We are encouraged to celebrate the 4th of July – which is rarely referred to anymore as Independence Day – probably because Americans have become such a dependent people. They do not, of course, like to think of themselves that way.
But aren’t they?
Benjamin Franklin, who was a key player in the struggle for independence from Great Britain, was an independent man by the time he was about 40. So also John Adams, who – along with Franklin and Jefferson – negotiated the alliance with France that secured American independence from Great Britain. Franklin and Adams and other men of that time could and did achieve independence for themselves via “industry,” or hard work and prudent action. Franklin began as an assistant in a printer’s shop and became the most successful publisher in the colonies, which made him a wealthy and independent man by early middle age. He was thus able to spend the rest of his long life pursuing his many interests. He did not have to worry about having to work because he had plenty of money to pay for his needs for the remainder of his life.
He had this money because the government didn’t take it.
School kids are told all about “taxation without representation” – as if “representation” made “taxation” legitimate; the fallacy here is that the “representative” is your agent who acts according to your instructions when in fact he is a man who acts as he likes and claims his actions “represent” what he styles “the people.” And most people fall for this. They are rarely told how little in taxes the colonists – under the British – were forced to pay. There was no tax on income, for one. What you earned via your industry was entirely yours. As opposed to maybe 80 percent yours, after federal taxes. Then a bit less than that after state taxes. And less, again, after all the other taxes – leaving you in the end with perhaps 65 percent of what you earned. Which means having to earn back the loss in order to break even.
The colonists didn’t have to pay rent to the government to avoid being kicked out of their homes, either. Thus, a man who was industrious in his teens and twenties and successful by his 30s could aspire to become a free man by his 40s, in the sense that he was free of debt and – much more important – free of “owes.”
Therein lies an independence unimaginable to Americans today because no American has enjoyed it for at least the past 112 years.
You have to go back at least that far to get to a time when what an American earned via his industry was entirely his, both in fact and law. If you earned a dollar, you had a dollar – not 70 cents. And if you didn’t contract a debt – freely – you owed no one anything. If you saved, you had. Imagine it. Or try to.
Americans of the pre “owes” era had the comfort of knowing that work paid – as opposed to having to pay because they worked. That what they earned did not establish an “owes.
Today’s Americans live with endless “owes.” The notices come in the mail regularly, even though they contracted no debt. They must live with uneasy knowing that the government can – and probably will – demand even more money than it already says they “owe” because it has already assumed the power to claim they “owe” some of it. This is why elections are so hotly contested. They are, as Mencken observed, a kind of advance auction of stolen goods. If your next-door neighbor can vote to have your stuff taken by the government – to make you hand over money to pay for what he wants – then you are not an independent man.
None of us are, save perhaps the extremely wealthy. They can live de facto independently even if the government takes 80 percent of everything because the remaining 20 percent is still vastly more than the rest of us will ever possess. But this is oligarchy and even the oligarchs are not independent in the way that Franklin was. The oligarchs wealth could be entirely taken, too – whereas Franklins wealth was secure, protected both by law and the moral customs of his time.
Our time is a very different one.
It is a time of near-ubiquitous grift, in which everyone is trying to protect themselves from everyone else because it seems everyone else is an electoral enemy eager to vote to have the government take their money or otherwise diminish them. There is no possibility of being independent – free of all of that – in what has become of the United States.
You will never own your home, because you will always have to pay to avoid being removed from it.
This business of taxing property renders everyone who pays rent a dependent – upon the income needed to pay it. Other taxes must be paid, on top of that. Nothing can be bought without paying more taxes – using the remainder of one’s money after it has already been taxed multiple times. Most workers don’t even get to briefly possess a portion of their earnings, which are “withheld” by the government.
It is very difficult to be independent when you must work – and have to pay. This is why most Americans work until they are too old to work any longer – at which point they are dependent upon their caretakers and whoever pays for that. The great bulk of Americans spend their “golden years” worrying about whether they’ll have enough money – precisely because the government took so much of it during their working lives.
The best most of us can hope for is that our industry is sufficient to pay the government and leave us enough to pay our expenses as we go. But that is not independence. The kind that was once available to any American willing to work for it. Because other Americans decided they didn’t want to work for it – and voted for the government to make everyone a dependent.
