Earlier quoted context omitted.
WTF? How do you get from Americans to black people?
I think this is what they meant by "Paris is unrecognizable from his youth".
Try reading what it says and not what you imagine it to say.
Leaving the U.S. for the Netherlands
131–140 of 264 posts
Re: Leaving the U.S. for the Netherlands
#132Earlier quoted context omitted.
Can you give some examples?
...do you really need examples? In America, *if* you have money, everything is better than anywhere else. Maybe Dubai can compare but there are some strong trade offs. America has the best healthcare. Not the best value, but the best healthcare. It has low taxes, lots of world class cultural institutions, and varied beautiful geography. It is the Rome of our age. Corrupt, amoral, and exploitative? Sure, but with mone…
I have a chronic disease making over 500K dollars and I can tell you the US healthcare (from primary care to specialists) ability to help me stay on track or identify health issues has been null. If it wasn't because I second guess every recommendation, go and pay out of pocket tests (even though I gotta pay 4K+ in insurance premiums) I would have been dead by now. No, the US does not have the best healthcare not even close.
Scenario 1: You fall head first from a 10th floor. US healthcare has higher chance of saving your life. Scenario 2: You are an average person that hopes to get preventive medical care. You will die in the U.S of the most basic medical condition.
Re: Leaving the U.S. for the Netherlands
#133Earlier quoted context omitted.
But finding housing is brutal.
Genuinely asking, are there any country that doesn't have a housing crisis right now? From my understanding, it's everywhere in Western nations
At least for my state in germany we have an crisis of housing in big cities. In small vilages and cities it is pretty cheap to buy a house.
Re: Leaving the U.S. for the Netherlands
#134The US would be better off every American did attempt to expatriate. In my own experience, I quickly saw and stared to miss the many strengths of our way of life. For the curious about which country it was, see my username.
I wouldn't say every American should try to be an expat. I think we'd be better off as a society if everyone traveled abroad more. I know most can't afford that, but I'd be totally down for a state funded 'study abroad' program for bright students. Other places have ideas we can learn from (and vice versa)
The average American thinks the U.S is the best country in the world. I say that as an American. To your point if people saw how the rest of the world lives and how happy many of those 7.88 Billion people are they would start being more vocal about our endless cycle of work until you are 85 to be able to pay your property taxes.
Re: Leaving the U.S. for the Netherlands
#135Earlier quoted context omitted.
FIRE people are funny, I wouldn't retire in belgium even if I was paid for it personally. Do you just order by tax rate and move wherever the number is the smallest ? I never heard of anyone moving to Belgium for anything other than family or cross border workers
Belgium is one of the top 20 countries in the world for quality of life and social safety net. There are ~200 countries doing worse.
Maybe... but you're still in Belgium. :)
Re: Leaving the U.S. for the Netherlands
#136And go where? Seriously I don’t know of another country that isn’t on the same authoritarian track, if not further along. If anyone has done a serious study and come up with a country that still has strong judicial independence, due process, lack of censorship and respect for private property, Id love to know
> Seriously I don’t know of another country that isn’t on the same authoritarian track, New Zealand? Canada? Japan? France? I mean you really aren't trying there. > if not further along. The only places further along are China, Russia, Georgia, Venezuela, and Hungary. Even Slovakia or Poland or Germany aren't as bad (though still troubling). It's really hard to be more authoritarian than the US is now still. The Feds…
The Comey case is interesting. I can certainly see it as "the US is trying to be authoritarian" (or at least the current administration is).
But the courts ruled in Comey's favor. There is no reason to think that, if the feds try again, the courts won't rule for Comey again. That's still "rule of law", no matter how hard the current administration is trying to make it otherwise.
Now, sure, in an ideal world the case should never have been filed. In a just world, he would not have been put through that. And in an even-somewhat-ideal world, the case would not be re-filed. Absolutely. But for all that, the situation in the US is not (yet) as dire as you are painting it.
Re: Leaving the U.S. for the Netherlands
#137As an immigrant to the US, I've often viewed the fervent wish to depart (among natural born citizens) to be the ultimate form of self-entitlement. That you'd give up so easily when your voice, presence, and vote, matters most. It's being tested right now, and leaving is the only way to fail. Also, why do you think any other country would -love- to have you?
I don't quite understand, are you chastising US emigrants because they are being entitled?
Are you not guilty of exactly the same thing from the perspective of your own country?
Re: Leaving the U.S. for the Netherlands
#138Reëlection?
Explanation here: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-curse-of-... > [...] we have three options for these kinds of words: “cooperate,” “co-operate,” and “coöperate.” Back when the magazine was just getting started, someone decided that the first misread and the second was ridiculous, and adopted the diaeresis as the most elegant solution with the broadest application.
They decided the dieresis was less ridiculous than the hyphen?
Re: Leaving the U.S. for the Netherlands
#139Earlier quoted context omitted.
FIRE people are funny, I wouldn't retire in belgium even if I was paid for it personally. Do you just order by tax rate and move wherever the number is the smallest ? I never heard of anyone moving to Belgium for anything other than family or cross border workers
Belgium is one of the top 20 countries in the world for quality of life and social safety net. There are ~200 countries doing worse.
Quality of life for integrated citizens or for FIRE leeches ? The truth from quality of life polls can be far from the truth of migrants on the ground. If you're leaving CA for Belgium to save money and enjoy a nice "quality of life" you're in for a treat lol. People aren't interchangeable units of meat that can be integrated and fully acclimated to new cultures/nations.
I could understand Amsterdam/Berlin for the vibe and the fact that everyone speaks english. Portugal/Spain/Greece/Italy for the weather, the nordic countries for nature and the overall lifestyle... but Belgium, really ? no offence but it's like Luxembourg, if it wasn't for tax reasons nobody would ever willingly move there
Re: Leaving the U.S. for the Netherlands
#140Earlier quoted context omitted.
When you say 'everything is better' are you just talking about higher compensation > *? Cause I can think a number of 'quality of life' things that europe does better.
US just has more to offer.
More school shooting, more obesity, more unwalkable hellscapes, it's got it all!