I had no idea the state dept.would give any help at all.Don't know where or how to contact them.It would be nice if they were more visible and if people were made aware of the help that is available from them,as in tax advice etct.

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Why am I not surprised by such a request? Let's see.. you have 1 day to reply for constructive feedback. Sheesh. My dealings with SD have given me the impression that the average bureaucrat here is depressed that he/she did not get that Paris/Vienna/Rome/Berlin/Munich appointment and is not getting any extra hardship pay.

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Okay, let's make this a little more positive. 1. Get out of Budapest once in a while and make contact with the rest of Hungary, Hungarians and real Americans.
2. Produce a pamphlet (revised when necessary) about income tax reporting and due dates as well as suggestions about accountants here (again not all in Budapest)
3. Produce a list of news, blogs, forums about Hungary that English speaking peoples can read. I have enjoyed two "An American in Budapest" is a lighthearted look at life. "Hungarian Spectrum" by Eva Balogh has become required reading for me. I know it is "left wing" but at least it's clear and timely. 4. The only worthwhile cultural exchange I have seen from US has been Fulbright. I came here on one in 2008 and they did a great job. It would be nice to see some of that American "horsepower" put to better cultural/intellectual use in other venues...and again...outside of Budapest. 5. Do a better job than Hungary at coordinating regional activity. Hungary is very poor at it, US D.O.S could do it with their eyes closed. Regional conferences with Danube Region, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Austria, Romania, oh yeah, Ukraine, Poland too. It's a 2-4 hr drive/ train ride to reach these places. I drive 8-10 hrs in the US without a second thought (well, I think about gas here a lot more). Budapest needs to start putting a Central to Central Europe, regardless of what Viktor thinks. Maybe Ms, Belle can put a velvet glove on that titanium fist (iron is so...20th century) and forge some regional fun.

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Indeed! My experience has been nothing but disappointing with SD employees and those working at the Embassy! Considering that I'm a citizen, a Vet and a retired US police officer I was treated like some fleabag immigrant begging for a visa! When I identified myself by my rank/service I was told "Thank you for your service!" (Something I think they teach them at Foreign Service School - I guess!) then had the feeling they want to say "take a hike, we have better things to do!". It is kind of funny because I was in Hungary 1993-1994 in an official capacity and even had an Embassy ID as we conducted much of our business there! Wow! It was MUCH DIFFERENT! I guess things change as our usefulness! LOL!

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Personally, I have had no real problems at the Embassy and like Peddicord I get token acknowledgement of my service but nothing else to show for 40 years of military service. Perhaps, we should all be realistic and realize that those American citizens like ourselves living outside the US as expatriates are viewed in a hostile light by our own government. At best we are perceived as tax cheats and at worst as traitors. Add in the recent changes in foreign policy whereby Hungary is being attacked both diplomatically and economically as a hostile enemy. Mr. Goodfriend's very threatening comments topped by 3 visits from the neocon monster McCain plus the recent visit by another neocon Victoria Nuland demonstrate the hostile relations that now exists between the US and Hungary. It appears to be improving slightly at least in terms of rhetoric with the new US ambassador but very clearly Hungary and the US are currently enemies and we are caught in the middle. I am sensing some changes on the Hungarian side as well towards treatment of US citizens and again we are in the middle. Most of the enormous inconveniences I have experienced in Hungary are actually caused by the US. For example the refusal of Hungary to have reciprocity for driver's licenses is because the US doesn't recognize Hungary's. It all begins by the US treatment of other countries as lesser entities and US exceptionalism. As for Eva Balogh's blog Hungarian Spectrum, yes it is informative but she doesn't accept any alternative comments and I am highly suspicious of a Hungarian living in the US writing an extremely critical blog about Hungary where she hasn't visited since her family escaped in 1956. Perhaps she is a real entity but it smells bad. She will block you if you offer opposing arguments. Still within it are very interesting subjects. I consider it an extra-official source for fomenting unrest in a hostile nation. It is a typical tool used by those trying to instill regime changes in nations perceived to be hostile to US hegemony and usually funded by NED or Soros (or both). Read the comments from the intelligentsia and you will be particularly shocked at it. But, this is the typical type of writings from the left wing disaffected who yearn for change and nothing every satisfies them. I consider it and several others to be nothing but propaganda efforts similar to RT from Russia. Truth is there but the analysis is wanting some critical discourse which is of course blocked. At least RT lets opposing views get posted.

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Perhaps, but still the Hungarian's worst enemy is still their government that refuses to reduce bureaucracy! A place where everybody has 30 days to do anything (that can be extended by another 30 days). A Constitution that does nothing to true human right except cosmetic and allowes people be stopped by police for no cause, and provides no real venue foo the appeal of fines etc., because they are deemed administrative"!
Hungary has a long way to go but that should come from Hungarians and not from anyone else!

