@realDonaldTrump Canada NEVER belonged 2 USA-U said u <3 Canada-Forcefully take? We WILL NOT b ur 51st state PLS RT pic.twitter.com/e5cS4pc3T8
— Patricia Moon (@nobledreamer16) July 30, 2016
The Burrard Street Journal is reporting that
DONALD J. Trump believes the U.S. “should never have allowed” Canada to gain independence. The republican candidate for president freely admits to being “a little rusty” on Canadian history, but feels confident that the United States owned Canada “at some point”, and claims giving it back was a “major mistake”.
The former reality tv star was responding to a question about Puerto Rico possibly becoming the 51st of the United States, when he made the statement. “It used to be 51 you know, when we had Canada,” Trump said, pointing to an American flag, “Or 52 if you count Mexico which I never will, no matter how much they beg.”
The interviewer Brian Kilmeade, seemed unmoved by Trump’s remark and asked him to explain his understanding of Canadian/American history, as the Fox host began scribbling notes:
“I personally think it was the biggest mistake in American history, giving Canada back. Look at that place now, it’s falling to pieces. It’s overrun by godless, gunless hippies and it’s such a shame to see.”
As the host nodded along, Trump explained that America got a “terrible deal” with Canada who “stole” the land over a thousand years ago “or something like that”.
“It was a truly awful deal. Canada gets Toronto and Vancouver, which has the hottest women, and what did we get? Alaska? The Florida of Canada? Such a terrible deal.”
“Well what are you going to do if elected?” Kilmeade asked. “Forcefully take Canada and claim it as part of America?”
“I think that’s gotta be an option,” Trump responded. “You know, they’ve got a lot of oil up there, a lot.”
“I’m not sure there is any evidence to support this theory, Donald,” Kilmeade intervened. “I mean wasn’t Canada founded by Britain and France who invaded–” “No, are you kidding me?” Trump interrupted. “You think that either of those guys know the first thing about war? No Canada has belonged to America since Jesus’ time, and that’s a fact.”
Shortly after the controversial interview, Trump reiterated his stance towards Canada with a tweet that was deleted 20 minutes later, not before being retweeted over 6,000 times.
@Petros Am I mistaken or did AmCham have a group that was lobbying against FATCA? My hopes were we could join with them and add CBT to the menu. (Or have AmCham join us….we do the leg work/they fund it). But I have a naggly feeling something is up with them???
@BlackKat My thoughts on this post FWIW:
1. This was not about Trump in particular but USC in general and their complete lack of knowledge regarding Canada, their HUGE abutting neighbour to the North. Rather in the same category of my family being completely beyond astounded that I can grow tomatoes here, another asking if we have bookstores and even worse, my lawyer asking if we have notaries! (And then NOT accepting a Ca notary and needing to go to the US consulate as who could ever trust a Canadian lawyer).
2. A bit of jocular frivolity every now and then is good for the soul. Especially needed when most of the remainder of the day is spent hounding MP’s, congress critters, commenting on articles and tweeting everyone on the planet.
3. Trish, of all people, should be sacrosanct . God knows the amount of work she has done for all of us and she is “out”. Where the Hell would we be without her?
@char, The post didn’t upset me personally, but I can see how it could be divisive and unintentionally thought shaping, and therefore perhaps not in ACDS/ADCT’s best interests considering their goals unless entertainment trumps risk of division and confused thinking. My opinion Is not an attack against Trish. it would be nice if people could try to see through other eyes more
” Interestingly, another Brocker would like to see a total foreigner buyer ban.”
Guilty as charged. I’m stating it as someone who has been priced out of the Vancouver Metro Area housing by the speculation going on by foreign investors. My wife and I will never be able to own property. Am I bitter about it? Yes. And as it goes, the only way that we will be able to retire is by “retiring on the go” perhaps trucking a Class A motorhome and camping. I would like for my kids to be able to own a home one of these days in the city in which they grew up, but the money from Chinese speculators make it impossible.
@BlackKat Within any large group almost everything can be divisive to one person or another. If one can have their thoughts shaped by one posting, which indeed is NOT out of context as to how the US in general feels about Canada, well, they are in serious trouble to begin with. I would wager this posting has not affected one person’s previous beliefs.
