Is it really Friday again? Big week here at TDV, as we launched TDV Homegrown, an exciting initiative that will do great things in helping to grow our community of freedom lovers. Other than that, what's going on? Well, judging from your email, you want out of the USSA. Read on, friends, read on…
IS A SLAVE IN THE USSA A SLAVE THE WORLD OVER?
Dear TDV,
I would like to think that moving off of the USSA slavery plantation and onto the Mexican slavery plantation would be better, but wouldn't I still be a slave on the Mexican plantation? But maybe just have some more "freedoms" allowed by the slave master? In reference to the article here.
David A.
Jeff’s Response:
Yes, you would still be a slave. Unfortunately there is not one truly free place on earth. The entire planet is covered with goverments like some sort of horrible skin disease (to quote Doug Casey). There is no place where you can be absolutely certain of not being aggressed against or having your property stolen by government.
But there are places where government aggression and theft is far less likely and less outrageous when it does occur. It just takes some changes to your mindset to appreciate this. Here is one example. A US citizen was staying at our hotel in Acapulco and he was very upset. A cop had pulled him over (that does happen sometimes if you have a rental car – it's like having a target on your back) and he ended up giving the cop the equivalent of about $20 for whatever transgression the cop said he had committed. The American was so upset that he even thought about cutting his vacation short and going back to the US… until I asked him, "Well, when you get pulled over in the US, how much do you have to give them?" He looked at me puzzled and then responded, "Well, I recently got a ticket for $250." So I said, "So, it's much better here," to which he responded, "No, this is far worse… here they just put it in their pocket!"
As a rule Americans prefer outrageous theft from an efficient state which can't be argued with…as long as the correct procedures are followed…to a corrupt, inefficient state where you can talk or easily and cheaply buy your way out of being kidnapped or stolen from.
The average police salary including benefits is six figures in the US. I'd rather pay $20 every now and then to the petty uniformed criminals in Mexico than $250 every now and then to the officious, low IQ, uniformed thugs in the US. I had a friend once who talked his way out of a fine in Mexico by taking the cop with him to a local bar and buying him some beers… that's not likely to happen in the US! In fact, if you get pulled over by someone like Sherrif Joe in Phoenix you will be lucky if he doesn't force you at gunpoint into a pink underwear and a jumpsuit and throw you in the desert.
TAKING GOLD WITH YOU
Hello,
I want to carry gold coins on a plane from the USSA to South America. These coins are double eagles denominated $50 dollars each. The question: being that the coins are lawful money of account and if spent in a store are is only worth $50, and the customs asks you if you are carrying more than $10,000 in various instruments, what amount do you have to declare, if any, the face value or the value of the gold?
Vin Maru’s Response:
As far as we know, at the moment there is no specific law which prohibits you from transporting precious metals. The Treasury department requires you to declare monetary instruments over $10,000 and you must submit Form 105, the Report of International Transportation of Currency or Monetary Instruments (CMIR). Here are some links where you can find the form FinCEN Form 105 and a copy of the currency reporting flyer for US Customs and Border Protection. This is required by CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) and there are both civil and criminal penalties for not filing, or filing a false report. FinCEN defines monetary instrument to include any nation’s coin or currency, traveler’s checks, negotiable instruments (like an endorsed or blank check), and securities in bearer form. FinCEN must not consider precious metals (bar form) to be a monetary instrument, as there is no mention of gold or silver. However, there are some gold and silver coins that are considered legal tender including American eagle gold and silver coins but this is a “grey area” in understanding and interpreting the rules for what ‘currency’ is, according to a FinCen administrative ruling (see ruling) :
The term ‘currency’ is defined in our regulation as ‘the coin and paper money of the United States or of any other country that (1) is designated as legal tender, (2) circulates, and (3) is customarily used and accepted as a medium of exchange in the country of issuance.’ Coins or paper money must satisfy all three conditions to be considered ‘currency’; a failure to satisfy one prong means that the payment instrument is not ‘currency’ for CMIR purpose. Our regulation further enumerates certain payment instruments that it considers "currency": U.S. silver certificates, U.S. notes and Federal Reserve notes, and official foreign bank notes that are customarily used and accepted as a medium of exchange in a foreign country.
