This year, nearly half of US households will escape the federal income tax. That's a pretty sweet deal if you can get it, but for those who pick up the slack, redistribution feels more like robbery.
As the IRS gets tougher on the more productive segment of our population, more Americans are severing U.S. Ties.
There are complicated reasons for this development, but as tax day approaches, this news might encourage more Americans to think about looking for greener pastures.
Which nations enjoy the most economic freedom? Here are the top 5, according to the Heritage Foundation:
- Hong Kong
- Singapore
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Ireland
Sadly, the U.S. of A. is only #8.
The Heritage Foundation's 2010 Index of Economic Freedom was determined on the basis of ten components: business freedom, trade freedom, fiscal freedom (based on tax rates), government spending, monetary freedom, investment freedom, financial freedom (determined by government influence), property rights, freedom from corruption, labor freedom.
Question of the day:
If you were to leave the United States to go live somewhere else, where would you go?
14 comments:
I asked that question last month. http://the-right-guy.blogspot.com/2010/03/if-obama-wins.html
What a gut-wrenching question. I love my Country too much to leave it -- even if it means going off the cliff right along with it. I don't know that I like the thought of living anywhere but here. I think this underscores the need to stand up and prevent the idiots at the helm from driving us over the cliff.
@Sober:
Remember that all of us had ancestors that where tired of oppression and the lack of opportunity from wherever they came from and came here. As far as I am concerned, the losers stayed behind. Same goes for America. We aren't going to last forever. 234 years is a long run. It may go a lot longer, but at what point is enough, enough? The bigger issue is, if things fail here, where to? Currently, there are no other countries I know of that offer economic and personal freedom, that respect natural rights. At that point, are you willing to settle for less than America America? May be if we move somewhere en masse, we can change the country where we are going. It's worked for Kalifornians and Muslims.
SS: I want to keep fighting, but I have to wonder if this country offers the best opportunity for my kid.
TRG: I agree. This experiment with freedom has lasted longer than most probably would have expected. Maybe it's time to build a new and better model of freedom.
RK, I'm too old to leave. I'd rather stay and fight for my son and my grandchildren. Also, there are other alternatives. If we can't win in November of this year or in 2012, Walter Williams advocates separation (secession?). He says...
"I believe we are nearing a point where there are enough irreconcilable differences between those Americans who want to control other Americans and those Americans who want to be left alone that separation is the only peaceable alternative."
Those who "want to control" can then go to Hell in their own handbasket.
Here's the link to Williams: http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=529360
Dapper Dan: Thanks for sharing that article. I guess I missed it. It's a good one. I agree, we're at the breaking point.
USA all the way, even with these guys running things.
I too have thought that sometimes only secession is the only choice we will have left. Texas and Alaska are probably the best places for this to happen. Here in California, we have pretty much seceded already into pretty much a Socialist State. We are an alien nation compared to the rest of the country and are taxed to death here. Texas is looking really good to us about right now.
But the good news is that many Californians are waking up and you have to look really hard to find someone who will admit to voting for One Big Ass Mistake America. Even those we know that voted for him have a hard time saying they did. Yes, I know that there are still many who are proud of it but just the fact that there are now just as many who are not, is a good sign.
Hubby's Union did not want this Health Care bill as it is now and my brother-in-law's Union did not either. I think this is a good sign if even the Unions are waking up now. All is not right in this country and many are seeing the light. We want changes, just not these changes.
Hopefully we will balance the power in this government and like DD we need to stay and fight. Even when our ancestors came here they had to fight to keep this country great. Should we just give up in defeat and leave, or stay and and join in the good fight. I think that if those who believe in our Constitional freedoms continue to leave, then those who want to change it will win. Do we want that to happen?
The real question is: Are we brave enough to stay and fight or are we cowards and run away? I do hope that we can all be brave enough to stay and make a last stand. Custard would be proud.
God bless.
GREAT article!
Great post RK and you received some very thought provoking comments. My husband has brought this subject up (people leaving the USA...he mentioned Australia as a possible destination). I cannot imagine doing this as I am not ready to stop fighting. I love America and can't give up on it...at least not yet.
We have a friend who is researching Costa Rica and is considering a move. I don't know much about Costa Rica other than there are retired Americans living there...apparently something must be drawing them.
I took your poll and chose New Zealand. I'm glad to see it's the most popular place so far. At least I'll be have some "friends" there when we make the grand exodus.
Forgot to mention that I linked to this post over at the TCL FB page.
RV: We'll throw a bunch of the bums out in November. Hopefully the new ones will listen to us.
Mrsupole: I intend to stay and fight..for a few more years, at least. But there's so much power concentrated in Washington now, I don't know if it can be broken up without a real crisis.
ILBR: Thank you.
TCL: Thanks for the link. We will keep fighting. But we'll have to come to terms with the fact that we're not just fighting leftists and Democrats.
We're fighting lazy Republicans who see how unpopular ObamaCare but who still don't really care to put up a fight: http://bit.ly/cqc3kY
We're fighting republicans like Mark Kirk who think that conservatism means conserving Obamacare: http://z.pe/5qD1
We're fighting Big Pharma, the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the Federation of American Hospitals, the Business Roundtable and such individual companies as Wal-Mart.
http://is.gd/aT4E9
"Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty." Ronald Reagan
RK, First thanks for visiting my humble blog EconomyPolitics.com. You thought technoviking was strange. LOL
Great Commentary on leaving the country. I think it would be interesting to look at how many left the country now versus 2000, when hollywood threatened to leave en masse.
I couldn't help from opining on Economic Freedom, or the loss of which, in the United States. I'm not sure if you noticed, but the first 7 places on the Heritage list are considered "Free". The US is no longer Free, we are now just "Mostly Free".
I am in Canada, and it is surprising how they are shocked at how socialists we are becoming. I mean they scoff at executive pay limits.
EconomyPolitics has a index of their own of economic freedom which gathers economic freedom information from a number of sources and comes up with their own number. You may find interesting to see what other polls have to say.
http://www.economypolitics.com/2009/12/first-annual-economypolitics-global_18.html
Keep writing and I'll keep reading.
EP: Thanks for stopping by. And thanks for the link. It's really sad when Canada starts laughing at us.
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