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Thanks Ped and Borsc, it's interesting perspectives from you both. Perhaps I was imposing my perceptions of "small government" that had improved greatly at my home in the US in the past 20 yrs, onto the only extension of the US govt here, ie SD. Given the crazy mish-mash of administrative service here (parking with your smart phone, but you still must name your child according to a government list) I guess I still grasp for small bits of my former sense of normal. My view of an embassy is not only administrative, but to serve as a reassuring "safe haven" luckily I have not needed such.
Interesting comment on the Balogh blog. I have developed a better news filter since living here and know that if its in both Nemzet and Nepszabadsag its probably true, but that's a pretty small percentage. Of course the news of Questor here in Gyor is hard to ignore, as are the deserted malls on Sunday. Like the old Chinese saying "may you live in interesting times"

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"Interesting" it is! Backwards sometimes! I'm always dumbfounded when a female minister, doctor etc., is interviewed and they identify themselves as example: Barrack Obama-ne. The "ne" with a hash on the "e" signifies that she is the "wife of" Barrack Obama. At one time this was "required/mandatory" but I guess no longer. Yet intelligent, educated people use it who's husband has not achieved their wife's status yet it is still being used as if they don't have an identity of their own. I don't know what country uses this (if any) besides Hungary but I think it is just as bad as the burka or other demeaning female accessory! I only mention this example as to allude to the culture and to a different perception of things! Be safe!

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You have to be careful when making comparisons between Hungary and the US. The Sunday thing is not unique to Hungary and is still present in the Netherlands for example. But, I agree there is a lot of blatant corruption here in Hungary. However, we have more and somewhat worse in the US. It is becoming pervasive and our right under the Constitution are now completely forfeit. All it takes is for ANY federal government employee to put you on the terrorist watch list. For the American form of corruption you just have to take a look at our new ambassador to Hungary. She didn't get that position from any actual statesmanship experience but rather it is a payback for political campaign contributions. Yes, this is not new but it has never been this bad before. I believe we are lucky though and she will turn out to be a far better representative of the US than Goodfriend was. If you track his career many evil things occurred either during his tour or immediately after. I believe he is a stalking horse for DoS/CIA manipulations. I have met many of these guys in my career and he fits it perfectly. Wherever he goes trouble soon follows. I wonder where he will go next? Perhaps Serbia or Bulgaria or maybe the latest obstreperous troublemaker the Czech Republic. Perhaps I am just being cynical but I have worked overseas for a large part of my military career which makes you extremely cynical and a non-believer in American exceptionalism. Personally, I think Fidez, despite the obvious nutty corruptions, has done a marvelous thing by paying off the IMF and World Bank and kicking them out of the country. If that is all they accomplish it is enough to regain sovereignty of Hungary from US control. It is a very rare thing to get out from under Goldman Sachs once they get their talons into you but Fidez has done it. The rest is really trivial in comparison and Hungary will eventually work it out using the normal political process. That is assuming a major effort for regime change isn't pushed forwards again. We will see how it goes over the next 6 months or so. I believe that other issues have taken the forefront of US foreign policy and Hungary has fallen to a very low priority.

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I have looked into the Eva Balogh HU Spectrum. I watched the interview too. Your nose is correct. It does not pass the smell test. Albeit, it's a sophisticated op, but as these kinds of things go, mistakes are, and will be made. She made a couple in the video interview, to show her hand. It goes deeper, but cannot discuss it here.
Some things are just that way.
I grew up in HU - under the previous regime. If anything good came out of that were two good things: we got a good education, and learned to read between the lines of the b.s., propaganda, lies, and incendiary rhetoric; we got it with our mother's milk.

She is clear as day to me.

BTW: she slipped in a very indirect, roundabout way, that she has handlers ("help").

I remember reading an article abut a professor from Ossetia, invited to teach for year in Gerogetown Univ. He said (paraphrased) "I grew up and lived in the Soviet Union and we were trained from an early age - by necessity - to see thru the b.s. and propaganda; to read between the lines, to predict from very little info as to what are they up to. We've been sensitized for it, to see it a mile away. Within a few mos after my arrival in the US, I realized, that things are no different there, except it is more sophisticated. It didn't matter how many papers and stations you have, the info in the US is filtered and manufactured just like in the old Soviet Union."

Bright guy - can't recall his name - but probably that's why he became famous enough to be invited to Georgetown U. to teach a couple of semesters.

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I agree completey. None things which sticks out is that these posts from her are long, well written and very detailed. Sometimes there are two a day. She is supposedly a full time professor so who has time to spend doing this kind of detailed political analysis? On top of that it is all being done from the U.S. which makes it very difficult. Anyway, my alternate specialty in the Ar my was PSYOPS (now known as MISO) and I can smell this from a professional perspective. It is extremely sophisticated and requires the efforts of several full time staffers and cannot be done by a single person working alone from far away. There is another news blog also from the U.S. but comes out of Pennsylvania which isnequally strange.ni forget the name but it is w weird one from a Hungarian perspective. I dug hard and tried to find a Soros connection but couldn't do it. But, it is very typical for his type of fomenting unrest.

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