Re: [tlug] [WAY-OT] US politics: Dog bites man [1]

["Josh Glover" <jmglov@example.com>]

On 21/08/07, Daniel A. Ramaley <daniel.ramaley@example.com> wrote:

> I do not like the direction the US is going and have considered leaving
> myself, as have many of my friends. The biggest problem for me is
> choosing a place to go to that will be noticeably better. What little
> i've read of the politics of New Zealand is encouraging to me,

I agree. New Zealand sounds lovely, and the countryside! Just watch
the LotR movies. :)

> But one of my big reasons for studying Japanese is that if i can
> learn that language well enough to be able to function at a minimal
> level, then i will have confidence that i am able to learn any language

Very true. My wife and I are thinking of moving back to Europe before
too long, and we pretty much ignored the language "barrier", as we are
confident enough in our abilities to learn a language that we are sure
we can be completely fluent in a year in any European language.

> Plus Japan would become an option; the cheap
> bandwidth, great food, and more rich culture there are certainly not
> unappealing.

If US politics chase you out of the country, I would not recommend
moving to Japan. Just ask Steve or one of the other long-timers how
politics work here. :(

One of the main factors that my wife and I are considering in our move
is the political stance of the country we are looking at. And one
thing that we have noticed is that small countries with little or no
military are quite moderate politically. I guess the lack of a
military option makes them have to really work at diplomacy.

Ireland is winning right now in our rankings: small military, vibrant
arts / musical / cultural scene, lots of lovely countryside, moderate
climate, rich history, great economy (per-capita GDP of USD
44,500--USD 500 *higher* than the US), lots of high-tech jobs (Google,
Amazon, IBM, Microsoft, and Oracle all have a big Dublin presence),
and... GUINNESS!

Lovely. :)

-- 
Cheers,
Josh