Author Archives: pacifica777

Treasury Department spokesman Robert Stack claims it’s a myth that US persons living their everyday lives outside the US are being harmed by FATCA.  We know it’s true because the damage FATCA has caused and is causing to our lives is real.

In relation to the Stack statement, Tim noticed that Treasury was “re-iterating on twitter that NO ONE will give up their US citizenship because of FACTA and that it is only a myth that that is happening,” which caused Not Amused to write, “That makes us all mythical creatures then. If anyone related to any US government agency ever tries to contact me, I’ll tell them to have their head examined because people like me don’t exist.” 

“We Are Not a Myth” is a protest on Tumblr where we  post our photos to show that we are real.  You can show your face or hide it in your photo, as you wish, and you can add a message along with it.  You can add your photo yourself  OR e-mail atticusincanada@gmail.com and she’ll add it to the display.

Thanks much, Atticus, for setting this up on Tumblr.  Thanks to Blaze for the original suggestion, “It occurred to me that would be great to do around the world as a Treasury Myth Buster. Each person could do their own sign I Am Not A Myth and perhaps the country.”

And thanks all for your photos – the visuals are so eloquent!

AtticusinCanada and WhiteKat were a successful anti-FATCA presence at Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s press conference in Ottawa yesterday.

Besides handing out leaflets, they spoke with people, one of whom was Globe and Mail reporter Bill Curry, who – although the event was held to announce a three year freeze in unemployment insurance premiums – asked Minister Flaherty about FATCA.

WhiteKat’s sign  said:  “FATCA:  Sequel to the War of 1812” on one side and “FATCA = Extortion by USA of All Canadians” on the other.  Atticus’ sign said:  US Bullying violates Canadian Charter:  Stop FATCA” on one sign and “Google isaacbrocksociety.ca” on the other.

Minister’s Flaherty’s reply is on CTV, beginning around 4.25 min.

WhiteKat and Atticus’ conversation with reporter Curry also resulted in a Globe and Mail article.

Thank you, WhiteKat and Atticus!

On Maple Sandbox, Lynne Swanson (Blaze) wrote “Ted Cruz has ‘nothing against Canada.’ … Likewise, many Canadians born in US have ‘Nothing against United States (until now).'”

Lynne “tells Senator Ted Cruz he has nothing to fear from Canada for renouncing Canadian citizenship–unlike what happens in reverse” and explains why in:

Nothing Against the United States, (Until Now)” in the Hill’s Congress Blog,

Toronto Star, 31 July 2013:

“The United States wants its police officers to be exempt from Canadian law if they agree to take part in a highly touted cross-border policing initiative, an internal RCMP memo says. … The debate over whose laws would apply to U.S. officers working in Canada raises important questions of sovereignty and police accountability, says the briefing note prepared for RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson.”

Does this have implications for anyone who winds up in trouble/penalties over tax issues?  Is Canada a sovereign country or is Canada the 51^st State?  Some people call that country on our southern border the United States of Arrogance (I picked up that appropriate term from Blaze)  What could be more arrogant than wanting to be exempt from a country’s law, and use your own country’s law, when you are in their country?

In 1812, the US attempted to invade us in a concrete physical way.  Didn’t work.  Two hundred years later, they are attempting to invade us in an invisible way, little-by-little, and impose their law on us and they have the arrogance to think that Americans should be exempt from our law when they’re in our country.  We are not the 51^st State, we are not a US colony, and we are not a US police protectorate.

Thanks to Lora and Schubert for discovering this news, which can be read at:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/07/31/pol-cp-us-police-sovereignty-cross-border-rcmp-memo.html

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/07/30/us_wants_exemption_from_canadian_law_for_crossborder_officers_rcmp_memo_says.html

And for further details and discussion on this programme also see Noble Dreamer’s post on this topic from last summer.

The particular development in today’s news is that they’re trying to get exempted from Canadian law whilst in Canada. This programme sounded problematic to begin with, and this implementation-of-US-law-in-Canada proposal sounds more similar to an occupying force than a partnership.
 

Deckard writes of a major irony in the position (or non-position) of Democrats Abroad on FATCA and related issues:

I believe that one of the ironic consequences of our situation is that Democrats Abroad, and others analogous to it, such as Republicans Abroad, shall soon be facing unprecedented existential crises. If FATCA continues to unfold as its architects wish it to then there may be no more than this current generation left to even attend DA meetings and events. Instead, they may begin to resemble lonely Legion halls with a dwindling membership of WWII vets.

Once FATCA begins to be fully implemented, younger Democrats Abroad will be faced with a stark choice: either shed themselves of their now-toxic U.S. citizenship which their parents so lovingly transmitted to them, with all the best intentions – or face a bleak future of financial ruin in their adopted countries because of a crippling inability to participate in the essential tax-deferral vehicles they need to build a secure retirement. Of course, the third choice would be to abandon their overseas homes completely, where they were very likely born, and run headlong into the full embrace of the Homeland, leaving their friends and family behind forever.

I attended the Inaugural Ball celebration at the local chapter of Democrats Abroad last night and I saw very few people under the age of 50 in attendance. If that is the current, baseline demographic for this organization then I would have to conclude that its days may very well be numbered.

I was struck last night at the passion with which one of the organizers spoke of the chapter’s me-too support of new gun-control legislation in the U.S. I could not help but marvel at the irony of an overseas American organization choosing to focus on an almost entirely domestic American issue at the expense of issues that will be of far more immediate and personal consequence to their own lives in the coming years. No one spoke of FATCA, and the destructive scourge of citizenship-based taxation, even though this issue should remain at the very top of DA’s agenda for years to come.

I know that Joe Green is DA’s Canadian point-man for the FATCA/FBAR task force, but it seems that he is the only one in the organization who’s showing any real interest in the topic. Everyone else is blithely enjoying their little get-togethers and making themselves feel good about supporting a few easy motherhood issues from afar, all the while ignoring the ugly, dangerous reality that lies right before their very eyes, on this side of the border. If Democrats Abroad remains blind to where its energies most urgently need to be directed, and if it cannot muster enough confidence to forthrightly speak truth to power, then I believe it is truly doomed and will soon be a footnote to history.

Deckard originally wrote his above observations, in reply a comment to Michael on another thread, which read:

I am a member of Democrats Abroad.  I voted for Obama because I agree with him on more issues than I do with the Republicans.  At the same time I disagree with FATCA and citizenship-based taxation and enjoy the IBS website.  If IBS wants to be as effective as possible in reaching out on citizenship-based taxation — which, like government raids and government overreach, precedes Obama — I would urge you to be more politically inclusive.

Thanks to Michael for his comment as well as to Deckard for his lengthy reply to it. It’s an important matter worthy of focus and exchange of ideas and opinions.

Patricia brought to our attention on another thread that  the World Economic Forum is having its Annual Meeting at Davos and has several webcast of meetings

The programme for the five days is at this link.

Wednesday 23 Jan, beginning 0900 CET, focuses  on the Global Financial Context.

Many sessions are webcast  and archived, and people can participate by Twitter.