Outraged American to Renounce His US Citizenship

[KiwiCoromandel]

February 11 2005

Outraged American to Renounce His US Citizenship

An American businessman who has lived in Christchurch since 2001 says he will formally renounce his US citizenship on March 1 2005 to disassociate himself forever with the United States Government and its policies.

Harmon Wilfred says he has been considering the value of his US birthright for many months and made a final decision to renounce his citizenship shortly after the inauguration of President George W. Bush for a second term of presidency. However he says his decision, which is permanent and irreversible, is far more than a political gesture.........

read more...........

http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0502/S00088.htm

[Redneck4sure]

Looks like the liberals lost another vote.

[KiwiCoromandel]

Looks like the liberals lost another vote.

i was going to tag the item as being from the " redneck will no doubt have a robust comment about this " department........ :rolleyes:

[Redneck4sure]

i was going to tag the item as being from the " redneck will no doubt have a robust comment about this " department........ :rolleyes:

I don't know about "robust" but I couldn't pass on the comment.

He seems like a decent guy. I hope he will be happy in NZ. I may see if I can move in next door to him down there and lower his property value. Can I bring tons-o-guns??? :)

[KiwiCoromandel]

I don't know about "robust" but I couldn't pass on the comment.

He seems like a decent guy.  I hope he will be happy in NZ.  I may see if I can move in next door to him down there and lower his property value.  Can I bring tons-o-guns??? :)

as many as you like mate..the huntings great down here, wild pigs, deer and politically correct feminists, many of whom are currently in the labour/progressive coalition government running nz at the moment.......we have a woman prime minister...our govt is seen as left wing , especially by our large neighbour, aussie , which of course has a conservative liberal coalition government..... but really we have an economically centre - right govt that follows free market policies, but is very liberal on social issues....for example we just had the passing of the civil union bill into law down here which pretty much legalises gay marriage and the right of gays to be parents and that sort of thing...single mothers get a lot of govt help down here and we have quite a generous welfare system...(although whether that is sustainable remains to be seen)....also we have a policy of not allowing vessels with nuclear weapons on board into new zealand ports....the bush govt has been pressuring our govt to change that policy, because it makes things very difficult when american military vessels want to berth in nz ports as your navy has a policy of "neither confirm or deny "..an american vessel had to turn around and head to aussie a few months ago because they wouldn`t say whether there were nuclear weapons on board or not..put it this way.....there is a fairly strained relationship between our two countries...... the firearm/personal freedom issue is big over here with the pro and anti gun lobbies at each others throats most of the time...nz has a fairly liberal social streak running through it and one of the most deregulated business environments in the world......personal freedoms and the maintaining of those freedoms are a very touchy issue down here..on current polling new zealanders are on track to deliver a third term for a centre - left coalition govt at our elections in 7 months....

Edited February 9, 2005 by kiwibank

[Malicious Intent]

Wow - NZ sounds like a great country. If I lived there, I'd give up my citizenship too. Or give it to Slum :D

[rainbowdemon]

Wow - NZ sounds like a great country. If I lived there, I'd give up my citizenship too. Or give it to Slum :D

It does sound pretty good doesn't it? My only question is what is the employment situation? Is there a good job market?

[Redneck4sure]

ok. If I head that way I will leave my atomic handgrenades at home. :)

[KiwiCoromandel]

It does sound pretty good doesn't it? My only question is what is the employment situation? Is there a good job market?

under 4% unemployment at the moment.......there is a great demand for skilled labour....this government has been enjoying a pretty good ride considering the global situation in terms of economic stability....not much sign of the economy slowing..a lot depends on the greenback of course......

[rainbowdemon]

Awesome!! It's starting to sound like this guy had a good idea. From the pictures I've seen, NZ looks like a beautiful country too.

[KiwiCoromandel]

not every thing is perfect here...nothing ever is that good...but i`d have to say that it`s as good as it gets anywhere given the size of nz`s population (4 and a half million and the ravages of globalisation in other parts of the world.....our actual geographic isolation has attracted the interest of a lot of security conscious americans..and the anti nuclear stance taken by our country since 1984..for example, business interests have been lobbying hard for a nuclear power station..no chance..windpower is the way says our government..and many agree with their slightly ( i emphasise the word slightly) green " stance...it`s all a question of balance...and they may just have got it right down here...time will tell

Edited February 10, 2005 by kiwibank

[Redneck4sure]

4 and a half million

That's a big trailer park 4sure. Prolly adds up to bout 10 million teeth.

