September 17, 2003
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THE SOVEREIGN SOCIETY OFFSHORE A-LETTER
Your Link to Freedom, Privacy & Prosperity in the Offshore World
Wednesday, September 17, 2003 - Vol. 5 No. 110
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In This Issue:
* COMMENT: Darwin & Ridge.
* OFFSHORE: OECD Hurts The Bahamas. Monaco Finances Well Regulated. Switzerland Votes October 19.
* WEALTH: British Labour to Kill Foreigner's Tax Break. Australian Taxes Double. Anti-Euro Votes May Unglue EU. IRS-State Tax Alliance.
* PRIVACY & RIGHTS: Police Smear "Persons of Interest."
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Guest Comment today is by John Pugsley, the chairman of the Sovereign Society, and founder of The Bio-Rational Institute.
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COMMENT: Evolution: Darwin & Ridge
Dear A-Letter Reader:
Raphael Sagarin, a research fellow at UCLA, suggests that Tom Ridge, the US Secretary of Homeland Security, could learn a few things from Charles Darwin.
A century and a half ago, Darwin explained that biological evolution weeds the garden of life on earth, casting out organisms that fail to adapt to change. "Evolution's rules are simple," says Sagarin. "Creatures that adapt to threats and master the evolutionary game thrive; those that don't, become extinct."
The US government is ignorant of evolution's rules. Rather than mounting a response adapted to the evolved nature of international terrorism, President Bush continues to lobby for more regulations and restrictions on the freedoms of Americans as contained in the so-called Patriot Act.
Free market advocates have long argued that government regulations always fail to achieve their goals. A decade or more ago, libertarians warned that FAA regulations weren't making the airlines safe or secure. Nor were vast sums spent on national defense and intelligence providing either defense or intelligence. In fact, US foreign policy fanned hatred around the globe, putting Americans in danger wherever they travel. Despite its spending and endless promises, government failed to stop a few dedicated fanatics, purportedly armed with $2.00 box cutters, from doing billions in damage and taking thousands of lives.
George Bush's response was to add another layer of government by creating the Dept. of Homeland Security, which is rapidly living up to the reputation of other federal bureaucracies. As the Washington Post reported last weekend, the department is plagued by "money woes, disorganization, turf battles and unsteady support from the White House."
The failures of the new bureaucracy are mounting. In July, ABC NEWS conducted a test of port security by sending a shipment of depleted uranium from Jakarta, Indonesia, to Los Angeles. The shipment was not opened by customs and no one investigated the contents. Similarly, US undercover agents easily were able to enter the US from Canada, Mexico and Jamaica using phony IDs made using ordinary computer equipment. In another test, they obtained state driver's licenses armed only with fake birth certificates.
A tenet of evolutionary biology is that organisms must continuously adapt to stay in the same strategic position relative to others, something equally true of social systems. Putting homeland security in the hands of a massive, plodding bureaucracy hardly represents a new evolutionary adaptation.
The Economist magazine made the point last week. "The best solution is to let individuals decide themselves how much risk they will bear, and how much safety they want to pay for."
This is exactly the strategy that Darwin would advise. Individual responsibility, coupled with the freedom to choose, is the only proven road to evolutionary success. Tom Ridge and his boss should learn from Darwin. Get the bureaucracy out of the way, and let the free market work.
John Pugsley
San Diego, California
PS: For more insights on the evolutionary roots of freedom, sign up for The Bio-Rational institute's FREE weekly e-letter at: LINK:
http://www.biorationalinstitute.com/email.html.
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COMMENT LINKS:
* The Failing War on Terror. The Economist. LINK:
http://www.economist.com/opinion/displayStory.cfm?story_id=2051994
* Patriot Act -"ignorance, hysteria and misguided patriotism." LINK:
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10149292&BRD=1678&PAG=461&dept_id=39386&rfi=6
* Bush seeks to expand Patriot Act police access to your private data.
LINK: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/14/national/14PATR.html
* Patriot Act "anti-terror law" nabs common criminals.
LINK: http://www.wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,60440,00.html
* Celebrities criticize Patriot Act in ACLU ad campaign. LINK:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/12/business/media/12ADCO.html
* Patriot Act's assault on the Bill of Rights.
LINK: http://www.independent.org/tii/news/030915ONeil.html
* Service industries could be devastated by Patriot Act demands. LINK:
http://www.money.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2003/09/15/cnlaun15.xml&menuId=242&sSheet=/money/2003/09/15/ixfrontcity.html
* Ashcroft Mocks Patriot Act opponents.
LINK: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/16/politics/16LIBR.html
* Patriot Act stretched too far. Editorial. LINK:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2003/Sep-16-Tue-2003/opinion/22165930.html
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* OFFSHORE *
BAHAMAS HURT BY O.E.C.D. DEMANDS
NASSAU: Government official admits drastic financial reforms to
please international pressures has hurt the offshore industry. LINK:
http://www.thenassauguardian.com/business/296675893818414.php
* More about UK's forcing CAYMAN ISLANDS to adopt EU rules.
LINK: http://www.tax-news.com/asp/story/story.asp?storyname=13332
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MONACO GETS GOOD RATING
IMF study says principality's financial regulations good.
LINK: http://www.tax-news.com/asp/story/story.asp?storyname=13324
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ALL ABOUT COMING SWISS ELECTIONS
ZURICH: Web site gives the news on Oct. 19 parliamentary vote. LINK:
http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/swissinfo.html?siteSect=105&sid=4241497
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* WEALTH *
BRITISH LABOUR SET TO KILL RICH TAX BREAK
LONDON: Wealthy foreigners may soon flee the UK as their
traditional tax immunity is about to be repealed.
LINK: http://www.tax-news.com/asp/story/story.asp?storyname=13330
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AUSTRALIAN TAXES DOUBLE
CANBERRA: $19 billion more in taxes in 2002; double income tax.
LINK: http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/09/14/1063478066600.html
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EUROPEAN UNION WEAKENED BY EURO REJECTION
BRUSSELS: Danes, Swedes vote against the euro; UK holds out.
Without the glue of the euro, bond may dissolve. LINK:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/16/international/europe/16SWED.html
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I.R.S. & STATE TAX COLLECTORS ALLIANCE
State and federal tax evasion is their target. LINK:
http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/0916tax-crackdown16-ON.html
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* PRIVACY & RIGHTS *
GOVERNMENT SMEARS 'PERSONS OF INTEREST"
Police use sinister term to tar alleged suspects who are not arrested.
LINK: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/14/weekinreview/14P2ST.html
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