The platforms listed side by side ties expats with either fairshare/terrorism/corruption/criminality/evasion/cracking down whilst the other focuses upon constitutional rights and the ability for overseas Americans to lead normal lives. Consider the expat-relevant platforms in regards to the Congressional and Presidential choices.
(No relevant information found yet from the Libertarian or Green party)
The platform gives direct information as to what the two parties think of us.
@Anon
I think one thing we can all agree on is that there will be no end to American war-mongering, no matter who occupies the White House. The American military-industrial complex always has its way, ensuring a continued justification for its many fine death-delivery products and services.
The Democratic war record speaks for itself – still the same old shit, but just a lot more sneaky, cowardly and destabilizing now, with faceless drones now America’s preferred technique to indiscriminately slaughter civilians and recruit the next generation of terrorists.
Trump, meanwhile, preaches isolationism on one hand, but all-out war with ISIS on the other. He can’t have it both ways, so expect it to fall on the side of more and more and more war. After all, it really is the American way – they just can’t resist fucking things up around the entire globe, as we all know too well. Considering how they police their own country, the last thing we need is for the US to be the world’s policeman.
@anon
“A Trump presidency will most likely ruin the US economy and that is none of my concern”
Sadly- it is ALL of our concern. America is an important motor of the world – It is America which buys our products- the french cheese, the german cars. the swiss chocolate etc etc. It was the Great Depression of the 30s which caused the rise of Hitler over in Germany. People were going bankrupt in Hamburg because America was not functioning and buying german products. I have seen a documentary about how factories closed in Germany and how the people went into poverty. It opened my eyes on how important America is for the world. It is so frightening that the world is so interdependent. But we must not wish for the demise of America because it will be the downfall of us all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7SKLlIj64o
Louis Farrakhan, has a unique perspective on the race.
Since he is not supportive of Hillary , he is to be grouped into the #altright group.
Wikileaks is also pointing things out that are just not right on the Hillary campaign.
There is a new wave of McCarythism now kicked off, and the confrontations with Russia in Syria and Ukraine are being hooped up. Hillary\s opponent is being called a Russia lover.
And Hillary has just said that Russia is behind DNC leaks and wikileaks and that what she calls cyberwar she will have a military response for.
@Polly.
I meant it metaphorically. Even the worst of the Great Recession didn’t reach the depths of the Great Depression. Most of the Republicans and Democrats in congress are pro-free trade so I expect a very hostile congress if Trump gets elected and tries to implement isolationist policies. That means gridlock and uncertainty which may bring about a recession (NOT depression).
A recession is likely to happen anyway (The homeland is long overdue for one) and Trump may only last for 4 years.
The Great Depression affected Germany not because “America was not functioning and buying german products”, but due to a host of other factors which included liquidity from American banks being turned off due to the depression in the USA. Countries in the Far East were not affected by the depression.
All empires will come to an end, including the American one. It’s best to prepare for that day instead of closing both eyes and crossing your fingers hoping for the show to go on.
@ Mark Twain Hillary’s rumour about Russia is simply an unjustified rumour. Since Wikileaks does not officially confirm its sources, this rumour has persisted.
However, watch Julian Assange quietly NOD his head just after he is asked if [murdered DNC insider Seth Rich] “was one of your sources”.
http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2016/09/01/striking-contrast-in-the-dnc-vs-rnc-rhetoric-directed-u-s-citizens-abroad/#comments
I think Assange was either consciously or subconsciously giving a signal about the source of the the leaks.
i looked for what you were referencing but your link erred
Hi Anon,
Welcome to Brock and thanks for commenting. We ask that people don’t use the name “Anon” or “Anonymous” to avoid confusion. So, would you either choose a different name or, if you’d like to stick with “Anon,” perhaps you could add a number(s) or letter(s) to it to make it uniquely yours. I or another mod can then modify your name on your first two comments to reflect this. Thanks.
