Leslie

Mummy in the foothills

Very good reply

hereandthere

indeed! I have heard quite a few Americans saying they wouldn't have any children there which seems a real shame to me because the US clearly has one of the best standards of living in the world! However, I am beginning to pick up a real sense of despair there and your friend's excellent way of putting it is the best explanation I have read yet (bold).

Finally, I'm not being funny but if your friend thinks that life in the US "is too crowded for me where I want to be, and there is a feeling of desperation in the air" he's going to.................love the UK!!

chrisfromusa

I don't get how it's too crowded to live here. Maybe if he stopped living in California, Florida, New England, Maryland, NoVA, NYC, and all the other major cities, he'll find it's not crowded at all

As for not having kids in the U.S. as in American, I want to get out of here before I start thinking of raising a family. Come here and have your fun but for God's sake don't have a family here. Our standards and everything is pretty much like a minimum standard. All the European exchange students that come here always say how easy our schools are, and our senior year in high school, is their 10th year according to my German, Russian, and French exchange students that I have met over the years. This country is going to the wolves, and while the lot of you guys are fortunate enough that you can just pack up and leave when the going gets rough, I, bloody yank, et. all have to stay here and weather the storm.

hereandthere

Not another one! I'll admit I have never lived in the US (but have travelled extensively there and at length) but I can't believe there isn't a nice little corner of that country where you can bring up kids? What about some nice little out-of-the-way part of the Pacific NW maybe? But you know more than me about America, so Ill bow to your judgement and experience.

What could be interesting is any increased emigration from the US, which for its whole life has always been a country people go to, not from. I read somewhere that a lot of New Zealand's immigrants are actually Americans, for some reason!? Where would you go to? Europe perhaps?

Bob

There are plenty of places like that, Maine for instance, well northern maine...problem is not having the jobs that people are looking for...

meauxna

I live in that nice little corner of the PNW. chris has lived in one, crowded state; maybe that influences his comments.
I have lived overseas and in the US. I still don't want kids. But if I did, I think where I've grown up is pretty wonderful. Well, you know, this general couple thousand square miles or so.

Steerpike

Irresponsible parents who let their kids run wild maybe more likely here than elsewhere to produce problematic kids, but every family I know that takes an interest in the education and development of their kids (that is, does not delegate the responsibility to the TV or video games...) has produced fabulous children here in the US. I don't think this is a serious concern.

I think there's only one serious concern about living in the US and that is, getting sick here. If Obama prevails in introducing some level of universal healthcare, that nut will have been cracked - not that I'm holding my breath, or anything, but I'm hopeful some good with come.

Xebedee

Introducing school uniforms would probably make a massive difference in the US school atmosphere.

Sally Redux

I wasn't that keen on school uniforms before coming here but I definitely am now. 90% of my daughter's consciousness is now taken up with what to wear to school.

Elvira

Friend's daughter to friend: "You only don't want me to wear this because it would look gross on you because you're too old!"...

Sally Redux

Some of the Mums do give it a whirl here

RoadWarriorFromLP

Here's a thought. If you are entrepreneurial, then go be entrepreneurial in a market that you understand, i.e. the one in which you have lived much of your life. All things being equal, you're more likely to be successful in a place that you understand.

If you're using emigration as an excuse to delay entrepreneurship, then you should disabuse yourself of that notion. Short of being in a war zone, you can be entrepreneurial anywhere where there is a functioning market economy. If you need nurturing, then network with other like minded people, and don't make excuses about the culture for not finding them.

Here is an anecdote that might give you pause. I have a friend in his 30's who enjoys working in entrepreneurial startups. Like a lot of IT people, his dream is to find a cool idea, grow it, and prosper from it.

His problem is with health insurance. He has a condition that requires a costly medication, to the tune of about $12,000 per year. (He seems healthy otherwise, and it doesn't impact his ability to work.)

Under conventional means, it is literally impossible for him to get health insurance -- no carrier would sell him a policy. But he was fortunate to have done a stint with a large firm, which allowed him under federal law to get a high cost, high deductible plan once his COBRA benefits ran out.

Had it not been for this loophole in the system for which many do not qualify and that not many people know about, he would have no insurance at all. (As it stands now, he's still going to be out of pocket several thousand dollars per year for the coverage that he will have.) He would have no choice but to go back to corporate, just for the healthcare.

Another friend with his own business is paying about $15,000 per year to cover himself, wife and two kids, when deductibles ("co pays"), etc. are taken into account. If you actually use the healthcare system here, it will cost you.

The moral of the story is that it's tough to be an entrepreneur in the US if your health isn't perfect. It's fine for people like myself who are rarely ill and who don't have to support others who are, but it isn't great if you chose the wrong parents in the genetic lottery or if you have a stroke of bad luck.

I don't see why people should be getting ill around Christmas. That doesn't match the spirit of the season, now does it?

Leslie

Yeah! and most of those inconsiderate sick people have to take off work which really interferes with those of us that decide on December 17th that we actually need the week before and after Christmas off.

Gezza

On about:"Right now, this country is in the throes of finding out that it no longer runs the world, and never will again...."?
Well, all who always denied the US being the best country in the world are finally about to see the world run by.... ehh, who exactly? any thoughts?