Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Renouncing my citizenship.

I read an interesting story on Yahoo earlier today. The co-founder of Facebook, Eduardo Saverin, renounced his citizenship, packed his bags--and his money--and headed to Singapore.

At first, I was miffed and called him a few names.

But the more I thought about it, the names started changing from things like "ungrateful little pissant" to "can't blame you, bud."

His spokesman said it wasn't for financial reasons, which translated, means, "it sure as hell was for financial reasons, namely the tax policies of the United States were sucking him dryer than Johnny Depp playing a bad vampire."

The Treasury Department, in response, released some bullshit statement about how our tax policies aren't complicated and how fair they are.

Like I said, it was a bullshit statement. But what else would you expect from an administration that appoints a known tax-cheat as Secretary of the Treasury and a known race-baiter as Attorney General?

This got me to thinking. . .

The military exposes you to a lot of different parts of the country and the world. I've often thought that if I ever got kicked out of the U.S. or got so disgusted that I decided to pack up and leave (the way Alex Baldwin and Susan Sarandon are always threatening to do, but never follow through), where would I go?

I've always been a fan of the Orient. But Japan is more expensive than New York City and Washington DC combined. I like Korea, but not sure what their policy on private citizens owning firearms is. Probably not good. And, Asian food has way too many unidentifiable vegetables in it.

Switzerland and Finland are both really cool places. In winter, they are really COLD places. But both have good economies and both are gun-friendly. Both have a lot of common sense. When is the last time you heard of the Fins starting a war?

So mark down Finland and Switzerland as definite maybes.

Call me crazy, but I really like the Honduras. Not so crazy about El Salvador and Nicaragua, however. But I really like the Honduras and even Costa Rico, even though it's been discovered by Americans. Spanish is easy to learn and my 401(k) will go a helluva long ways down there--even with the bribes I'd have to pay.

But I really don't want to leave Texas, or even the USA. That's the bottom line.

Didn't we fight a war some two-hundred years ago over these draconian taxes and a stifling, suffocating government that dictated our every move? Didn't we dump a boatload of tea in the harbor up in Boston and tell the Brits to shove it up their ass?

Didn't we use to fly a Gadsen flag that read "Don't tread on me" that translated into today's vernacular would read, "Don't F**k with me."

What happened to us? What the fornication happened that wildly successful young entrepreneurs like Eduardo Saverin would choose to pack up his bags and money and haul ass halfway around the world?

I remember a time when we would've built a monument to him. Now the damned government salivates over the thought of how much money they can bleed out of Saverin and "redistribute."

Bullshit. That is B. U. L. L. S. H. I. T. Bullshit.

What if we'd had today's government back when Henry Ford was setting up his first assembly line? Or Alexander Graham Bell inventing the telephone? Or the Wright Brothers taking flight and building the first airplanes?

They probably would've left the country too.

Our government has even passed some such act, Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), which requires foreign financial institutions to start reporting to the IRS on U.S. citizens’ accounts.

Ha. I'm the president of a bank in the Grand Caymans and some numbnuts from the American IRS calls me about my customers, my response is, "Kiss my ass, you yankee government son of a bitch." I then disconnect the phone, head down to the beach and have a rum and coke, only without the rum because it makes me sick.

Who the HELL does our government think it is bullying other governments to snitch off their customers? Is this the same government that wrings its hands and moans and bitches about schoolyard and online bullies?

TSA, Department of Homeland Security, no-knock warrants by stormtrooper police, tax liens, Ruby Ridge, Waco, unconstitutional checkpoints, NSA snooping on your calls, record deficits (thanks George W and Obama both), blah blah blah.

People, we fought a war--a BIG one--a couple of centuries and change ago to escape the exact same tyranny we're now solidly under.

I fear the time for another one is growing nearer with each passing day in which we're tread upon a little harder, taxed a little deeper, and ruled with an increasingly stronger iron fist.

Don't believe me? Well, I suspect this very message will garner me a call or the attention of at least two federal agencies.

I guess I better check the weather in the Honduras, along with real estate prices.

7 comments:

God, Gals, Guns, Grub said...

I read an article two or three years ago about a new tax Maryland had levied on millionaires... and the following year the state had lost almost 2,000 millionaires from it's population either by their moving or figuring out how to manipulate their income down to six figures...

The rich are leaving the high tax states like CA, NY, NH, NJ, etc. for other states with lower taxes... it's only inevitable that some of the uber rich will leave this country...

"We have so many people who can't see a fat man standing beside a thin one without coming to the conclusion that the fat man got that way by taking advantage of the thin one!" ~Ronald Reagan

Dann in Ohio

Shiroi Doma said...

All good points and I expect that I'll be bailing you out soon enough after they come a-knocking. Unless they get me first.

Costa Rica always was one of my faves, but now, not so much. Honduras and Belize I wrote off after doing up some reports and projections back when I was with Big Oil, althoguh Honduras still has some hold on me I cannot acount for. My current amour is the Caymans for all sorts of reasons. Perversely, Chile holds my interest.

Unknown said...

I read somewhere that the Ukraine's cost of living is decent, the corruption as minimal as can be had in the Western world, and they are very lax on firearms.

An Ordinary American said...

G,G,G & G--You probably remember the infamous "Luxury Tax" enacted by the Clintons and how it resulted in the yacht and boating industry almost going extinct. Same for furriers and it didn't help the general aviation industry either.

Liberals can't stand success (unless it is via Hollywood or class-action lawsuit awards) and therefore want to penalize it out of existence.

SD--I'm not current on Central America, so you'll have to catch me up on the change in Honduras.

Craig--interesting about Ukraine. That's what the Ukrainians used to say about the U.S. We sponsored a Ukrainian lady, her husband and newborn son almost twenty years ago for citizenship.

Back then, we were perceived as having low taxes, lax gun laws and not too much corruption.

Now it's a former communist country that is more free and fit to live in than a supposedly free and democratic one.

November can't come fast enough. . .

--AOA

Murphy's Law said...

I'm kinda picturing myself on a beach in Thailand, personally.

Old NFO said...

Australia... Just sayin... Or Argentina! And yeah, we DID fight that battle once before!

Bodecea said...

Wake Up You Stupid Sheep!
Obama and other democrats are sitting on their hands going all over the country fund raising, playing Golf and Basketball and going to Hip-Hop concerts and expensive New York restaurants and spending Millions of our Dollars per day on Air Force One going to campaigns for State Campaigns, and Hollywood parties known as "Fund Raisers" rubbing elbows with the Hollywood elite. While you and I and Millions of other Americans can't even pay our Mortgages.
If Obama wants to Campaign for himself or for someone else, some of the money he raises should go to pay for his trip! It costs us MILLIONS every day for these trips! That's YOUR MONEY, and that's MY MONEY! So Wake up you stupid, stupid sheep!

Obama ONLY says what the crowd he is talking to at the time wants to hear and then goes to another group and says the exact opposite! He is a Liar you know it and I know it.
OK, now you can go ahead and call me a Racist! Who cares, but for the record, I don't like the Man not his race. I don't like Obama's Politics not his Race!

And now we are paying him to appear on that leftist cesspool “The View,” where he had the audacity to say “I’m going to win,” and “I want to re-shape America”!
Well, NO, NO, Zippo, you’re NOT going to win!! Because If you win, America loses.