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Ask HN: Europe to East Coast, does it make sense to move at 50?

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Re: Ask HN: Europe to East Coast, does it make sense to move at 50?

#51

Post by birdyrooster »

diognesofsinope wrote: post #35
teekert wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve been to the US a couple times for work (all over), always travelled around a bit. I found the people to very, very warm and kind everywhere. Racial segregation is sometimes too real in some places but the black people there seem so positively surprised and very kind when you ask them something as a white dude, it’s easy and rewarding to just be the change you want to see in that respect. The only reservation I’d…

Federal government literally spends over $1T on healthcare for the elderly. The healthcare issues in the country have never been about the old.

They will just send you home to die when you become a burden to them. Happens all the time, old folks just get told to pound sand and die and no one does shit about it.

Re: Ask HN: Europe to East Coast, does it make sense to move at 50?

#52

Post by [deleted] »

dewey wrote: post #14
bshepard wrote: post #7

Hello there, I live in Berlin now and used to live in the United States. My family is there, and I go back to the east coast of the US often. The degenerating and dystopian quality of the United States is difficult to overstate, but almost impossible to capture verbally. Whatever one cause attributes to the systematic breakdown of the US, it is difficult to deny the realities of the decline -- massive alcohol and nar…

How is that's even slightly related to OPs question? > Stay here, make this moderately good place even better I think you missed the part about his wife's job in the US which is the reason for the move in the first place.

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Europe to East Coast, does it make sense to move at 50?

#53

Post by hans1729 »

baisq wrote: post #16
bshepard wrote: post #7

Hello there, I live in Berlin now and used to live in the United States. My family is there, and I go back to the east coast of the US often. The degenerating and dystopian quality of the United States is difficult to overstate, but almost impossible to capture verbally. Whatever one cause attributes to the systematic breakdown of the US, it is difficult to deny the realities of the decline -- massive alcohol and nar…

That's not a problem if you have money.

If you don't want kids.

If you do, it's always a factor. Do you want your kids to grow up in a stable culture, or in a declining one? Surrounded by polarization, extremes of all kinds, instability? I consider moving to the US for a couple of years for the money, but the second that kids are on the horizon, I would book a plane ticket to Europe.

Re: Ask HN: Europe to East Coast, does it make sense to move at 50?

#54

Post by jacquesm »

baisq wrote: post #16
bshepard wrote: post #7

Hello there, I live in Berlin now and used to live in the United States. My family is there, and I go back to the east coast of the US often. The degenerating and dystopian quality of the United States is difficult to overstate, but almost impossible to capture verbally. Whatever one cause attributes to the systematic breakdown of the US, it is difficult to deny the realities of the decline -- massive alcohol and nar…

That's not a problem if you have money.

For that purpose 'having money' is not the kind of money that a typical immigrant from Europe will bring with them, especially not if they still have to work for a living.

Re: Ask HN: Europe to East Coast, does it make sense to move at 50?

#55

Post by guerrilla »

seibelj wrote: post #41
bshepard wrote: post #7

Hello there, I live in Berlin now and used to live in the United States. My family is there, and I go back to the east coast of the US often. The degenerating and dystopian quality of the United States is difficult to overstate, but almost impossible to capture verbally. Whatever one cause attributes to the systematic breakdown of the US, it is difficult to deny the realities of the decline -- massive alcohol and nar…

This is hilariously inaccurate and essentially a stereotype perceived from the Reddit front page. Europe is experiencing legions of issues including runaway inflation, a government and social safety net that is rapidly becoming unaffordable, a migrant crisis that is causing their own racial issues that they pretend don’t exist but are causing huge polarization and the rise of right-wing parties, a business climate th…

> including runaway inflation

The same as everywhere... due to a war and pandemic.

> a government and social safety net that is rapidly becoming unaffordable

Completely false. Do you even read our budgets? Your debt-to-GDB was literally 3x ours last year. European countries aren't even allowed to deficit spend more than a few percent (which is what got Greece in trouble, for example.)

> they pretend don’t exist

I'm guessing you don't speak any European languages or you'd know this isn't true.

> business climate that has produced essentially zero large companies in decades, and on and on.

Ummm, right... like ARM, Skype, Spotify, Klarna, all the telecom suppliers, not to mention some of the biggest multinationals on the planet (whom you probably think are American)

Re: Ask HN: Europe to East Coast, does it make sense to move at 50?

#56

Post by raverbashing »

orzig wrote: post #46

Concrete data point: My neighbor (a German) moved to the East Coast a year ago (for wife’s job) and has zero intention of moving back (they have bought a house). Obviously lots of details; they are in academia, have an 8yo, were most recently in the UK, etc. But they have their skin in the game and made choose USA.

> they are in academia,

Makes me wonder if they draw a lucky ticket like tenure. Because for most cases, the opposite would make more sense.

Re: Ask HN: Europe to East Coast, does it make sense to move at 50?

#57

Post by [deleted] »

dewey wrote: post #14
bshepard wrote: post #7

Hello there, I live in Berlin now and used to live in the United States. My family is there, and I go back to the east coast of the US often. The degenerating and dystopian quality of the United States is difficult to overstate, but almost impossible to capture verbally. Whatever one cause attributes to the systematic breakdown of the US, it is difficult to deny the realities of the decline -- massive alcohol and nar…

How is that's even slightly related to OPs question? > Stay here, make this moderately good place even better I think you missed the part about his wife's job in the US which is the reason for the move in the first place.

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: Europe to East Coast, does it make sense to move at 50?

#58

Post by orzig »

rsmiths wrote: post #33

I don’t think people realise quite how good we have it in Europe. I would not leave Europe to live in America for any amount of money.

You do you, but a lot of the horror stories about the US relate to disadvantaged people (financially and otherwise). If “Any amount of money” is >$5M I guarantee you could buy a house in a quiet but close-to-a-city neighborhood, and have plenty left over for healthcare. You will read the same headlines about outrageous injustice that you currently are, but be in a better position to help fix them.

Re: Ask HN: Europe to East Coast, does it make sense to move at 50?

#59

Post by jacquesm »

somewhereoutth wrote: post #6
koevet wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife's company will provide a work permit.

I would double check this - assuming your wife will be going over on an H1B or L1 visa (edit: correction: L1 can get you an L2 as a spouse), as a spouse you would not be allowed to work in the US.

And if that's 'at will' employment you may well end up finding out what it is like to be without a safety net if the spouse should get fired.

Re: Ask HN: Europe to East Coast, does it make sense to move at 50?

#60

Post by christophilus »

teekert wrote: post #29
bshepard wrote: post #7

Hello there, I live in Berlin now and used to live in the United States. My family is there, and I go back to the east coast of the US often. The degenerating and dystopian quality of the United States is difficult to overstate, but almost impossible to capture verbally. Whatever one cause attributes to the systematic breakdown of the US, it is difficult to deny the realities of the decline -- massive alcohol and nar…

I’ve been to the US a couple times for work (all over), always travelled around a bit. I found the people to very, very warm and kind everywhere. Racial segregation is sometimes too real in some places but the black people there seem so positively surprised and very kind when you ask them something as a white dude, it’s easy and rewarding to just be the change you want to see in that respect. The only reservation I’d…

> the black people there seem so positively surprised and very kind when you ask them something as a white dude

Where were you? I live and grew up in the south east, and have always chatted with my black neighbors / clerks / coworkers / etc when out and about. It’s so normal that I can’t imagine a response of surprise.

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