Election 2008: What are the choices?

People assume that just because I’m a member of the Democratic party I will blindly vote all the way down the ticket. I haven’t done this in the past, and I won’t do it now. I remain pleased with myself for having voted for Governor Tom Kean when I lived in New Jersey, and I voted for Congressman Tom Campbell when I lived in Silicon Valley. I think both are honorable men who generally did well on the issues while they were in office. Kean in particular did a good job of boosting NJ revenues, cutting taxes, and improving our school systems.

As an expatriate, as I recently discussed, I get to vote in federal elections, meaning senator, congress(wo)man, and senators, based on my last residence in the States, which was San Francisco. This means that soon – much sooner than most people – I will have to cast my ballot for the president and vice president, as well as for or against my current representative, Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It may be the case that she is a good speaker, but she has not been very vocal about it, and on more than one occasion I’ve felt very uncomfortable about her choices. As we will see, however, it would seem that her choices are really those of Barack Obama.

In the next few days we’ll go through some issues that you might find important, and see where the candidates stand. They’ll include Education, Foreign Policy, National Savings, The Internet, Crime & Civil Rights, and Healthcare, just to name a few.

Russians in Georgia? Blame us.

As I wrote not so long ago, The Great Bear has awoken and the Soviet Union is alive and well. According to CNN, Russia used cluster bombs to kill civilians in their attack on Georgia. This represents a war crime that could be taken to The International Criminal Court (ICC). Of course, Russia is not a member, and as it turns out, neither is the United States. Stepping away from the ICC was one of President Bush’s first activities, which means that in a (yet another) way, we are complacent to the crimes committed by the Russians. It also means that now is a good time for us to revisit signing and ratifying the Rome Statute that established the court and its jurisdiction.

The ICC exists because any country can go too far. It is not meant to usurp power from functioning democracies that enforce their laws, but is meant instead to provide redress to agrieved individuals and countries against dicatorships. Does this include Russia? I believe so. Russia has not yet demonstrated an impartial judiciary and prosecutorial service that provides oversight over the central government functions. Does it include the United States? I wouldn’t have said so until we began holding captives in Guantanamo Bay, and not providing due process. Torture at Guantanamo is particularly troubling. But it is nothing like the abuse currently going on in Georgia.

Taxation and Representation, Take 2

Voting in California is perhaps one of the closest experiences one can have to true democracy in America. Anything of substantial importance is presented to voters as a ballet initiative. And this is true for cities and counties within the state as well. I remember in November of 1992 voting on whether or not Officer Robert Geary should be able to bring his puppet Brendan O’Smarty in his patrol car. In 1988, my first year in California, the citizens rejected the abusive behaviors of insurance companies and voted themselves a rate cut.

When we left California for Switzerland I knew that as an American I would be able to vote for President and for Congress. What was less clear to me was whether I could vote as a Californian. As it turns out I could continue to vote in the California elections, just as I had in the past, but there is a catch: California would like their share of my income. And so I wondered: is this fair? I came to the conclusion that it was.

I wanted to continue to be part of the community in which I had immersed myself in 1998, but California has a justifiable concern that only those who are actually impacted by their choices of laws should have a say. Otherwise, since I’m not there, I could vote any which way with no consequence to myself or my family. I miss California, and it saddens me that I can’t be a part of the solution to the many problems Californians face. And those problems are substantial: the transportation network is failing, electricity and water supply is short, the education system remains strapped, and pollution remains a challenge.

Part of the reason for this blog is to share some of the experiences I’ve had in Switzerland so others might be able to apply them. I was in particular thinking about my friends in California.

Taxation and Representation

Many people have asked me what it’s like living in Switzerland, and how life differs from that of outside the United States. Some of the big differences are how one interacts with the U.S. government itself, and with the States. Let’s discuss two examples over the next few days and whether or not they are fair, the first one being everyone’s favorite subject, taxes.

Here’s one way things don’t change: no matter where you live in the world, if you are a U.S. citizen who receives any sort of income above a very minimal amount, you have to file a tax return. U.S. stands alone in this nearly unique way among other governments. In most other cases you only file taxes (if required at all) in the country in which you reside. However, just because one has to fill out paperwork doesn’t mean one ends up paying the same taxes one would pay as a resident.

The U.S. philosophy is basically this: if you’re paying taxes somewhere else, and you’re not actually working in America, then you can reduce your tax burden by the amount paid. That means that if you never travel to America and the tax rate is higher than what you would pay as a U.S. resident, you pay nothing. On the other hand, if you do visit and work during that visit, then that money is subject to tax. And if the American tax rate is higher than the country in which you reside, you end up paying the difference. It’s more complicated than that (there are housing credits, limits on those credits, an income exclusion, etc), but that’s the jist.

Is any of this easy? No. The amount of paperwork expatriates often have to complete for taxes can measure into the kilograms, just for simple returns. In addition, different tax systems may cause substantial amounts of confusion due to when obligations occur, and when tax bills are finalized, requiring substantial revision over time. And don’t even get me started if you have a more complex situation, like say stock options, whose value has to be accounted for between the time they were granted and the amount of time you’ve spent in the states.

Is this fair? It says that as a U.S. citizen you still have a societal obligation no matter where you live. If you are a citizen and have never lived in the U.S., it may seem unfair. But the government is supposed to be there to protect you if you get into trouble; and you also get to vote for your senator, congressman, and in the presidential race. Certainly to me this seems fair. Citizenship has its responsibilities. In Switzerland, for instance, male citizens must serve in the armed service. It would be unfair if expatriates had to pay a higher rate than other citizens. Depending on your point of view, that has in part taken place, but not to the point that it has impacted me personally.

The IRS has attempted to simplify things somewhat, and you can see their attempt here.

Back in the U.S.S.R.

You may have thought the Soviet Union long dead, and thus it should be, but it is not. When the Berlin Wall tumbled, so did an entire corrupt way of life for many bureaucrats and butchers. But under Boris Yeltsin an entire new wave of corruption came to exist in the form of the oligarghs. The reaction to those thieves was Vladamir Putin, who even though his puppet has been installed, still runs the show in Moscow.

Under Putin, yet another wave of thugery has gone on. One cannot criticize the government. Crime still runs rampant, only now it’s organized. Gangs run massive botnets. The Soviets have kicked out all foreign entrepeneurs they don’t like (read: anyone who invested in oil). And now the coup de grace: they are attacking their neighbors in Georgia.

President Bush has stood idly by and let all of this happen. The real threat isn’t Iraq, it’s Mr. Putin and his thugs. Perhaps he’s scared of getting beat up for saying these sorts of things. I am.