Brock Pub is where you can ask your questions or make somewhat off-topic comments.
US Supreme Court Rules Unanimously Against Excessive Fines
The excessive fines clause doesn’t prevent the federal government from actually threatening to fine you in multiples of your actual financial worth (in the case of FBAR, over 383% of your financial accounts). I’ve not seen FBAR fines applied at the rate of 300% but that doesn’t stop the IRS from threatening it. I called it a bluff. They would scare the crap out of you so that you would enter a voluntary disclosure program where you voluntarily handed over 25+% of your wealth.
A lot of Americans are apparently unaware that you shouldn’t put guns or ammo in your luggage if you are travelling to other countries.
California gas station clerk fired after ranting against woman speaking Spanish
An American gas station attendant loses her job after being rude to a bilingual woman speaking Spanish and asks her to prove that she was born in the USA. Apparently she is unaware that California used to be part of Mexico. I.e., Spanish speakers were there slightly before Trump supporters.
And a Canadian bonus:
Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott kicked out of Liberal Party caucus
King Justin has kicked out JWR from caucas, hoping that Canadians actually believe it is less unethical to lie than it is to expose lies with an undisclosed voice recording.
I predict that the “recent comments” section will consist mainly of comments to this post. Will it stay at the top of the posts so is easy to find?
@Plaxy. Welcome to your new home. 🙂
@Gob s:
The posts will not stay at the top, but there will be new ones at regular intervals. Comments will close on the old post when once the new one is in place. That is the current plan.
@Petros, I don’t think it is the lying per se that upsets Canadians but what the lie is intended to cover up. Recall that many ethical Brockers promote lying to the banks.
@Petros, so then there will always be a ‘Pub post’ of sorts at the top.
@Gob
Near the top, yes.
Lying to cover up a crime remains wrong.
Lying to prevent a crime however is not wrong.
http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/2016/08/02/petros-principles-10-on-lying/
@Petros, re:”lying to cover up a crime remains wrong.” Not filing US taxes is a crime which means according to your words above that lying to the banks is wrong. I know that is not really what you mean though. Words are tricky.
So, is this the Brock Pub?
No. It’s a snow cone maker.
Sorry, a bit shy about misplacing posts, so where then is this Brock Pub?
There is justice and then there is the law. You’re lucky if they are on the same page.
@ gobsmacked
Not filing US tax forms is not a crime in Canada. Regarding your use of the words “ethical ‘ and ‘lying’ as if you they don’t belong together , but they do ,very much so. Firstly, rethink as to what ethical really means and then tell me if ‘lying’ to to an unethical law doesn’t make sense.
@RobertRoss, I seem to have a hard time writing comments that you understand.
@RobertRoss, just to clarify, I think it is fine to lie to the banks to protect one’s self from FATCA. And I thought that way before you suggested that I think hard about whether or not that was ethical.
Petros: Great to see you here!
Hey Petros! Nice to see you!! Just s side note. We saw the person Justin Trudeau was when he sent out a lette rto Blaze and then completely lied once elected. This was pure Trudeau then and nothing has changed now. Trudeau tried to lie and cover up the truth until Jody Wilson Raybould decided to protect herself and let the truth out. Now, we see our leader for what he really is. He is a treasonous coward then and now. We need a law in this country to physically remove him from power now and all of his liar scumbag cabinet should be tossed out as well. Canada is doomed with this crook in the leadership role. Mr. Trudeau, the sun is setting on you. You have completely shamed your name to your father. He would be ashamed to call you his son. There is no honour with you, but, to show any thread of decency, RESIGN NOW!
@gobsmacked
It seemed that you were inferring that being ethical and lying don’t mix, tongue in cheek ,maybe.
However, I don’ t consider giving an inappropriate answer to an inappropiate and intrusive question as lying but rather necessary at times. Cheers.
Pierre Trudeau would not be ashamed of his son. They’re birds of a feather.
I’d like to see non-confidence motions voted on by all Canadians instead of only by politicians.
@Norman. Sorry Norman, I am not old enough to know if Pierre Trudeau was an honest man. It seems like the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. I agree, Canadians should have the non confidence vote and right now!
My iPad runs my music. I don’t watch videos as they interfere with the music. Due to the absence of a clarifying response, I am going to make the bold move and assume this is the Brock Pub.
A point I have tried to make clear time and time again has come up yet again, this time with opportunity to make it it crystal clear…I hope.
Perhaps it is because I have been blessed/cursed with a wide variety of experience, but whatever the reason/s, given the comments of many here, it seems that I have much more experience dealing with many of these issues than they do.
