Steve_

Military spending and border security. I understand why Americans are so cynical about their government, I would be too, because all these taxes go to the govt. and you seem to get piss all for it and then the State govt. is begging for federal funding just to fix the roads.

Anyway I was having this conversation yesterday, the Canadian military has 30,000 personnel and is currently looking to buy 65 F-35 fighter jets.

By comparison, the US has 13 carrier groups, more than the rest of the world put together. Each one is far more powerful than any foreign equivalent. The US is going to buy approx. 2,440 F-35 jets. The US military has over a million people in it, the Marine Corps alone has more aircraft, more ships and more personnel than the entire British armed forces.

The Canadian military is basically a rounding error in US terms. In fact the US Border Patrol and CBP put together have 42,000 personnel, more than the Canadian military and more than the London Metropolitan police (32,000).

And most of this stuff is bought by borrowing money from China. Sleep well, America.

Squibbit

If I may offer insight as an "outsider"?

I've been married to a Brit for 25 years and as a Yank I've seen many Brits come and go in the US. I admit my husband does get excited when we discover Brit families nearby but even he is sometimes exasperated by the Brit attitude.

Those who seem to embrace the "When in Rome" attitude do far better here. Many posts seem to compare life here to life in the UK. When I moved to the UK many years ago my British friend gave me some good advise. "Don't compare everything to the US. Just appreciate it for what it is." I took her advice and did well in the UK.

In my experience the Brits that succeed here in the US apply that same attitude. They like Americans, and appreciate our quirks. If you do not like American's or find them to be loud, or "just too much" as one of my in-laws says, then you will be very unahppy in the US.

One last thing having lived on the West Coast (where I grew up) and now the East Coast there is also a dramatic difference in the culture depending on your interests. Being mindful of those differences can make any move much easier.

dragon1954

Yes, for me the difference between the East Coast and the West Coast is like living in different countries. I lived in NYC for 7 years. There was much I didn't like about the place i.e brutal winters, but I really loved the buzz, the attitude of the people and the way of life.

I thought that moving to California would be like a warmer version of the East Coast. But how wrong I was. I couldn't settle in San Francisco, despite being a beautiful city etc. I think my age may have had something to do with it also, but overall it was my attitude - I didn't want to start again at this time in my life!