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Record number of Americans renounce citizenship

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I don't see it as a big indicator of the US being less desirable, it's more the result of typical bureaucratic stupidity. People who are citizens but don't currently have close ties to the US (like us citizens living elsewhere with a spouse etc) are being asked to do all sorts of reporting, including on the accounts of their spouses and partners even though those spouses are not citizens at all.

Essentially, the US is forcing those folks to choose: deal with more and more onerous reporting requirements, or renounce citizenship. More and more they are choosing the latter. It doesn't have as much to do with the US as it does with the reporting and tax regulations being crazy.
 
BurnItDwn said:
The guy has a point. The American dream is falling apart. The American way has been replaced with the Wall Street way.
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Sorry to burst your bubble but if the American Dream is falling apart it is due mostly to government overspending, the welfare state, and people living beyond their means. You CANNOT borrow yourself to prosperity, nor can you get there on welfare.
 
blankslate said:
This...

Why start 2 wars when one was enough and Delta Force actually had a plan and a backup one to kill Bin Laden when he was in Tora Bora...
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Imagine how quickly we would've been out of these two wars if we had war taxes to pay for both of them instead of putting them on the credit card.
 
earners and achievers are being replaced by illegal alien parasites who get rushed to the head of the line for every imaginable welfare and social handout including solid gold health care. American Citizenship has become devalued and disposable.
 
1800? Not even in the noise level. There's probably that many just in your towns across America trying to get legal.
 
Zebo said:
1800? Not even in the noise level. There's probably that many just in your towns across America trying to get legal.
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Inclined to agree. Even if it represents a huge increase it's just such a tiny number it's quite hard to pull a conclusion from.
 
Genx87 said:
Yup it is great when people with the money leave a country. The end result is always favorable.
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People with money have been "leaving" this country for a looong time via tax havens such as the Cayman island and Swiss bank accounts.
 
Ronstang said:
Sorry to burst your bubble but if the American Dream is falling apart it is due mostly to government overspending, the welfare state, and people living beyond their means. You CANNOT borrow yourself to prosperity, nor can you get there on welfare.
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Well said.

Theb said:
Imagine how quickly we would've been out of these two wars if we had war taxes to pay for both of them instead of putting them on the credit card.
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Quite true, and I agree. If something is worth sending our service men and women into harm's way, it should also be important enough to fund with a slight surtax on every one of us.

Ausm said:
People with money have been "leaving" this country for a looong time via tax havens such as the Cayman island and Swiss bank accounts.
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True, but the difference here seems to be these are largely not people who earn tons of money. You don't have a 700% increase because of taxes, which are pretty low right now. The increase seems to be expats of modest means who are concerned they will end up in prison and/or be hit with crippling fines due to the Democrats' bill putting criminal penalties on failure to (correctly) report foreign-earned income and pay taxes on it. I can feel a bit of sympathy for that - most of us can't afford a CPA firm keeping up our paperwork - even though it pisses me off when people renounce American citizenship.

Personally I think we are NOT property of the imperial federal government, so it should have no claim on any income earned outside of the USA.
 
Ronstang said:
Sorry to burst your bubble but if the American Dream is falling apart it is due mostly to government overspending, the welfare state, and people living beyond their means. You CANNOT borrow yourself to prosperity, nor can you get there on welfare.
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American dream is alive and well thank you. I know things are tough for many out there with unemployment as it is and the slow recovery of aggregate demand but on the whole small business are recovering and private sector jobs in many-not all-markets are showing steady growth.


If you all really think the American dream is dead then go ahead and give up already. Some of us are still fighting the good fight.


Blaming entitlements for a global recession is reaching at best.
 
Fern said:
Green cards are damned difficult to get.

I think it sends the same message: This place is rapidly becoming less desirable.

I have no scorn for those who have renounced their US citizenship. The national debt, among other things, scares me.

