Is there any actual hard evidence of this? Or is it all anecdotal?

Yet we're training undercover spies to ferret out benefits fraudsters.

For everyone who thinks the state should just "take Trump Tower", do you understand that's not something they're good at? They would need to find a buyer. You can't just get a buyer for such a large building in a few days. They really would prefer cash for at least part of the fine.

I think you don't understand how asset forfeiture works. Trump tower is worth (reportedly) some $800m. The state seizes and sell it for the $500m he owes. They would find a buyer pretty quickly at that price. Any extra on top of the judgment amount is returned with compliments to Trump.

Yep, according to the article, they have a strong enough ~~lobby~~ bribe machine to win exemption.

One can't chose to believe something, you either believe it or you don't. I don't believe in God because there is no evidence for it, and nothing that cannot be explained without God, and no explanation involving God which isn't made more complicated by His involvement. If God exists, and he did in fact create me, then he made me this way, incapable of belief without proof. So his choice is that I no be 'with him'. I have no fee will.

The median length of observation was seven years, with participants filling follow up questionnaires in the first year. So for the remaining 6 years we just assume that people are still following the same diet regimin?

no, this is a bold statement.

More police resource dedicated to protecting derelict private property.

More who needs bombs when you've got the NSA? All insurgents have their assets frozen, health care suspended, social security numbers frozen, banned from legal employment. They become second class citizens overnight, relying on others for food and money. Their movements tracked through phones and cars. All associates are under scrutiny. Then it's just a matter of sending the FBI round to arrest them

Crypto - try to remember before crypto, the idea of cashless was non-existent. Want to make international transfers? Pay up the ass in fees and at rates they choose. Crypto forced companies to do better with digital currency.

That may be true in the USA, but in the UK we had cashless payment (chip and pin) well before any crypto, and sending money abroad has always been cheap and easy.

Jesus, this hurts my soul....

We don't have to be special though. We can only exist at certain points in space time, under certain conditions. Those conditions are currently met, therfore we can exist, regardless of the infinite time/space conditions where we can't.