christmasoompa

Nope. Could do anytime we wanted, but it just isn't somewhere I'd want to live. I'd consider New York or surrounding states, but only if hubby was paid a huge amount to go there, and most of his job offers are Texas or California, neither of which appeal in the slightest.

itsasmallworld

I would echo this and add that I had an issue with the blind Patriotism, ignorance of any other place on Earth, pretend teaching in the schools (although fantastic facilities in wealthier areas), lack of "childhood". USA is a great place to visit. I would never want to live there again. Of course USA is a big place and my experience was with semi-rural Pennsyvania for 9 years. My sister disliked living in beautiful area, in beautiful house with pool etc outside LA because she found people obsessed with money, achievement, getting more and more of stuff! It is not for everyone.

itsasmallworld

Again, agree with these comments. After about 18 months my husband and I pretty much stopped making any comments about politics/ culture / the world. We just let others talk and politely listened. We certainly felt an uncomfortable undercurrent that it was not appropriate to disagree with people about anything. We often found that our political and moral opinions were assumed to be in line with our neighborhood classification i.e. Conservative; Republican; anti immigration; outwardly racist - I lost track of the times people berated the "entitlement" culture in New England and the "communism" in Europe. For a year or two we might have interjected but after a while we realized that nobody wanted to debate or hear another side. They just wanted a herd mentally to reassure themselves that all was great in their little bubble of right wing suburban middleclass America.

BristolUK

I think that's what health care being a worry meant.

But now that you're married, doesn't that change things?
(not that we're trying to get rid of you of course )

We got married to ease my path into Canada, for example.

BristolUK

I don't find that hugely different up here to be honest. They still like their guns and although Canadians are proud of medicare, they don't seem in favour of it being extended to medical treatment outside of hospitals. Mere mention of drug coverage brings out the old "my tax dollar" argument.

Harper was elected so maybe not as different as we'd like to think.

ExKiwilass

It probably depends where you are.

I don't agree the US is "exceptional" or in American "exceptionalism." um, no, you're not.

Their political system is dysfunctional. I don't like FOX news but I don't like the "liberal" alternatives either - they are just as biased in their own way. The US seems very polarized in an unhealthy way.

Their value system - ultra competitive, testing, scoring, NCLB teaching etc - yuck.

Guns. Just no.

My husband would love to move to LA, but I don't want to and have told him no. I don't want to raise my kid there. The weather is nice though, but ...no. It's fun to visit like someone previously said though. And I know there are very liberal parts.

ExKiwilass

he's not popular around here.

ExKiwilass

yes, but do they have assault rifles, pistols etc designed to kill people or are they using guns for hunting? there's a difference. Where I grew up in NZ everyone had a rifle but guns were for hunting, not for 'defence' or to kill people.

dbd33

Around here there's a fair amount of heavy ordnance in private hands, tanks, mortars, assault rifles, machine guns. The US doesn't have a monopoly on survivalist, or religionist, nutters. However, in neither country are such people the mainstream.

itsasmallworld

I talked to my husband about this thread and he basically said `1) USA is not somewhere he would want to bring up kids 2)Get real, we actually knew people who got shot and killed, who got bludgeoned to death and we lived in a "nice" neighborhood. The USA has problems that it brushes under the carpet.

JonboyE

Healthcare issues aside I don't see any particular differences in day-to-day living between Vancouver and Seattle.

Several years ago I had a job offer in San Jose. I did think about it seriously but declined. I am not all that sure I can articulate why I did. San Jose seemed a pleasant enough place if rather bland, but it is only a short drive to San Francisco. Housing was eye-wateringly expensive (made Vancouver seem cheap). There is , of course, the healthcare issue. Even the weather gets boring when it is warm and sunny every day.

I suppose that in the end I felt that, having moved to Canada and become Canadian, we hadn't invested enough in our lives here to up sticks again. We are very settled now. I can foresee being snowbirds in the future but not a long-term move to the US.

dishwashing

I could have chosen to go to the US but chose Canada, it wasn't extremely deliberate but I think the gun culture, the media, politics and yes the NRA made the choice for me.
If I went, I would go to San Francisco but there are still issues in that country that made me feel Canada would be preferable.

BristolUK

Probably mainly hunting but there are gun clubs and things and I don't get the impression that hunters use them to get better. Whenever there's one of those fatal shootings (accidental or nutter), the debates seem to resemble those of the US. Just like the anti-abortionists.

cbrown89

I guess you are on the other side of the country maybe its different.

I've not had politics shoved down my throat, gun talks are centered around hunting and never heard anyone mention about it being their right.

ExKiwilass

ditto to cbrown89, and ditto re: abortion too.

Abortion politics is another turn-off for the US.