Greetings and Exit Strategy

[Doomlicious]

Hello all,

I've been a lurker for a while and decided to join to share some thoughts with you and get your opinions.
I am 30-years-old and have a steady job,  I've been working for good 8 years now so no complaints about that
good fortune I have.  I am however terrified of campaign against freedom and state of the economy.

After long, long ( and I mean long) self-deliberation and reading thousands articles on self-sufficiency, economy,
monetary policies, world economy, finance, etc. I decided sadly that the best thing would be to leave USA.
My intended destination is central Europe.  I have some family ties there.  I am planning to begin the job
search there which I know will be very tough.  I plan to pay domestic taxes and SS taxes to this country for two years wile working there and than hopefully switching into the "system" there and finalizing the transition.  The country I selected has around 5% unemployment, no national debt, and is politically and economically very stable and sparsely populated.

I will be sad to leave USA but I see no hope here in light of everything going on in last year and a rapid
decline into doom.
I think I made rational decision and not an emotional one but I would like to hear
how others see this idea.

Thanks and great to meet you all~

[urbanfarmer]

Welcome! I read your thread title and thought you had worked out an exit strategy from LATOC just in case your greeting was not well-received. 

My son moved to South America and plans to live there permanently. I will have the option of joining him at some point, but the older I get, the less inclined I am to make a drastic move. I know the lay of the land here and have many friends who will function as community for me.

But if you are young, I say go for it. The whole planet is going to suffer, so being PO aware gives you a leg up already.

[Doomlicious]

Thanks Urbanfarmer.

I know what you mean by being less inclined to move.  I think that happens to most of us as we mature in our late twenties.  We get settled into some sort of routine.  I have my routine and a decent job and it will be difficult to leave.

However, I have this irking feeling that going with the flow this time would be very foolish on my part.  I just have this gut feeling that something awful will happen in USA in next 1-5 years.  Or is that a doomer in me anticipating the doom? 

What terrifies the most is the state of healthcare here, whatever the outcome might be.  I think it will be extremely difficult to be old and sickly here.  I find that continental and Scandinavian European countries have reasonable healthcare systems, which I think can offer some measure of relief in old age.  Not that I am there yet but being a doomer I always think decades ahead of time.

[mtlouie]

I think if anyone can get out of the U.S. it should be done.  I wish I could do it.  I think the U.S. is going to be a hellhole in not too much more time.  For many reasons, which most of us know.

I'd say get out and get out as soon as you can so you can get some sort of leg up before the U.S. dollar collapses.

Good luck!  Welcome to the forum.

[thumbclaw]

no way.  us is the place to be.  there are more natural resources and lower population density than most of the world.  besides, that accent could be a liability elsewhere.

[MEA]

If you are going to family, it sounds like a good idea.

Good luck.

[rbrgs]

I like the Big Island (Hawaii).  It's part of the USA, but it's right on the edge, too.

[Friendo]

Doomlicious, I agree that you are making the right choice. Maybe not really for the reasons you list, but you can probably have a better life there. It sounds like you have done your homework, but I caution anyone reading your post that it is much better to get a job BEFORE migrating because of how long the visa and work permit processes take. Unless you have an EU-citizen spouse who would love to support you, budget a full year for all the permits to be approved and expect bizarre setbacks. It helps a bunch to have a company doing the permit and visa bs for you before you make the move. Also, try to be under age 30, a highly skilled knowledge worker (whatever that is) and speak&read at least five languages well.

 

[Doomlicious]

Friendo,

If healthcare is not strong enough of a reason I don't know what is:

"Lack of health insurance has caused 45,000 preventable U.S. citizen deaths in the past year. The American Journal of Medicine recently released a study that stated, “Nearly two out of three bankruptcies stem from medical bills, and even people with health insurance face financial disaster if they experience a serious illness.

A Johns Hopkins Children’s Center study reported that 17,000 children have died due to lack of health care. You can also add in a recent report that revealed that 2,266 U.S. veterans have died in 2008 due to lack of insurance.

The 50 million now uninsured and the 45,000 preventable deaths per year statistics are expected to drastically rise over the next few years. As the Senate continues to strip meaningful amendments from a health care bill that wouldn’t even take effect until 2013, it has become clear that, despite the media hype, the health care bill is going to fall far short of meaningful reform and continue to rig the game in favor of large insurance company profits at the expense of the U.S. population. With the highest cost healthcare in the world, current trends will continue and much needed change is not on the horizon."

http://www.alternet.org/workplace/144109/15_signs_american_society_is_coming_apart_at_the_seams?page=3