Better late than never… Friday, September 17 was Constitution Day, if you missed it, take a moment to read this excellent post by two American educators living abroad, Marina Mecl and Gladys Cagle Pieniazek. As Marina and Gladys point out, Consitution Day is a good time to read through this historic and vibrant document which is the embodiment of the founding fathers vision for our country. Given today’s political climate and the lack of civil public discourse on public policy, it’s also important to remember that this historic consensus was reached only after much heated debate and compromise.
All posts tagged Government
Obama-Biden Citizen’s Briefing Book
Tapping the power of the Internet in another step towards good government, openness and inclusiveness, the Obama-Biden Administration is offering citizens an unprecedented opportunity to provide input into policy. The Citizen’s Briefing Book allows individuals to share their ideas “on any issue facing the new administration, then rate or comment on other ideas. The best rated ideas will be gathered into a Citizen’s Briefing Book to be delivered to President Obama after he is sworn in.”
Take a look and get involved.
Presidential Candidates’ Unprecedented Fundraising Abroad
According to the Washington Post, U.S. presidential candidates “unprecedented courtship” of Americans abroad is paying off with more than $3 million raised so far.
Overseas Americans Week
Watching the latest round of presidential preference primaries has provide further illustration of the need for the estimated 4-10 million Americans abroad to register to vote and to actually vote in federal election primaries. If you haven’t register to vote in the 2008 presidential election yet, you can do so via the easy-to-use, elegant and secure Overseas Vote Foundation voter registration wizard.
Still, voting is just one of many issues before Congress that impacts the daily lives of Americans abroad. If you’d like to get involved in shaping the policies that shape our lives abroad, then support Overseas Americans Week (“OAW”).
OAW is an annual program run by an alliance of non-partisan American overseas organizations, including:
- AARO: Association of Americans Resident Overseas
- ACA: American Citizens Abroad
- FAWCO: Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas
The goal of OAW is to maintain an ongoing dialog with Congress and the Executive branch and its principal activity is an annual “door-knocking” campaign in Washington, DC.
In 2007, OAW focused on the following issues:
- Citizenship: Americans should enjoy the same right to transmit U.S. citizenship to children at birth.
- Medicare: Americans eligible for Medicare benefits in the U.S. should be able to receive these or equivalent benefits while abroad.
- Social Security: American who contribute to U.S. Social Security and receive Social Security pension abroad, should not be penalized under “windfall elimination provision” rules because they also receive a foreign pension. Americans overseas should be allowed to contribute to U.S. Social Security as do self-employed persons.
- Taxation: U.S. citizens working overseas are subject to a tax liability in their country of residence and in the U.S., putting American business and citizens overseas at a competitive disadvantage. Congress should eliminate the cap on the foreign-earned income exclusion.
- Voting Procedures: Procedures should be simplified for absentee registration and voting for Americans abroad. Timely ballot delivery and transparent vote counting procedures should be given priority.
- Voting Rights: Sixteen states explicitly allow Americans reared abroad to exercise their constitutional right to vote in federal elections by registering to vote using the legal voting residence of their U.S. citizen parent(s). This right should be granted by all states.
- Americans Abroad Caucus – Created on February 22, 2007 by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) as a bi-partisan forum for discussion of issues affecting overseas Americans.
This year, OAW is the week of April 14, 2008.
FAWCO’S U.S. Liaison Page
FAWCO, The Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas, Inc., is an international NGO with more than 75 member clubs and associations with a combined membership of approximately 18,000 in 35 countries. Importantly, the FAWCO U.S. Liaison promotes the rights of U.S. citizens living abroad and helps keep them “informed and responsible citizens”. The site states that, “Efforts are currently focused on election reform and representation of overseas Americans in Washington.”
The U.S. Liaison page on the FAWCO website is a treasure trove for Americans Abroad wishing to get up to speed on the issues affecting us all in Washington, DC. From the latest news on the Americans Abroad Caucus and for tips on writing to Washington, including instructions for requesting your representatives to join the caucus: Is YOUR legislator a member of the Americans Abroad Caucus?
The page has links to the latest information on the Help America Vote Act (“HAVA”) for those interested in election reform, and information about the 2010 Census – which is important to ensure that we finally get an accurate count of the number of Americans living overseas..
The page includes an “U.S. Liaison: Action Items” section that lists information on topics that affect FAWCO members, and if the current page contents are representative of future content, all Americans abroad.
