Tag Archives: Emigration from US

The Ascendance of Sociopaths in U.S. Governance, by Doug Casey

Government attracts sociopaths, people who like telling other people what to do, and the more powerful the government, the more deranged the people it attracts. Our government is stacked with sociopaths. From Doug Casey at internationalman.com:

An International Man lives and does business wherever he finds conditions most advantageous, regardless of arbitrary borders. He’s diversified globally, with passports from multiple countries, assets in several jurisdictions, and his residence in yet another. He doesn’t depend absolutely on any country and regards all of them as competitors for his capital and expertise.

Living as an international man has always been an interesting possibility. But few Americans opted for it, since the U.S. used to reward those who settled in and put down roots. In fact, it rewarded them better than any other country in the world, so there was no pressing reason to become an international man.

Things change, however, and being rooted like a plant – at least if you have a choice – is a suboptimal strategy if you wish to not only survive, but prosper. Throughout history, almost every place has at some point become dangerous for those who were stuck there. It may be America’s turn.

For those who can take up the life of an international man, it’s no longer just an interesting lifestyle decision. It has become, at a minimum, an asset saver, and it could be a lifesaver. That said, I understand the hesitation you may feel about taking action; pulling up one’s roots (or at least grafting some of them to a new location) can be almost as traumatic to a man as to a vegetable.

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When the “Lord Protector” turned out to be the worst tyrant of all, by Simon Black

It’s not too late to vote with your feet. From Simon Black at sovereignman.com:

In early 1657, a young farmer from southeastern England named John Washington boarded a small merchant vessel bound for the English colonies in North America.

Officially he was supposed to be part of a minor trade voyage to transport tobacco to the colonies.

But secretly John had no intention of ever returning home. He wanted to sail as far away from England as he could.

Britain in the 1657 was a pretty miserable place. A series of civil wars throughout the 1640s had left the country impoverished and chaotic, leading to the dictatorship of Oliver Cromwell.

Cromwell, in theory, was supposed to be on the side of the commoners who wanted to limit the power of the monarchy. But after installing himself as “Lord Protector” in 1653, Cromwell turned out to be more dangerous and autocratic than even the most tyrannical of kings.

He fought costly, unnecessary wars of ego, and paid for it all by raising taxes far beyond his predecessors. Yet despite the high taxes, he ran a massive budget deficit and further indebted the country.

Cromwell waged genocide against Irish Catholics, while hypocritically preaching unity and tolerance.

His administration jumped into bed with big business (like the East India Company, which “loaned” him the princely sum of 60,000 pounds), yet over-regulated artisans, merchants, and small shopkeepers.

He even confiscated property of those who couldn’t PROVE that they had been loyal to him.

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Love It or Leave? by Jeff Thomas

Objects in motion tend to stay in motion and countries rolling downhill tend to keep rolling downhill. From Jeff Thomas at internationalman.com:

love it or leave it?
Countries that are in the decline stages tend to lose their best and brightest.

What happens is that, as a country becomes more socialistic, it attracts thousands of new residents who are seeking free stuff. They wish to cash in – to live off the state.

But someone has to pay for that free stuff. And of course, that means that the more productive people in the country are handed the tab.

As a country grows more socialistic, an ever-larger number of dependent people must be paid for by those who are productive. This, of course, diminishes the retained earnings of those who have been productive.

What happens then is that a quiet exodus begins to take place. The very people who are ordered to pay the bill for everyone else tend to look for greener pastures.

In most every case, the first inclination is to look for a better corner of the country in which to live. Generally, it’s a location – a state, a city, a town – where the taxes are less, the crime is lower and the level of freedom is greater.

After all, you don’t really want to leave your country; you just want to free yourself from the burdens your government is placing upon you.

Unfortunately, it’s that last bit that ultimately inspires expatriation.

Those who choose a partial exit – say to Florida, Texas, or even Puerto Rico – at some point discover that the government that had treated them as a cash cows, ready to be milked to pay for government’s increasing entitlements, does not wish to lose its herd of cows.

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