So we want to emigrate to a more Liberal country - here's the list of mandatory Work Leave by nation

[Indenturedebtor]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_statutory_minimum_employment_leave_by_country

The US is the only country with ZERO mandatory paid vacation. :puke:

[sfwriter]

1. Cool - New Zealand!

My wife and I keep talking about going there.

[EFerrari]

3. My brother and mom went to Japan, NZ and Australia a while ago.

They loved Japan but fell in love with the people they met in New Zealand.

[johnaries]

27. I used to have a close friend who was a kiwi.

Very cool guy! He used to tell a story about visiting Australia (Kiwi's and Aussie's hate each other). the customs agent asked if he had a criminal record. My friend asked "do you still need one?". They then pulled him for a full body cavity search, for some unknown reason. :shrug: :rofl:

[EFerrari]

29. LOL!

:rofl:

I just saw a doc on how the English prisons were scoured for women to send over there and how the ship became a floating brothel for a time.

What an amazing story. People would get transported for petty theft! Even children!

[Indenturedebtor]

22. Us as well :D It's a very cool country if you've never been

We don't think much of the food :puke: but everything else was awesome. Did you know they were the first country to grant women's suffrage? Very liberal.

[ComtesseDeSpair]

2. Home of the Free?

My Ass!!! I've worked 20 years at my job to get 20 days of vacation time. The lack of respect shown to workers in this country is obscene.

[4 t 4]

4. How Uniquely Merikan we are 0 DAYS!!!

brought to you by..Today worstest country........IN--The--WORLD.

[Selatius]

5. If it is paid leave, I agree with it. Otherwise, many people couldn't take leave days.

Simply because they wouldn't be able to make the bills. Of course, that's a wider problem of low pay throughout the economy and a widening income gap, but I would recommend statutory paid leave.

[4 t 4]

6. Spain, the country ASSCain

won't talk to, gets 30 days. Japan which is very very productive country gets 18 paid days, thats almost a month. We have been sold out Big Time!

[regnaD kciN]

10. Read the link...

They're talking about paid vacation days.

[Indenturedebtor]

23. It is paid leave. n/t

[Sisaruus]

36. Vacation bonuses

I was chatting with a woman on a train in Finland this summer. She was a government employee - not only did they get 6 weeks vacation, they got a 50% bonus in their paychecks during their vacation weeks.

[pitohui]

7. everyone would like to emigrate to a more liberal nation

in the real world you are going to have to look at what you have to offer to an employer in another nation who will sponsor you

it seems unlikely that you will be able to pick and choose the nation w. the best benefits, you will have to go where you are offered a job and allowed to work

which for a lot of people there is nowhere other than the usa where they would be allowed to legally work

[Oregone]

9. You can immigrate as a Skilled Worker without a job offer to many places...

As long as you qualify, that is.

[regnaD kciN]

16. Care to name a few...?

As I mentioned downstream, Canada is an option if you're younger, but over-50s like me can fuggedaboudit.

[Oregone]

20. No, thats true about your age.

You can find more info on other countries at the escapeartist site. They have some articles about immigrating other places.

All I know is Ive read many places Canada was the toughest at the time I applied (before they readjusted the point system), and I qualified with a BS and my wife has a BS. Nothing more...but I realize everyone doesn't have even that.

[Indenturedebtor]

24. Have you filled out any points surveys?

Many countries have them online and it will only take you a few minutes. Just google "'country' immigration points".

[corkhead]

I just got my passport renewed for just such an occasion, but I am starting to feel confident

that I won't need it. Repost this on Nov.5 if it turns out there is a need to.

[Oregone]

12. Do you think America will have paid leave within 4 years if Obama wins?

Is that part of his platform? Was it part of any Democrats platform we have had as president?

Look, Obama may change the climate of politics, but there is only so much he will be able to fundamentally change about the system in a term or two. One man is not going to be able to single-handedly re balance the scale of social justice.

BTW, I think Obama will be great for America but he is also to the right of many world leaders, just as the Democratic party is. There is only so much they can do until there is a massive political realignment in America.

[corkhead]

15. Frankly, I doubt it. I will consider bailing if somehow the republicons somehow steal this one

otherwise, I am here for the duration to try to be part of the solution.

[Oregone]

19. I bailed because I didn't want my children to wait 20 years in a disadvantageous environment while..

things "might" be fixed. The US is the follower, with the UK, in social upward mobility (American Dream). Thats not going to change soon, and staying here would of subjected my children to a statistically proven caste/class system.