The potential loophole is that these coins do not circulate and they are not customarily used and accepted as a medium of exchange and thus an argument can be made that they are not a currency. So you are able to take American Eagles gold coins outside of the US with a face value of $50.00 and you can declare them as $50.00 per coin. This way you should be allowed to transport 200 coins for a total face value of $10,000; however, much depends on the customs agent on duty at the time and his understanding of the rules. If you plan on taking these coins down south, we suggest you understand all the rules and have a copy of them on hand in case a border patrol agent starts questioning the coins. With more capital controls and uncertainty around the rules and laws, you want avoid any potential problem or get put on some “Black List”.
If you plan on taking other gold bullion products (bars or raw gold) out of the US, you should also look at the rules from the Census Bureau’s Foreign Trade Division. Deep in the Foreign Trade Regulations, title 15 CFR Part 30, there is a requirement to report the export of any single commodity from the United States that exceeds $2,500 through something called the Automated Export System (AES). If you are looking at taking large quantity bullion products out of the US, we suggest using a professional transportation company which will help you with all the customs paper work, logistics, and secured transportation of your precious metals. You are better off having a company that is experience in transportation of precious metals so you can be assured that your bullion arrives safely and legally. Even if you are personally taking bullion worth over $2,500 over the border we suggest you speak to a customs broker and have all the necessary paper work filled out before hand.
This is only a suggested guideline for taking gold and silver Legal Tender coins and other bullion products outside of the US, you should consult your legal and financial advisor first before doing so. Also it is highly recommended that you research and consult with a specialist in the country you plan on taking your gold to, they may have other rules and regulations regarding assets you can bring into their country. We never said transporting gold across borders would be easy, but it can be done. For more details on how to internationalize your precious metals and a list of companies that can assist you, we suggest getting a copy of Getting your Gold out of Dodge. There is a wealth of information and contacts in this report to help you get underway and having a copy provides you access to our special TDV forum for GYGOOD.
Regards,
Vin Maru
Editor of GYGOOD and TDV Golden Trader
Hey Jeff,
I have a short question related to what is going on in the USSA and, to a great extent, the effort by the stalwarts of democracy to revoke any person's passport if they suggest you owe them money. That almost happened this year and I'm not convinced that it won't happen in the lame-ass congress after the election.
Not everyone who sees the heiroglyphics on the wall can afford to acquire a second passport quickly. I know that a Paraguay passport can be had in 3 – 4 years with minimal investment. Sooner with a not so minimal investment. Same applies to other locales. But what does the poor schmuck (where did that word come from?) who can't afford a quick passport do?
Right or wrong, I was one of those schmucks who stood on principle. I studied the tax laws, the Constitutional Amendments, and the Supreme Court decisions. I realized that the 16th Amendment granted congress no new taxing authority. I understand that taxes can only be levied upon gain, meaning that all labour is worth nothing if it can be taxed. I have managed to acquire a second passport, but what of all those who haven't? What is some poor victim, living the expat life, to do when his passport is revoked? He's barely scraping by now, can't afford to buy a second pp, and is suddenly left stranded is some place, outside the USSA, without a valid passport. Other than renouncing citizenship and becoming stateless, what are the options?
That leads to another question. I am of the opinion that I do not need permission to revoke citizenship. As a sovereign human that is my right. Unfortunately, the guys with the big guns don't always agree. So, is revocation of citizenship recognized if the revocee is not in agreement?
Any light?
Thanks,
Steve
Jeff's Response:
You can do anything you want in life. You can choose to follow their rules… or not… but you have to always be prepared to accept the consequences of your actions. In fact, that is the creed that would be followed in an anarchist society where there is no government enforcing "law": do whatever you want, but be prepared as those around you will react to your actions as they see fit.
Everyone has their own decisions to make… but we find, at this point in time, the easiest and best (although not cheapest) route is to play the governments' little games and adhere to their extortionistic rules and violent threats. The US Government is everywhere… they are even at this conference I am attending in Panama (more on that in the Weekend Vigilante tomorrow). It is hard to stay away from their all-seeing eye and for that reason it is best to play nicely with the beast until you can legally detach from it. If it were up to me, I'd say just ignore them. If enough people did that, they'd just go away. Within days Barack O'Bomber would be working somewhere as a janitor. Or maybe go back to community organizing… whatever that is. But, because many of your friends and neighbors all believe in collectivism and the state, they will kill you or kidnap you if you don't give them your money and adhere to their rules and regulations.
