Monthly Archives: August 2012

At the Daily Reckoning, Byron King has offered a three article history of the Whiskey Rebellion:

The Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion, Part II: Enforcing the Wealth Tax
The Whiskey Rebellion, Part III: Ending the Rebellion

Synopsis

After the Revolutionary War, the United States suffered chronic problems of debt and lack of revenue.  Alexander Hamilton, Secretary of the Treasury, created a tax imposed upon whiskey at its source.  This greatly upset the distillers of Western Pennsylvania who began to abuse the tax collectors.  As a result of this, President Washington mustered the army, which was in disarray, and so he supplemented it with the Virginia and New Jersey militias.  The Western Pennsylvania militia, on their way to attack Pittsburgh was met by a delegation of Pittsburgh men with wagons full of beer, beef and other food.  The Western Pennsylvania militia feasted and disbanded before Washington arrived with the US forces.  Washington proclaimed amnesty and the Whiskey Rebellion became a footnote of history.

Continue reading →

 
Quite some time back, it struck me that Canada is a tenuous construct. The occasion for that insight was realizing that what I like most about Canada as a “state” is the fact of its precarity. The wobbly prop at the prominent corner is Quebec. No a mari usque ad mare without getting across Quebec! Therefore no need to suffer rot about one nation indivisible. The wobbly prop at another corner is that weird opening to the anthem: O Canada, our home on native land [subtly emended in the interests of truthtelling].

This is all preamble to a pointer to a book review with a map that suggests how messy North America is, how artificial that 49th parallel is, and how fabricated the 145-year-old northern ex-colony is. Provocative, n’est-ce pas?

Never forget that all Canada has done for US extraterritorials is to reread the tax treaty and to reiterate what already happens to be there. Sort of like most of what the IRS manages to come up with after the ambassador tells grannies to sit tight.
 

Now Open:  Maple Sandbox for standing up to IRS bullies.

Outraged Canadian and Blaze invite you to come play with us at Maple Sandbox in a spirit of fun, friendship, sharing and enthusiasm as we learn, grow and share together.

While Maple Sandbox offers a calm and casual approach, we know the battle against the IRS is a serious one that has turned lives upside down.  So, we are determined to stand up to bullies, wherever they come from.

We know how alarming, distressing and worrying issues of dealing with IRS from afar can be.   At Maple Sandbox, we aim to offer a dwelling for rest and relaxation in an atmosphere of sharing, exploring, and learning. We are starting small, but we plan on adding building blocks and new friends along the way. Continue reading →

http://www.americanbar.org/groups/taxation/publications/tax_lawyer_home/ttl-win12-berg.html

This article is pay-walled to members of the American Bar Association but it does seem to have a rather interesting premise. I also note the author appears to pick a fight with  IBS Wall of Shame member Bruce Ackermann of Yale University. If anyone gets access to this article it might be something interesting to look it.

http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1241600–chinese-companies-pulling-out-of-u-s-stock-markets-amid-accusations-complaints

Hi folks. I know I haven’t posted anything in quite a while. It’s been a busy time at work over the summer but I’ve been to the site off and on.

Anyway, I thought you all might find this interesting. Could this be a sign of things to come? Do you think companies in other countries could follow suit? Note the paragraph stating:

“Some Chinese companies say they are pulling out of U.S. markets because a low share price fails to reflect the strength of their business. Withdrawing also eliminates the cost of complying with American financial reporting rules.”