone "beats the system" everyone should be exempt from all laws! But rather, to strive to enforce all laws equally. Will it ever be perfect? Hell no. Should we quit enforcing laws-criminal laws-because someone or some corporation was able to get away with something? Of course not.
It was pointed out that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol seized 30 billion dollars annually ($30,000,000,000.00), if this is correct, that is a lot of dollars evading our tax laws. Even if only 10% was to be going to other crimes that would still be 3 billion dollars ($3,000,000,000.00). Most criminals are trying to make money, or keep from paying their taxes, if you want to keep the rule of law, get their money. Seizing drug dealers cars/boats/houses etc. is a good thing. But seizing low level criminals cars when caught driving drunk/on drugs/without license/ etc. adds up ($$$) for the police, and helps keep taxes down!
BTW, I hope you were joking about giving some low life, scum a high five for bring heroin into the U.S.. If not, you need help.
