I rarely put up a title like the one on this post, but in this case, I would absolutely love to be the number one hit on Google when you type in “Grover Norquist asshole”.
The anti-tax activist Grover Norquist on Friday compared a new Democratic proposal to penalize Americans who renounce their citizenship to evade taxes to policies employed by the Nazis and communists.
Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) introduced legislation this week — in response to a Facebook co-founder ditching his citizenship — that would force wealthy people who give up their U.S. citizenship to prove that they did not do so for tax reasons.
Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform, said the targeting people that turn in their passports reminded him of regimes that had driven people out of the country, only to confiscate their wealth at the door.
“I think Schumer can probably find the legislation to do this. It existed in Germany in the 1930s and Rhodesia in the ’70s and in South Africa as well,” said Norquist. “He probably just plagiarized it and translated it from the original German.”
Eff you, Norquist. Years ago, someone who happens to be an experienced journalist for a well-known conservative publication told me that he thinks Norquist is a horrible person who is not in the habit of, shall we say, putting America first. There have been many stories about his links to Islamists here in America. I don’t know if any of that is true, but I think we can pretty much count him in for the Jew-hatred he shows in the quote above.
Asshole.
I’m sorry America, you and your IRS nonsense created this mess.
I can’t speak to the billionaire founder of Facebook, I’m sure he is evading taxes but you have to ask yourselves in the US, why do you tax foreign citizens living abroad who’ve given up all support of the US state? Most countries do not tax permanent ex-citizens. I’ve left the UK and have no responsibility to report anything to the UK govt or it’s tax collecting minions.
It is now almost impossible for non-billionaire normal US citizens to open legitimate bank accounts all over the world. If you want to live abroad for a few years and walk into a local bank in the country of your choice, many will turn down your business and refuse to open an account for a US citizen. They don’t do this for any other nationality. The reporting requirements required of foreign banks serving US citizens are so stupid and onerous they just choose not to.
And so, when they look home at the mess they’ve left behind and a President and his wife who see no reason to be proud of their once great nation, many abroad feel it’s just plain easier to get by without their US passport.
As to the revolting Nazi comparison? I’ve believed Norquist to be a very bad person for a very long time, this is in line with that.
This law already exists by the way. The first action the IRS takes when ANY US citizen renounces their citizenship is to sue that person in tax court under the assumption that this is the only reason any person would do so. What Schumer is proposing is fairly close to a post hoc bill of attainder which is UN Constitutional.
I’m sorry, but the tax issue is absolutely irrelevant to the fact that Norquist is a raging anti-Semite, yet has the Republican party held hostage. You are missing the forest by concentrating on a tree.
The tax issue does not appear irrelevant to us who see American citizens hiding their wealth offshore from the IRS and getting away with it like Kerry and his wife, the Kennedys and others, but blatant hypocrisy.
As for putting America first this is not the impression we aliens get from the behaviour of the current inhabitants of Camelot and their influential circle.
Is this about Chuck Schumer? I’m not sure Norquist has been nearly as critical of him as some others have (including the Wisconsin-based Jews for The Preservation of Firearms Ownership).
It has nothing to do with the criticism of Schumer and everything to do with the hideous Nazi comparisons. Norquist is a dick. Also, according to some, a fifth columnist who serves America last.
That is fair. By the same token, however, I might suggest that television personality Bill Maher is also capable of extreme dickness. Lady from JPFO was on his program years ago arguing that *massive armed resistance* on the part of European Jews would’ve made Mr Hitler’s “Final Solution” much more difficult. Maher countered with the .. sad and horrifying statement that resistance to such military might would’ve been futile. In short, he sounded like the Texas judge who said to the rape victim, “you should’ve relaxed and enjoyed it.”