felix qui possit rerum cognoscere causas
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December 03, 2002
Citizenship Exchange Program
I don't want to do this issue to death, but something occurred to me in reading Steven Den Beste's response to my comments about the troubled prospects for Europe. He writes: The remarkable thing about the brain drain is how one-sided it is. It's not so remarkable that Europeans are coming to the US; what's remarkable is how few Americans go the other way. European companies don't recruit here, and few here I've ever met have any interest in moving to Europe. That alone says enormous amounts. The Americans whom I have encountered here in Europe tend to be here temporarily, sent by the companies they work for to spend a few years in their European operations. I used to drive past the American high school in the Netherlands on my commute to work, and you'll find similar clusters of American expatriates working here. But when their stint is over, the vast majority of them move back. But it's not true that there are no Americans who want to come to Europe. In fact, I've met a few when was traveling through Silicon Valley this summer. No, they're not Silicon Valley engineers, but they're the humanities majors at the elite universities in the area. They're the folks who inhabit the warrens of Indymedia, the Naderites who think America is the root of all evil in the world and generally fawn over the sophisticated superiority of Europe. So I'd to propose a Citizenship Exchange Program. It's obvious I'm a complete misfit here in Europe, just as they are in the US so both sides benefit. Under the CEP, any American could exchange his citizenship for that of a European country if he finds a willing donor. The change would be total: no vestigial rights, no green card. Just as if they'd never had American citizenship in the first place. An analogous situation would prevail for the European counterparty. The snag is this: how many of them would actually be willing to take that step? How many would really give up their American passports? For all the whining we've heard from Hollywood liberals about George Bush's election victory, most of them still seem to be living in the US as citizens of the US. If they hate America so much, why not take the obvious next step? Let's make it easier for them and see what happens. Comments
Interesting; the only American I know who has effectively emigrated to Europe (with no intention of returning, ever, though he hasn't obtained foreign citizenship yet) is a friend from high school; what's amusing is that he moved to Switzerland, which isn't (this tidbit for American readers, who can be forgiven for not knowing it offhand) part of the EU. I'd heartily support it, but from what I've read I think we'd end up depleting the UK of a good portion of its native population. Still, it seems to be a great idea. Posted by: Devilbunny on December 4, 2002 05:59 AMFunny, I've had the exact same idea in the past. I know a few Americans who have stayed here in Belgium for 20-30 years. Some of them have even become Belgian citizens. They're not exactly a bunch of Trotskyites, either; the one thing they do have in common is that they're all gay, and have decided, rightly or wrongly, that they're more comfortable over here than in the U.S. And speaking of people moving back to their countries of origin, isn't it true that many poor immigrants also do this? I've heard that there are many Turks who, having earned a nice nest egg in Germany, have returned home and used their savings to start businesses, build houses, etc. The same is true of Mexico and the U.S. The flow of poor immigrants into rich countries is not one-way. Posted by: Peter on December 4, 2002 11:22 AMI should, perhaps, also add that the U.S. company I work for was recently purchased by a European one. As a result, several (more) people from the U.S. office will be moving to Europe. Posted by: Peter on December 4, 2002 12:02 PMYou can switch places with Barbara Streisand any time. Tell her I said so. Or Alec Baldwin. Or both. I'd be happy to give the EU a two-for-one deal. :) Posted by: Garrett on December 5, 2002 12:53 AMActually the area of London I live in is *loaded* with American ex-pats living here. Also I know a American man who is going to get rid of his US citizenship for tax reasons due to the insane US global income tax system. Posted by: Perry de Havilland on December 5, 2002 07:03 PMActually, the US global income tax system is a lot saner compared to, say, the German income tax system. I very recently returned home to the US from Europe (Germany), this time for good. I took a job over there because I wanted to live for a while again in Europe but this was this first time I wasn't covered by the SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) protections I enjoyed when I was in the Armed Forces. I was just a regular civilian. I had plans to stay for several years, but after about 3 months there, I couldn't wait until my contractual agreement was up so I could move back. What did it for me was a combination of outrageous taxation, a hostile and utterly inflexible civil bureaucracy, and an atmosphere of gloom and pessimism. For all the hassles one gets with the authorities here at home, they are nothing compared to the pain of dealing with German officialdom. It dawned on me that in the US, I felt like a citizen with rights and responsibilities and ultimately in charge of my own fate; in Germany I felt like a ward of the state. The great beer and wine, the medieval charm of many of the cities weren't enough to compensate. Posted by: FeloniousPunk on December 5, 2002 10:35 PMPerry, I think I know which part of London you mean. The Americans in London whom I know have regaled me with many a tale (lately more and more of crime and vandalism) of London. Some of them are seeking British citizenship in addition to their American one. The reason is purely pragmatic, because if you travel a lot, you get really, really tired of filling out those damned landing cards every time you return to London. That said, would the IRS really be less of a bother to non-citizens who own assets in the US? It's not like the Inland Revenue or its continental counterparts are that much better. Perhaps they're less efficient in bothering you, but not fundamentally less obnoxious. This is a neat idea. Just think of a European and an American conspiring to mutually switch citizenship every month or so. I'm sure there's a variety of legal loopholes one could exploit. "I'm an American, no German...American...German...American...German." "I demand to talk to my embassy." Ahhh.... The possibilities for mirth are nearly endless. Posted by: Robert on December 10, 2002 05:24 AMI would swap citizenship with an american right now!! any americans want to be british.then lets do it! Posted by: Gary on July 11, 2003 05:44 AMOh, I'd swap in a heartbeat. I'd love to get out of the U.S. and live in Europe. Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Norway... FS: American citizenship with 31 years of proof. Someone swap with me! :-) Posted by: Open Mynd on July 25, 2003 08:58 AMI am a British male from London England seeking American citizenship. Any American female ready to swap American citizenship for British citizenship,let me know so we can help each other. My e-mail is ozokac@btinternet.com Posted by: MR CHUCK on August 15, 2003 03:02 PMI am also searching for EU citizenship. I am a 33 year old female with US citizenship and I have never been married nor do I have any children. I am wanting to relocate to the UK in order to live, work, and continue my schooling. If you are interested e-mail me @ tucker_emma@yahoo.com Posted by: tucker on September 10, 2003 09:58 PMPost a comment
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