Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Nels

hmmm...interesting...not that running for office over there is of any note...but...since the U S has made gains with the Swiss and their banks on finding tax evaders...(not that Michelle or her family is in that catagory) but generally if gaining Swiss cit could protect someones accounts from being reported back to U S treasury...

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Actually, it's her husband that went through the process in respose to her children's wishes that they have dual citizenship.

She became a citizen automatically as did the rest of her family.

Nels

I read the article...my question was what the effect of a dual cit might afford in general...not what the Bachmans reasons were or not..

yhtomit Loc: Port Land. Oregon

Good for her.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

'

I understand now, I was just thrown a bit because you specifically mentioned tax evasion and nothing else...that's all.

Roger Hicks Loc: Aquitaine

Really? I'm not surprised, because the Swiss are not famed for sexual equality, but as far as I recall, if my first wife had taken up the option of Swiss citizenship during the time we were married, I'd have had to pay quite a lot to become Swiss as well. The fee for her UK-born mother (whose father was Swiss) was nominal; my ex-wife would have had to pay a lot more; and the fee for my Swiss citizenship would have been very substantial, which was why we didn't bother. Maybe Swiss law has changed in 35 years, though.

Cheers,

R.

MWAC Loc: Somewhere East Of Crazy

There are many reasons to become a dual citizen, if I apply for my American citizenship, will hold both US and Canadian, there are many advantages to holding dual.

twowindsbear

Aren't you required to renounce US citizenship to become another nation's citizen?? Shouldn't that disqualify her, immediately, from serving in Congress?

liebgard

that's what we thought years ago. Apparently the U.S.A. allows people of many countries to have dual citizenship, Israel, Canada, Swiss, to name just a few. Don't know why for many of the counries allowed. There's no way you can pledge allegiance; how would that be adjudicated in case of conflict between the dual countries?

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

I don't think that's true at all. If I were of Swiss decent and there was some advantage to being a dual citizen, I would do it and that would in no way mean that now my allegiance wasn't to the USA....not at all.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

We'd be happy to have you.

liebgard

You missed the part where I said "in case of conflict between the two countries." In any other case, not at all; you can just ride along. Perhaps dual citizenship is allowed if no conflict between the other country and the US is expected?

Roger Hicks Loc: Aquitaine

No. I believe it used to be the case but it has not been so for many years. My wife has had dual nationality, American and British, since the 1990s. Citizenship of an EU country (or Switzerland or Iceland or Norway, if I recall correctly) is just about essential if you want to live in the EU without enormous amounts of bureaucratic hassle.

A major disadvantage of US citizenship (or even of holding a green card) is that you are required to fill in US tax forms every year as well as those off the country in which you live. Few if any other civilized countries impose such an onerous and pointless requirement: normally, bilateral tax treaties remove the obligation even to file personal income tax in any country other than the one in which you live.

As soon as I found out that the US expected me to file taxes for the rest of my life, regardless of where I live, I returned my Green Card. I am profoundly grateful that I never took out US citizenship, though I could fairly easily have done so. This last observation will no doubt provoke irrational hatred from some people.

Cheers,

R.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Ok...I'll add that too...in case of a conflict....