I decided to leave before Kerry lost, not because I was hopeless that the Democrats would change things. But pain would be experience in the meantime...needless pain and suffering, and despite such, there is no guarantee things will move where they need to. Even if I wanted to fight and be part of the solution, its not my right to enroll my children to be soldiers in such a fight.

[Oregone]

8. Something else to add in: Paid Maternity Leave (1 year here in Canada)

We will soon be using this ourselves!

[gateley]

11. The problem is finding some place that will let us in. Randi said she checked

into Canada and the answer was 'no'.

I sometimes wonder if there will be a mass exodus of refugees from here soon. If we can afford to leave.

[regnaD kciN]

14. Exactly...

...I've read that one of the best ways is to get a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate, and then settling in eastern Europe, since such jobs are in high demand -- but that's going to be a huge culture shock for most people (not like just driving across the border to Toronto or Vancouver), and you're probably not going to be able to bring much with you, so it will pretty much require selling almost everything you have and starting over once you get there.

[Oregone]

17. But Canada is pretty much the toughest (with NZ). They lowered their standards too...

If you want to get into Canada, and you and your spouse have a Bachelors degree, you will qualify. If you have a Master's you are probably good. Otherwise, speak French.

If you have no skills, you can get in being a live in, underpaid nanny for a year. They will fast track you right through (its a loophole). Thats probably the fastest of all ways to get in actually.

But there are a ton of countries other than Canada that have much laxer standards.

[Foolacious]

18. Canada might well say "yes".

I found that embassy and consulate personnel seemed to be under standing orders to say "No, it's almost impossible for Americans to emigrate to Canada". They don't mention that under the North American Free Trade Agreement there is a long list of exempt occupations; if you qualify and are offered employment by a firm in Canada, you can emigrate. There is a lot more to the whole process than that, I just wanted to mention that the consular policy seems to be to discourage Americans from immigrating without looking at options.

[regnaD kciN]

13. Nice, BUT...

...you might want to cross-correlate that list with one of how easy it is for U.S. citizens to get permanent residency.

Some of those countries make it only possible if a close relative (parent or grandparent) came from there, others require you to have family living there right now. Even Canada, which is fairly open to younger immigrants, basically slams its doors on Americans over 50.

The fact is, some of those nations can have such liberal policies because they keep potential immigrants out -- and, from their point of view, White Anglo-Saxon Americans are every bit as unwelcome as Mexicans are among wingnuts in border states here.

[Edweird]

34. "some of those nations can have such liberal policies because they keep potential immigrants out"

Yep. I find that kinda ironic.

[madmom]

21. what about retirees? Been wondering about this if mclame wins.

[Indenturedebtor]

25. If you're retired with an income that gets you by here in the states

There's a ton of countries you can move to and have a much higher standard of living. Consider Panama, Costa Rica, Thailand, etc. And yes private health insurance is cheaper in most countries, and many have free walk in health services but you obviously wouldn't recieve medicare.

[madmom]

31. was actually considering Mexico or even New Zealand

[Indenturedebtor]

33. New Zealand isn't exactly cheap

It's like a capitalist/socialised liberal US which makes it better on the poor people who live and work there, and arguably better on the middle class but it's not cheap.

Matter of fact their dollar is pretty much in parity in terms of purchasing power.

Mexico is pretty cool but they have ALOT of social issues... so does Costa Rica, but Thailand has very little crime but some serious government issues. I dunno :shrug: It depends on your income really. For 1500 a month you would live like a King in Thailand, but like a lower middle class person in New Zealand.

[johnaries]

26. Which ones have legal prostitution?

:evilgrin:

[northernlights]

28. I looked into Canada in '03

after * went into Iraq. If I'd been under 50, I'd have qualified, but over 50, no deal.

UNLESS you have a needed skill. That's why I'm in school for medical lab technology. I'll be 56 or so when I'm finally done...but there is literally a worldwide shortage of MLTs with essentially 100% employment, so I'm hopefully "good to go" to a number of places w/ a job offer.

New Zealand has always been #1 on my list, although by the time this effing economy is done with me, I probably won't be able to afford to go even if they'd take an older serf like me. So now I'm thinking S. American countries, such was Uruguay. I'm good with languages and the climate there este muy bien.

Time will tell. I'm not thinking only about this election. If there ever, ever, ever is another W put up by rethugs,, never mind a Sarah, I'm outta here for good.

[BlooInBloo]

30. Bye.

[JCMach1]

32. Here in UAE I get all religious and civil hollidays...

plus all people get a minimum one month leave per year...

I am off from May to mid-August if I want to be ... usually I do Summer school or other work which pays in addition to the rest of my contract.

[magdalena]

35. Damn, so many 20-30 days off.

I could never imagine getting a month or more off from work.