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[quote=Anonymous]So to all who suggest US is best country in world v. any other to live..

I am also well travelled (Asian by decent), daughter of immigrants who because successful = wealthy.  I totally disagree that the US is the best place to live and I have money.  A LOT of money.

Here is why:
It is true that in the US the homeless are better off than people realize.  The poverty in a lot of countries is at a level that is unimaginable by most Americans.  However, the safety nets in many, many developed countries means that while you may not become rich, you aren't going to be on the street either.

The biggest reason why so many people THINK it's best to be in US is because of opportunities.  The problem is that while that used to be true, I don't know that it's as true today.  The complimentary reason to that is taxes - the argument is that because you have to pay X amount to a socialized state to support insurance, etc. - you have a harder time being rich than you would in the US.  That's wrong.  YES (esp in Canada) - it's a big bag of $ shelled out for taxes.  However, the taxes go directly to a number of things that save you money in the long run like healthcare.  YES it is much harder to make a great sum of money in many other developed countries.  However, it's a different style of living compared to what you need to live the good life in the US.  In the US you better make bank cause if you don't, your life will suck.  SUCK.  You can have less and while you can't have the good life, your life will not suck.

The last think I want to say is culturally, the US is not the same as it used to be.  I know everyone talks about how free and progressive US is, it's not.  Things change.  Culture changes.  We're not the only ones with freedom and progressiveness and I would actually argue that we are not as free and progressive as the reputation suggests we are or ever were.  But that's another story.

The point is - you cannot compare living in the US to other places in the world based on money and freedom.  You have to look at the practicalities of daily life.

What is your quality of life in terms of happiness balance/safety/health?  In terms of the pressures you have as a society to remain safe/healthy/happy.  What does your life look like and in the context of this thread - what are the options you have for your kids by way of education/health/happiness for both you and your kids for 18 years?  From that perspective, sorry, I would go abroad.

Money is something that can make your life less sucky in the US but you have to have a ton of it.  And I mean that sincerely - it's not about what car you drive but about a medical thing that may happen and you have to pay more than you think.  About any issue at work and you lose your job - you better have some money saved up!  You better be able to work a ton and have family to help you because any nanny will cost $$$$.  It's stuff like that that you aren't prepared for and when you live in the US - you are totally on your own.[/quote]

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