. . .
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The Trump 2.0 administration is launching ai dot gov, which will likely lead to a technocratic/ AI $#!+ hole in this country if it’s not resisted en masse…….
https://www.technocracy.news/ai-gov-the-digital-leviathan-launching-this-independence-day/
just in time for the day of dependence! the launch of A.I. governance! another layer for people to learn to be obedient to. the launch of total A.I enslavement…as if the phones didn’t do that enough! The phones created zombies. putting people into hypnotic traces and people will say. NOT MY PHONE…yes…yours!! everyone who is bonded to one. and it is a bonding. it reads your body your body electric! just the same as pulling signals through the air. it pulls signals from the body and gives endorphin hits to the people addicted to them as well. it isn’t just a phone. it is literally a digital prison with your own personal jailer. and watch how many of those phones are raised during the 4th of july celebrations…watching their masters light off the fireworks because being adult children they can’t be trusted to have fireworks in most cities. might hurt themselves so their master does it for them.
so here is your new master!
https://aicompetence.org/ai-gov-launches-on-july-4-a-patriotic-statement/
for the phone junkies and their soon to be a.i masters! perfect song!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhcaTtDVNSM
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. –That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
https://gizadeathstar.com/2025/07/words-for-the-fourth-of-july/
[…] https://www.ericpetersautos.com/2025/07/01/dependence-day/ […]
Amerika is not a free nation, it has been enslaved by a Rothschild central bank. How that happened is an intriguing story,
“A key figure in this process was Senator Nelson Aldrich, who was instrumental in drafting the Federal Reserve Act. He was heavily influenced by the Rothschilds’ vision for a central banking system.
Woodrow Wilson was heavily influenced by Colonel Edward House, a close advisor, who had ties to the Rothschild family and was instrumental in shaping the Federal Reserve Act.
The Federal Reserve was created on December 23, 1913, when President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act, which was pushed through Congress in a single night, with many lawmakers unaware of its contents.”
From that day forward, the banksters out of England controlled their breakaway colony. Further enslavement occured when the banksters engineered WW1, got the USGov in debt to them, then the newly created Fed, created fresh money (on a nation that was on a gold standard for centuries) creating the 1920s economic boom, which went bust, creating the 1930s depression. Rothschild agent FDR then removed our gold and installed the Social Security system making us dependent on them.
Never forget that Rothschilds are Jews and so was FDR, they conspired for us to fight WW2 against the Germans, who were not having a Rothschild JEWISH bank. Germany was the last stand against these monsters. When Germany fell, all the western world was now owned by Rothschild, and since then the USA is the big club which Wrathchilds beat the world into submission.
———————
https://themillenniumreport.com/2017/02/complete-list-of-rothschild-owned-and-controlled-banks/
“Also, most people living in the USA have no clue that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is a foreign agency.
To be more accurate, the IRS is a foreign private corporation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and is the private “army” of the Federal Reserve (Fed).
Its main goal is to make sure the American people pay their tax and be good little slaves.”
——————
The United States Government is the military enforcement arm of the Rothschild banking system, Trump is literally a foreign agent working with Netanyahu, the current administrator of the Rothschild private fiefdom called IsraHELL. When Amerika bombs some defenseless nation, it is not because that nation is a threat to us, it is because the Lord Rothschild has ordered it.
Caitlin Johnston says Netanyahu is working so closely with Trump, it should be called the The Trumpanyahu Administration. She says in today’s essay “The prime minister of Israel is taking his third trip to the White House in the five months since Trump has been back in office.”
Sure he is, Satanyahu is going to visit Antichrist Trump on their next plan of attack on Iran.
——————-
Trump is MAGA in name only, he is 100% MIGA, a foreign agent working for a foreign interests. He is serial liar, deceiver, and traitor. I doubt our nation can survive Trumpenstein. We will be very lucky if we are not nuked into oblivion because of Trump’s slavish whoring to Israhell.
