Re: Instant ruin: a lifetime of work down the drain due to 1 bad decis
 

[ QUOTE ]
Drinking and driving immediately comes to mind. One of the best things to happen to me was a DUI the week after my 22nd birthday. Like a lot of people, I didnt make a habit of drinking and driving but I would on occasion do it. My Criminal Law professor made a wonderful generalization about the US justice system that is 100 percent applicable to this thread. He described it as a punishment lottery. Think of the times that many of us have been behind the wheel intoxicated. Imagine if a person were crossing the street, someone were stopped in the middle of the road, whatever. Next thing you know, BAM! You just bought a winning ticket. Your life would be catastrophicly changed forever. Because lets face it, there are lots of people doing hard time who are not unlike a lot of "good" people out there who made the same bad decisions but werent holding a winning ticket.

[/ QUOTE ]

this doesnt justify your behavior

Re: Instant ruin: a lifetime of work down the drain due to 1 bad decis
 

[ QUOTE ]
Drinking and driving immediately comes to mind. One of the best things to happen to me was a DUI the week after my 22nd birthday. Like a lot of people, I didnt make a habit of drinking and driving but I would on occasion do it. My Criminal Law professor made a wonderful generalization about the US justice system that is 100 percent applicable to this thread. He described it as a punishment lottery. Think of the times that many of us have been behind the wheel intoxicated. Imagine if a person were crossing the street, someone were stopped in the middle of the road, whatever. Next thing you know, BAM! You just bought a winning ticket. Your life would be catastrophicly changed forever. Because lets face it, there are lots of people doing hard time who are not unlike a lot of "good" people out there who made the same bad decisions but werent holding a winning ticket.

[/ QUOTE ]

Total [censored] [censored]. You know how to not buy a ticket? Don't drink drive. I'm not even the preachy type, but its pretty simple, if you can't risk the punishment, don't do the crime!

Re: Instant ruin: a lifetime of work down the drain due to 1 bad decis
 

[ QUOTE ]
I got second in the PCA for 860k and moved the money through neteller on the way to my bank account. 800k is stuck. Hopefully it all works out, but if it doesn't I may not only be out nearly a mill, I'm probably still expected to pay taxes on it.

[/ QUOTE ]

I would consult tax counsel, if you haven't already. I would think you could get a deduction for this loss. Still, it's better than going ice fishing and falling in, no?

Re: Instant ruin: a lifetime of work down the drain due to 1 bad decis
 

[ QUOTE ]
I think a book of stories like this would be really depressing.

One that comes to mind is enron employees who had their entire retirement accounts in enron stock.

[/ QUOTE ]

No that would not be depressing, that is called stupidity

Re: Instant ruin: a lifetime of work down the drain due to 1 bad decis
 

[ QUOTE ]
I got second in the PCA for 860k and moved the money through neteller on the way to my bank account. 800k is stuck. Hopefully it all works out, but if it doesn't I may not only be out nearly a mill, I'm probably still expected to pay taxes on it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Did you see the thread where various people were talking about buying this money from you at some sort of discount? Have you considered that at all?

Re: Instant ruin: a lifetime of work down the drain due to 1 bad decis
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Drinking and driving immediately comes to mind. One of the best things to happen to me was a DUI the week after my 22nd birthday. Like a lot of people, I didnt make a habit of drinking and driving but I would on occasion do it. My Criminal Law professor made a wonderful generalization about the US justice system that is 100 percent applicable to this thread. He described it as a punishment lottery. Think of the times that many of us have been behind the wheel intoxicated. Imagine if a person were crossing the street, someone were stopped in the middle of the road, whatever. Next thing you know, BAM! You just bought a winning ticket. Your life would be catastrophicly changed forever. Because lets face it, there are lots of people doing hard time who are not unlike a lot of "good" people out there who made the same bad decisions but werent holding a winning ticket.

[/ QUOTE ]

this doesnt justify your behavior

[/ QUOTE ]

I wasnt in anyway trying to do so. I am not sure how one could arrive at your conclusion afer reading my OP. Perhaps you are taking this sentence in isolation:
[ QUOTE ]
Like a lot of people, I didnt make a habit of drinking and driving but I would on occasion do it.

[/ QUOTE ]
I included this beacuse this is how I would foolishly rationalize driving intoxicated. Begin internal dialogue: "I am not a drunk driver. I am not really drunk, just buzzing. Besides, I just live down the street." The aforementioned rationalization is exactly the type of bad decision that can alter ones life permanently.

Re: Instant ruin: a lifetime of work down the drain due to 1 bad decis
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I think a book of stories like this would be really depressing.

One that comes to mind is enron employees who had their entire retirement accounts in enron stock.

[/ QUOTE ]

No that would not be depressing, that is called stupidity

[/ QUOTE ]

"1 bad decision"

Re: Instant ruin: a lifetime of work down the drain due to 1 bad decis
 

So easy to do something stupid and pay the rest of your life ... could happen to anyone here in a heartbeat and you are naive to think otherwise

darwin awards is hardly depressing

Re: Instant ruin: a lifetime of work down the drain due to 1 bad decis
 

Maybe not instant ruin, but...

http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/G...24461_2019.jpg

Re: Instant ruin: a lifetime of work down the drain due to 1 bad decis
 

He missed a grounder.
Pretty sure it wasn't his decision to do so.