Hello from the beach in beautiful Ambergris Caye in Belize,
I'm here at the Global Escape Hatch conference in Ambergris Caye. But, don't worry! I didn't have to go through the US this time, and won't on my way back. In fact, I always avoid it all costs. On a recent trip with TDV's general manager, Michael Bach, to the Dominican Republic we had to fly through the US to get there. He hadn't flown through the US in over 10 years (since before 9/11) and he was so shocked at how horrible it is now that he changed his return flight back to Acapulco and flew all the way to South America (Colombia) instead of the shorter route back through Miami.
Not to mention that usually when I travel through the US, even if its just for a connecting flight, I get stuck there. Usually, I miss my flight because a certain TSA agent had an eye for me – and, unfortunately, it is usually a guy. Instead, this time around, I cleverly avoided the US altogether, as I would suggest anyone traveling the world do unless they absolutely cannot.
On my flight from Acapulco to Mexico City, I thought about the beauty of being able to avoid the center of the Federal Reserve Pillaging System. Then, I flew to Chetumal – which by the way – is a lovely small town about three hours south of Cancun – I was met at the airport and shown around town by a typically wonderful TDV subscriber who has been wintering six months of the year in Chetumal, from Canada, for 30 years. If you like quiet, beautiful small towns on the beach in the Caribbean, I recommend you go. We'll be starting up a TDV Group for subscribers upon my return with them and so if you are interested in going and checking it out, I am sure David or his other good friend, George, would be happy to give you the same treatment and meet you at the airport and give you the lay of the land. As well, this week we added Barcelona, Spain and Slovenia to our list of TDV Groups headed up by freedom minded expats and locals who are very happy to meet other like minded individuals and help you with whatever you need. As example, I asked George how much a decent lot of land one block off the ocean costs in Chetumal. He knows land for under $10,000. I then asked him how much would it cost to build a simple, small house. You might be just as surprised as me to find out it was around $10,000 to build a house. Of course, arriving in a new location and figuring out who the best contractors and realtors are is fraught with risk and being overcharged. That's one of the best things about TDV Groups is you can get much more trustworthy advice from people that we have vetted in countries around the world.
After spending most of the day in Chetumal I hopped on a two hour water ferry to Ambergis Caye. I definitely did not think about the Bush Crime Family in Constitution-Free Zone Houston or cringe at the sight of the ghetto-like Constitution Free Zone Miami Airport. Instead, i peered out at the crystal blue ocean and the sky that took on the oceans' colors like an emerald.
Right now, though, I'm thinking of the many people who say they are stuck in the US for some reason, and shudder when I think of all the hearts and minds at risk of a Stalin-esque purge. It reminds me of a Russian family we recently covered in the TDV Newsletter. After having seen his brother murdered by Communists, this particular individual packed up some needed utensils, tools, clothes and bibles, and hiked 140 Kilometers into the middle of the Taiga tundra. In this brutal environment, the family survived for 40 years before being discoverd by Soviet scientists, some members having never seen any outside human.
I've now been here for a few days and the sold out Global Escape Hatch conference has been another amazing time with great people who are all considering how they can de-slave themselves from the state. It's also been amazing hanging out with some really amazing people like Stefan Molyneux of FreeDomain Radio and Paul Rosenberg, founder of CryptHippie. If you missed out on this opportunity I am very happy to let you know that I've been invited to the Liberty Forums in St. Kitts this May. There'll be some amazing speakers there including Doug Casey and Rick Rule, two of my favorite anarcho-capitalists and the entire focus of the conference will be how to internationalize your wealth as well as your self.
If you are in the US, and can read (which is rare, a news article today stated that 80% of New York high school graduates can't read at anything above a grade four level), you probably already know the writing is on the wall: You might not get out in time. But why put yourself in the situation? You have to really ask yourself: Am I a masochist? After all, your government is already looking down on your travel. Let me show you why…
An internal passport system in the Soviet Union ensured that travel was blatantly restricted. Keeping people in their cities and homes was an early goal of the Bolshevik Party. In a subtler manner, the USSA has implemented travel controls by taxing tourists as much as cigarettes and alcohol on the services they need while travelling.
For instance, Chicago's tax on beer is about 9%, which pales in comparison to the 16.4% tax on hotel rooms and 23% tax on car rentals at O'Hare International Airport. Travel costs in Chicago are the highest in the nation, and they include a 2% tax for a new Chicago White Sox stadium. Baltimore and Washington, DC also levy heavy "tax-fines" on its tourists. In Baltimore, taxes on rental cars are 40% of the total on corporate rates, and 25% at least on regular rates. At the Las Vegas airport, on the other hand, taxes and fees for car rentals exceed 100% of the rental rate. San Mateo County, Calif. recently raised taxes 11% at the San Francisco International Airport.
Finally, Boston just announced the building of a new stadium for the Red Sox – $80 million. They will only use the stadium for 10-12 games per year. County residents there were told not to worry, as the tax dollars for the project will not come from local sources. "Bed taxes" on tourism will take care of the bill.
In Phoenix, Arizona – thanks to an airport tax, city tax, county tax, state tax and concession tax on rental cars at compounding rates – a rental car went from the price of $350 to $600.
It is well-known that high government taxation on alcohol and cigarettes are designed to discourage use, but are tourism taxes intended to do the same or are they merely to pay for deficits? Or both? What's more, while taxes on cigarettes and alcohol don't necessarily discourage use, travel service providers say the taxes do dampen travel demand. People just aren't leaving their suburb, and thus their minds take on the shape of their suburban home: square. I absolutely HATE squares!
Global Business Travel Association posit that travelers pay taxes that are, on average, 57% higher than if they paid the general sales tax in different jurisdictions. Naturally, car-rental companies and airlines say heavy taxes on their services stifle demand. Smaller cars or no travel are chosen by individuals instead of paying taxes on cars that sometimes exceed the car cost.
The US Travel Association, a nonprofit industry group, discovered that 49% of respondents had changed plans due to high travel taxes. They either stayed in less-expensive hotels or spent less on shopping and entertainment – or both. Ten percent of people disclosed that they had changed their city choice for trips because of tax considerations.
17 potential taxes and fees taken by the federal government add to costs on airline tickets. Passengers are forced to pay a federal excise tax to help fund the Federal Aviation Administration, and is responsible for funding the Transportation Security Administration (and thus many molestations of Yours Truly), as well as fees incurred due to international inspections. There are even fees charged by airports for passing through terminals.
In 2009, during the Swine Flu “outbreak,” Joe Biden took the opportunity to go on record and say that he would not go on a plane to fly anywhere. And now, due to the sequester, DHS head Janet Napolitano has said peak wait times could double to four hours, and told airline executives to prepare to change schedules due to longer lines at the TSA checks. “There may come a time when the wait times are such you need to analyze connecting times,” Napolitano said. “We can see a time where there will be a lot of missed connections. I’m not trying to alarm you. I’m trying to educate you.”
No thanks to that! I already have enough reason to drink. I'll do my best to avoid the US from now on. Although, for those of you "stuck" there, don't be afraid not to cower at the face of power-hungry USSA plenipotentiaries:
So, what’s so bad about travel? Aside from taxation without representation, all these taxes dissuade US residents from moving about. And then, let's talk about the chances that you'll actually be kidnapped or molested on the road. How much does that dissuade you from going outside? After all, you do know that you can magically die for no reason when in state-thug custody, don't you?
I definitely am very happy I do not have to live everyday with that burden hanging over my head!
Why spend your days in a place where peoples’ minds are stifled because they can’t afford to go outside and play? TDV Passports can help you along your journey to seeing the world in a whole new light.
