SESSION L1 ONLINE RESOURCES Session Handouts Can t be in two places at once? Download handouts for sessions you aren t able to attend. www.mncpa.org/materials Log in with your MNCPA username and password. Note: Your conference registration fee must be paid in full to access session handouts online. CPE Transcript (Certificate of Attendance) Need proof of attendance? Print your official transcript from the MNCPA website. www.mncpa.org/transcript Log in with your MNCPA username and password. Note: Tax Conference transcripts will be available Wednesday, Nov. 21. CPE Log (Members only) What CPE did you take? When? Where? Track your credits in your personal CPE Log. It s a free, easy-to-use tool for MNCPA members. www.mncpa.org/cpelog Log in with your MNCPA username and password. Materials Disclaimer: These materials are provided for the exclusive, personal use of the customer. Any other reproduction, retransmission, republication or other use is expressly prohibited without prior written consent from the Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants (MNCPA) and/or the content author. The MNCPA makes no warranty, guarantee or representation as to the accuracy or completeness of these materials. The contents of these materials are subject to change without notice. The content authors and/or instructors are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Journey for Freedom: Risking It All for the American Dream Peter Vodenka Journey for Freedom PO Box 1196 Forest Lake, MN 55025-5196 612-518-9309 peter@journeyforfreedom.com Peter Vodenka, born in communist Czechoslovakia in 1955, spent his childhood years longing for freedom. Later married and with children, Vodenka knew he had to give his family a better life and planned their defection from behind the Iron Curtain. They left in the middle of a dark night and ran across the border while being chased by guards with automatic weapons and dogs. After 29 years in America, Vodenka now lives his version of "the American Dream" as a successful business owner, public speaker and author of Journey for Freedom.
This page is intentionally blank.
Peter Vodenka Journey for Freedom Risking It All for the American Dream Journey For Freedom 1
History of Communism in Czechoslovakia Communists coming to power through militia and political coupe in February of 1948, seizing control of the government, military and police. They begin to confiscate all businesses from private hands Factories Land and farms Mines Restaurants Apartment buildings Hotels Banks Some owners who didn t resist were allowed to work as a common laborer in their own place of business for the same low wage as everybody else. Trusted party members with no business or leadership experience are put into management positions. The economy plummets creating a shortage of food and everyday necessities. Disarray among the population is on the rise Citizens began to rebel and more people start leaving the country. The Communists begin to build more prisons, hard labor camps, and begin to fortify borders to Austria and West Germany to keep people under control and prevent them from leaving the county. Communists begin to witch hunt after anybody who might have expressed even the slightest disapproval of the government. Communists implement aggressive terror against their own population, ignoring their basic human rights, and controlling every aspect of their lives. 2
Communist government dictates wage schedule based on occupation No need for public accountants and some other trades Government owns all businesses Set wages some hourly wages, but most wages based on productivity. Production quota set by government must be met or exceeded Payroll deductions are not itemized Company accountant, called payroll controller, calculates wages based on productivity tables. All accountants make same wage. Reasons for Peter s defection Freedoms in America Brighter future Better opportunities for entire family Better choice of education Less government intervention Better economic status Better financial status Fulfillment of his childhood dream 3
Basic American Freedoms Freedom of Speech Freedom of Religion Freedom of Political beliefs The right to bear arms The right to vote and elect officials, including the President Examples of other American Freedoms To wear the clothes they want To read the books they want To drive the cars they want To travel when and where they want The opportunity for higher education To have the opportunity for government assistance, if needed To change jobs freely To choose place of residency without restrictions Choice of medical care, etc 4
Separation of Europe begins immediately after World War II Creation of NATO-1949 under American leadership Belgium Canada Denmark France Great Britain Iceland Italy Luxembourg The Netherlands Norway Portugal Separation of Europe East & West Creation of Warsaw Pact-1955 under Russian dictatorship Albania Bulgaria Czechoslovakia East Germany Hungary Poland Romania 5
Eastern Bloc Members Soviet Occupations World War II Bessarabia & Northern Bukovina - 1940 Baltic States - 1940 Estonia Latvia Lithuania Finnish territories 1940 Bornholm -1944 Anglo-Soviet occupation of Iran - 1941 6
Soviet Occupations End of World War II Hungary Poland Romania Bulgaria East Germany Austria Soviet Occupations Post World War II Europe Hungary - 1956 Czechoslovakia - 1968 Other Soviet Occupations Korea - 1945 Afghanistan - 1979 7
Critical events impacting Eastern Europeans Beginning of Cold War-1947 Berlin Wall Erected 1961 Czechoslovakian Government during the Cold War Bodies of Communist terror Police all party members Military all party members Secret Police - STB (National Secret Security) Identical to KGB in Russia, Stasi in East Germany, and others. Fortification of impenetrable borders to the west continues. 8
Iron Curtain of the Soviet Zone Structure of East German Border Influx of escape attempts continue Common cause of people killed by their own government while attempting to cross the border Shot Killed by electric fences Drowned Committed suicide before capture Flying contraptions Crashing vehicles into border barriers Stepping on mines Mauled by border dogs Heart attack Many were arrested, executed, or died in prison 9
Successful Defection Peter and his family successfully defected from Czechoslovakia in the summer of 1983. They spent 3 months in a refugee camp in Austria, where they were applying for approval to legally enter America. Their dream came true on September 7, 1983, when they arrived in the land of the free and their new home, the United States of America. They arrived with no knowledge of the English language, $600 in their pocket, and carrying all their worldly possessions in their hands. Peter is now a business owner, author, and public speaker, helping American s understand the importance of their freedoms and opportunities which this country offers. 10
Family picture with 2 Czech speaking ladies, 4 days after arriving in America. Memorial to the victims of Communism erected in the Czech Republic in 2002 11
12
58TH ANNUAL MNCPA TAX CONFERENCE November 15-16, 2012 Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, MN Please rate the following using the scale below: 5=Excellent, 4=Very Good, 3=Average, 2=Fair, 1=Poor L1. Journey for Freedom: Risking It All for the American Dream Excellent Poor Relevancy of Topic 5 4 3 2 1 Stated Objectives Met 5 4 3 2 1 Overall Satisfaction 5 4 3 2 1 Peter Vodenka Knowledge of Subject 5 4 3 2 1 Presentation Skills 5 4 3 2 1 Quality of Materials 5 4 3 2 1 Engagement of Participants 5 4 3 2 1 Do you have any additional feedback regarding the instructor and/or materials? If so, please share it with us. What would you like to learn at the 2013 conference? Who would you like to hear speak at the 2013 conference? Thank you for your feedback and suggestions. We appreciate your input. Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants www.mncpa.org 952-831-2707