What is NOT in ACDS/ADCT’s best interest is this infighting over basically small potatoes. What WOULD be in ADCS/ADCT’s best interest was if all of this energy was spent trying to change policy in our respective countries, the US and trying to raise funds for the lawsuit.
This is all a much of a muchness. Energies would be best spent elsewhere.
char I appreciate your opinion and in fact think this post fits in perfectly at Brock. imagine for a moment if it was posted on the ADCS website. probably not quite the right fit there. and that’s all I am going to say on the matter. oh other than that the lines are all blurry between Brock and ACDC and ADCT and sometimes I forget where I am.
….Now back over to the lying post where the real infighting is going on.
Better yet, have a “chin wag” with these folks:
.@TaxJusticeNet @taxjusticewonk @taxjustice
If no one int in a chat then might you blog re defending #CBT.
Huh?
Done my time arguing with the idiots who think CBT is cool. have retired as this was sure to result in early death due to pounding head against wall too many times.Would rather watch petros stir up doooo.
Oops should have been doodoo
char I love you but you can be bossy
@BlackKat That saddens me as you were SO good at it. Nothing better than tag teaming with the Kat!!!! (I miss you but indeed understand you have been at it way longer than I have).
I have chosen, most probably foolishly, to keep banging my head against the wall. I figure I will go down fighting every inch of the way with anyone I can find. I keep the naive faith that the moral arc of the universe will eventually bend towards justice. We are right, they are WRONG….eventually something has got to give.
@Blackkat…..me bossy??? Ha, you’ve got that one nailed!! (Shhhh, don’t tell anyone ok).
And you are good at head banging too Char. Perhaps your skull is thicker than mine and can take a better pounding.
I’m not so sure about the moral arc thing, but hope we see justice soon.
It most probably is due to the fact I have little grey matter left; can’t remember what happened yesterday so it’s all fresh today.
Oh go on. You have oodles of gray matter left still. and the quality of your commenting just gets better and better. I’ll take some credit for that as I recall it was I who suggested when you first joined the swat team and weren’t sure what to argue that perhaps coming from the approach of ‘what’s in it for them to support FATCA/CBT? ‘ might be a good idea. You did just that and have the repertoire down pat! You are awesome Char!
Statements on my passport renewal application were over the top yet true.
FBAR reporting requirements are over the top yet true.
The legal responsibility to violate local criminal and civil law as needed to fulfill US law is over the top yet true.
Legal citizens of Canada having theit personal data sent to a foreign nation because that nation demands it is over the top yet true.
That the City of New York now recognizes 31 different genders and failure to use the correct pronoun for each carries massive fines is over the top yet true.
The President’s executive action removing gender specific rest rooms at all US national parks is over the top yet true.
Complaining about a man in your little gilr’s locker room gets YOU in to trouble is over the top yet true.
“So far over the top that it can’t be true” no longer exists.
I am not at all against satire nor its use here and do feel that some may be over reacting, yet greater care must be taken.
We do need to be very careful with our satire as the world today is not what is was a year ago. I can not read news anywhere today and not find numerous items that make me think, “Oh, come on! THAT can’t be true?!”, only to learn that it IS true.
Well thanks Kat, seems I’m on the downside of the curve now tho…I come out of the gate with the boxing gloves on, being mature is NOT an easy task. Indeed one does get very, very tired.
I just hold onto the thought it isn’t about the folks I’m engaging with, it is about the author/others reading, not commenting that I hope to reach. (Indeed a comment I had made in the Guardian appeared in a NYT article months after which REALLY made my day and reaffirmed my wee little mission.)
I’ve just started tweeting with JC’s kind tutoring. (I can be thick). It is great fun…but man, how to be concise, another learning curve for a natural meandering big mouth. I have learned so very much from all of you, along with not feeling alone in this mess. I will forever be grateful.
@Jim Jatras
I am neither a Democrat nor a Republican. Previously, I was an American, born and raised in the cradle of liberty, Boston, Massachusetts. Unfortunately, my birthright was stolen from me by the toxic combination of FATCA and citizenship based taxation. Now I am simply a Canadian. My wife hasn’t renounced her USC yet but thinks about doing so every day (with great reluctance).
