My new piece, “Going Over the Mountain,” http://www.lewrockwell.com/rajiva/rajiva21.html, is posted at Lew Rockwell. So many of you had written asking where to go that I thought I’d write a piece answering some of your questions – and stoutly refusing to answer some of them.
Which questions DIDN’T I answer? Questions like is Panama better for you than Mexico. How would I know? It all depends on what you want to do and who you are.
Meanwhile, I am going to be AWOL at this blog for a few days. So bear with me if you don’t find your mail answered or posted here. I value everyone of my readers and contributors and hope to help you out much better after I’ve finished making a few arrangements for myself.
When I’ve done that – it should take a few months more – I will be in much better shape to answer more of your questions…
Meanwhile, the blog isn’t broken or discontinued. I’m just unable to write for a few days.
So adios for the moment.
Safe journey.
Although you don’t explicitly say so, it’s clear that you are addressing your remarks — in this piece and the earlier one — to Americans who may be thinking of leaving the USA. What struck me in your first essay on this topic, and my impression was reinforced with this one, is that you go on about what people need to do with their thinking and planning as if all the world is available to choose from a menu of places to go. There seems to be no awareness of the reality that in many countries foreigners in general, and Americans in particular, cannot just waltz in and begin a new life. I don’t think the words ‘visa’ or ‘work permit’ appear at all. Emigrating from the US is the easy part; immigrating to someplace that will have you can be a lot trickier.
Lila, I loved your Over the Mountain article at lewrockwell, where I still follow you. I too continue to think about relocation possibilities & your article helps me focus on the leg work, no shortcuts, to figuring it out. Keep up the good work and we will look forward to hearing from you again at some point.
Alan
Hi Alan –
Thanks for the kind words — feels nice to hear from the us over here in…wherever I am..
And to Ed. E… I really am NOT in a witness protection plan..
Henry – this is mainly for you. If you think it´s hard for an American to emigrate or visit ( I don´t think I suggested that emigrating is for everyone)
—try being a foreigner, especially, say, a foreigner of the darker-skinned persuasion, trying to get INTO the US…
`(Even if you´re well educated, English-speaking, are paying your way and putting money into American insitutions (high fees at elite US schools) and even if there are well established professionals in the US willing to vouch for you….)
It took me several years (ten altogether) to finally get out of my own country (India) just to study…
Anything Americans have to do to get into another country is a cinch next to that..
Sure, if you have no skills, don´t learn the language and don´t want to, it won´t be easy
but I can bet you it won´t take ten years.
No offense, but Americans have had it very easy compared to most of the world..now, the going is getting a bit rougher, and people are coming up against reality…
It´s STILL easy to emigrate as an American – in the first place, you have dollars, which are still wanted everywhere and are much stronger than most currencies…
Second, you have the privilege of US citizenship which allows you visa free entry into dozens of countries compared to someone from India, who has to cough up 50 plus DOLLARS – which in Indian money is much much more ..especially when you calculate the salaries in India are much smaller..
I still think the US is one of the best places to start a business…but for a skilled mid-career professional and immigrant trying to manage on scrimped savings, for a small farmer or small business man, for a retiree, for a student starting out..there are other places that might work..
that´s all I say.
And for political activists, this is really a very claustrophobic country…very conformist and very insular.
Tough words and said with regret, because no one loves the heart of American culture as I do..
but where is it today? Not many places..