Re: connected lights

On 9/15/2024 6:01 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Sun, 15 Sep 2024 15:28:19 -0400, Frank Krygowski
<frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
 

On 9/15/2024 2:53 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

At my age, leaving the US for a different country is probably not a
good option.  In the past, I had considered Israel, Poland, Canada and
Japan (in that order).

 

I have good friends, a married couple, who are worried about the future
of the U.S. and are seriously thinking about retiring elsewhere. I'll
note that they really are very, very fearful folks, to the point of
wearing anti-COVID masks until quite recently.
>
They've considered (and so far, rejected) places that astound me, like
Caribbean islands, Costa Rica, Peru, some European countries, etc. I
don't know their list of criteria, but I think they'd be better off
staying here.

 There's no place on the planet that's perfect (except perhaps the
biblical Garden of Eden, Nirvana, Atlantis, Shangri-la, The Promised
Land(tm), Nirvana(?) and various Utopias.  They come, they go, and
they never seem to hang around or deliver on their promises.  Some
require that the immigrant be dead before submitting their entrance
application.  Others require divesture of all earthly valuables.  They
all seem like really bad investments.
 For your friends, I suggest the recognize that wherever they go, it
won't be perfect.  Even in perfect locations, the number of available
residency slots is limited and tend to fill up quickly.  By the time
your friends arrive, they will either have to pay an exorbitant price
for perfection, or settle for something less perfect.
 There's also a problem that few people discuss.  Moving to a different
location has a tendency to break up marriages:
<https://www.google.com/search?q=Can+moving+break+a+marriage%3F>
 Anyway, I agree that your friends will probably do better in their
present situation than in an unknown situation.  If they're young and
fairly portable, they might want to take their chances or hop around
in search of the best situation.  However, if they're older and not so
portable, I would advise against any drastic changes.

Another long-time friend of mine and his wife did a similar search upon retirement. He was raised in Poland and fled here to escape communism (with a bit of help from my wife and me) by apply for political asylum. He did well as an electronics engineer until he (or they) retired.
They'd previously lived in London, and tried moving back there for a while; then tried Dublin, and I forget where else in Europe. Ultimately they settled in Oregon just this past year.
--
- Frank Krygowski