Folks living in this tiny Alaskan border town may use Canadian dollars, but they’re still ‘100% American’ NOT http://t.co/7SRHfefXUI – Yes
— U.S. Citizen Abroad (@USCitizenAbroad) September 12, 2013
Very interesting article about a man who lives in a small Alaska outpost where all of his infrastructure is provided (presumably for free) by Canada.
“We accept Canadian currency at par. I pay my hydro bills at the provincial office in Stewart. I have a 250 area code and I don’t want you to be offended, but no matter how tied we are to Canada there is not a single hair on my body that thinks I’m Canadian.
I fought in Vietnam for my flag, and I would stand up and fight for the Canadian flag. But I’m 100% American. Although I do have lots of Canadian friends. Canadians are good people eh.”
Hmm, I wonder if this Homelander “Blind Patriot” has a bank account in Canada. Looking for Mr. FBAR.
I don’t know but, my uncle who recently passed was not a blind patriot. He too fought in Vietnam…two tours and before that one tour in Korea. He knew about this FATCA business and thought it was atrocious. He also didn’t see the U.S. as some place to blindly follow along with. ESPECIALLY after Vietnam. He lost all his immediate family because he could not cope with daily life anymore. Remarried but, was never, ever the same again until his death last year. Of course he was given a full military funeral. All I could think about that was how ironic it was…it was the least they could do after they ruined his life. He was a broken man.
I don’t know why some people there will never see that what the country they are so proud of does all over the world is not something in many cases to stand up and cheer over. Yes, this man might be affected by FATCA if he has a “foreign” bank account.
I keep thinking if there is a way to ‘out’ politicians. Politicians and government workers are the problem. They create the complex rules that kill us. They enforce the complex rules that make our lives hell.
The day before yesterday my IRS agent dropped the bombshell on me that even the $37k in back taxes for my wife’s PFIC wasn’t enough. They wanted to deny the M2M losses generated by their algorithm. They wanted to charge me tax for the years the statute of limitations has run but deny me the years where I would get a refund to offset some of that. I was so low yesterday. Depressed and could see no light at the end of the tunnel.
I keep thinking that if you looked at politicians and government workers (at the top end) you could select those with potential to have FBAR problems. Did they work abroad? Born or lived while young abroad? Could we somehow get evidence or a strong inkling that they have foreign accounts. We have great resources of people living in foreign countries who no how to navigate the public data available and the types of accounts there. You could then give the information to the IRS or the politician etc and let them feel the pain. There is also reward money if your right that you could use to fund activities.
I’m surprised someone who’s probably in the witness protection program would have his face photographed.