What is the point of living in the US?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am an immigrant, so the question is highly relevant to me. The real estate is so expensive that it entirely negates the point of earning high salaries. Schools are garbage, crime is rampant, nothing is walkable... once upon a time at least you could get a huge house to compensate for that. Not any more. I am now embarrassed to show tiny old houses with low ceilings and vinyl siding that go for million+.

Planes flying both ways. Don’t let the screen door hit ya.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, don't get me wrong - I love this country and everything it ostensibly stands for. This idea that your identity is tied to an idea vs a race, ethnicity, or place of origin really is a beautiful thing. But - we have massive problems. The gun violence is just insane and no developed country with the resources we have should tolerate it. I know almost everyone who posts here would probably support policy changes to help curb it, but that's not the country we live in.
The creeping autocracy is also quite concerning. I follow international politics pretty closely, and while you do see some of this in other western countries - we are much further along. Look at Canada - yes the Conservatives have a wide base of support. But the fascist-adjacent, "Trumpy" part of the Canadian right, the People's Party, still only gets like 5-10% of the vote.

But some of this is also the case elsewhere, particularly the rise in populism.

Here's the reality - the US is a great place to be if you are very ambitious. It's unparalleled if you are smart, an entrepreneur, have a clear and focused goal, and are either already educated or can afford a U.S. college degree. But it is not a great place for everyone else. Content to be type B? Not for you. Want to work just to pay your bills and focus on enjoying your free time? Nope. Happen to get sick or disabled or have a financial crisis of any kind? Nada.

We currently live in the U.K. and planning a move back to the US in the next year and this resonates so much.

Many of our friends here come from smaller EU countries and have moved back for a simpler life whereas our move back doesn’t feel as “easy” …we have to think of our health insurance again, massive college expenses, gun violence, etc. Theyll still be long hours and commutes, etc. But we do have options, we will pick a lower cost city and enjoy a bigger house with AC and be able to drive thru Starbucks and stock up at Costco.

PP here. If it makes you feel better, we moved back from London and honestly, life is easier here even without the NHS. Not true for all of the UK, but living in London is HARD.

[Anonymous]

What's with all the snide xenophobic comments? Gross.

[Anonymous]

You have the ability to voice your views freely and, to some degree, chart your own destiny. I am inspired that many of our nation's presidents had modest upbringings and achieved something that in other parts of the world require a high pedigree. I've never thought twice of voicing dismay with a politician's views. I've never thought, "If I get sick and need an operation, what country would I travel to in order to have access to world class medicine?"

Someone is going to tell me this is a position of privilege, and it is, but I challenge anyone who says these privileges are shared universally and equally in other countries. That's not how an economy functions. And, I don't think the USA is exclusive in espousing these qualities, but it is unclear where the OP is from. So, to me, this is the point of living in the US. We all know it isn't perfect, but I feel very fortunate to have been born here and thankful to my grandparents for leaving everything they know to discover what is possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, don't get me wrong - I love this country and everything it ostensibly stands for. This idea that your identity is tied to an idea vs a race, ethnicity, or place of origin really is a beautiful thing. But - we have massive problems. The gun violence is just insane and no developed country with the resources we have should tolerate it. I know almost everyone who posts here would probably support policy changes to help curb it, but that's not the country we live in.
The creeping autocracy is also quite concerning. I follow international politics pretty closely, and while you do see some of this in other western countries - we are much further along. Look at Canada - yes the Conservatives have a wide base of support. But the fascist-adjacent, "Trumpy" part of the Canadian right, the People's Party, still only gets like 5-10% of the vote.

But some of this is also the case elsewhere, particularly the rise in populism.

Here's the reality - the US is a great place to be if you are very ambitious. It's unparalleled if you are smart, an entrepreneur, have a clear and focused goal, and are either already educated or can afford a U.S. college degree. But it is not a great place for everyone else. Content to be type B? Not for you. Want to work just to pay your bills and focus on enjoying your free time? Nope. Happen to get sick or disabled or have a financial crisis of any kind? Nada.

This is the most honest truth about the U.S.

+1

[Anonymous]

The whole country is not the same as the DMV. Move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, don't get me wrong - I love this country and everything it ostensibly stands for. This idea that your identity is tied to an idea vs a race, ethnicity, or place of origin really is a beautiful thing. But - we have massive problems. The gun violence is just insane and no developed country with the resources we have should tolerate it. I know almost everyone who posts here would probably support policy changes to help curb it, but that's not the country we live in.
The creeping autocracy is also quite concerning. I follow international politics pretty closely, and while you do see some of this in other western countries - we are much further along. Look at Canada - yes the Conservatives have a wide base of support. But the fascist-adjacent, "Trumpy" part of the Canadian right, the People's Party, still only gets like 5-10% of the vote.

But some of this is also the case elsewhere, particularly the rise in populism.

Here's the reality - the US is a great place to be if you are very ambitious. It's unparalleled if you are smart, an entrepreneur, have a clear and focused goal, and are either already educated or can afford a U.S. college degree. But it is not a great place for everyone else. Content to be type B? Not for you. Want to work just to pay your bills and focus on enjoying your free time? Nope. Happen to get sick or disabled or have a financial crisis of any kind? Nada.

