Mark Nestmann 12 articles
Mark Nestmann
The Folly of ‘Universal Basic Income’
Last month, Republican senator and former presidential nominee Mitt Romney unveiled a proposal he calls the “Family Security Act.” The plan seemed shocking at first, especially coming from a solidly GOP senator: a guaranteed monthly cash benefit for families, amounting to $...
How The IRS Will Target Bitcoin Users And What You Can Do About It
On November 28, a federal judge ordered Coinbase, a company that facilitates transactions in crypto-currencies like Bitcoin, to comply with an IRS summons to identify more than 14,000 user accounts.The decision is a victory of sorts for Coinbase, because the IRS originally demand...
No, the PATRIOT Act Didn’t Really Expire
A few days ago, I was speaking to a client who informed me that “the PATRIOT Act expired last week.” She went on to tell me that as a result, she now felt her electronic communications were safe from warrantless government surveillance.My client, who I’ll call “Debby,” ...
Spy on Your Customers… or Else
Do you distrust the banking system? Prefer to do business in cash? Complain about the encroachment of Big Brother into every facet of your life?If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you’d better watch out. You’re a “person of interest” – and a growing num...
Why the US Postal Service Turned Spy
FATCA and similar laws have eviscerated financial privacy in the US. And last year, thanks to whistleblower Edward Snowden, the world learned the extent of the surveillance conducted by America’s largest spy agency, the NSA.Now the Postal Service has joined in the game, introdu...
Would You Like Fries With Those Taxes?
Fast food… greasy cheeseburgers, salty fries, and Diet Cokes in Styrofoam cups so large you could wash your feet in them. What could be more American?Well, maybe not so much anymore. You see, one of the biggest fast food giants – Burger King – is trying to “divorce” Ame...
Uncle Sam Can’t Win This Fight!
Just the other week, I witnessed economic imperialism at work. It came courtesy of a secretive US Treasury bureau called the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).The event occurred while I was visiting the island of Nevis. On May 20, FinCEN issued an “Advisory” that ...
The IRS May Reschedule the Death of the US Dollar
Ever since President Obama signed the ill-conceived “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act” (FATCA) into law in 2010, I’ve been warning about the death of the dollar. And I haven’t been alone. Other experts have cautioned about FATCA’s potential to literally shut down the ...
The Police State is Enforced by the ‘War on Drugs’ Deception
The “War on Drugs” is a great example of America’s slow descent into a police state. Only 120 years ago, you could actually buy cocaine – and syringes – out of a Sears catalog. Cannabis (marijuana) was widely used as a painkiller and to treat seizures. You could buy mor...
There’s Only One Legal Way to Opt Out of Obamacare
In 1965, when I was nine years old, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a new entitlement called “Medicare” into law. Proponents of LBJ’s “Great Society” celebrated. No longer would America’s senior citizens be denied health care if they couldn’t afford to pay for it...
Facebook Co-Founder Relinquished U.S. Citizenship — Now the Empire Strikes Back
Brazilian-born Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin relinquished his U.S. citizenship late last year. As an expatriate, Saverin must pay an "exit tax" on the value of any unrealized gains in his worldwide estate, less a $636,000 exclusion for 2011. I'm not privy to billionair...
Nightmare Confirmed by the Supreme Court: You Really ARE Guilty Until Proven Innocent
Imagine for a moment that you and your wife operate a successful business refurbishing and selling used medical equipment.One day, you receive a letter from a federal prosecutor informing you that the business is the target of a criminal investigation. The prosecutor demands that...