Victoria’s idea given form by Shadow Raider.
Will you join in to phone members of the Senate Finance Committee, details below?
Operation Mosquito
Following Victoria’s idea that we should be like mosquitos and make some noise to make ourselves noticed, I’m organizing a campaign to call the Senate Finance Committee every hour for one week. If you are still a US citizen and want to join, please follow the steps below.
1. Open this link and type your name, nickname or initials on one available time slot. The spreadsheet should save automatically. The times correspond to 9am-5pm in Washington, DC, Monday to Friday next week. The other locations and time zones are only for your reference, feel free to add yours if it’s not already listed. Times in bold are on the following day.
2. On your selected time, call the Senate Finance Committee at +1 202-224-4515. If it’s busy or no one answers, please try again in a few minutes. But you don’t have to call if it’s already time for someone else.
3. I suggest saying something like this: “Hi, my name is ___, I’m a US citizen living in ___. I’d like to urge the Senate Finance Committee to overhaul the taxation of individual Americans living abroad, as soon as possible, as the committee indicated in a report it recently released. Could you please pass this message to the rest of the committee?”. Of course, you can modify this as you wish, but please be polite, and try not to take too long. Thanks!
I am so sorry, I am confused (as usual). I see Dave has a block of times. How might I put in my name at 10AM?
Count me in. Just waiting for my tech-support to log me in.
I THINK I did it….YES???
Perhaps set up pre-recorded Robocalls and have a PC do the work. If it becomes to much for them, they’re bound to switch the number on perpetual voicemail.
If they don’t answer, the voicemail box will at least be jammed.
http://robocallsoftware.com/
I see you, Dave and Lea there, Charl. Whatever you did, can you put Bubblebustin in line 7 for me? Neither I nor my tech support can get this thing to work.
@Bubble….what day?
I will sign up. A little later as I know my schedule.
Good idea.
@Charl
Oh, thought it was each person for 5 days! I was looking forward to getting to know someone in DC! Can you put me in for the 23rd, line 7? Thanks!
@ Bubble….done! But if you think they sound amiable/pliable then book an online java date!!! We could use a few BFF’s in DC!
Thanks Charl. Will do.
Actually at end of message you can leave a message and press hash to review
Use Google Voice or if on Android Grooveip Lite free calls to US and Canadian Tel #s
Seems not too many heeding the call. Only 45 pesky critters needed.
Congress is currently out of session, so the staffers may have some time.
Nice idea. I had a similar although much more ambitious idea. How about on the 13th October all the Canadian dual nationals and Canadian ex-pat Americans travel to Washington DC and hold a protest.
Now that would get everyones attention.
I would suggest protesting in Detroit on the anniversary of the Capture of Detroit, but who wants to go to Detroit these days. Plus it is pretty clear that 99% of homelanders could not give a pair of dingo kidneys for Detroit.
Some extra help ACA
Once the candidate field gets culled down, ACA normally asks the candidates to provide a written statement as to how they will address the issues affecting Americans living and working overseas. We have done this with every Presidential Election going back to the 1970s.
Thanks!
Marylouise
Called FIRST time staffer has received a call re EXPat Tax
Call in Senate Finance Committee at +1 202-224-4515
Approx 30 staffers each side whole finance committee (R) (D)
After talking to staffer you may want to ask to talk to or leave message for the main people regarding our concerns
Eric Oman (R)
Tiffany Smith (D)
Why not email the main people regarding our concerns
Eric Oman (R) Eric_Oman@finance.senate.gov
Tiffany Smith (D) Tiffany_Smith@finance.senate.gov
Apple Inc co-founder Steve Wozniak is the most famous U.S. entrepreneurial talent to take up Australian residency
Tell HIM about our plight this could get good publicity
https://www.facebook.com/SteveWozniak/timeline
Republican Party tries to recruit the 8.7 million U.S. citizens living and working abroad to back it in next year’s presidential elections
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jul/14/rand-paul-sues-obama-over-foreign-banking-law/?page=1
How about a how to section for voting for President ?
Of course, it is also helpful to try to meet Senators and Representatives back in their districts if you happen to be there.
Well yippity-skip. Go away and nurse my jet-lag and someone at Brock comes up with a great idea. I’m in. I will check when I can call from Japan and I’ll sign up.
Thank you Calgary for posting and ShadowRaider for a brilliant idea.
Love you guys (and gals) and Brock too. 🙂
Question: I signed up for 6 AM monday Japan time on July 20th. But I didn’t see any earlier dates. Is that normal?
@Victoria…..morning……
You MUST read the pdfs on the Bopp lawsuit. They will put pep in your step.
@Victoria, You’re welcome, and thanks for signing up! Please note that it will be already Tuesday in Japan when you call at 6am. I only put dates starting next week, to give people time to sign up.
@Jak Dac, Thank you very much for listing the main people. I’ve been trying to find this information for a while, as the committee doesn’t list its staff on its website. I intend to contact both of them.
I contacted Eric Oman when he was Senator Mike Enzi’s assistant. He seemed sympathetic but he later left Congress to work for an accounting firm. It seems that he returned to the Senate Finance Committee this year. I haven’t contacted Tiffany Smith, but she seems pretty important, she has been in the committee for 8 years, and before that she was in the IRS for 6 years. She went to the same university as I did.
I’m pretty sure that ACA has already talked to these people many times, which led them to finally acknowledge the problem. That’s great, but we have waited long enough for something more concrete. My idea now is to be persistent until they actually start studying the issue and write a proposal.