Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin walked back his decision to flee before paying taxes on Facebook's IPO after he was resoundingly criticized for it, but the anti-tax Right Wing is continuing to carry water for him.
Forbes magazine's categorization of Saverin as an "American hero" for his actions aroused the anti-tax Buddha himself, Grover Norquist, enough to come out of his hole in the ground and champion the cause of tax-dodging. Because tax-dodging is the stuff of American heroes.
Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) introduced legislation this week — in response to a Facebook co-founder ditching his citizenship — that would force wealthy people who give up their U.S. citizenship to prove that they did not do so for tax reasons.
Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform, said the targeting people that turn in their passports reminded him of regimes that had driven people out of the country, only to confiscate their wealth at the door.
“I think Schumer can probably find the legislation to do this. It existed in Germany in the 1930s and Rhodesia in the ’70s and in South Africa as well,” said Norquist. “He probably just plagiarized it and translated it from the original German.”
And you know who else made people swear allegiance to ideological purity?
Spiting Uncle Sam for the sake of ideology is clearly now seen as virtuous among the self-titled "fiscally conservative," who also happen to be self-titled "Americans." At least that's the case as long as a Democrat occupies the oval office. When the shoe is on the other foot, there is no greater heresy.