Let me use ND’s response to my post on International Postal money orders ( IPMO ) and their use as payment for passports and their renewal to illustrate. Let’s say I am a third party reading our comments. This third party, using my actual experience obtaining my first passport throught the Tokyo embassy might reply thus, “I do not know where ND and others are getting your information, I did not have to pay for my US passport, it was free.” If someone raised the topic of having to provide the embassy with a prepaid, self addressed envelope for delivery of the new passport to their home, this same third party using my first experience may reply, “ What are you talking abou? I handed in my application with photo and was given a number and told to wait in the lobby. After a wait, my number was called and they handed me my passport over the counter the same day.” See where I’m going? Let me spell it out. I have received three passports through the Tokyo embassy. My first, and two othes upon renewal. Each time was different. Different in cost. Different in method/s of payment accepted, different in documentation required, different in where the passport was actually produced. Different in all respects except location.
I had to pay cash when I first renewed my passport. They did not, at that time, accept Japanese yen. This angered my because the exchange rate inside the embassy was horrible compared to that I would have gotten at a bank outside the embassy. Additional, the embassy charged an extortionous exchange fee that would make airports jealous. Further, the woman working the money window was exceedingly rude and generally unpleasant.
For my second renewal, I had to use, or possibly was advised strongly to use an IPMO as payment. On neither of these two occasions was using a credit card and option. I do not recall why, perhaps because my card was not issued be a US bank, or a Japanese bank the embassy did not do business with or the wrong credit card company. Perhaps the person who handled credit cards payments was off that day. Who knows, but they would not accept credit card payments or at least mine on those two occasions.
This third visit had yet another surprise. They changed the size of the photo for the passport rendering the passport photos I brought with me unacceptable and requiring me to use the photo both in the Embassy. It did not take Yen and I had to once again use the embassy money changer. The minimum amout to exchange was far in excess of what was needed for the photo both, expensive though it was, leaving me with US dollars I could not use.
Your experiences were true at the specific points of time you had them for someone in your specific situation at those times, but you, ND, of all people should know that requirements change and that what was true for you then may not be true for others at the same time nor yourself at other times.
Why, ND, do you assume that all USCs in Japan live near a place where passport services are offered by the US gov.? If you do not, your comments suggest you do. Those who live too far away to use in-person passport services may have to rely on mailing their passport application/renewal application. How, do you suppose, they would pay for these services? According to the Tokyo embassy website last night, the only acceptable method of payment for mail in applications is….wait for it…drum roll please …….. IPMO!
But they are not the only ones who may opt to mail in the renewal application. I will let your imagine come up with other possibilities, however.
So, let me restate my original question, how, if JP Post does not issue an IPMO, does one pay for a pssport if that is their only option of payment? Why would the US embassy in Tokyo have such a warning on their website? Why would they have this warning on the passport information page?
In Taiwan the US pseudo-embassy takes cash–either country’s, your choice.
According the Tokyo Embassy website, they are currently accepting Yen, Dollars, credit card and IPMO for over the counter passport services but only IPMO for mail in passport applications. This is the current situation. Will it change? If so, when? If JP Post turns down IPMOs, what will the Embassy accept? No way to know until they make changes.
“Your experiences were true at the specific points of time you had them for someone in your specific situation at those times, but you, ND, of all people should know that requirements change and that what was true for you then may not be true for others at the same time nor yourself at other times.”
I reported how my experiences changed over time. Your complaint is offensive.
“Why, ND, do you assume that all USCs in Japan live near a place where passport services are offered by the US gov.? If you do not, your comments suggest you do.”
I do not believe that my comments made any such suggestion. When I reported that the embassy allowed some kind of procedure at some particular time, that does not mean I would stuplidly think that a person living in a distant part of Tokyo[*] could get to the embassy in less than 24 hours.
I reported how the procedures for visa applications varied over time too. When my wife had to get a visa in order to appear for a hearing in US Tax Court, suppose she had been living in a distant part of Tokyo[*].
“Those who live too far away to use in-person passport services may have to rely on mailing their passport application/renewal application. How, do you suppose, they would pay for these services?”
I think I made it clear that, since I couldn’t even find a way to buy an international postal money order recently the way you did, I wouldn’t even be able to use one any more to renew by mail, if I were still a US citizen. Yes that sure is an inconvenience. Why do you attack someone who is on your side?
We even know how the procedures and fees for renunciation vary over time, even though you lack personal experience.
[* Readers unfamiliar with the Ogasawara Islands could consider Okinawa here instead of distant parts of Tokyo.]
@ND
In response to my asking how people could pay for passport renewals if JP Post refused to issue a IPMO, you started off with a statement questioning where I got my information. Something like, ‘I don’t know where Japan T got his information…’ and then told how your experiences differed.
I also pointed out my efforts to find information. Subsequently Japan T explained where he got his information, and it seems that some postal employees know things that the post office doesn’t post publicly.
I don’t see how that was cause for attacks, when we’re on the same side here.