Liberty and justice for all United States persons abroad

17 thoughts on “#Americansabroad defend the homeland militarily and diplomatically

  1. Hm, looks like some malformed HTML in the post has borked the layout.

    Don’t know what kind of editor is employed on the back end, but if you can view source you’ll likely find an extra closing tag right around where you embedded that last tweet (“Yet, Homeland forces Patriotic #Americansabroad to renounce citizenship…”).

  2. Well, I’m not defending them anymore and that’s what they are losing. How can I defend something that no longer exists? I cannot. There’s a rude awakening in there. First you try wrangling with congress persons who you are sure at least one of will find the situation unacceptable. That doesn’t work so then you go to the media and try to force a bit of a wake up call down there and to alert others, then you finally realize the U.S. has zero use for expats, look at the cost to your family and must decide if you will throw your family under the bus or give up citizenship. Sorry but,…family first. That’s the choice. Frankly, I wish they’d just say “You’re right, we don’t want any expats and never did want any.” Instead we get commenters like Robert Kelley who won’t admit the U.S. is doing something wrong here but, would rather stick their heads in the sand and blame the victims. I am stymied on that one. I guess knee jerk reactions are easier than understanding it. State seems to get it but, of course they see it every day now and have to deal with the fall out. The whole thing is exasperating. I knew when Mr. Wood posted that article on that particular day though that there would be at least one to come along and react without thinking at all about what they are saying.

  3. I wonder how homelanders would react to the story of a border homelander “accidently” born in Canadian hospital and just had spent hours/days in Canada and then went back to the good ole USSA to grow up, live, work and raise a family and save for retirement and then finds out the Canadian government wants a piece of him because the USSA government signs an IGA to report this “Canadian person” who resides in America and all his American banking is reported to CRA.

    Has anyone tried this reverse example?

  4. @northernstar – in a way yes …. this (bar a few years in Aberta as a child) is the story of Ted Cruz, Senator from Texas.

  5. @Atticus, the righteous answer would have been to pair FATCA with a one time limited offer expedited and simplified renunciation option.

    They should have said all expats resident overseas on the date FATCA was signed into law should have been able to mail in a duly witnessed renunciation statement and that would have been that.

    Alternatively, each government that signed an IGA should have insisted on such a proposal.

    I would dare the Canadian Government or any EU government to come up with their own expedited US Renunciation process that would be recognized solely within their borders.

  6. @nervous Investor
    I know t he Cruz story but Canada is not FATCAing him like the USSA is doing to American Canadians and other countries.

    @George very good Idea People will have a decision to make … to be an american or not. with no exit fee or FBARS or Tax Returns a one time only thing (Imagine the huge response for a renunciation. They would be swamped.)

  7. @George, your idea of a one-time expedited renunciation option would be great for the people involved in this mess, but for the US government it’s all financial: They stand to make a lot of money both from forcing people into becoming tax compliant, with the penalties and taxes involved, and from exit taxes levied on those who choose to renounce US citizenship. Why would they forgo all that money by being humane?

  8. “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you got til it’s gone”

  9. “U.S. citizens need to wake up and face squarely what their country is doing and if there is an ounce of morality in them stand up and say this is wrong.”

    They won’t because they don’t. Not one single ounce. Especially if they’re a homelander Democrat. All they care about is supporting their begging President who hands out goodies to them and that’s all they care about. They don’t give a damn about us.

  10. I read this on another site: “At some point you just realize your country is not quite yours anymore”

  11. Atticus: What a powerful statement you have made on behalf of all of us who have supported the U.S. in its darkest moments over the years. As a small child, newly arrived in Canada back in 1960, I endured American-bashing on the school playground and I made a point of standing up for “my” country. As I grew up I refused to allow anti-American rhetoric to go unchallenged either with my peers or with my elders. After I fully adopted Canada as my home and became a citizen I continued to defend my American heritage amongst my colleagues, friends and acquaintances. Social gatherings could be quite interesting when somebody who didn’t know my origins got talking about Americans in a derogatory fashion.

    That’s over now. I have been betrayed by the land that I loved and I cannot defend her any longer. I realize now that much of how I felt about America was taught to me by my mother who saw the country through a pair of very thick rose-coloured glasses … the America of the storybook. I now see the United States for what it really is. She will get no further support from me.

  12. @Muzzled, I’m so sorry you too find yourself in the “rude awakening” category of Americans abroad. They are losing a lot of FREE supporters which they so badly need but, are too shallow to know it.

    Frankly, this is like a long drawn out bad divorce. Ten months and still no CLN for me. As painful as this all has been, I think an expedited way to relinquish/renounce needs to be put in place and give us a no fault divorce and allow us to be law abiding citizens of our adopted countries.

    Some have no choice in this matter. The U.S. divorced me not the other way around so why can’t we please, dear god get this over with, with as little drama as possible. I bet State would agree something needs to be done here to expedite these matters for those they have given no choice. I discussed this with my consulate officer and she said “Some people find they cannot be dual.” So that’s just the way it is. They know it. State needs help to expedite the coming flood of relinquishment/renouncement papers. I feel for them, I feel for us and this entire situation was not necessary at all. They could have just re defined “off shore” to mean an account where you do not live. They won’t so here we are.

  13. @MuzzledNoMore

    Because the IRS is incapable of providing a definition of just what “us” is.

  14. Pingback: Taxation of #Americansabroad: @Thunfinancial Wall Street Journal Op-Ed follows article from @SaundersWSJ | Citizenship Counselling For U.S. Citizens in Canada and Abroad

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