Life / A Third of Poland has declared itself to be an official "LGBT - Free Zone". [20]

If you want to talk about no go zones try persuading a European to get on a plane for a holiday in Chicago right now.

Wrigley field, Sears Tower, Blues, Deep Pan and viral pneumonia

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

The route out of this probably means ditching both PiS and PO.

interesting that in our house the votes will be split 1 for WKK, 2 for Szymon, 1 for Bosak. My PiS voting mother in law thinks Bosak is at least a kind of honest man, unlike Duda.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

Very classy - I thought all your PiS guys were devout and wanted to go back to traditional values.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

I don't know if that is true or not but even if it was then if he were a man he would just tell his wife he screwed someone else. Probably he would have a month of sleeping in the couch and have to buy some jewellery but then it would be over and done with.

Acting as someone else's puppet for 5 years seems a high price to pay for a brief indiscretion.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

Duda is a disgrace - what is weird is that in 5 years he has not grown into the job at all - he is still like a kid, in a typical Polish business he wouldn't get a second interview for an admin job,

I'm probably voting for WKK. In the meantime I will be covering any Duda posters I see with a printout of JK since Duda hasn't bothered to voice any of his own opinions since about 2017.

News / Poles say a big YES to our European Union [996]

I think I preferred it when Polonius was around - at least he tried to justify what PiS were doing, not just harp on about things that happened 10 years ago

It's possible to be appalled by PiS but not to have any love for PO either

News / Poles say a big YES to our European Union [996]

That is not the EUs role - it has a small budget and is definitely not responsible for public health. There are many reasons to belong to it starting. with helping preserve peace, trade and opportunities for business, agriculture, tech, and a common labor market.

Italy has had a bad time but it is a big rich country that has been mismanaged but still a world leader in many industries and with significant political power . It's not a charity case and can work out its own problems.

News / Poles say a big YES to our European Union [996]

But the quarantine and the Coronavirus is not the fault of private banks. Why is it their responsibility to lend to countries who can't pay it back ?

News / Poles say a big YES to our European Union [996]

They can only borrow money if people will lend it to them. Deficits are possible but can't be created from thin air - without capitalist markets for debt then deficits are impossible.

Lending comes with conditions - usually ones that ensure the money will paid back.

Poland is still able to borrow money, many countries will find it very tough.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

Honestly I doubt it - unless we have Italian levels of deaths then that's it - people will not go back inside. The kids are at it like rabbits already after being apart for two months

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

Who can declare a state of emergency ?

You mean a state of emergency about their virus or one about the elections ? Because if it's about the virus you will not get people back into their houses now they have been let out and are shopping, exercising and working again.

USA, Canada / Poles Living in the Chicago Area [343]

Good luck to them and I hope all you guys in Chicago stay safe ! It will be a few more weeks before this clears up

Treat those medics to a curbside pickup from the Red Apple when this has finished.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

I thought Adrian's appeal that rich people should not claim 500 plus was bizarre. I would quite happily go down to say 100 zloty or some token amount if everybody got a reduction to 400 zloty - that would be genuine solidarity

I just can't see the postal election working - I pity the postmen - do I have to wear a mask in my own front yard when I sign for the papers ?

News / How Poland bought German Airline Condor and might lose massive from it [34]

I'm not sure if Weimarer will be returning - hopefully not, but I see that even Lufthansa is now in serious difficulties and needs a 10 billion bailout. Shares are tanking on the liquidity worries.

The govt suspended LOT flights for another 3 weeks today.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

Spike was thinking of you today - drove past some house in the middle of nowhere and it was completely plastered with Bosak posters !

I feel sorry for the candidates like KK and Bosak - could have had a breakthrough but PiS seems determined to steal this election. But it's unreal at the moment. Despite the staff changes there is no way the post office can organize a big operation like that in time

Off-Topic / Stock Market and Trading Talk [1011]

One thing I would say Johnny is that for those of us who are doing business in Eastern Europe, that tends to provide all the risk we need - we have the zloty, forint, lei etc to deal with, crazy governments, corruption, unfair competition and courts that are slow and rigged. When I am lucky enough to make a profit in that environment I don't want to then double my risk by investing it in Tesla.

