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The Commerce Department Will Throw You In Jail For Not Filling Out This Survey

Tyler Durden's picture




 

Submitted by Simon Black of Sovereign Man

The Commerce Department will throw you in jail for not filling out this survey

Chances are that you’ve never heard of the International Investment and Trade in Services Survey Act that was originally passed nearly 40 years ago.

And chances are you didn’t catch the November 20, 2014 edition of the ‘Federal Register’, the US government’s daily opus of new rules and regulations that ran 331 pages that day.

So, chances are, you have no idea that the Department of Commerce might just want to throw you in jail right now. I’ll explain.

Back in 1976, Congress decided that they needed more information on US companies’ international trade activities.

So they passed a law requiring the Department of Commerce to survey the biggest businesses in America to find out more about what they were doing abroad.

These days, the survey is conducted every five years. And like most surveys it’s a bunch of useless bureaucratic drivel that only wastes the time of the poor souls who have to fill it out.

Now it’s something that can get you thrown in jail.

Late last year the Commerce Department quietly published a new ‘rule’ in the Federal Register requiring every American with certain investments abroad to fill out their survey, regardless of whether or not they were notified.

In other words, you’re just supposed to know that you have to fill out this form.

And if you don’t, the penalties are severe.

For the first time ever the government is imposing both civil and CRIMINAL penalties for non-compliance.

The fine for not filling out the survey (known as BE-10) ranges from $2,500 all the way to $25,000.

And if they think you intentionally didn’t file, you “may be imprisoned for not more than one year.”

Either way, even if you had no earthly idea and had never heard of this survey, they reserve the right to seek “injunctive relief commanding such person to comply.”

So if you don’t fill out the form, they’ll get a judge to order you to comply.

This really borders on insanity.

The federal government of the United States of America… the Land of the Free… is willing to clog up the court system to either force people to fill out a survey, or to prosecute them for not doing so.

Forget about rapists, murderers, and thieves. The government’s priority is to imprison people who don’t fill out surveys.

What’s really amazing is that your elected representatives in Congress weren’t the ones to enact these absurd criminal penalties.

The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) did this all on its own. They simply created a new ‘rule’, then buried it under hundreds of pages of other regulations.

And even though Congress never even sees them, and no reasonable person has ever heard of them, these rules have the same weight and effect as the law.

So much for representative democracy.

Two important questions come to mind:

  1. How many other rules that carry criminal penalties might we be breaking at this very moment without even realizing it?
  2. Just who the hell do these people think they are?

Regardless of whether or not the penalties are ever exacted is irrelevant.

It’s disgusting to even be threatened with such atrocity, simply because some bureaucratic functionary needs to justify his/her position.

It’s a clear sign that in today’s system, the government doesn’t exist to serve the people. They think the people exist to support the government.

Abraham Lincoln once told a war-torn nation that a government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from this earth.

Tragically, Lincoln was totally wrong. Because this is what freedom has become in America.

Have you reached your breaking point yet?

 

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Mon, 06/01/2015 - 16:35 | 6152992 Blythes Master
Blythes Master's picture

justUS has nothing to do with us.

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 16:43 | 6153004 Possible Impact
Possible Impact's picture

... original post modified, so my reply not useful. :(

 

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 17:56 | 6153279 Creepy A. Cracker
Creepy A. Cracker's picture

Not useful reply number two.

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 18:07 | 6153312 MonetaryApostate
MonetaryApostate's picture

When criminals rule....

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 17:40 | 6153246 doctor10
doctor10's picture

you're gonna give the central banks a roadmap -the better with which to completely asset-strip whatver's  left in the USA-"or else"

Its gonna make the proctoscopy Greece is getting right now look like amateur hour shortly

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 20:58 | 6153821 A Nanny Moose
A Nanny Moose's picture

Robbed of real property using fraudulent pieces of paper. Best magic trick in the world

Tue, 06/02/2015 - 11:23 | 6155439 Kirk2NCC1701
Kirk2NCC1701's picture

'Babylonian Magik'.

Handed down from generation to generation. 

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 16:35 | 6152999 Ignatius
Ignatius's picture

President Woodrow Wilson was once sincerely and earnestly asked, "Why can't you just leave well enough alone?"

And here we are today.  Cancer.

