There's not much to say. I'm trying to make appointments for Overseas Americans Week, but I can't do too many in an afternoon. First of all, some offices open and 8:30 and others at 9:00 am in DC, but my luck finding anyone to answer the phone before 9:30 am is almost nil. That's already 3:30pm my time. I try to do some preparation in the morning and then attack the phone, later, which really just ends up in sending yet another email. Sometimes, though, I'm busy later in the afternoon and just can't do it. The Senators' offices are the least reactive. I don't have the impression that others in the group are making appointments, which is discouraging to me. I was willing to coordonate, not to do all of it. Some have, or have let me know they'd like me to do it for them, which I don't mind too much as they give me the information I need.
We've seen the little ones in Paris. S. is speaking so much more clearly, now. We understand almost everything. And he repeats words, here and there, in English. I'm having as much trouble sticking to English with him as I did for my kids. Someone speaks French to me, I automatically respond in French.
And that's it.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Monday, February 9, 2015
Going back to DC
It's time to gear up for Overseas Americans Week. Time to make appointments, revise the position papers and all that. It's also time to visit family. This year I'll stay with B & T in Bethesda and commute into DC each day.I'm looking forward to that, the idea of "going home" in the evening.
When the week is done, I'll head down to Florida for more family visits. I didn't write about it before, but in mid-January I and all my kids went to Orlando for MLK weekend for a surprise party! It was a surprise, already, that we were all able to go. After all, they had to get time off from work. It's not a holiday in Europe. We all converged on Orlando on the same day along with more family coming in from London, California, Oregon, New York, the midwest -- when we were all together, on Sunday, there were 160 family and friends! It was a great party, full of love and energy for R. In March, I'll be able to pay a calmer visit.
I'll even get to see my brother and his wife because they'll be in Florida, too. T will be in a training program for her rowing club.
The main subject in DC, this year, will be taxes, again. Yes, again. As FATCA rolls out, more and more people are being discriminated against. Personally, I'm fed up with proposing a compromise position. The only real solution is for the US to adopt what the rest of the world does: residence-based-taxation. Then the OECD exchange of banking information would be the worldwide system -- reporting foreign accounts to the country of residence. I see the logic of that. I live in France and think it is normal that France knows of any accounts I might have elsewhere. France, yes, not the US. The US, with its system, treats my accounts in France as foreign accounts and the reporting of that information, on the part of the banks, is so cumbersome and expensive, they prefer to do without US customers.
Enough!
When the week is done, I'll head down to Florida for more family visits. I didn't write about it before, but in mid-January I and all my kids went to Orlando for MLK weekend for a surprise party! It was a surprise, already, that we were all able to go. After all, they had to get time off from work. It's not a holiday in Europe. We all converged on Orlando on the same day along with more family coming in from London, California, Oregon, New York, the midwest -- when we were all together, on Sunday, there were 160 family and friends! It was a great party, full of love and energy for R. In March, I'll be able to pay a calmer visit.
I'll even get to see my brother and his wife because they'll be in Florida, too. T will be in a training program for her rowing club.
The main subject in DC, this year, will be taxes, again. Yes, again. As FATCA rolls out, more and more people are being discriminated against. Personally, I'm fed up with proposing a compromise position. The only real solution is for the US to adopt what the rest of the world does: residence-based-taxation. Then the OECD exchange of banking information would be the worldwide system -- reporting foreign accounts to the country of residence. I see the logic of that. I live in France and think it is normal that France knows of any accounts I might have elsewhere. France, yes, not the US. The US, with its system, treats my accounts in France as foreign accounts and the reporting of that information, on the part of the banks, is so cumbersome and expensive, they prefer to do without US customers.
Enough!
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