We're becoming more-and-more like Europe. If so, why not just move to the 'original' one, the food is a hellavu lot better and their old buildings much more beautiful. The women are hot too.

I lived and worked in several countries in Europe. I found it both interesting and peaceful. For me the peaceful part comes from the detachment. I.e., I didn't concern myself with, or care about their politics. It wasn't my country.

I'll use an analogy: It's sort of like watching a home burn down.

It's interesting to watch if it's not your home.

OTOH, it hurts like h3ll to watch if it is.

After moving back here and seeing what's happening I sometime feel like I'm watching my home own burn.

Fern
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/agree

Its sad to see what is happening and the fact the majority are blind to it or don't care.

Take politics. it's no longer "what can i do for the country" its "what can teh country do for me?" politicians do everything they can to gain power, with power comes the ability to get money. Its not R or D thing either.

Also about the parties. They are willing (and those voting for them) to ruin teh country IF they can blame it on the other party. The "us vs them" mentality has fucked the country over.

what can we do? nothing its as you said sitting there and watching the house burn. All the while people who started the fire are roasting hot dogs to sell us ..
 
There is probably a Mexican, African, Indian, or Chinese person that thinks American Citienship is the way to go. Feel free to leave, just leave all your money at the border. You can only take out just so much cash.

In reality, business of corporations are almost all multinational corporations like Intel, Ford, and others. Even a steel/brass Mill buys supplies like Nickel, Lead, Iron ore and copper from international sources. Lots of car companies buy parts from places like Canada, Mexico, Japan, etc. Made in America means nothing now adays.
 
Fern said:
Renouncing your citizenship before you get another would be stupid beyond belief.

You can only get a passport from your country of citizenship. Good luck with that whole 'travel thing'.

Fern
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The United States does not require anyone to give up their citizenship in order to become an American citizen. So most of these people likely already have citizenship somewhere else.
 
manimal said:
American dream is alive and well thank you. I know things are tough for many out there with unemployment as it is and the slow recovery of aggregate demand but on the whole small business are recovering and private sector jobs in many-not all-markets are showing steady growth.


If you all really think the American dream is dead then go ahead and give up already. Some of us are still fighting the good fight.


Blaming entitlements for a global recession is reaching at best.
Click to expand...

Notice I said "if". I don't think the American Dream is dead at all. The problem is it does and always has required hard work and dedication to achieve. People these days think it is something they are owed and when it doesn't just land in their lap they cry foul and either pull out the credit card or turn to Uncle Sam.

I can't complain about my American Dream at all. Things are going very well just like I have worked and planned for my entire life.
 
werepossum said:
Well said.


Quite true, and I agree. If something is worth sending our service men and women into harm's way, it should also be important enough to fund with a slight surtax on every one of us.


True, but the difference here seems to be these are largely not people who earn tons of money. You don't have a 700% increase because of taxes, which are pretty low right now. The increase seems to be expats of modest means who are concerned they will end up in prison and/or be hit with crippling fines due to the Democrats' bill putting criminal penalties on failure to (correctly) report foreign-earned income and pay taxes on it. I can feel a bit of sympathy for that - most of us can't afford a CPA firm keeping up our paperwork - even though it pisses me off when people renounce American citizenship.

Personally I think we are NOT property of the imperial federal government, so it should have no claim on any income earned outside of the USA.
Click to expand...

You really think all the cash in off shore tax havens was earned overseas??? LOL
 
I think I could be happy in a foreign country just as much as in the United States. I think people just get tired of the Government trying to control everyone. Maybe that is because the media is always trying to frighten people.
 
Other countries have national healthcare, we don't.
Here we are fighting the social wars all over again.
Minorities i.e. gays, women, blacks, hispanics are all under attack. Demonized.
Gun laws are completely insane. Better yet, for the completely insane yet still able to pull a trigger.
Wall street and the NRA own congress.
And it is clear no president, no man, no woman, no party can save the middle class.

And there we have just a few of the reasons... good ones too.
 
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