AMERICAN CITIZENS ABROAD (ACA)

http://www.aca.ch/

A nonprofit association dedicated to serving and defending the interests of individual US citizens worldwide.

News from ACA -- July 1999 -- Issue 61a

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HUGE STAKES FOR ELECTION 2000

David S. Broder states in his Washington Post article of 21 June 1999 that "the 2000 election has the potential to determine the direction of all three branches of the national government."

Excerpts from the article: With a new president to be elected, GOP control of the House and Senate hinging on a margin of only six seats each, and enough vacancies looming on the Supreme Court to shift it's ideological balance, voters will have a rare opportunity to put an indelible stamp on the entire federal establishment.

Add in the fact that only once every 20 years does a presidential election coincide with the census, which will be used to redraw the boundaries of all 435 congressional districts. The last two times this 20-year cycle occurred--in 1960 and 1980--voters chose to give dramatic redirection to government. In 1960, John F. Kennedy brought a new generation of Democrats to power as he succeeded Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower. In 1980, Ronald Reagan, by defeating Jimmy Carter, ushered in a conservative counterrevolution that continues today--at least on Capitol Hill.

In the 1990s, the shift of seats from the old industrial cities and states to the suburbs, the South and West made Republicans more competitive in the battle for the House. It was not an accident they overturned a 40-year Democratic majority in 1994. But Democrats now control the levers of redistricting power in California, which alone sends one-eighth of the House members to Washington, so Republicans feel a significant degree of vulnerability.

That sense of apprehension also applies to the Supreme Court, whose three oldest members are GOP appointees: Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist will be 76 next Election Day; Justice John Paul Stevens, 80; and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, 70. To read more see http://search.washingtonpost.com/

CENSUS HEARING UPDATE

As reported in the mid-June News Update, members of the Census 2000 (C2k) Coalition met before a House Census Subcommittee on 9 June 1999 to make the case for including overseas Americans in the upcoming Census.

The Executive Director of the C2k Coalition, David Hamod, reports that legislative action has resulted from the arguments presented at this hearing: Congressman Ben Gilman (R-NY) and Senator Spencer Abraham (R-MI) introduced legislation on 9 June calling for inclusion of Americans abroad in Census 2000. The text of these two resolutions (H. CON. RES. 129 and S. CON. RES. 38) has already been forwarded to Coalition leaders.

In his remarks in the Congressional Record of 9 June, Mr. Gilman had this to say:

In this era of growing globalization, we are all aware of the importance placed upon our nation's exports of goods and services overseas in an effort to provide a strong and versatile economy. Not only are we reliant on Americans abroad to carry out exports for the creation of U.S.-based jobs, but we rely on these U.S. citizens to best promote and advance U.S. interests around the world.

Nevertheless, the U.S. Census Bureau does not count private sector Americans residing abroad, despite the fact that the U.S. Government employees working overseas are currently included in the U.S. census. This is an inconsistent and inappropriate policy, especially if the Bureau is true to its word in that it wants the Census 2000 to be the "most accurate census ever."

It is imperative that the U.S. Census Bureau count all Americans, including private citizens living and working abroad. Not only will such a policy provide an accurate Census 2000, but it will allow Congress and private sector leaders to realize how best to support U.S. companies and our citizenry abroad.

U.S. citizens abroad vote and pay taxes in the United States, yet are discriminated against by the U.S. Government solely because they are private citizens. Let's change this policy and include private sector Americans residing overseas in the census.

Bravo, Mr. Gilman! Rep. Carolyn Maloney, whose "Census of Americans Abroad Act" calling for a special census of overseas Americans in 2003 has just been introduced in the House, wrote:

There are somewhere between three and six million private American citizens living and working overseas. And many of them continue to vote and pay taxes in the United States. The citizens help increase exports of American goods because they traditionally buy American, sell American, and create business opportunities for American companies and workers. Their role in strengthening the United States economy, creating jobs in the United States and extending United States influence around the globe is vital to the well-being of our nation.

The major organizations representing United States companies and citizens overseas - including Republican Abroad and Democrats Abroad - support counting all Americans residing abroad by the Census Bureau. At a recent hearing of the Census Subcommittee, I was impressed by the patriotic desire, organization, and planning that these groups have devoted to being counted.

While it is too late in the cycle to count these individuals in the 2000 Census in any accurate fashion, we must do what we can to have an accurate count of these Americans. My legislation would require a special census of the overseas population as soon after the census as is practicable.

The C2K Coalition appreciates support from ANYONE who helps to raise the profile of our issue... especially two legislators as well respected as Mr. Gilman and Mrs. Maloney.