@ Deckard, I hear you. It seems that no matter who gets in, the American war machine continues unrestrained. When Obama was elected partly on his record of “not supporting” the war in Iraq, and subsequently given the Nobel Peace Prize to boot, there were great hopes for peace. Unfortunately, some of the people Obama gave power to, such as Hillary Clinton, were extremely hawkish. In fact, Clinton was repudiated by Bernie Sanders for her admiration of Henry Kissinger. There are many people afraid that if Hillary Clinton gets in office, we will have WW III, because she has such an aggressive stance and track record, and has the backing of major neocons of both parties.
Thanks to Hillary’s bungling of Libya, ISIS has overtaken Libya. Therefore, every single Republican or Democrat candidate has had to agree that ISIS must be stopped, although several candidates have drawn the line there. The optimal “peace” candidate was Bernie Sanders, but at least he still holds his Senate seat at least until 2018. The optimal “peace” candidate on the Republican side was Rand Paul, who is now trying to keep his Senate seat this fall. So there are some Senators who are pro-peace (ISIS excluded).
Remember Trump’s mantra: America has to win. He will do everything to ensure that ISIS is soundly defeated, including working with Russia. He has no interest in launching massive, expensive wars that are hard to win. He promises to scale back on the money spent on NATO and says he will “walk” from keeping American troops in countries that aren’t paying their “fair share” of the cost. Fiscally, he is a true conservative.
@Mark Twain,
That’s strange. Try this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn6BIhSk1kE
FYI: If you have time to hear this long interview, Julian Assange defends himself against Hillary’s false allegations.
@Anon
So maybe the asian countries didn’t have a depression because during those times, they were not exporting to America. Trade has become even more global in the meantime, now people rely more and more on China too, but it cannot make up for the business generated with America.
“but it cannot make up for the business generated with America.”
“It is so frightening that the world is so interdependent. But we must not wish for the demise of America because it will be the downfall of us all.”
All the nations of the world have to do is to decide unilaterally to stop doing business with the United States and the US will sink like a stone.
I reiterate “Anon”s comment: “All empires will come to an end, including the American one. It’s best to prepare for that day instead of closing both eyes and crossing your fingers hoping for the show to go on.”
The world CAN go on without America, however the United States needs to understand that it is just a small cog in a much bigger world. The Romans thought that the Roman Empire wouldn’t fall. The British Empire fell. France lost its colonies as did Spain, yet they all survived and each at one point or another were the “empire that couldn’t fall”. To think that the fate of the world hinges on one country being the pre-eminent world power smacks of exceptionalism and ego.
The only reason why the United States Empire is holding onto world domination is because of nuclear weapons and the threat that it holds over the head of every other nation on planet Earth: Do anything to lessen our grip on domination of the world and we will blow everyone else to radioactive atoms.
In fact, the biggest terrorist group in the entire world right now is the United States of America. Just read any military article touting any of the United States arms and you will see jingoism and pro-American rhetoric like you’ve never seen before. “We’ll bomb those bastards into the stone-age” and other shit like that.
There’s no difference between ISIS and the United States except a difference in ideology.
@The_Animal1970
Actually, the far more immediate and practical weapon of world domination the US wields is its Dollar, and its stranglehold, for now, on the world’s monetary system. Whether it’s clearing international transactions in US Dollars via the SWIFT system, or other countries holding US debt in the form of Treasuries, they still have most of the world by the short and curlies, and they know it. They have skillfully parlayed their post-WWII Bretton Woods success into a vast global Ponzi scheme to prop-up their now fundamentally cratered economy at the expense of all other nations. FATCA is just one tiny symptom of how bad things really are.
At the same time, the upside of the FATCA experience is how it is finally opening the eyes of foreign governments and financial institutions to American abuses of this Dollar-dominated reserve currency system, spurring the development of alternative international transaction systems, international development funds and investment models. It will take time, but the US is slowly hoisting itself with its own petard.