On my side of the family, my Irish grandfather gained his USC by enlisting and spilling his blood in the trenches of WWI France. On my wife’s side of the family, her American grandfather served in both WWI and WWII. He was a First Lieutenant in the Philippine Rangers and died while defending the American Republic. My mother-in-law and her mom spent the war as American POWs in Santo Tomas civilian internment camp in Manila. They were both lucky to survive the war after being starved and mistreated by their Japanese captors.
When it comes to Congress, I would like to quote the dying Mercutio: “A plague on both your houses.” Both the Republicans and Democrats have turned a human rights issue (my birth right as enshrined in both the US constitution and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights to which the US is a signatory) into a base political issue with both parties pandering for overseas votes.
@Petros expressed my sentiments exactly above when he said: “@James Jatras, Good comment. Ask not what Trump can do for you! Ask what you can do for Trump.”
@All
Sorry, just catching up on some of the comments, in a few of which I’ve been named. Instead of answering one-by-one, allow me to suggest a few thoughts relevant to several of the postings.
Friends, please excuse me if some of what appears below is sharply worded, and I apologize in advance for any hurt feelings. As far as to whom this are addressed, I’ll leave that to the reader to decide if “you” means you personally.
1. Re “Nobody cares about us expats (accidentals, duals, etc.), they just care about Homelanders”: I am reminded of Ambrose Bierce’s definition of “Egotist” in his Devil’s Dictionary (1911): “Egotist, n. A person of low taste, more interested in himself than in me.”
OF COURSE politicians are more interested in “egotist” Homelanders who only care about themselves (like everybody else on earth) as opposed to people of whose existence they are barely aware, and who just don’t have a lot of throw-weight in terms of voting clout. The question is not “How does Trump (or Hillary) prove to me he (she) sincerely, genuinely, honestly, really-and-for-true CARES about us,” but how to get what you want from them. You aren’t looking for a friend (“In Washington if you want a friend, get a dog”). You are looking for leverage to get what you want.
You do that through a professional lobbying and PR operation. That’s how “niche constituencies” punch above their weight. You don’t get FATCA repeal or RBT in place of CBT by walking into Congressional offices and saying, “Hi, we’re American expats and this would be a big help to us.” So what? Why should they care? (Well, they might, if there were an expat PAC – I have suggested “ExPAC” – because, shockingly, in Washington MONEY TALKS. You no play-a da game, you no maka-da rules . . . )
This means a STRATEGY that looks for allies whose interests are not the same as expats’ but are parallel to them. For example, elements of the financial industry (especially the credit unions) that are scared of back-door reciprocity requirements. The privacy movement on NSA spying. The larger push for a tax reform package which is the best available vehicle on the horizon. This is called “coalition building,” absolutely essential for a niche constituency.
2. Re: “How much does it cost to start a lobbying effort. A lot!” At the risk of sounding like a self-promoter and broken record (both true), as well as inviting sniping from the usual trolls (one in particular), allow me to ask: What am I, chopped liver? I have been a professional lobbyist in DC for over a dozen years. I know how to do this. I have decades of personal friendships in the relevant Hill offices and access to others with additional contacts. But you can’t move levers if you don’t represent anything or anyone, and at least have some funds to work with. That is particularly the case with niche issues like FATCA and RBT that are just not on many radar screens, requiring use of targeted media to get them some attention. For almost five years I’ve been stupid enough to spend my time with http://www.repealfatca.com and posting things like this http://nationalinterest.org/feature/gop-woos-americans-abroad-democrats-tell-them-get-lost-17208 and this http://www.caymanfinancialreview.com/2016/08/02/now-that-it-is-clear-the-u-s-will-not-reciprocate-on-fatca-will-partner-countries-wise-up/ , in the hopes that someone, somewhere will finally say, “Heeey . . . Maybe this is doable, let’s put our oar in the water instead of commiserating with each other, boo-hoo-hooing that nobody loves us and nothing can be done.”
