You have options – Why we left the U.S. and moved back to Europe
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Re: You have options – Why we left the U.S. and moved back to Europe
#2The US has a lot more to offer than Florida, especially when it comes to the complaints (heat, health care and mass shootings) in the article.
Re: You have options – Why we left the U.S. and moved back to Europe
#3I moved from London to Lisbon and then to Brazil. I get the same kinda "wtf" reaction from Brazilians. The bottom line is, with all that's wrong in Brazil and given my circumstances and my remote well paid job, I'm a lot happier living here than anywhere else in the world. I truly love this place.
I don't think one needs to try to make a place work for them. Sure you can try and adapt. But ultimately most people reading this have the option to live elsewhere. Don't be afraid to take the chance.
Re: You have options – Why we left the U.S. and moved back to Europe
#4Three of my friends moved in the other direction (all of them Americans by birth), one with his family in tow.
Having options is good, and it is fairly easy for American entrepreneurs to move to Europe (Germany works if you have enough backing and a good plan) or back again if they decide that's what is best for them.
Healthcare is definitely a factor and so is the climate but when you're young and working hard neither of those will likely move the needle much (but healthcare is a bit of a lottery in the longer term).
The paranoia angle wouldn't factor in for most people, though I can see how if you are prone to that that it will affect you.
If you're an entrepreneur and you wish to address the largest single market on the planet (one language, one currency) with your start-up the USA is probably the place to be if you can get in in an easy way. If not then the EU is likely your best bet but it will be substantially harder to address the EU market than the American one. You might even get a neat balance if you lived in Europe but treated your start-up like an American entity from day one.
Re: You have options – Why we left the U.S. and moved back to Europe
#5It's funny that Florida has such a pristine reputation internationally. I'm from the Southern US, and my view of Florida is that it's where 80% of the crazies in the US live.
Anytime I see a batsh*t crazy headline? Florida. Check the articles you see from now on and you'll notice a pattern.
So to all the internationals: if you like the US but not its extremes, definitely don't move to Florida.
Re: You have options – Why we left the U.S. and moved back to Europe
#6The US has a lot more to offer than Florida, especially when it comes to the complaints (heat, health care and mass shootings) in the article.
Can you explain the healthcare differences? From what I know it is pretty bad all over the USA compared to say France or Germany.
Re: You have options – Why we left the U.S. and moved back to Europe
#7I’ve thought this for a long time, but the insanity of the US healthcare system makes is such that it erases the wage differences between here and countries with national healthcare systems for a huge percentage of the population long term.
You’re essentially gambling that you won’t be struck by a finance destroying health crisis for a long enough time that you’ll come out ahead overall. But when you think about the fact that 35-40% of people develop cancer in their lifetimes, or the “financial death by a thousand procedures” described in the post, that seems unlikely, at least for a good portion of people.
Re: You have options – Why we left the U.S. and moved back to Europe
#8It's funny that Florida has such a pristine reputation internationally. I'm from the Southern US, and my view of Florida is that it's where 80% of the crazies in the US live. Anytime I see a batsh*t crazy headline? Florida. Check the articles you see from now on and you'll notice a pattern. So to all the internationals: if you like the US but not its extremes, definitely don't move to Florida.
Florida has embraced open records laws, while other US jurisdictions have not - certainly not to the same extent.
A significant portion of your observation can likely be attributed to reporting bias: it's easy/cheap for a journalist to browse the website of their local Florida police department. In another jurisdiction, that same story might involve: hiring an investigative journalist, spending 3 months, and fighting to have a FOIA request honoured.
Re: You have options – Why we left the U.S. and moved back to Europe
#9It's funny that Florida has such a pristine reputation internationally. I'm from the Southern US, and my view of Florida is that it's where 80% of the crazies in the US live. Anytime I see a batsh*t crazy headline? Florida. Check the articles you see from now on and you'll notice a pattern. So to all the internationals: if you like the US but not its extremes, definitely don't move to Florida.
Your ideas about Florida are a common misconception in America. The reason you see all the wacky "Florida Man" news is not due to Floridians being crazier than the rest of America. It is because of their local government disclosure laws:
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/how-floridas-proud-open-go...
Re: You have options – Why we left the U.S. and moved back to Europe
#10It's funny that Florida has such a pristine reputation internationally. I'm from the Southern US, and my view of Florida is that it's where 80% of the crazies in the US live. Anytime I see a batsh*t crazy headline? Florida. Check the articles you see from now on and you'll notice a pattern. So to all the internationals: if you like the US but not its extremes, definitely don't move to Florida.
Florida has embraced open records laws, while other US jurisdictions have not - certainly not to the same extent. A significant portion of your observation can likely be attributed to reporting bias: it's easy/cheap for a journalist to browse the website of their local Florida police department. In another jurisdiction, that same story might involve: hiring an investigative journalist, spending 3 months, and fighting…
My family vacations there every year and my grandparents lived there for 30 years. I can assure you the crazy is real and not imagined.