Comments on: If I Had to Leave the United States http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2008/10/if-i-had-to-leave-the-united-states.html Dispatches from a Small Business Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:21:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: rxc http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2008/10/if-i-had-to-leave-the-united-states.html/comment-page-1#comment-14327 rxc Sat, 01 Nov 2008 15:11:19 +0000 http://www.warrenmeyer.net/coyote_blog/2008/10/if-i-had-to-leave-the-united-states.html#comment-14327 <p>I am an American, and I have actually recently moved to France(!), to live here in retirement. All you have to do is prove a steady income and healthcare coverage, with no desire to take work away from the locals, and they have no problem with immigrants as retirees. The food and wine are great, and the country(Europe, actually) is one big amusement park for adults. </p> <p>And the French - they can be amusing...</p> I am an American, and I have actually recently moved to France(!), to live here in retirement. All you have to do is prove a steady income and healthcare coverage, with no desire to take work away from the locals, and they have no problem with immigrants as retirees. The food and wine are great, and the country(Europe, actually) is one big amusement park for adults.

And the French – they can be amusing…

]]> By: Bobby L http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2008/10/if-i-had-to-leave-the-united-states.html/comment-page-1#comment-14326 Bobby L Sat, 01 Nov 2008 02:35:57 +0000 http://www.warrenmeyer.net/coyote_blog/2008/10/if-i-had-to-leave-the-united-states.html#comment-14326 <p>New Zealand FTW!! My girlfriend and I were discussing this the other day, and what really drew us in was their culture towards their economy. Ever since they abandoned farm subsidies, they have really embraced the free market-, be competitive-, business environment. </p> <p>And the landscape is very pretty. :)</p> New Zealand FTW!! My girlfriend and I were discussing this the other day, and what really drew us in was their culture towards their economy. Ever since they abandoned farm subsidies, they have really embraced the free market-, be competitive-, business environment.

And the landscape is very pretty. :)

]]> By: Craig http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2008/10/if-i-had-to-leave-the-united-states.html/comment-page-1#comment-14325 Craig Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:09:21 +0000 http://www.warrenmeyer.net/coyote_blog/2008/10/if-i-had-to-leave-the-united-states.html#comment-14325 <p>Germany, the UK, and especially the Netherlands are headed for caliphate status before too long. Singapore would be a good choice for law and order. You could probably find a fairly good standard of living in parts of India, and costs would be low, although there's always the threat of sectarian violence.</p> Germany, the UK, and especially the Netherlands are headed for caliphate status before too long. Singapore would be a good choice for law and order. You could probably find a fairly good standard of living in parts of India, and costs would be low, although there’s always the threat of sectarian violence.

]]> By: mishu http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2008/10/if-i-had-to-leave-the-united-states.html/comment-page-1#comment-14324 mishu Fri, 31 Oct 2008 21:57:41 +0000 http://www.warrenmeyer.net/coyote_blog/2008/10/if-i-had-to-leave-the-united-states.html#comment-14324 <p>I lived in Switzerland for two years. It is freaking gorgeous. I had to leave because the company transferred my department to Germany. Miklos is right. Germany is boring. I would go back to Switzerland in a heart beat if I had the opportunity. The cost of living is expensive but the low taxes offset that quite well. If you speak English, you can get by ok but if you can speak German (or better yet, Schweitzer Deutsche), you'll have more social opportunities.</p> I lived in Switzerland for two years. It is freaking gorgeous. I had to leave because the company transferred my department to Germany. Miklos is right. Germany is boring. I would go back to Switzerland in a heart beat if I had the opportunity. The cost of living is expensive but the low taxes offset that quite well. If you speak English, you can get by ok but if you can speak German (or better yet, Schweitzer Deutsche), you’ll have more social opportunities.

]]> By: wws http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2008/10/if-i-had-to-leave-the-united-states.html/comment-page-1#comment-14323 wws Fri, 31 Oct 2008 14:51:36 +0000 http://www.warrenmeyer.net/coyote_blog/2008/10/if-i-had-to-leave-the-united-states.html#comment-14323 <p>The carribean, in general, seems like a pretty accomodating place. If you have some knowledge of Spanish, Columbia has calmed down a lot under Uribe, and Cartagena (the old capital of the Spanish Main) has a lot of charm. Mexico's legal system is still a bit too random with regard to foreigner's property to be comfortable on anything other than short visits. </p> <p>A comment on movies - as a Dunaway fan, how could you not appreciate the ORIGINAL Thomas Crown affair, the sexiest movie she was ever in? The newer version was a pale and disapointing copy. 2 words for the high point of Dunaway's movie career - "Chess Scene".</p> The carribean, in general, seems like a pretty accomodating place. If you have some knowledge of Spanish, Columbia has calmed down a lot under Uribe, and Cartagena (the old capital of the Spanish Main) has a lot of charm. Mexico’s legal system is still a bit too random with regard to foreigner’s property to be comfortable on anything other than short visits.

A comment on movies – as a Dunaway fan, how could you not appreciate the ORIGINAL Thomas Crown affair, the sexiest movie she was ever in? The newer version was a pale and disapointing copy. 2 words for the high point of Dunaway’s movie career – “Chess Scene”.

