An Open Letter to Canadians from TDV legal correspondent, Jim Karger
What he is talking about, or wants me to talk about, are the Canadians who are about to be given a swirly by the 900-pound gorilla to the south because they had the misfortune of being born to one American parent in Canada, or were born in the US for no good or apparent reason before returning to Canada as children. They are, to their extreme disadvantage, American citizens, whether they know it or not. And, American citizens, voluntary, knowing, or otherwise, are required by the most dangerous criminal enterprise in the world to report and pay taxes on every thin dime they earn their entire miserable lifetimes regardless where in the world they earned them or where they live.
So what?
Read on.
@Calgary 411
Thanks for posting. I commented on his article. very good one, with humour . I wanted to ask him if he is compliant. but didn’t
Brilliant! Spoken just like somebody who has already escaped.
Love it!
Of course he gets it, he’s an expat.
Loved the “flowery” imagery. Nice choice of words. But it always sickens me when I read such pointed, cut- to- the- chase articles because it just underlines how insane this all is.
Perhaps we should try to identify and network with as many expat journalists as possible. They understand the issues and have an interest in getting the story straight, unless of course, they’re reluctant to write about it so not to draw too much attention to themselves (maybe hunkered down in the closet themselves).
This is one I’ll be able to even get my husband to read. Sally Field somewhere is saying, “You get it, you really get it!” Or maybe not, since she, like most Americans, probably doesn’t even know FATCA exists.
Sorry. I find this hugely depressing. The people in the US who need to be convinced will see this fellow as a tendentious, foul-mouthed, union-bashing, expatriate tax evader. Exactly the kind of person they would like to see nailed.
They will be confirmed in their belief that FATCA is good legislation.
@NorthernShrike
What I find depressing is that Jon Stewart is rumoured to have a piece on his show tonite EXTOLLING how wonderful FATCA is.
…perhaps it will be sarcasm?
@NorthernShrike
Don’t get so depressed. Dollar Vigilante is a libertarian website. From the libertarian POV, the article is spot on. Union members and socialists will take offense to just about everything on the website anyway.
But the libertarians (Ron and Rand Paul supporter types) will fully embrace it, except perhaps the foul language.
NorthernStar,
If Jon Stewart supports FATCA, our efforts to reach homelanders could be set back. He has enormous influence on public opinion.
So lets see how he presents it. He may actually come out sympathetic towards expats.
@NorthernShrike,
…and perhaps it is really not meant for the “homelanders” but for the Canadian US Persons, including snowbirds, still asleep, who think it will not apply to them, and in jeopardy. It’s like that splash of cold water in the face or hit over the head with a 2 X 4.
@From the Wilderness
I agree with you and that is what I am hoping.
FYI: Jon Stewart has been very respectable towards Ron Paul (sympathizes with many of his views) and Ron Paul openly advocates expats renouncing US citizenship.
I think Stewart may support FATCA for homelanders, but I don’t expect him to support it at all for expats. In fact, if he is aware of the issues affecting expats, he will give it a thrashing for sure.
If you check his blog again, you’ll can read Justin O’Connell’s “Parting Shot” in response, which I don’t think was there this morning…
I have tried to find contact info for Jon Stewart in the past but to no avail. Being a huge fan I would LOVE for him to sink his teeth into this one. Don’t know if just writing to the Comedy channel would do. (I have also sent emails to all the MSNBC lefties (slanted to effects on the minnows) and Bill O but as usual NADA response). Maybe if we all sent buckets of emails to the same addys it might generate a pulse.
@ Charl
This is the contact page (select The Daily Show with Jon Stewart):
http://www.cc.com/help/programming-feedback
We can send our opinions of his FATCA piece there. I hope we will be typing with our thumbs up (fingers crossed) and not down and lord help him if we have to resort to our middle finger — all depends on what he has to say.
@EM
Thanks I will be watching and I will write him.
I have written Michael Moore,, all the MSNBC “liberals” but never had a response. I have written to Editors in the Northern Ontario. Only got one to write something.
Working on Canadians Rallying to unseat Stephen Harper. (FB)
@Em
Thanks, good old Jon is next on my “to do list”. I reckon he would enjoy a link to the Jim Karger article, rather right up his alley. I’ll also hit up Mr. Steven while I’m badgering Comedy Central!
We watch both the Daily Show and Colbert Report religiously. I’m getting kind of fed up with Bill Maher and is devotion to Obama, but he has been speaking more favourably of the Paul’s lately.
@bubblebustin, I cannot stand Maher. I’ve met him. He is a HUGE misogynist a**hole! Why he gets so much of pass at times on the left has always baffled me. He’s worse in person than he is at times on his show. I dropped him long ago.
@Wilderness. You’d probably call me a “socialist” then. I support unions and I welcome folks here of all belief systems., I liked the article and have some sympathies for some things the author believes but, not all. I’d hate to think we all have to be of the same political leanings because FATCA affects all and I do care to listen to every back ground and I DO think we need critical mass on all sides. I’m not ready to discount a person entirely based on a knee jerk reaction as some in the U.S. are so want to do these days. I hope at least here in Canada we can avoid such. FATCA is so damaging to everyone!
Last night John Hodgman did a hilarious skit/satire on tax havens. Spent too much time today looking for it; waiting for youtube. Tiny snippet here:
@Atticus
I guess I still find it amusing to watch people pretend to represent opposite ends of the political spectrum :-/
@bubblebustin, yeah the pols behind closed doors end up all doing the same things especially in the U.S.