[slum_goddess]

whoa, kiwibank, NZ sounds ideal especially for the personal freedom thing and this: 'we have a policy of not allowing vessels with nuclear weapons on board into new zealand ports....the bush govt has been pressuring our govt to change that policy, because it makes things very difficult when american military vessels want to berth in nz ports as your navy has a policy of "neither confirm or deny "..an american vessel had to turn around and head to aussie a few months ago because they wouldn`t say whether there were nuclear weapons on board or not..put it this way.....there is a fairly strained relationship between our two countries.'

a 'fairly strained rel'p?' good on NZ for standing up to bushCo.

Malicious, get over here right now young man, and gimme your citizenship (i fucking wish).

this is me to a T: “I was raised to believe – and believed fervently– that the United States is the land of the free and the home of the brave. But the actions of the United States Government in recent years, and my own personal experience, have undermined my respect for the US to the extent that I no longer want to be an American.”

that about wraps it up for me: my respect for the country is further down than it was during the war in vietnam; i look down on the preznit's bullshit/lies to the public, look down and feel very uncomfortable that there are so many people who are stupid enough to overlook his outrageous crap and mostly do not want to pay taxes for a regime i'm totally against. oh, and i believe the geneva conventions are there for a reason, and totally against force of any kind (including the forcing of amerikan 'democracy' *hawk, spit*) and totally abhor torture.

that said, Malicious or kiwibank (or any other 'foreign' national in an english-speaking country) will you marry me?

[KiwiCoromandel]

that said, Malicious or kiwibank (or any other 'foreign' national in an english-speaking country) will you marry me?

like a flash sg...always ready to help a damsel in distress....... :yup: :yup:

[slum_goddess]

whoo-hooooo!

[Malicious Intent]

All yours Kiwi!

hehe

Wind power isn't the answer kiwi. Wait until the novolty has passed and you want your countryside back! Spain has destroyed the little south coast they have left with those things.

[KiwiCoromandel]

Wind power isn't the answer kiwi. Wait until the novolty has passed and you want your countryside back! Spain has destroyed the little south coast they have left with those things.

while that may be true..the very thought of any sort of incident involving nuclear material a la 3 mile island is to much for many nzers to contemplate ...so any practical criticism in that respect (windpower) is not being heard at the moment..polls put kiwis at between 65 - 75 % against nuclear or coal - fired power generation and pro renewable energy resources at any given time.....most of our power is hydro generated but any more development of our river system for power generation is being blocked by a very strong environmental lobby in this country...hence the focus on wind at the moment.....

[KiwiCoromandel]

It does sound pretty good doesn't it? My only question is what is the employment situation? Is there a good job market?

further to that subject.......

NZ unemployment lowest in OECD

Friday, 11 February 2005, 11:59 am

Press Release: New Zealand Government

11 February 2005

NZ unemployment lowest in OECD

At 3.6%, New Zealand's unemployment rate is now the lowest in the developed world and the lowest ever recorded by the Household Labour Force Survey.

In addition to record-low unemployment the December HLFS also showed that female participation in the work force has reached a record high at over 60% and long-term unemployment fell by a third in 2004.

Social Development and Employment Minister Steve Maharey welcomed the news and signalled that the government will continue to provide opportunities for those New Zealanders still needing to join the workforce. He also reiterated the government's focus on addressing industry skills shortages.

"Today's announcement that New Zealand enjoys the lowest unemployment rate in the OECD is great news," Steve Maharey said. "New Zealanders should be proud of this historic achievement.

"Reaching a world-leading 3.6% unemployment rate is proof of the economic and social strength of 21st century New Zealand.

"In the past couple of years, we've become used to rapid falls in unemployment, but we need to step back and appreciate just how far we've come. In the 1990's we saw unemployment skyrocket to over 11%. Before we were elected in 1999 it stood at nearly 7%.

"There are now 264,000 more people employed then when the Labour-led government took office.

"We've now gone from a situation of not enough work to where some industries are saying there aren't enough people..

"My colleague Labour Minister Paul Swain will be focussing on efforts to improve workplace productivity so that profits and wages continue to grow along with employment. For the first time there is now a consensus across government, business and unions for us all to take responsibility for this issue."

[slum_goddess]

*sigh* NZ sounds like a really cool place. about the dude who's renouncing his citizenship, i remember when still living in the states, the almost-constant bitter frustration i felt when reading the news (no i can't stop--i'm an information junkie) and wished to fuck i was outta there. (nb: call me un-patriotic, like i give a shit)

[Redneck4sure]

(nb: call me un-patriotic, like i give a shit)

you unpatriotic no give-a-shit.

[slum_goddess]

(using the wub smiley will NOT negate your dis, so there) :P

[Redneck4sure]

:wha':

I tried.