]]> By: GreggB http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2008/10/if-i-had-to-leave-the-united-states.html/comment-page-1#comment-14322 GreggB Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:32:50 +0000 http://www.warrenmeyer.net/coyote_blog/2008/10/if-i-had-to-leave-the-united-states.html#comment-14322 <p>'Seriously, if freedom were a guide, examining gun laws reveals a lot.'<br /> Beware of that measure. VT has some of the best/least gun laws and we are basically a failed socialist state. Gun rights were put into the VT state constitution way back when. Our congressional delegation have been bigtime gun grabbers nationally. </p> ‘Seriously, if freedom were a guide, examining gun laws reveals a lot.’
Beware of that measure. VT has some of the best/least gun laws and we are basically a failed socialist state. Gun rights were put into the VT state constitution way back when. Our congressional delegation have been bigtime gun grabbers nationally.

]]> By: Speedmaster http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2008/10/if-i-had-to-leave-the-united-states.html/comment-page-1#comment-14321 Speedmaster Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:25:07 +0000 http://www.warrenmeyer.net/coyote_blog/2008/10/if-i-had-to-leave-the-united-states.html#comment-14321 <p>Great quote! ;-)</p> <p>One of my fav. movies, rented it from netflix about a month ago.</p> Great quote! ;-)

One of my fav. movies, rented it from netflix about a month ago.

]]> By: Brad Warbiany http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2008/10/if-i-had-to-leave-the-united-states.html/comment-page-1#comment-14320 Brad Warbiany Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:53:55 +0000 http://www.warrenmeyer.net/coyote_blog/2008/10/if-i-had-to-leave-the-united-states.html#comment-14320 <p>How about Hong Kong? It may become the new center of the financial universe in the next few decades. </p> <p>You may remember <a href="http://www.moviequotes.com/fullquote.cgi?qnum=48088" rel="nofollow">this line</a> from the movie "The Family Man":</p> <blockquote>This is the center of the universe. If I were living in Roman times, I would live in Rome, where else. And today, America is the Roman Empire and New York is Rome itself.</blockquote> <p>Hong Kong has the ever-present worry that China will actually start being a lot more heavy-handed, but I think even the Chinese government knows that you don't kill the goose laying the golden egg.</p> How about Hong Kong? It may become the new center of the financial universe in the next few decades.

You may remember this line from the movie “The Family Man”:

This is the center of the universe. If I were living in Roman times, I would live in Rome, where else. And today, America is the Roman Empire and New York is Rome itself.

Hong Kong has the ever-present worry that China will actually start being a lot more heavy-handed, but I think even the Chinese government knows that you don’t kill the goose laying the golden egg.

]]> By: Stan http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2008/10/if-i-had-to-leave-the-united-states.html/comment-page-1#comment-14319 Stan Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:59:37 +0000 http://www.warrenmeyer.net/coyote_blog/2008/10/if-i-had-to-leave-the-united-states.html#comment-14319 <p>Montana.</p> <p>Seriously, if freedom were a guide, examining gun laws reveals a lot. Of course, that may disqualify 99% of your options.</p> Montana.

Seriously, if freedom were a guide, examining gun laws reveals a lot. Of course, that may disqualify 99% of your options.

]]> By: ElamBend http://www.coyoteblog.com/coyote_blog/2008/10/if-i-had-to-leave-the-united-states.html/comment-page-1#comment-14318 ElamBend Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:33:49 +0000 http://www.warrenmeyer.net/coyote_blog/2008/10/if-i-had-to-leave-the-united-states.html#comment-14318 <p>I love seventies political thrillers and Three Days is probably the best. Parallax View is an interesting one, too.</p> <p>If you'd like to see a good languid political thriller, check out "The Dancer Upstairs". It stars Javier Bardem, was directed by Malkovich and is based upon a book about the capture of the leader of the Shining Path in Peru. Great stuff.</p> <p>Warren, I agree on Argentina. It used to be great place to visit (and cheap) but things seem really unstable anymore. A beautiful country with beautiful people, it's decades long decline is heartbreaking.</p> <p>I could do Chile or just about any of the major English speaking countries. However, unless it was just for a short time, it would take disaster of epic scale to get me to leave North America. If it came to be, I would just take the attitude that America is where I place my feet and go homesteading.</p> I love seventies political thrillers and Three Days is probably the best. Parallax View is an interesting one, too.

If you’d like to see a good languid political thriller, check out “The Dancer Upstairs”. It stars Javier Bardem, was directed by Malkovich and is based upon a book about the capture of the leader of the Shining Path in Peru. Great stuff.

Warren, I agree on Argentina. It used to be great place to visit (and cheap) but things seem really unstable anymore. A beautiful country with beautiful people, it’s decades long decline is heartbreaking.

I could do Chile or just about any of the major English speaking countries. However, unless it was just for a short time, it would take disaster of epic scale to get me to leave North America. If it came to be, I would just take the attitude that America is where I place my feet and go homesteading.

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