There really is no "we"… there is only "I" and "you." Collective identity is a fiction used to justify political rather than free market action. All a person can do is live his own life as free as possible despite what anyone else is doing. That's why we started TDV Homegrown… for those who can't afford to get out right now. In the inaugural issue Gary Gibson and Justin O'Connell gave advice on how to maximize your money and time when it came to nutrition… Gary also told of a cost-free, risk-free way to invest in real money at the government's expense. We've also made TDV Homegrown our most affordable newsletter because we figured our audience would have already bought other passports if cost were no object.
What if the USSA won't let you go? What if you can't leave anyway? TDV Homegrown is our attempt to help you navigate life as a "guest" of the USSA plantation. You can learn more about getting TDV Homegrown by clicking here.
Gary's Note: "Schmuck" is a naughty Yiddish word for "penis" and connotes an obnoxious idiot, kind of like "dick" in English. I am happy to answer questions like that here…but in TDV Homegrown I will be focusing on answers that will enhance your ability to remain in the USSA and still enjoy health, liberty and weatlh. Be sure to check out TDV Homegrown here for more.
Dear TDV,
I wish to convey to you our thoughts regarding the real estate development market for expat communities. We have witnessed, across the past fifteen years, the trickle of people relocating beyond the grasp of their birth-government become a steady stream. We anticipate that this stream will soon become quite a flood of peoples seeking safer less volatile areas to make their new home. (…And eventually a veritable explosion of peoples seeking a way out, likely too late by that time. Having 'helped' some come from Myanmar to Thailand in my past few years, who knows…maybe someday we will be accepting 'boat people' from Kalifornia and helping them settle in Mexico or further down. Ha, truly an underground railroad!)
Studies indicate a fairly large percentage of the population are or have considered relocating overseas or beyond the border. But most of them have never traveled extensively, and most never have traveled beyond Leviathan's border at all. Thus many are hesitant, many are afraid as they anticipate the 'great unknown' while attempting to throw off a lifetime of ingrained fear-based paranoia. "Overseas" is that dangerous place filled with unsavory characters just awaitin' the poor sop who foolishly strays beyond the protecting and nurturing shield of the Master. Sarcasm aside, in reality it is true as witnessed by the extensive media efforts to portray "overseas" as dangerous and those who leave the US as "traitors" or "disloyal". (ugh)
But therein lies the opportunity to have a real positive impact in the lives and very futures of the families of the ones awakening… The availability of communities catering specifically to the needs of the expat are few and far between. Given my anticipations of the future, there is little possible belief that current development rates can keep up with the growing trends for this niche. From our perspective, developing real estate communities designed/targeted for the expatriating masses are extremely viable. The need is great. The demand is tremendous. And the impact of an expat real estate development is key in regards to assisting them in making that leap out of their home country with 'peace of mind'. These developments are a stepping-stone when properly designed with infrastructure, rental pools, marketing efforts, and "support systems / staff" covering the core set of diverse needs for the expat to give them the confidence and security to make the move. We are enabling them to secure themselves, their assets, and their families in one wrapped-up, bow-tied package. Of course there are pitfalls. But in my opinion, most are at project intiation not on the tail end. Judicious selection of the property, price-point of property, costing of infrastructure and design/layout are all of course key to the success of the project. Your winnings are at your purchase, not at your sale. Akin to equities, buy right-plan right, and all else takes care of itself.
Please give us an idea of about when you anticipate being able to release more info regarding the new development. We wish to be a part of this (contributing both equity as well as active participation if desired conducting analysis, layout/design, management, et cetera) and a part of many future developments. We are not in it for the quick buck. These are initiatives that need time and nurturing to fruition.
Thank you for all you do!
A.K. – Thailand
Jeff’s response:
We agree wholeheartedly, A.K. And, we’ve had hundreds of similar emails from other people that echo the same remarks so we know we are really on to something. Depending on the success of our first development in Chile – which I fully expect to be a massive success – we will then likely move on to other communities worldwide. Eventually, if you were an owner in just one of the developments you could even exchange housing with owners in one of the other developments should you want a change of scenery for a few weeks or months. We are incredibly excited to get started on this. If you are interested in becoming a founding member of the community and investor in the project, you can contact us at foundersclub@tdvmedia.com. Or, if you just would like to be kept abreast as things develop and once we begin selling lots, you can send us your contact info to galtsgulch@tdvmedia.com and we’ll keep you in the loop as things develop. To your freedom!