So my US investments tend to be too conservative - hilariously I turned down a brokers tip on Abbott Labs in Jan because I had never heard of it. Guess who is closest to a mass produced testing product ? My US stocks are up and down but I always go for things with lots of customers, market leading position and good dividends - coke, Microsoft, JP Morgan, Starbucks etc. I'm never going to get great profits and will always underperform a growth market.

Off-Topic / Stock Market and Trading Talk [1011]

investopedia.com/ask/answers/052715/how-big-derivatives-market.asp

The very first hit to googling it - as I said you are taking the notional value not the market value.

Poland obviously has a small derivatives market but it s dominated by 3 banks. - Pekao,, Citi and Santander with a few foreign banks also involved like HSBC and the French.

Interest rates were 2.5 percent not 3 but I remember Trump being upset that they were too high

bbc.com/news/business-49183329

Off-Topic / Stock Market and Trading Talk [1011]

But pretty much every economy in the world has 5-6 major banks. It is the same here in Poland. I don't believe those derivative figures - the market value is obviously many times less than that.

At Christmas the economy was fine, Trump was happy at working his miracles, employment going up, GDP growth nice, investment quite good and most people were comparing that interest rates of 3 percent were too high. So whatever is happening now is a reflection of the chaotic response to the virus.

News / Presidential elections 2020 - your opinions about campaign, candidates [2222]

No surprise there and I can't imagine Other countries with big Polish populatiosna llowing it eaiter - Canada, Australia Ireland etc.

News / RUSSIA TO MAKE PUBLIC THE KATYN FILES... [274]

And like the illegal occupation of Crimea ?

Or bumping off innocent British citizens with nerve agents ?

Modern day Russian crimes are peas in the same pod as Soviet crimes like Katyn

News / RUSSIA TO MAKE PUBLIC THE KATYN FILES... [274]

I know - though its par for the course. Mods are happy for any thread to become full of trolls who never post anything about Poland.

There are few more sombre subjects for Poland than Katyn.

News / RUSSIA TO MAKE PUBLIC THE KATYN FILES... [274]

This is a Polish forum and many of us have family murdered or deported by Russians.

Can you take your anti Semitic nonsense to some right wing extremist forum ? You are pathetic and never post anything about Poland

News / RUSSIA TO MAKE PUBLIC THE KATYN FILES... [274]

This thread is about Katyn - not about Jews. You are pathetic Vesko

How many of those people were involved with Katyn ?

News / RUSSIA TO MAKE PUBLIC THE KATYN FILES... [274]

They were Soviets including many Russians - just the same as the ones illegally occupying Crimea

News / RUSSIA TO MAKE PUBLIC THE KATYN FILES... [274]

RIP - we should ensure that in the future the people who commit these massacres face justice

Law / ZUS for a sole trader in Poland [10]

No, unless you are planning a big business it doesn't make sense. You need to make a profit before you can declare a dividend and in any case you would then up paying tax twice - the company would pay corporation tax and you would pay a tax on the dividend.

Apart from the ZUS situation a sole trader is much easier and simpler, there is not much admin and the tax rates are low compared to the rest of Europe.

Law / ZUS for a sole trader in Poland [10]

No it doesn't worl like that for sole traders - you pay a flat fee currently PLN 1354. For the first year it is a lower amount - can't remeber the exact amounts but around und 600 zloty.

It's not a great system - a high fixed cost even if your business is not doing well.

6krokow.pl/ile-wynosza-skladki-zus-dla-przedsiebiorcy-oraz-dla-nowych-firm/

If you read Polish this explains what is optional and what is compulsory

UK, Ireland / Why are Polish people, especially women, so disrespectful toward the English? [442]

Yes, maybe now would be good time for nurses, bus drivers, shop assistants and bus drivers to leave Britain.

Life / What is Poland going to be like in the 2050s? [72]

Or chicken embryos for breakfast

Real Estate / Bank repossessed properties database in Poland? [15]

Unless you are connected or willing to bribe the komornik you won't find many good deals. Many of the komorniks are fast operators and a good portion are downright corrupt.

In addition to that title and mortgage issues can be complicated in Poland and take several years to clear.

For commercial properties you're certainly not going to get a well located office block or supermarket on the cheap.

Your best market for this kind of deal is either in the US or the UK where banks and courts move quickly and the liquidation process is much more transparent.