This is the most honest truth about the U.S.

I concur with above being the honest truth and will add that the US is by and large much more accepting of ‘others’ than many other developed countries. I think people would be surprised at how racist Australians can be (not to pick on Australian, but yes, to pick on Australia). Or how strict most other European counties are on immigration. It’s easy and fun to criticize America on the aggregate, but get down to the neighborhood, community level and there’s a lot to like. It’s summertime, and I have basically a model UN of kids hunting fireflies, chasing after the ice cream truck, and making up weird games on their bikes. Are their parents struggling and working long hours? Some of them, absolutely. Are they first and second generation immigrants? Many, yes. Do I use too many rhetorical questions? Probably. You can idolize the pensioner lifestyle in UK or Italy, but take a closer look and you’ll see it’s not all it’s cracked up to be, and also that their fortunes are inextricably tied to the success of America. At least the fate of retirees in America is tied directly to the success of America not to any one other country

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a poor American, I've always been poor, my combined HHI was never more than about 80K. I'm very happily retired now and living on about 30K plus a small side gig.

My H and I researched where the best schools were in NoVa, then we rented a house there. Eventually we were able to buy a house in that community, it was a small house but we only have two kids. After awhile we traded up to a larger house but not any kind of mcmansion by any definition.

It's a great and very walkable community with great people, great parks, events, services, etc.

So, we managed all you said you couldn't pull off on a low salary just by wanting it bad enough and finding a way. Not sure what the problem is.

If I had a whole bunch of money I'd try living in Australia for awhile but I do know I'd come back here eventually. Love the USA.

Congrats! Did you also get your college degree for $10,000?

I actually got my college degree for $6000 of my money, the rest was paid for either by my employer or grant money. That was in the 90s, before that I stayed home with my kids until the youngest started school. Thanks for your I'm sure heartfelt congratulations!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am an immigrant, so the question is highly relevant to me. The real estate is so expensive that it entirely negates the point of earning high salaries. Schools are garbage, crime is rampant, nothing is walkable... once upon a time at least you could get a huge house to compensate for that. Not any more. I am now embarrassed to show tiny old houses with low ceilings and vinyl siding that go for million+.

I moved here for my American husband from London. My life is so much better here than had I stayed in London. I love to go visit and love the UK, but it is bloody expensive and job opportunities are not early as good as here. I'm also very grateful for my private health insurance here. My poor mother had to wait 5 years for a knee replacement and could not even walk for the last 3. The NHS is so incredibly broken.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, don't get me wrong - I love this country and everything it ostensibly stands for. This idea that your identity is tied to an idea vs a race, ethnicity, or place of origin really is a beautiful thing. But - we have massive problems. The gun violence is just insane and no developed country with the resources we have should tolerate it. I know almost everyone who posts here would probably support policy changes to help curb it, but that's not the country we live in.
The creeping autocracy is also quite concerning. I follow international politics pretty closely, and while you do see some of this in other western countries - we are much further along. Look at Canada - yes the Conservatives have a wide base of support. But the fascist-adjacent, "Trumpy" part of the Canadian right, the People's Party, still only gets like 5-10% of the vote.

But some of this is also the case elsewhere, particularly the rise in populism.

Here's the reality - the US is a great place to be if you are very ambitious. It's unparalleled if you are smart, an entrepreneur, have a clear and focused goal, and are either already educated or can afford a U.S. college degree. But it is not a great place for everyone else. Content to be type B? Not for you. Want to work just to pay your bills and focus on enjoying your free time? Nope. Happen to get sick or disabled or have a financial crisis of any kind? Nada.

We currently live in the U.K. and planning a move back to the US in the next year and this resonates so much.

Many of our friends here come from smaller EU countries and have moved back for a simpler life whereas our move back doesn’t feel as “easy” …we have to think of our health insurance again, massive college expenses, gun violence, etc. Theyll still be long hours and commutes, etc. But we do have options, we will pick a lower cost city and enjoy a bigger house with AC and be able to drive thru Starbucks and stock up at Costco.

PP here. If it makes you feel better, we moved back from London and honestly, life is easier here even without the NHS. Not true for all of the UK, but living in London is HARD.

In what ways? I'd love to live in London.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A landscaper worked on our street last week:
Has been living and working here for 20 years,
Has 4 sones now,
Having 4 landscape teams
Owning 4 trucks
Bought a large single family house with yard in Germantown
Enjoying his life, family, and success
Came to the US illegally without anything in his early 20s

This is the American dream.

This. You think the millions of latin Americans crossing the southern border are dumb? They know where a better life is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, don't get me wrong - I love this country and everything it ostensibly stands for. This idea that your identity is tied to an idea vs a race, ethnicity, or place of origin really is a beautiful thing. But - we have massive problems. The gun violence is just insane and no developed country with the resources we have should tolerate it. I know almost everyone who posts here would probably support policy changes to help curb it, but that's not the country we live in.
The creeping autocracy is also quite concerning. I follow international politics pretty closely, and while you do see some of this in other western countries - we are much further along. Look at Canada - yes the Conservatives have a wide base of support. But the fascist-adjacent, "Trumpy" part of the Canadian right, the People's Party, still only gets like 5-10% of the vote.

