Tuesday, May 29, 2012

You and your money?

Reichsfluchsteuer – literally translated, means “Reich flight tax”, is well and alive today.  First used in Germany in 1931, for those wishing to flee the country – they only had to pony up 25%.  (This was before the Nuremburg laws regarding Jews).  They wanted your money, and you couldn’t leave the country without paying. 

Switch to this year – Chuckie Schumer, has evidently read some history and thought “hot damn! We can make some good money off people!” by proposing the US’s own version of Reichsfluchsteuer – the “Ex-Patriot Act”.  I suppose by wrapping it in the red, white and blue, Schumer hopes to make this less reprehensible. 

I found the full text of the law http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/s3205/text”>HERE, and I have some thoughts on this bill. 


Really? So we take their money, which they legally have gained, and wish to avoid the hand of the government that robs people of money, and keeps them out of the US forever? Why?  Why is it thought that people earning lots of money is BAD, and them KEEPING their own money is even worse?

I found out that people that are American citizens, living abroad, have to pay money on what they earn to the US government.  I’m kind of like “why?” 

The co-sponsors to this (no surprise, all D’s) are as follows:

Sen. Benjamin Cardin [D-MD] (joined May 23, 2012)
Ron Paul has something to say on this as well.  He refers to the government as a “tyrannical regime”, and that only tyrannies need to take the people’s money before they are “allowed to leave”.   He has on his http://www.ronpaul.com/2012-05-28/ron-paul-the-ex-patriot-act-americas-berlin-wall-for-tax-refugees/page about it,


This all goes back to “whose money is it?” that you earn for your slaving away at your job.  Does it belong to the government?  Or does it belong to you? 


  1. I forgot to add - this is only one of the planks of the communist manifesto that the US has implemented: the 4th plank > CONFISCATION OF THE PROPERTY OF ALL EMIGRANTS AND REBELS. (The confiscation of property and persecution of those critical - "rebels" - of government policies and actions, frequently accomplished by prosecuting them in a courtroom drama on charges of violations of non-existing administrative or regulatory laws.)

  2. Diane:
    Ahh, those marvelous days of the Weimar Republic (1888-1933) when it took a wheelbarrow FULL of money to buy a loaf of bread...
    Didn't quite work out as they PLANNED, did it?

    I always love learning stuff, and this post sure taught me a LOT
    Very eye-opening stuff.

    As to "my" money...?
    When the FEDS tax it, then the STATE taxes it, and even (in some places) the CITY taxes it, and then I have to ALSO pay SALES TAX...I figure whatEVER the hell is left over...is MINE...period!!!

    Now THAT is too "taxing" for me...lol
    (almost forgot the TAXES on interest EARNED by MY money...which should also be MINE...)

    Great post.

    Stay safe (and less-taxed) down there.

  3. Planned economies never work. As far as TAXES go, Feedthepig.org has a great little calculator to figure out your basic total tax bite >> http://www.feedthepig.org/node/43582

    Don't forget your property tax, where you pay rent to the city for the privilege of owning your own property :P

  4. Hey !

    I just wanted to let you know I´m a german student sitting in class and reading your blog right now ! We´re doing some kind of project and my part is about the rural life in Texas.

    Oh, and, as a german, I can tell it´s either "Reichsflugsteuer" ( if it´s about flying ) oder "Reichsfluchtsteuer" ( if it´s about "escaping" from the country - I consider, that is the right meaning, isn´t it ? )

    Many greetings from Germany !

  5. Hello Anonymous - and welcome - It's about escaping from the country - so it would be Reichsfluchtsteuer.

    I took German years ago in high school, but missed the trip to Germany back in 1979.

    Quite a few Germans that were POW's from WW2 ended up returning to Texas and settled. In the local history book of our county, there was a German POW camp here, and they picked cotton.