I went to Costa Rica this past march, Caribbean side. I was expecting a third world, mosquito infested nightmare. It was absolutely awesome. Gorgeous, dry, not buggy, very very easy to take. There might be better, not great tunningvreally but you could do worse.
Why should I support “democracy”? Would you rather live in a rich country that’s authoritarian or a poor country (anywhere in Europe is poorer than the US, with the possible exception of Norway) that’s a democracy?
fair question. I already am a rich man so it's tricky...In Europe I might be able to have a higher lifestyle because my dollars might go farther there.
but there's a catch...if I go to Europe, I'd live in a very expensive place like Rome, London, St Moritz, etc. I would not live in the kind of poor hill town in Southern Italy that drags down the European numbers. So the Europe advantage might weaken in that situation.
But generally, it's a good question. Live in a poorer place but with better politics or a richer place with an authoritarian chaos agent in charge. I'm not sure what the right answer is. Different for everyone I suppose.
I'm sure if you are young and still working and trying to save for retirement, the US is better financially. I'm past that.
The US isn't necessarily the best place financially for a young person, although it's improving now. It's very difficult for a young American to afford their first home (one of the best ways to long term wealth), and due to the inability of people to move out of apartments and into houses, rents are up.
None, the #usa# is literally the best place in the world to live. If you're not happy here, then you're not happy anywhere. period.
Spoken like an American who’s never had a passport. the world is a massive place my friend. you should get out there and see it, you’d think very very differently about the US if you did.
None, the #usa# is literally the best place in the world to live. If you're not happy here, then you're not happy anywhere. period.
Spoken like an American who’s never had a passport. the world is a massive place my friend. you should get out there and see it, you’d think very very differently about the US if you did.
What this thread doesn't recognize is that the are many countries now where Americans aren't welcome.
There's no place Americans would want to go to because that would mean being amongst people not like yourselves who also probably don't like you. And you wouldn't like them because being xenophobic is as American as apple-pie.
I don't like New Zealanders.
That's good because they don't like Americans like you. So we won't be seeing you any time soon.
That's called a white-supremacist regime. There's no place like home.
Would you rather live in Japan or Somalia?
There'd be plenty of choices ahead of the US. Japan would be one of them. What Americans don't know is that we don't like the sounds of their accents now. It's similar to how we didn't like S African accents in the apartheid era.
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None, the #usa# is literally the best place in the world to live. If you're not happy here, then you're not happy anywhere. period.
I dunno, I lived in Australia 6 months, I could be pretty happy there also.
Please don't say Australia. Americans would find it hard to fit into a country with the best medicare system in world, an NDIS (nationalm disability insurance scheme) that looks after all disabled, age care system, pension, low unemployment, stable economy and political environment, where no one cares if you vote for the 'other side', rock solid borders etc etc
There are a lot of Americans living in Prague and also Brno in the Czech Republic. Both cities are among the safest in the world. Flights to everywhere. One of the lowest tax rates in Europe. Best and cheapest transport system in Europe. Prostitution is legal. Beautiful city untouched by WW2. Lots of running routes, whether flat paths or trails.
Downsides are most expensive housing in the EU, hot summers and cold winters, no coast, impossible language to learn (and English isn't common), people are cold and unfriendly, and one million Ukrainian draft dodgers have moved here in the last 3 years.
I saw the writing on the wall in the U.S. 13 years ago, so I moved to Japan and have never looked back. Very glad I did. Ekidens and marathons on T.V. almost every weekend (and I was at National Stadium for Worlds in September). Hard to beat if you're a running fan.
Plus perks like affordable, high-quality medical and dental care, great food, relatively low home prices and rents, very little crime, people with a strong sense of social responsibility . . . and on and on . . .
Switzerland‘s quality of life really is second to none. Almost everything works very well here, at least far better than in most countries. Quality is everywhere you look, from its public transit systems, to the buildings people live in and even the streets themselves. It’s obviously not perfect, but having lived in 5 countries (including the US), Switzerland is by far my favourite. But yes… it‘s expensive. Most people earn enough to lived comfortably though. For anyone considering moving here, learn at least one of the four official languages.
Switzerland is a great place to live, especially if you love the mountains and lakes and snow, but it is expensive, as you say, and it is not easy for non-EU citizens to get in permanently. For example one requirement I see is "You must have proof of a personal link to Switzerland (Swiss origin, spending a relatively long time in Switzerland, owning real estate, etc.)." A also saw estimates of needing $4000 a month to live there, but this seems like a best case scenario, and can easily be the double. You also need your own private health and accident insurance.
My thesis is that the Putinism/Orbanism that is coming to the USA will not impoverish the nation. The one thing this country can't handle is economic distress. And certainly so far, in Trump 1 and Trump 2 the nation has not suffered economically so that is likely to continue.
I think we are post-history in the sense that capitalism is so powerful and so entrenched that we will all continue to be wealthy enough to be comfortable even when politics goes to heck. We're not going to get the poverty of socialism and communism in the USA....we're going to continue to get high living standards...but fewer freedoms and a lot more stress.
Look, heck, even China with its terrible government hasn't prevented global capitalism to make their citizens much richer than before. I don;t think even trump could ruin the powerful mechanism of global capitalism.
This doesn't really ring true for the middle and poorer classes and for minorities.
American "capitalism" works for upper middle class to the rich, but doesn't really work for everyone, like single parent families or part-time workers.
Since Reagan reshaped Republican fiscal policies effectively giving more money to the wealthy, while the ecomony has steadily grown, real wages for the middle class have remained frozen. A single earner in the '80s could support a household, while today most households require two incomes. Having both parents work exacerbates many social problems. Had wages simply grown with the growth of the economy, many of the government social programs would be largely reduced, if not unnecessary.
Both Trump 1 and Trump 2 terms have come with high inflation and job losses or poor job growth. The Trump 2 term will be a smash and grab for Trump and his immediate family, and handouts to his wealthy supporters.