——————–
Today Candace Owens says she is done with Trump and regrets voting for him: “He’s been a chronic disappointment, and I feel embarrassed that I told people to go vote for him… This is not the candidate that I voted for.”
Candace Owens has gone on record stating that President Trump contacted her to ask she desist & stop covering the Brigitte Macron story – which means her assertion that Lady Macron, Brigitte is a man, AND the father of Emmanuel Macron.
Axe yourself, why in the hell would Trump even care about that little Rothschild weasel Macron??? Because Trump is also a Rothschild agent, as are all the heads of the EU states.
No legislation without representation was the complaint.
I just received my latest rental demand from the school goons.
$1,900 to keep my otherwise paid for house.
Hi Dan,
Yup. I also just paid what I “owe.” Which means I can’t pay for various other things I need. Because the “needs” of random strangers always come first.
The “needs” of FOREIGN COUNTRIES come first, peasant…
Yeah. Here, those future NFL stars apparently “need” another football stadium.
Oh, by the way, happy Canada Day!
Have a Caesar with vodka!
Time to scuttle the USS Orange.
Interesting they call it “canada day” and acknowledge they never gained independence from anything !
A PATRIOT SPEAKS-
“Our cause is the cause of all mankind…we are fighting for their liberty in defending our own.”
-Ben Franklin
http://billsropesupply.com/in-200-years-your-children-will-curse-you.jpg
“I warn you, gentlemen, if you do not exclude the Jew forever, your children`s children will curse you in your grave.”
JEFFERSON, THOMAS. 18th century American statesman.
“Dispersed as the Jews are, they still form one nation, foreign to the land they live in.” (D. Boorstin, THE AMERICANS) “Those who labor in the earth are the Chosen People of God, if ever he had a chosen people.” (NOTES ON VIRGINIA)
All 3 quotes here: http://billsropesupply.com/BENJAMIN%20FRANKLIN%20ON%20THE%20jews.html
George Washington said about the Jews –
The subsequent George Washington quote comes from Maxims of George Washington, by A. A. Appelton & Company, and no one has disputed its authenticity to my knowledge.
“They (the Jews) work more effectively against us, than the enemy’s armies. They are a hundred times more dangerous to our liberties and the great cause we are engaged in… It is much to be lamented that each state, long ago, has not hunted them down as pest to society and the greatest enemies we have to the happiness of America.”
Wonder why it makes so many happy to make so many sad.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN ON THE jews
Benjamin Franklin was already an elder statesman at the time of the American Revolution. And his years had certainly brought him wisdom, for he knew of the Jews’ nature, and he had the courage to warn his fellows about them. Benjamin Franklin’s warning to the Constitutional Convention in 1789 concerning the Jews has been called a marvel of prophecy. But, really, Franklin was only giving voice to an opinion, informed by his knowledge of the Jewish people. This prophecy was recorded by Charles Pinckney of Charleston, South Carolina, and the original notes of Mr. Pinckney are said to be held at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
From the written records of CHARLES PINCKNEY of South Carolina, of the proceedings during the drafting of the Constitution in 1789 concerning the statement of BENJAMIN FRANKLIN at the convention concerning Jewish immigration. (Original in the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia.)
“There is a great danger for the United States of America. That great danger is the Jew. Gentlemen , in whichever land the Jews have settled, they have depressed the moral level and lowered the degree of commercial honesty. They have created a State within a State, and when they are opposed, they attempted to strangle the nation financially as in the case of Portugal and Spain.”
“For more than 1700 years they have lamented their sorrowful fate, namely that they were driven out of the motherland; but gentlemen, if the civilized world today should give them back Palestine as their property , they would immediately find pressing reasons for not returning there. Why? Because they are vampires and cannot live on other vampires. They cannot live among themselves. They must live among Christians and others who do not belong to their race.”
“If they are not excluded from the United States by the Constitution, within less than a hundred years they will stream into our country in such numbers that they will rule and destroy us, and change our form of government for which Americans have shed their blood and sacrificed life, property and personal freedom. If the Jews are not excluded, within 200 years our children will be working in the fields to feed the Jews, while they remain in the Counting House gleefully rubbing their hands.”