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 17:15 | 6153153 Beam Me Up Scotty
Beam Me Up Scotty's picture

Leave well enough alone---that should be something to strive for.  And to keep it simple.

Here is one small example.  My son plays hockey, so I get emails from the hockey association.  Now mind you, hockey has been around for about 100 years, and hasn't changed much at all in the last probably 40 years at least.  But the association has all of these MEETINGS.  THey have to meet to discuss this, and they have to meet to discuss that.  WHAT IS LEFT TO DISCUSS?  You would think by this time, they could meet a couple times a year, not a couple times a month.  But some people are born with the "meeting gene".  Now magnify that small thing onto the Federal government.....

Congress should meet once every other year at most, and maybe once every 4th year.  There's nothing left to discuss.

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 18:03 | 6153248 boattrash
boattrash's picture

BMUS, well, maybe they should only vote on legislation every other year, or every 4th year...all the rest of their meeting times should be spent learning about the Constitution they swore an oath to uphold and protect.

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 18:42 | 6153422 Ignatius
Ignatius's picture

...and drink beer.

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 18:48 | 6153437 DontGive
DontGive's picture

I'll raise a glass to that comment, sheeeeeat...

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 19:12 | 6153511 TheReplacement
TheReplacement's picture

Let them vote whenever.  Make the laws apply only to them for the first 10 years to see how it goes.

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 16:35 | 6153000 Counterpunch
Counterpunch's picture

Hey who heads the Commerce dept?

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 16:44 | 6153034 BrocilyBeef
BrocilyBeef's picture

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_Pritzker

In 2012, Chicago magazine named her one of the 100 most powerful Chicagoans.[3] In 2011, the Forbes 400 list of America's wealthiest showed her as the 263rd richest person in the U.S., estimated net worth of US $1.8511 billion,[4] and the world's 651st richest person. In 2009, Forbes named Pritzker as one of the 100 most powerful women in the world.

 

Pritzker has contributed to numerous campaigns. Among the recipients have been the presidential campaigns and exploratory committees, including those of George W. BushJoe LiebermanBill BradleyRudy GiulianiJohn McCain (2000), Al GoreJohn Kerry and Hillary Clinton.[28] On July 2, 2008, Ms. Pritzker and her husband hosted a $28,500 per plate fundraiser for Mr. Obama's campaign in Chicago with Warren Buffett and his wife, and Obama advisor Valerie Jarrett.[29]

She was also on the Board of Directors of the Council on Foreign Relations,[30] a nonpartisan think tank focused on world affairs and U.S. foreign policy.

 

So, really nothing to see here. 

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 16:49 | 6153068 Ness.
Ness.'s picture

She is also known as the "Sub Prime Queen".  Now where have  I heard that term before?  Hmmm

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 16:52 | 6153078 August
August's picture

Just for laughs, google "pritzger family offshore tax avoidance."

Ha. Ha. Ha.

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 17:07 | 6153132 Grinder74
Grinder74's picture

How can one little old lady be that hard to k i l l?

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 17:20 | 6153172 BrocilyBeef
BrocilyBeef's picture

Let's call it the USA Noose Act

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 19:15 | 6153426 Urban Redneck
Urban Redneck's picture

A dumb ass cunt and close friend of a family member runs the Commerce Despotism

 

So I see three positives to this (for me at least, your mileage and Michael Snyder's may vary

1) I now know which post office to visit if I ever go postal.

2) I now see an upside to the dilutive shitstorm of a shareholder revolt that preoccupies me (other than having even moar time to torture fellow ZHers when I become a member of the madogiwazoku). 

3) The form isn't as bad as advertised (80 hrs) unless you have either over 300M in income, revenue, or assets, or a whole gaggle of poorly structured SPVs.  It's a 1 hour form for anyone unfortunate enough to have mastered FATCA finance fucktardedness.  There is an appendix if you break 25M instead of 300M, but it takes five to ten minutes.

 

I see one negative to this (for everyone with direct equity investments overseas) 

1) Going from the 50% threshold for a foreign controlled corporation to 10% is going to catch a lot of people unaware/flat footed and create fuck tons of expensive headaches.

 

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 16:35 | 6153002 suteibu
suteibu's picture

Lincoln knew he was lying when he uttered those words.

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 16:40 | 6153031 Consuelo
Consuelo's picture

'Freedom' and 'Lincoln' do not belong together in the same sentence.