But some of this is also the case elsewhere, particularly the rise in populism.

Here's the reality - the US is a great place to be if you are very ambitious. It's unparalleled if you are smart, an entrepreneur, have a clear and focused goal, and are either already educated or can afford a U.S. college degree. But it is not a great place for everyone else. Content to be type B? Not for you. Want to work just to pay your bills and focus on enjoying your free time? Nope. Happen to get sick or disabled or have a financial crisis of any kind? Nada.

We currently live in the U.K. and planning a move back to the US in the next year and this resonates so much.

Many of our friends here come from smaller EU countries and have moved back for a simpler life whereas our move back doesn’t feel as “easy” …we have to think of our health insurance again, massive college expenses, gun violence, etc. Theyll still be long hours and commutes, etc. But we do have options, we will pick a lower cost city and enjoy a bigger house with AC and be able to drive thru Starbucks and stock up at Costco.

PP here. If it makes you feel better, we moved back from London and honestly, life is easier here even without the NHS. Not true for all of the UK, but living in London is HARD.

In what ways? I'd love to live in London.

Just so expensive! We love where we are, but we rent a small house with a single bathroom and no dryer. The stress of that just builds and there’s not an easy place to decompress…everywhere is crowded!

I still love it and happy to have the experience. I wish we could make enough to stay. But it’s just not in our cards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look, don't get me wrong - I love this country and everything it ostensibly stands for. This idea that your identity is tied to an idea vs a race, ethnicity, or place of origin really is a beautiful thing. But - we have massive problems. The gun violence is just insane and no developed country with the resources we have should tolerate it. I know almost everyone who posts here would probably support policy changes to help curb it, but that's not the country we live in.
The creeping autocracy is also quite concerning. I follow international politics pretty closely, and while you do see some of this in other western countries - we are much further along. Look at Canada - yes the Conservatives have a wide base of support. But the fascist-adjacent, "Trumpy" part of the Canadian right, the People's Party, still only gets like 5-10% of the vote.

But some of this is also the case elsewhere, particularly the rise in populism.

Here's the reality - the US is a great place to be if you are very ambitious. It's unparalleled if you are smart, an entrepreneur, have a clear and focused goal, and are either already educated or can afford a U.S. college degree. But it is not a great place for everyone else. Content to be type B? Not for you. Want to work just to pay your bills and focus on enjoying your free time? Nope. Happen to get sick or disabled or have a financial crisis of any kind? Nada.

We currently live in the U.K. and planning a move back to the US in the next year and this resonates so much.

Many of our friends here come from smaller EU countries and have moved back for a simpler life whereas our move back doesn’t feel as “easy” …we have to think of our health insurance again, massive college expenses, gun violence, etc. Theyll still be long hours and commutes, etc. But we do have options, we will pick a lower cost city and enjoy a bigger house with AC and be able to drive thru Starbucks and stock up at Costco.

PP here. If it makes you feel better, we moved back from London and honestly, life is easier here even without the NHS. Not true for all of the UK, but living in London is HARD.

In what ways? I'd love to live in London.

Just so expensive! We love where we are, but we rent a small house with a single bathroom and no dryer. The stress of that just builds and there’s not an easy place to decompress…everywhere is crowded!

I still love it and happy to have the experience. I wish we could make enough to stay. But it’s just not in our cards.

Thank you for answering! I had a feeling that might be the case. I heard years ago that wages weren't keeping up with rising housing costs in London, plus that it's a more competitive job market. I hope everything goes well for you in the States.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree OP. I regret leaving my first world country to come here for an adventure two decades ago. Unfortunately unlike you I am stuck since I am married to a spouse that will not leave.

+1

[Anonymous]

Depends on what you deem to be valuable - there's cash and then there's value. It's easy to make money here hard to make a career actually. I can do multiple gigs and hustle, work a zillion hours but there's no safety net for me. Healthcare, infrastructure, crime, insurance and other practical considerations make living in US not easy. But the more money you make the easier it gets because you hire people to work on the hard stuff for you - money buys everything. You have to commit to making that money over anything else however. Go into debt via education for example. Be ruthless and psycho workaholic for example. I mean, it comes down to having money in the US. It's everything but it's also nothing. In Asia everyone has either a very strong family network or they hire help. Being a first time mother is somewhat easier for example. In Europe you get more paid days off, it's a big deal to be able to not always have to be expected to work. Culturally, a lot of other countries are easier than US lifestyles. So it totally depends on what you value. And I would suggest YS is less a land of opportunity than it used to be. There was a time it truly was but it's so much harder because of competition now. What it does do well is offer freedom of expression although the French are magnificent in their daily protests of a zillion issues - it's like a sport there! Lol