“I warn you, gentlemen, if you do not exclude the Jew forever, your children`s children will curse you in your grave.”
“Their ideas are not those of Americans. The leopard cannot change his spots. The Jews are a danger to this land, and if they are allowed to enter, they will imperil its institutions.”
“They should be excluded by the Constitution.”
“If you earned a dollar, you had a dollar – not 70 cents.”
Another thing the Founders had going for them was that the money they earned was real money, not paper money. So the government could not steal the stored value of your labor by debasing the value of your savings.
The Founders were nearly all opposed to paper money and government debt.
In Federalist #10, Madison characterized “a rage for paper money” along with calls for “an abolition of debts [and] an equal division of property” as “improper [and] wicked.”
Anybody here use a Franklin Stove?
Anybody out there discovering electricity?
Ben was there and got er done.
Do you have lightning rods on your house?
Been there, done that said Benjamin.
Franklin did some good for everybody, still does.
“A penny saved is a penny earned.” – Benjamin Franklin
Seems as though Benjamin Franklin was a go-getter in the eighteenth century.
Franklin’s greatest invention is the hundred dollar bill.
“Franklin’s greatest invention is the hundred dollar bill.” – drumphish
THAT’S comedy…
If you had that $100 bill in 1971, it would have been the same thing as having 3 ounces of gold. That 3 oz is now worth about $10 grand or more.
At least a common thief doesn’t insist they’re taking your property for your “own good”.
Benjamin Franklin was also fairly instrumental in establishing public works programs. The fire brigade and post office come to mind, but also hospitals, colleges and infrastructure improvements like roads and street lighting. But the funding wasn’t only from the government. Most of the programs were voluntary and based on membership dues. Money was raised for specific needs, not just thrown into a general pool for distribution by politicians.
Yeah: If you didn’t have property taxes, and owned your (let’s say small farm) outright, all you would need cash for is diesel and maintenance of your homestead (that you could not do yourself). That is a very small sum. This means you wouldn’t need to earn a lot of money, and whatever money you earned you could keep for yourself. They wont stand for us to have this.
My list of the most egregious taxes: Inheritance tax, property tax, capital gains tax. I put income tax next in line. To avoid all of these takes some doing/finagling. Then comes all the “consumption” type taxes: sales, “sin” taxes, fees, tolls, etc. Those are more easily avoided just by avoiding doing the consuming that triggers the tax. Or they are infrequent enough or far less ubiquitous than the others.
One thing I do like about America is that for every one guy figuring out a new rule, there are five guys figuring how to get around it!
If we don’t pay taxes how can the U.S. keep up its contributions to the Tower of Babel Building Fund?
https://www.dsca.mil/Press-Media/Major-Arms-Sales/Article-Display/Article/4230375/israel-munitions-guidance-kits-and-munitions-support
If memory serves me correctly it was Erwin Shiff who wrote a book on the illegality of income tax and got sentenced to life in prison as a result.
Janis Joplin sang about freedom means you have nothing left to lose.
While some might say that since you might need or desire all of these services that GovCo “offers”and that you would not be better off if GovCo didn’t force you to pay for them as you would have to pay for them anyways. To these people I would say “Are the streets better maintained? Are the children better educated? Is crime lower now than the past?”, of course not. You may have decided to contract for some GovCo type services but you darn well have have selected ones you needed or wanted and if the providers of such failed to deliver you would have hired someone else.
Milton Friedman explained this years ago.
https://youtu.be/5RDMdc5r5z8
https://www.financialsamurai.com/the-four-different-ways-to-spend-money-by-milton-friedman/
Uncle Milty, the Jew that gave us the Universal Income Tax
Woodrow Wilson…the Scot Irish Presbyterian pastor that gave us the income tax and the Federal Reserve.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt…the Episcopalian that gave us the New Deal.
James Buchanan…the Scot bachelor that gave this country Lincoln and the dismantling of the US Constitution.
True, RG but, it was Friedman that wrote the plan to make everyone pay the income tax, not just “the rich”.
Yes, I put Wilson in the Pantheon of American War Criminals. His Federal Reserve legislation, income tax AND the Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914. He paved the Road to Serfdom.