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 18:52 | 6153449 JuliaS
Mon, 06/01/2015 - 16:39 | 6153020 pods
pods's picture

Do Alpaca farms qualify as international investments?

Damn you Simon!

pods

Tue, 06/02/2015 - 11:38 | 6155505 Kirk2NCC1701
Kirk2NCC1701's picture

Simon, pods, you guys do realize that the key reason for this, is to take a recorded Inventory of Assets, to tax them or use as targets for litigating (and awarding of 'damages').

They know they can't tax or steal (via litigation) what you don't have or they don't think you have.  They therefore want to know for sure.

Just another Trick in their Procedure game, to morph you and society into their NWO peasant. 

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 16:42 | 6153038 Conax
Conax's picture

Fill it out in broken english with an orange crayon, smear a little food on it and send it in.

They won't bother you again.

It's from "How to Answer the Census", pg 13.

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 16:46 | 6153059 BeaverCream
BeaverCream's picture

Food before or after the digestive tract?

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 17:06 | 6153127 Grinder74
Grinder74's picture

Digestive tract before or after "ghey sex"?

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 18:55 | 6153461 JuliaS
JuliaS's picture

Do to the survey what they do to the Constitution.

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 16:43 | 6153041 wendigo
wendigo's picture

Speaking of being thrown in jail, they're going to pass those new regs that prohibit the mentally ill from owning guns. Looks like I'll have to stand up for liberty and go to prison, or spend the rest of my life eating my pride for dinner. I don't relish the choice. 

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 17:46 | 6153262 boattrash
boattrash's picture

Keep your arms, and your pride Wendigo. I re-read the 2A, and it still does not contain the word "mental" or "illness".

Besides, if that were to pass, none of the cocksukers up in Yankton would be able to keep their guns.

Tue, 06/02/2015 - 11:55 | 6155575 Kirk2NCC1701
Kirk2NCC1701's picture

I agree with boattrash, but I need to point out that the List of people who will be denied gun ownership will gradually increased -- using the 'How To Boil A Frog' principle: You turn up the heat slowly .

Using the pretext and precedent of some deranged men shooting their Ex, and such men being declared as having a range of Mental Illnesses (Bipolar, Depressed, Suicidal, Violently Abusive...), or simply charged with some form of Child Abuse (e.g. a light smack as form of physical discipline/punishment), would be enough to get you on the No Gun List (NGL).

Pretty soon, only Gentleman Hunters will be allowed lawful gun possession, as is the case in most of Europe. 

Word of advice: If you can't use it, but feel that you just have to have them, then... bury them well.  So they won't be found and won't deteriorate for many years.  Be sure to have the GPS cords and notes safely stored in a sealed letter, in a SD box or with your Family Lawyer (who also has your Will).

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 16:45 | 6153051 BeaverCream
BeaverCream's picture

Wish the south would have won, thanks Abe look at how well ya dun.

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 19:16 | 6153523 TheReplacement
TheReplacement's picture

Did Lincoln give us a central bank?  I'm confused.

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 16:50 | 6153076 Bobbo
Bobbo's picture

Just the sort of trick Eliot Ness might have tried.  Fat chance.

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 16:57 | 6153088 Ghordius
Ghordius's picture

A Roman tradition, originally. Every 5 years, two Censors ( Senators of proconsular rank appointed by the Senate) were to assess all civic statistic throughout Rome, the same Census that made into the New Testament as the reason why Jesus was born in Bethlehem

All people, all wealth, all recorded. A Commonwealth is, after all, based on the common defense of private and public wealth and it's owners, the Citizens

A Censor could demote a free man to slavery for non-compliance, or upgrade him to Knight if his wealth warranted it. Non reported wealth was not under the protection of the Republic, by not paying the Republic's "insurance fee", it's main tax, after all, so... finder's keeper's

radical, those Romans, eh? A Wealth Tax. How... barbaric ;-)

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 17:36 | 6153230 Icelandicsaga.....
Icelandicsaga...............................................'s picture

