Crabbe, welcome to the thread.
Btw, some self-discovery questions:
Do you have the freedom to ...
(a) buy and keep other nationality documents without having to give up your birthright documents?
Of course, Passport, visa, drivers license, etc. and I do not have to buy them only pay a processing fee. I don't even understand the question of give up my birthright documents???
(b) can you establish businesses and financial accounts all over the world without having to divulge same to nosy people?
If I so want, I can open "off shore accounts" and hide money. I can purchase stock from any company, except with the possible exception of three or four embargoed countries.
(c) do you get to keep 99% of your gains from toils and troubles?
As the United States is not socialized such as is your government, I do not have to compete with the government when I wish to open certain businesses. If I desire to open a business, I do not need the permission of any government, outside of local licenses and permits, each of which is fairly straight forward, and is not exorbitantly expensive. I appreciate having those permitting processes and regulations, especially after having viewed the results of state owned unregulated businesses impact on the environment, Chernoble, Yugoslavia, etc. I drink pure water, have pure streams in which to play, kayak, canoe, etc. I breath fresh air. I don't have to breath your emissions from your unhealthy factory, I believe HK has quite an Air Pollution problem.
(d) can you express any allegedly politically incorrect rants without being lectured on by busybody neighbors or getting sued for causing distress?
I not only can I often do, and if they do decide to lecture me I can tell them to F___ off . Can you speak out against your government, both in your socio economic domain (HK) and the rest of the PRC??
(e) does anyone launching an ultimately losing lawsuit against you and/or your business have to pay your legal bills?
Certainly should they not prevail I can counter sue for costs, attorney fees, etc. I can of course counter sue when they file for these costs.
(f) can your kids choose to go to any publicly funded school outside of the assigned school zones?
Absolutely. They also can attend any private school of my choice, or should I desire attend no school and have home schooling. In most cases they can even have any combination of the above.
(g) can you ask your secretary for a date without suffering the danger of financial ruin?
Of course, what I can not due is continue to badger her if she refuses. Nor can I fire her for not complying. Nor would I want to. You see we in America are civilized.
(h) can you protect your assets from the three scourge of life (officialdom, creditors, spouse)?
Now you piss me off!
Of course i can protect my assets from officialdom, thankfully I can pursue my debtors, and why would I ever want to screw over my wife financially. I have an ex-wife that I pay spousal support to, by choice I give her more than the court has ordered. If I were married to someone for 30+ years why would I even consider such a crass idea.
I do not consider my ex-spouse or my present spouse a scourge. You should be ashamed!
(i) can you go to the toilet within 30 minutes of landing in your national capital's airport?
??????????????????????????????????
No? Then what exactly is the freedom you are referring to that you think you supposedly have? what precise good is it? and what is it worth?
Answers, perhaps nothing, possibly nothing, and oops, there it goes again, could be nothing.
The privileged of not haveing a government with thought police, that respects the rights of every individual rich or poor, that has totally unfettered travel priviledges, etc. is worth much to me. Even when I held the highest of US Security Clearances, my travel was essentially unfettered, on requiring governmental notification should I have desired to travel to certain embargoed countries. Even there I did not need permission, just notification.
The privilege of breathing clean air, having clean water, not having corporate polluters, having total freedom of expression, total freedom of travel, very minimal government intrusion, these are freedoms that I enjoy and you don't. These freedoms are worth dying to protect.
Once we care to get down to the basics of life, the truth becomes obvious.
Yes it does, I have absolutely nothing to fear from cops, government agents, IRS agents, secret police, political spys, nosy neighbors, FBI, CIA, etc. If i want to travel anywhere under the US jurisdiction, Salem, my state capital, Olympia my neighboring state of Washingtons Capital, Washington DC, New York City, etc. I can get in my car and drive there, never once having any paper checked. I have driven from Alaska to the lower 48 and only showed my drivers license to enter Canada and to reenter the US. With the advent of world wide terrorism those requirements have increased to where I now need a birth certificate.
I can and do express my polical opinion often and vehemently to politicians, and I do not fear retribution, even if I call then stupid MF and CS, which I have done.
NO TJ I have all of the civilized freedoms that I desire. I do not kid my self that I need to buy (bribe?) documents that the average worker can't obtain, we all for very nominal fees can obtain any document we want.
Chugs, J |