May we all here be speed bumps on the Road to Serfdom.
Hi Mark,
I have no love for anyone that actually created the payroll withholding system, which Friedman did, but the true evildoer was the guy born in Staunton, Virginia, that actually signed he Revenue Act of 1913 into law. FYI: His Presidential salary was excluded from taxes. Laws for thee, but not for me. Professors have no business making decisions on monetary policy. This country would be better off if this guy stayed in the classroom.
Hi RG,
Don’t forget Wilson lying us into WWI and everything that followed from that. He gets my as the worst/most evil president since Lincoln.
Hi Mike,
It is a tie for me between FDR and Wilson being the worst.
Agree. Wilson, not Hitler, was the man responsible for WWII.
I hardly blame Buchanan for “giving” us Lincoln.
Hi Jim,
I do. Lincoln had one of the lowest popular votes in history (just above 39%). He was not well liked nor well received and it was the North that gave him the victory. Buchanan’s approach to Southern secession was correct, but he refused to lead and it was his incompetency that caused the breakdown of the Democrat Party by agreeing to hold two Democratic conventions. The dismantling of the party gave Lincoln the win.
‘those who went to the lowest taxed places (the middle east for example) have the most freedom and flexibility’ — Nasir
Half a century ago, numerous tax havens — most of them part of the British Commonwealth — offered anonymous accounts which could accumulate free of tax.
Then in the 1990s, rich countries undertook a concerted, successful effort to eliminate tax havens.
High-tax socialist regimes hate competition. Ultimately, low-tax domiciles get pressured to adopt what European socialists call ‘tax harmonisation.’ Get it while you can, because nouveau riche places like Dubai tend to be ephemeral.
Jim, I think the problem is that too many of the plebs notice these loopholes and start taking advantage themselves, which was never the intention I have seen this in the UK many times. When first came to the UK (2005) most of my friends, most of whom were from abroad (particularly Australia, South Africa, India and others) all had offshore accounts in Jersey or some tax haven as their main accounts, giving much more flexibility when you go back or spend abroad / travel as we did.
When I tried to do the same in early 2006 they said no and that they had just changed the policy !! Slowly over the decades most of those accounts were moved onshore to the UK and even if you are able to justify the KYC checks and keep, us plebs are no longer allowed to use them for contracting / salary payments !
Apart from that, over the past 20 years i’ve been here, every way a middle/lower class person can generate serious wealth and most importantly be independent have been closed… then they wonder why people are leaving ! Im sure they will figure out a way to stop that too somehow!
I remember that a Swiss bank account was the ultimate in privacy until some weasel of a bank clerk leaked a list of names and account numbers to Uncle. Then the USSA pressured Switzerland to end anonymity, at least for Amerkans.
‘the fallacy here is that the “representative” is your agent’ — eric
As I type, the Senate is pulling an all-nighter acting out its ‘vote-a-rama’ pageant on the budget resolution.
Nearly every amendment is passed, or rejected, on a 53-47 or a 47-53 party-line vote. Over and over, same story. Only one amendment by Senator Kennedy of Louisiana, to advance a deadline for Medicaid to stop making payments to deceased claimants, was adopted by unanimous voice vote.
The politically deadlocked US empire now proposes to put the American underclass on a diet — much like the Israelis putting Gazans on a diet — to pay for a $150 billion hike in defense [sic] spending. It’s the elephant in the room which not a single Senator acknowledges, much less debates.
Why does a self-proclaimed peace president need to drastically hike military spending, while he prods NATO countries to do the same?
No one knows. Meanwhile, watch what he does, not what he says.
Comically, the Senate has ground to a halt on an amendment by Senator Shaheen of New Hampshire. The vote tally stands at 49-50. If the final holdout votes ‘yea,’ it creates a tie which would have to be resolved by the vice president.
Presumably the sergeant-at-arms is rousting ol’ J D Vance out of his bed as we speak.
‘Do I have time to shave and brush muh teef?’
‘NO. Get your ass down here. A hundred sleepy Senators are waiting on you.’