Ghoridius . quit already . you make such a good contrarian for the powers that be .. the Romans did not have hundreds of questions about how you got to work . the route you take . or how many flush toilets you have       he survey was fully implemented in 2005. The following year, the Census Bureau released estimates for all areas with populations of 65,000 or more using the data collected from January to December 2005. In 2010, the ACS produced its first set of estimates for areas of all population sizes, using information collected from January 2005 through December 2009..... about a third refuse and so far NO ONE HAS been prosecuted.... he Department of Commerce has stated that those who receive a survey form are legally obligated to answer all the questions as accurately as possible. Those who decline to complete the survey may receive follow-up phone calls and/or visits to their homes from Census Bureau personnel. Section 221 of Title 13 U.S.C., imposes a fine of not more than $100 if people refuse or willfully neglect to complete the questionnaire or answer questions posed by census takers. The fine for lying is $500. Despite internet rumors of a $5000 fine, the relevant section of US Code still shows the fines as $100 or $500 and refusing to answer is not a crime (misdemeanor or felony). The Census Bureau prefers to gain cooperation by convincing respondents of the importance of participation. To date, no person has ever been charged with a crime for refusing to answer the ACS. The Department of Commerce has stated that it is "not an enforcement agency".[citation needed] "The American Community Survey and Title 13 U.S. Code, Frequently Asked Questions" published by the UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, Economics and Statistics Administration, U.S. Census Bureau states: "The Census Bureau is not an enforcement agency. Therefore, any decision to prosecute for non-response is determined by the Department of Justice. ... OVID . RESIST THE BEGINNING OR SUFFER THE ENDS... Ghoridius .. you in your own way would rol over for tyranny .. Roman or modern .. and that is frightening.

Tue, 06/02/2015 - 03:58 | 6154594 Ghordius
Ghordius's picture

you are projecting and reading a tad too much in what I wrote, methinks. and it smacks of "you are either with us or against us". nevertheless, interesting comment

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 17:11 | 6153094 cherry picker
cherry picker's picture

ISIS is starting to look better each day

I take that back, going to buy a V for Vendetta mask.

 

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 18:10 | 6153329 cheech_wizard
cheech_wizard's picture

I know a while back ISIS announced they were going to mint gold and silver as their currency.

Anyone have any updates on if they've started yet?

 

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 20:03 | 6153512 JuliaS
JuliaS's picture

"Remember the big scare? Terrorists were going to blow up the banks. Oh no, not the banks! They really know how to get on my good side, these guys! Boom! There's your fucking $2 charge for the ATM!"

- Doug Stanhope

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 17:05 | 6153119 Grinder74
Grinder74's picture

So stop writing useless articles and sue to get it overturned.  

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 18:08 | 6153319 Colonel Klink
Colonel Klink's picture

Follow the Constitution and your God given right to abolish an unjust government.

Tue, 06/02/2015 - 07:56 | 6154767 22winmag
22winmag's picture

Enough people will do the right thing, even if it's at the last minute, and they will do so spontaneously, without the incentive of a paycheck or a gun to their head.

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 18:17 | 6153339 bigrooster
bigrooster's picture

I received one of these and threw it in the fucking trash.  Please try to come and arrest me for not filling out some survey.  Now I know why not everyone received this survey.  Did anyone else get one?  

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 18:34 | 6153400 Grouchy Marx
Grouchy Marx's picture

Home of the aggrieved, land of the slave.

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 18:53 | 6153454 falconflight
falconflight's picture

And just for a bit of context, all three of the old network newscasts this evening had the Bruce Jenner Vanity Fair story, and all at the same time.  I renounce my "Pledge of Allegiance."

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 19:22 | 6153531 kchrisc
kchrisc's picture

Just like at the end of the Roman empire.

Ceaseless new regs, rules, and laws designed to generate slaves, confiscate property, and procure fines--plunder.

But unlike the Roman peoples, we have guillotines.

Liberty is a demand. Tyranny is submission..

 

My guillotine only has one rule: "No tipping."

Mon, 06/01/2015 - 21:24 | 6153920 4 Seasons
4 Seasons's picture

"Forget about rapists, murderers, and thieves. The government’s priority is to imprison people who don’t fill out surveys."

This is because it is the rapists, murderers and thieves that are requiring the surveys.  It's part of the whole smoke and mirrors thing they have going.

Tue, 06/02/2015 - 01:12 | 6154448 Sanity Bear
Sanity Bear's picture

Sounds compelling, but the author is Simon Black which makes me skeptical of the reliability of the facts underlying the key arguments.

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