Years ago I heard Margaret Thatcher speak. It was a fantastic experience. During the speech she referred to:
“The United States – That Great Citadel of Freedom and Justice!”
Upon hearing those words I thought back to January 21, 1961 when John F. Kennedy assumed the presidency of the United States of America. During that speech he pledged a commitment to the survival and success of liberty. His speech included the following language:
“We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans—born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage—and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.3 Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.4 This much we pledge—and more.”
http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres56.html
On September 11, 2011 Osama Bin Laden attacked the United States. Bin Laden orchestrated the most horrific terrorist act in history. As a result, under the leadership of Presidents Bush and Obama, the United States of America – “that great citadel of freedom and justice” – initiated laws, regulations and policies that has resulted in the destruction of the United States. In the words of A.C. Grayling:
“If the governments of liberal democracies incrementally reduce the liberties of their people, they will thereby achieve on the terrorists’ behalf what the terrorists wish, which is to harm the targeted society and undermine its institutions and traditions.” – pg. 263
– A.C. Grayling – Toward The Light of Liberty
The U.S. has `turned its back` on its constitutional origins. It has undermined its institutions and traditions. The U.S. is not the country that I grew up in. There are at least three reasons/circumstances which have contributed to this.
First – An Irrational Response To Terror – The U.S. Has Simply Decided That The War On Terror (which seems to be one sided) is More Important Than Human Rights
The Patriot Act, FATCA and the enforcement of the dormant provisions of FBAR, are evidence that the United States has become an insular and paranoid state. The United States treats its expat citizens as though they are criminals. The IRS has waging a reign of terror on expat American Citizens Abroad. The principal architects of this initiative are Carl Levin, (he believes there is no good reason to have a foreign bank account), Timothy Geithner (having direct supervision over the IRS) and President Obama (who signed the FACTA provisions into law). The IRS has destroyed the lives of hard working, honest expat U.S. citizens. To learn more about this – read this blog. How can the collateral damage that these provisions have had on expats be ignored? For a better understanding listen to this radio interview about the effects of FATCA on U.S. expats.
Second – A Level of Debt That Has Crippled The Country
In the final analysis debt has crippled the world’s great powers. In fact the United States assumed global leadership from England because of England’s debt. It is interesting that England tried to impose capital controls to keep people and their money in the country. FATCA – “neutron bomb of the financial system” – is an attempt to keep capital and therefore people in the United States. FATCA is the “Berlin Wall” of the United States. The United States will cease to be a great power because of its excessive debt. Sir John Templeton – one of the world’s greatest investors – once said that:
“Those who spend too much will eventually be owned by those who are thrifty.”
China has a very high savings rate. China also owns a mind boggling amount of U.S. debt. China wants it currency to become the reserve currency of the world. China has stated that it will NOT comply with FATCA. The United States government pays massive interest payment to China each year. As Mark Steyn has pointed out – these interest payments provide China with the money to build and build and build (this means increase) its military. Does that sound pleasant?
“By 2010, about half our debt was owned by foreigners, and somewhere over a quarter of that was held by the Chinese (officially).
What does that mean? In 2010, the U.S. spent about $663 billion on its military, China about $78 billion. If the People’s Republic carries on buying American debt at the rate it has in recent times, then within a few years U.S. interest payments on that debt will be covering the entire cost of the Chinese armed forces. In 2010, the Pentagon issued an alarming report to Congress on Beijing’s massive military buildup, including new missiles, upgraded bombers, and an aircraft carrier research and development program intended to challenge U.S. dominance in the Pacific. What the report didn’t mention is who’s paying for it.
Answer: Mr. and Mrs. America.”
http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/08/18/get-ready-for-armageddon/
Third – The United States Is The Home Of The World’s Most Dysfunctional Democracy
Two private clubs – the Republican and Democrat parties control the U.S. political system. Both parties (although there may be individual exceptions) are more interested in playing partisan politics than in providing good government for the country. It is time to encourage Independent Candidates and (if we must have them) more political parties. Of course, as Ralph Nader has proven, it is very difficult for an Independent candidate for president to get on the ballot in every state.
Micky Edwards writing in the Atlantic Monthly comments that:
“This is not an accident. Ours is a system focused not on collective problem-solving but on a struggle for power between two private organizations. Party activists control access to the ballot through closed party primaries and conventions; partisan leaders design congressional districts. Once elected to Congress, our representatives are divided into warring camps. Partisans decide what bills to take up, what witnesses to hear, what amendments to allow.
Many Americans assume that’s just how democracy works, that this is how it’s always been, that it’s the system the Founders created. But what we have today is a far cry from what the Founders intended. George Washington and James Madison both warned of the dangers posed by political parties. Defenders of the party system argue that parties—including Madison’s own—arose almost immediately after the nation was founded. But those were not parties in the modern sense: they were factions uniting on a few major issues, not marching in lockstep on every issue, large and small. And while some defend the party system as a necessary provider of cues to voters who otherwise might not know how to vote, the Internet and mass media now make it possible for voters to educate themselves about candidates for office.”
Independents are the largest voting block in the United States. In fact, it was “independent voters” who elected Obama. It will be “independent voters” who elect Mitt Romney (just my guess). After all, it is the Obama administration that has brought us FATCA (which will mean the end of the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency) and the reign of terror over American Citizens abroad.
In addition, it is hard for many Americans to vote. They are required to register.
The United States has the least effective democracy of any of the world’s democracies.
Ronald Reagan and the Importance Of Enduring Principles
Ronald Reagan, one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history started out as a Democrat. When asked why he had left the Democrats, he answered that he had not left the Democrats, that the Democrats left me.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20111011184103AATbnhX
Like many other U.S. expats, I grew up at a time when Margaret Thatcher was correct – the United States was “a great citadel of freedom of justice”.
By abandoning its ideals and constitutional roots, the United States has handed victory to Bin Laden. The answer to terror is more democracy and more freedom!
Through its inability to control its spending, the United States, has made itself subservient to its creditors.
By allowing Democrats and Republicans to control the political process, the United States has become the world’s most dysfunctional democracy.
I believe in freedom and justice. I intend to renounce U.S. citizenship. But I am not leaving the United States. The United States, and all that it once stood for, has clearly left me!
God Bless What Used To Be America!
U.S. Persons Abroad - Members of a Unique Tax, Form and Penalty Club 
I agree completely that America has lost its ideals.