As they say, revenge is a dish best served cold, and it will be a very unappetizing meal for the United States of Hypocrisy by the time they figure out what they’ve done to themselves, instead of blaming the rest of the world for their own problems.
“Actually, the far more immediate and practical weapon of world domination the US wields is its Dollar, and its stranglehold, for now, on the world’s monetary system.”
That may be so, but markets are starting to realize that and are looking at other alternatives; the Chinese RMB for one. It will only take the realization of what the United States is doing by other countries (quite possibly look for Israel to rebel first, followed by others) and the US will have to fall back on their nuclear arsenal to try to bring the world into line, then we will truly see the USA for what it is.
Why is change so hard to do? Many years ago there was an oil shortage ( I remember in Germany we were asked not to drive on Sunday.) Why didn’t people begin to look for alternatives to oil? Was technology so backward that it took until now to consider electric cars for the future? And the same goes for the dollar. WHEN will people find an alternative for it? There is a lot of talk but nothing is being done.
“Why didn’t people begin to look for alternatives to oil? Was technology so backward that it took until now to consider electric cars for the future? ”
You realize human intelligence…is an oxymoron?
Americans Abroad recently wrote letters to the Presidential candidates:
https://twitter.com/ACAVoice/status/772827243500404736
Re: on paying for US defence build up:
Trump “said he would seek budget reforms, attrition in the federal work force, root out inefficiencies in government spending and collect billions of dollars in unpaid taxes by Americans.”
“Danger, Danger, Danger” [says “Lost in Space” robot with body moving back and forth and arms moving up and down, when danger is detected.
These words can be a signal of more punishment on the way!
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-08/trump-vows-us-military-build-up-commander-in-chief-test-looms/7824706
We need to get the message through for US persons living overseas, with a story he might understand: you live in New York, you pay taxes to New York. You move to Texas you pay taxes to Texas, and no longer pay taxes to New York !
JC, Agreed, the speech probably means that even though the caucus has said that they were behind the implementation of RBT (probably just a carrot to persuade us to vote for Trump); the truth is that he’s planning on strengthening CBT and FATCA. I’m going to go out on a limb and not just comment here, I’m going so far as to predict that: IF TRUMP GETS IN: expect to see an increase in penalties for FBAR, expect an increase in the penalties for failure to file taxes. Expect to see an increase in the penalties for recalcitrant banks which will trickle down to those who use them: foreign citizens included.
Everything spouted by ANY political party is BULLSHIT!!! There’s no morals in politics. Politicians will lie, cheat and steal to get into power. Don’t believe me?
For those Democrat supporters who are cheering at that, here’s your reality check: IF HILLARY GETS IN: expect to see an increase in penalties for FBAR, expect an increase in the penalties for failure to file taxes. Expect to see an increase in the penalties for recalcitrant banks which will trickle down to those who use them: foreign citizens included.
There is NO SAFE HARBO(U)R. <— placing U in there because damned Americans don't know how to spell using the Queen's English! GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!!!
The rhetoric and the mudslinging is getting so disgusting that if I were American, I’d vote Cthulhu or Giant Meteor in protest. At least Cthulhu makes no bones about being evil #NoLivesMatter and Giant Meteor would get rid of all our socio-economic problems immediately – we’d all be dead. #MakeAmericaACraterAgain.
I’m wondering when the hell this election will be OVER.
Never have I seen such a bunch of narcissistic, useless piles of walking shit than have I seen with Clinton and Trump.
Food for thought for those who still can vote and believe the DemoRat Hellery will do a damn thing:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/oct/06/hillary-clinton-democrats-barack-obama-middle-america
Information for *US Citizens Abroad* who intend to vote in the upcoming US election…
This may be the most appropriate post to place this link created and sent by a person wishing to remain anonymous. The message said:
I see that there are various sites on which one can see recorded votes;
http://www.senate.gov/reference/common/faq/how_to_votes.htm
https://www.govtrack.us/start
https://www.congress.gov/roll-call-votes
Those are just a quick sampling.