Perhaps this is what you seek,
FF
Diogenes' Favorite Country & the Backdoor
to the EU Minimize
Monday, July 11, 2009
Gaining Visa-Free Access to 120 Countries (including the EU) For Spending Five Long Vacations in a Caribbean Paradise
The city was under siege.
Everyone was busy fortifying the walls - some were carrying stones, others were patching the walls, yet others were building battlements. Diogenes, not wanting to appear idle while everyone around him was working so frantically, diligently rolled his barrel back and forth along the battlements.
The city fell.
The Teachings of Diogenes
Diogenes the old dog.
He was the original cynic a word based on the Greek kynikos, the adjective form of the word dog as a tribute to his memory. He was a philosopher of ancient Greecea student of one of Socrates pupilsand an all-around bitter old man.
But some of his lessons are the most insightful of any Greek philosophers
Like the tract above, which suggests the futility of sorting out personal responsibility in the course of common failure. If the city falls, what does it matter who was at fault? No individual succeeded in keeping the city from falling. And everyone will feel the sting of consequences; as anyone formerly in the city is now homeless at best.
Interpret this quip negatively, and youll find one of the most plausible explanations for our current economic crisis.
But in a positive light, you might see something truly remarkable
Imagine a place where life itself is an unending struggle against the most erosive forces of nature a constant struggle to keep the city from falling.
Imagine a place where common success has been the result of the diligent contribution of a host of nameless individuals. Where one never quite knows the difference he makes, so he cannot let up; for fear of letting everyone down.
Its in this kind of country that youll find a unique, sublime sort of experiencethe kind of place Diogenes would treasure. But its also in this kind of country that youll find the backdoor to one of the worlds most desirable documents
Diogenes Favorite Country on Europes Northern Waterfront
When you hear the word Netherlands, you might think of windmills, wooden shoes, flowers or the world-spanning traders and colonies of centuries past. But, as Bob Bauman explains in The Complete Guide to Offshore Residency, Dual Citizenship and Second Passports, much has changed since then
The Kingdom of the Netherlands, or Holland as it is also (somewhat erroneously) known, is the largest of the Low Countries in the northwest corner of Europe.
Almost 30% of the land is below sea level, protected by an elaborate series of earthen dykes and mechanical dams erected to prevent the reclaimed land from being flooded by the sea.
The Dutch continue to confound attempts to categorize their culture, an easy-going blend of generous social liberalism and meticulous regularity, neatness, and moral probity the last three possibly owing to the constant need to work together to keep the sea out of the country.
Even so, when it comes to personal conduct, almost anything goes in Holland, as long as it does not impinge on others rights. Excellent cheeses, tasty beer, herrings, Indonesian banquets, pea soup, and copious gin are Dutch staples still readily available to tourists and residents alike, as are fresh produce and cut flowers produced on an industrial scale.
The country has been one of the leading European nations for attracting foreign direct investment and is one of the four largest investors in the U.S. The pace of job growth reached 10-year highs in 2007, but economic growth fell sharply in 2008 as fallout from the world financial crisis constricted demand and the country was affected by recession in 2009.
So how can five long vacations get you citizenship in this unique European paradise?
Look no further than the Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles, a group of five islands in the eastern Caribbean, is one of the best-kept secrets in the world of alternative residence and second passports Bob explains.
These tropical islands form an autonomous part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. And they simply aren't well known in the United States. But if you qualify for and maintain legal residence on one of these islands, there's a big payoff after five years. You're eligible to apply for citizenship and a passport from the Netherlands, a member of the European Union, with all the EU rights that entails.
With a Dutch passport, you have visa-free access to more than 120 countries including Canada, Mexico and the USA. You can live or work anywhere in the EU.
And unless you choose to live in the Netherlands, you won't be subject to Dutch taxes. For U.S. citizens or long-term residents considering expatriation, a Dutch passport provides a first-class alternative travel document that can be used virtually anywhere in the world.
The Netherlands Antilles consists of two groups of islands: Curaçao and Bonaire, off the Venezuelan coast, and St Eustatius, Saba and St. Maarten, located southeast of the Virgin Islands. Aruba, also off the Venezuelan coast, while still part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is no longer part of the Netherlands Antilles. And indeed, the Netherlands Antilles confederation per se dissolved as a unified political entity on December 15, 2008.
At that time, the five islands attained a new constitutional status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This is a positive development, because it eliminates an increasingly redundant and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy between the Netherlands and each constituent island. Each one of these islands has its own character: from bustling St. Maarten to sleepy Saba. On some of the islands, Dutch is widely spoken. On others, English as well as a regional language called "Papiamento" are more commonly heard
For the step-by-step details on how to get your own EU passport through this Caribbean backdoor, youll have to consult Bobs book here. And if youre really interested in getting started, the Nestmann group is an experienced intermediary.
Looking at all thats changed in the last year, its hard to argue against giving yourself more options.
Back on July 13th of 2008, I wonder if anyone expected everything that would come to pass over the next twelve months. And as the rate of change seems to get faster and faster, providing yourself with alternative solutions to any problem becomes a worthwhile investment. And thats precisely what a second passport is, today and in the future.
Yours in Personal Sovereignty,
Matthew Collins, A-Letter Editor