As for money, this isn’t really an issue for a public forum. But I note that hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised for litigation in Canada and in the U.S. How much has been put into lobbying and PR in Congress? Zip. To be clear, I applaud the litigation as noble efforts and really, truly hope they succeed. But I consider them long shots. Maybe lightning will strike, and if it does I’ll be thrilled. But why devote all resources to Hail Mary litigation and nothing to a more hands-on and controllable campaign? Sure, I understand that the impulse of “Our rights are being violated – sue the bastards!” seems attractive and easier for a layman to wrap the mind around. But if you want to get into the game that is much more likely to succeed (see next section), you need a professional lobbying presence and PR outreach. (“ExPAC” would be an excellent and useful complement as well, and could increase chances of success.) As for the price tag, obviously more is better. But in order of magnitude we are not talking about more than is being spent on litigation, and simply to get started could be considerably less.
3. Re: “Well, yeaaah, but I don’t trust Trump or the GOP Platform. They don’t really care. They can’t fool us!” I can’t help but think of the Narnian dwarves in The Last Battle, after the donkey Puzzle had been exposed as an imposter of Aslan: “We haven’t let anyone take us in. The dwarves are for the dwarves!” And there they were to sit for all eternity, stubbornly proud of their own sagacity.
“Trust not in princes . . .” (Ps. 146:3) Neither Trump nor any other politician should be accepted
on blind faith. What you see is what you get. But at this point, what you have “got” is a GOP platform that commits to repeal of FATCA and adoption of RBT. As I have posted on Brock before, YUGE interests spend YUGE money to get a vague sentence or even just a phrase into the platform of one of the parties that sorta, kinda, maybe promotes their cause. But here you have a big lever, an entire paragraph of very specific language, dropped right on your lap, and you are turning up your collective nose. (Again, dear reader, you decide if “you” means you.) Meanwhile, I hear from some regarding the vague back-of-the-hand alternative from the other side, “Gosh, based on that language in the Dem platform, do you think Hillary really might be open to same-country-exception, or RBT someday? Maybe?” Dream on.)
Look, take your chances with Hillary if you like. (I figger that if she wins, what happens on the FATCA/RBT front will be the least of our problems when The Balloon Goes Up.) But based on the GOP Platform, if Trump wins – obviously not a given – if you are serious, you need to show him and the Party “WE WERE WITH YOU!” If you decide you want to play, you should start the lobbying and PR effort NOW to (a) Make your claim on the promises in the Platform by vocally, visibly supporting the Trump-Pence ticket, and (b) Position yourself for follow-through next year, when hopefully there’ll be an opportunity to shoehorn RBT and FATCA-repeal into a tax reform package. IMO, it’s time to get serious. Now.
Or not. I’m sure the dwarves of Narnia would appreciate the company.
You can’t make this stuff up:
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/world/pence-endorses-ryan-trump-1.3705961
“Jan Halper-Hayes, vice-president of of an overseas Republican group says she is growing concerned about Trump.
Jan Halper-Hayes, vice-president of Republicans Overseas, says “there is an element of him that truly is psychologically unbalanced.”
Halper-Hayes has previously defended Trump and has said his temperament is suited to high office.
‘Donald is out of control right now’
Halper-Hayes, author of Quiet Desperation: The Truth About Successful Men, told the BBC on Wednesday that “Donald is out of control right now and he’s not listening to anyone.”
But she said that “I think that there is some real concern about his behaviour right now. … It’s something we need to watch very carefully.”
@Petros. When a professional lobbyist comes to Brock to recommend we a) hire a lobbyist and b) vote for his candidate, is it OK if I apply Petros Principle 11 (cynicism)? When African Americans fought for their civil rights in the 50s and 60s, did they hire lobbyists? My money goes to the lawsuit. Just as Homelanders don’t pay to vote, expats shouldn’t pay to keep their citizenship. If the politicians won’t do the right thing, remedy will be sought in the courts.
Jim Jatras. You would like us to make a Faustian bargain. Trump is a racist, sexist, narcissistic know nothing. The GOP has made a monumental blunder. My money is with the Canadian lawsuit.
@DoD
Unless you or someone you know plans to vote in the next US election, you have no dog in this fight.
Bubbles. We all need to be worried.
@Bubbles
@Duke
Honestly, even if FATCA and RBT/CBT didn’t exist, I’d still be as terrified at the prospect of President Hillary. Her election would guarantee endless wars and very likely a major war. Trump is unpredictable. Hillary is all too predictable. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EGBOMvBrZw&feature=youtu.be
But hey, that’s just me . . .