Vance arrives at Capitol as GOP is short of votes to pass Trump megabill — headline at thehill.com
HAR HAR HAR … effing clowns!
you know as I get older, I realise more and more how much “taxation” holds a person back, and has no correlation to the quality of “service” the government provides. After I qualified back in the day, my friends went to all corners of the world, and one correlation I have established is those who went to the lowest taxed places (the middle east for example) have the most freedom and flexibility, and disposable income. Those who came to the higher taxed places (the UK/Europe/Canada) tend to have the least…. the US falls somewhere in the middle I find.
One thing I am genuinely wondering now – where can one go now which has the least interference in life from the government, via taxes or otherwise… any thoughts?
Morning, Nasir!
Indeed. I think about this a lot. Probably because it’s personal for me. I ought to have been able to work for fun rather than because I have to more than 20 years ago. But I have to work – and will have to continue working – because I can’t afford not to. Just like most Americans – and it’s not because I’m a spendthrift or haven’t worked hard all my life, since I was a teenager. I’ve paid close to $50,000 so far just in property taxes on the home I will never own. If I had back just that $50,000 I’d have a cushion that would enable me to live comfortably for several years without having to earn any money at all. Now add in all the federal, state and Social Security taxes paid over the past 40 years. The sum amounts to probably several hundred thousand dollars, not counting the opportunity cost of that stolen money, which I ight have used to make more money via investments. Instead, find myself – like most Americans – just getting by and less so all the time. The enserfment process is picking up pace, too. Just coming up with the money for groceries is becoming a challenge for many. A decent used car that could be bought for $3,500 five years ago costs $8,000 now. We’re all headed for a van down by the river, it feels like.
I think it’s personal for all of us now Eric, and you notice more the older you get, as taxes add up…. i dont even want to do the math of how much I have paid (its much more than you guys do, and i’ve always been in a corporate gig so it gets nicked before I even get the money!)
I also always wondered how people of the past generations (like the American founding fathers) were so established by early middle age in their fields, where they had the luxury to go off and so stuff like making a new country….
but i guess thats the point of taxes… so none of the plebs get any bright ideas and continue paying taxes / mortgages / bills to just exist!!
“I also always wondered how people of the past generations (like the American founding fathers) were so established by early middle age in their fields, where they had the luxury to go off and so stuff like making a new country….”
The same way they operate today…free and cheap labor. When you don’t have to pay people to work for you one can make a lot of money. It is why so many businesses moved to the Eastern Hemisphere or further South instead of paying middle class wages.
That’s not actually true, and I am surprised you, as a professional accountant, would say that.
If small businesses were not tied up by endless red tape, rules, licenses, regulations and taxes, many more of those who go out on their own would be able to grow the business successfully and be quite financially independent by their fifties.
You don’t need to be worth $10 million to be comfortable and high income alone is no guarantee of ending up ‘rich’.
And even if you had that $50 grand, Eric, and stuck it in a bank, your cushion would be constantly rotting away from the inflation tax. The entire system they imposed on us in 1913 is predicated on robbing the poor to enrich the über-Rich.
Since that time, but most especially in the last few decades, they’ve gamed the whole system to not only prevent capital accumulation by ordinary people, but to grab whatever capital remained in the hands of small and medium sized business owners and transfer it to the oligarchs.
The injustice is astonishing. And it’s not a recipe for peace. It won’t end well…
I agree, Bill –
It is apt to get ugly. Soon, I think.
Yeah, but if you invested it longterm into the American Casino (stock index funds), you would be sitting on at least a quarter of a million.
Other than that, you’re right. Not everyone knows this nor would the outcome be the same if it was done en masse.
The tax system itself is not the worst of it.
It’s the regulations. The things that prvent people from selling a service. To operate a food truck legally, it’s almost as much paperwork and compliance hassle as a restaurant hast to go through, probably more.
We also see what government regulations do to the car industry, driving up the cost of basic transportation.
I’d rather pay taxes than comply with bullshit.
Unfortunately, we get both here.
“Yeah, but if you invested it longterm into the American Casino (stock index funds), you would be sitting on at least a quarter of a million.”
In nominal terms, yes.
