This week the Board of Elections of Illinois decided that Ted Cruz is indeed a natural-born citizen as required by the US Constitution to be eligible to be President. Ted Cruz was already identified as a US citizen because his mother was a US citizen. His birthplace, however, is in Canada, hence the question of…
Citizenship Matters
I am, legally speaking, a citizen of the Netherlands. If you asked the US Foreign Service, they’d probably say I have US citizenship too, at least until I get my Certificate of Loss of Nationality. If you asked the IRS, on the other hand, they would say I’m no longer a US citizen. What does it mean…
7 Reasons NOT to Renounce
When I was considering renouncing US citizenship, and then once I had decided to do so, I heard several arguments for why I shouldn’t renounce. Reason to renounce #1 But what if something happens where you are—an invasion or a natural disaster or something? The US would come and get you out! Answer #1: They…
![By U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kevin S. O'Brien [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://i1.wp.com/rachelsruminations.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Obama-e1452769466943.jpg?resize=420%2C280&ssl=1)
Open Letter to President Obama in response to The State of the Union Address
Dear Mr. President, Thank you for your sincere and uplifting State of the Union Address. Your skills in speechmaking are truly impressive. Your speech was addressed to your fellow Americans. I would like to respond to some of your remarks from my point of view: that of an overseas American who has felt the heartbreak…
The Irony of Renouncing Under Duress
The following post is the fifth of a series about American values sparked by my renunciation of US citizenship in November 2015. In my journey through the wilds of US law as it applies to overseas Americans, I’ve joined a few Facebook groups where people in this situation share information about tax law, FATCA, and…
The American Dream
The following post is the fourth of a series about American values sparked by my renunciation of US citizenship in November 2015. In my last two posts, I discussed four of the six key American values emphasized in the textbook American Ways: individual freedom and self-reliance, and then equality and competition. The last two are…
Equality? Competition? Not Overseas!
This is the third in a series of posts about American values inspired by my renunciation of American citizenship. I wrote last week about a book I’ve used for teaching, American Ways, and the six values it emphasizes. Last week I discussed individual freedom and self-reliance. This week I’d like to address two more: equality of…
Individual Freedom, Self-Reliance and Renunciation
This is the second in a series of posts about American values inspired by my renunciation of American citizenship. I teach American Studies at a teacher-training college here in the Netherlands. The eight-week courses—two for the younger, full-time students, and one for the adult, part-time students—are not in-depth studies. They are introductory courses for students…
FATCA, the Tea Party and Me
“No taxation without representation,” a slogan going back to colonial America, is commonly cited by overseas Americans like me in discussions of FATCA. It’s also the basis of the Tea Party’s name: a reference to the Boston Tea Party, an act of rebellion against the taxation of the American colonists by the British government. FATCA…