ACA INVITES NOMINATIONS FOR THE EUGENE ABRAMS AWARD

American Citizens Abroad (ACA) is now inviting nominations from the public at large for the Eugene Abrams Award. This award honors an American citizen residing abroad who through voluntary work has made an exceptional contribution to his or her community. ACA established the award to honor Eugene Abrams, who served as ACA's Executive Director from 1992 to 1994. The award will be presented to an American citizen residing outside the United States for at least the past two years who, through voluntary, unpaid service, has made an outstanding contribution to the welfare of the community, region or country in which he or she lives. The purpose of the award is to acknowledge publicly meritorious voluntary work performed by Americans abroad in fields such as education, health care, care of children or the elderly, among many others as well as original initiatives taken for the benefit of a community or group of people abroad. Runners-up for the award are also publicly recognized. Nominations for the award should include:

• One or more letters of recommendation. The letters should explain why the nominee should be chosen for the award, citing examples of service to the community or group.
• The curriculum vitae and a recent photograph of the nominee, the latter, if possible, showing him or her among the members of the community or group with which the nominee is affiliated.
• Those submitting nominations should also provide their name, address or organization, and telephone/fax numbers or e-mail address where they can be reached in case additional information on the nominee is required.

The deadline for submission of nominations for this year's award is September 15, 1999. The winner and runner-ups will be announced on October 10, the late Eugene Abrams' birthday. Nominations should be submitted to:

    American Citizens Abroad 
    Eugene Abrams Award Committee
    5 bis rue Liotard 
    CH-1202 Geneva
    Switzerland

IRS DENIES TARGETING AMERICAN EXPAT TAX-EVADERS

An article in the American Reporter by Samuel J. Scott reports that IRS spokeswoman Michelle Lamishaw flatly denied claims printed in the New York Times and Britain's Financial Times that the IRS was singling out Americans abroad, particularly those living in the UK, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong, Australia, Israel, and Switzerland. The articles indicated that the IRS, under pressure to ease up on tax-evaders living in the U.S., had shifted its attention to delinquent taxpayers abroad. "The IRS contended that most American living abroad simply are not aware that they need to file taxes each year. Lamishaw said that the IRS 'expects to increase education efforts' to help combat this problem and that the agency is not 'targeting' anyone."

She suggested that the journalists had miss-attributed quotes, and she claimed that the agency does not have statistics on Americans abroad of the sort mentioned in the Financial Times article, where it was stated that the IRS was comparing passport renewals against filed tax returns. She did state that the agency is beginning to compile data on the number of Americans living overseas.

NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO AND ACA PAIR UP

American Citizens Abroad is proud to announce its partnership with National Public Radio Worldwide, which beams All Things Considered, Car Talk, and the full range of NPR's top-quality news and programming around the world. For details on how to receive NPR programs in your area, see www.npr.org or contact Franklin Adams, fax: +1 202 4143019. Help convince your local radio station to join NPR's global network!

THIS ISSUE of ACA's News Update was prepared by Kathryn Boyer Co-senior Editor and ACA Country Contact in Sweden. Edited with the help of ACA's worldwide network of correspondents. To subscribe or contribute to the News Update, contact us at acage@aca.ch.

The ACA News Update editing & publishing team:

• Publisher & Editor-in-Chief: Dorothy van Schooneveld, ACA Executive Director
• Co-Senior Editors: Kathryn Boyer, ACA Country Contact in Sweden; David Ferrell, ACA Country Contact in Brazil
• Contributing Editors: Karl Jauch, ACA Associate Executive Director, Geneva; Elizabeth Davis, Spain; Amy Bryant, Germany; Janet Rubinstein, Turkey.

We would like you to become part of the dynamic volunteer team which powers ACA. There is a constant need for additional physical and/or electronic "staff". In addition to regular VOLUNTEERS, ACA is interested in INTERNS and in tailoring CLASS PROJECTS aimed at awakening students to issues affecting American citizens abroad. Contact ACA's Geneva office

The News Update can be maintained in the long-term only if it justifies itself in terms of membership and donation revenue for the organization.

Disclaimer: While ACA makes every effort to be accurate in the information it transmits, such information is not to be considered a substitute for specific and qualified professional advice.

JOIN US!

   American Citizens Abroad ACA 
   5 bis, rue Liotard 
   CH-1202 Geneva 
   Switzerland 
  
     Phone & Fax numbers: 
       (+41 22) 3400233 or (+41 22) 3400448 
     email: acage@aca.ch 
   
   or, in the USA: 
                              
   American Citizens Abroad 
   1051 N. George Mason Drive 
   Arlington, VA 22205 
   USA 
     Fax +1 (703) 527-3269

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