But you would have done better just by buying and holding physical gold:
http://pricedingold.com/dow-jones-industrials/
“The tax system itself is not the worst of it. It’s the regulations.”
Abso-effing-lutely!
Hi Nasir,
Cayman Islands, Anguilla, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bermuda, Brunei, Kosovo, Kuwait, Marshall Islands, Monaco, Qatar, St. Bart’s, Saudi Arabia, Turks and Caicos, UAE, and BVI. The lower the taxes the greater the wealth. Although, I won’t lie…Kosovo through me for a loop.
Most of these countries you have to “buy in.” One needs to have assets of $500K or more and show that you are able to support yourself. Many of the countries rely off the “tourism tax” and tariffs unless they have a large selection of natural resources.
hi RG, i dont think 500k really makes a lot of these places worthwhile anymore, unless you have some other good income… (not sure about Kosovo, havnt been there). The way I look at it – as crazy as it sounds as a middle class (or slightly upper earners) the US is still probably one of the best places that I have been. Maybe there is something I am missing – but Europe is a really shit place to be right now !
Morning, Nasir!
I don’t think there’s anyplace left on this Earth one can flee to and live a middle class life. The only way to be “free” is to be – as they say – judgment proof. To not have much if anything they can lay their hands on. Then they lose most of their power over you,. The downside is this entails a Derelicte lifestyle, which isn’t particularly appealing. Then again, there are probably middle ground solutions. I think it could work if you were in a position to buy say 10 acres or so out in a very remote area and put a tiny house or even an RV on it and just live unnoticed. The difficulty there is just that, however. And also still needing to generate income to pay for the everyday needs plus the taxes on the property.
As someone who has spend his working life as an expat and lived all over the world, I can quite confidently tell you that there is now nowhere to hide.
If you already have a few million dollars at your disposal, you can certainly have more options as to where you can move to & live, but ultimately, even if taxes are low, there’s always some downer there.
A few years ago, I looked at moving to Vanuatu once I feel like retiring. No income tax there, warm tropical climate, and residency is not hard to get.
But then came Covid, and Australia, which is a major aid donor to many poor Pacific countries, put pressure on the Vanuatu government to ‘vaccinate’ their population. They (Australia) even generously donated lots of their leftover Astra-Zeneca clotshots, which they could no longer push on their own population. (Not that the Pfizer crap is any better!)
And so Vanuatu closed its borders, wiping out what little tourism industry there was, and even tried to force vaxx ‘passports’ onto their islanders. Luckily the place is so spread out and the outlying islands are so underdeveloped that their ‘success’ was rather limited.
Australia is reputedly also not happy with Vanuatu having no income tax, because being only 3 hours’ flight away, that’s a temptation to too many well-off Australian taxpayers, so I’d say it’s only a matter of time before they force them to change that, as well.
At this point, maybe a remote farm in Argentina may be the ticket. But then again, if you can find a like-minded community, out of any major cities, in GB/USA/AUS/CDN/NZ, perhaps it’s best just to stay put, deal with locals only as much as you can, and have little to no reportable income, so there’s nothing to tax.
What a depressing thread.
Good point towards RG, above.
swamprat, added a bow to the pkg.
…If I had not read FerFal’s stuff, Argentina might seem nice.
https://ferfal.blogspot.com/
Seems, there’s, ‘No Way Out’, there’s only, thru.
…Even then, ‘Liberty in our Lifetime’ seems like a pipe dream now.
The Blob, it grows.
Oh, after posting my comment, I was reminded of a bit from Lila Rajiva, RE: “perhaps it’s best just to stay put, deal with locals only as much as you can”.
That was her summation after checking out Argentina & Uruguay.
“My last piece, “Time to Run,” provoked a lot of reaction, almost all of it positive, but some negative.
The readers who liked it wanted advice on where to run. That’s a tall order and I’ll come back to them in another piece.
Those who didn’t like it brandished a few arguments that ought to have a stake driven right through them immediately.
Here goes, point by point.”…
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2009/06/lila-rajiva/flight-and-fight/
…Mang, 2009, I’ve been at this too long.
I thought everything would be over by now & better days would be here. Oh, so fookin’ wrong, was I.