Could we start a DU expat commune in, say, Vancouver?

[Demoiselle]

Just reading the latest post titles here has me ready to pack up my dogs cats and raincoat and head north.
The Rule of the Rich, Michele Bachmann's "Hero of Hydrocephalus" award, Rick Scott (former head of the "health care" outfit guilty of the biggest Medicare fraud in history) actually the ELECTED governor of Florida....I could go on and on.
Vancouver has nice water views and health care.
Sigh.

[driver8]

1. I'm down...when do we leave?? n/t

[L. Coyote]

2. Tofino?

[slackmaster]

3. One simple request of anyone who leaves the country for selfish reasons...

...Please don't come back, ever.

[Demoiselle]

4. That's a good message, Slack.

You probably should send it to all the "American" corporations who've walked away with our jobs and our money.

[slackmaster]

5. We need you here for your votes, and for the taxes and insurance premiums you pay

If you leave to save your own bacon, you'd be hurting everyone who stays, and you wouldn't deserve to live here ever again.

[vim876]

19. Right.

It would be so selfish to want to live in a place where my future children will have real security and economic and social opportunities, where they won't have to be live with the fact that their own government tortures people, where I know they will always have healthcare and paid maternity leave. If that's selfishness, mark me down as the most self-centered person in the entirety of the internet.

[slackmaster]

20. I'm not trying to discourage anyone from going to another country for what they believe...

...would be a better life.

Go ahead and move to Canada if you think that will be best for your family.

Just don't come back when things get better here (and I do believe they will). The new, improved USA will happen in spite of your lack of support. Anyone who doesn't stay and fight will not deserve the fruits of the victory.

[Angry Dragon]

23. I have you marked down as being at the top of the list

:fistbump:

Have a good week

[bobbolink]

24. OK, then, duly marked.

Maybe, someday, OTHER children will also matter to you.

[Demoiselle]

22. My bacon is in reasonable shape.It doesn't need to be saved.

It's my conscience that hurts, you see. My beloved country can't seem to muster enough energy to pay to educate its children, comfort the poor, care for the sick. Even our President, of whom I am very proud, doesn't seem to be able to stand up effectively to the cult of Every Man for Himself. (No, make that Every RICH Man for Himself.) I guess the final straw for me today was reading the post heading that said Obama was planning to cut major urban programs for the poor.
I've worked as a volunteer in politics most of my life, and worked very hard at it, by the way. And I am happy and proud to be able to pay taxes. I would happily pay more if it could insure that everyone here gets a decent chance at a decent life.

Put very simply, I don't want to be a rich person in a poor country.

And as to those who say we must stay and fight....much as I sympathize with that sentiment, I keep thinking about how we could barely manage a chorus of lifted eyebrows when the Presidential election was flat out stolen in 2000.

[slackmaster]

27. You'd tap into a health care system that Canadians have been paying into their whole lives

Then bail out when it's convenient for you.

[LooseWilly]

39. "... Obama was planning to cut major urban programs"— that's what your vote is needed to support...

... you know, cutting funding for social programs because the alternative, taxing the rich/corporations, might make them be mean, and leave... and we can't have that!

We need your vote to help Obama keep the country safe for the rich and the corporations— you're not threatening to let us down, are you?

[Raine1967]

34. +1 eom

[jp11]

6. But staying for 'selfish reasons' is cool right?

I just want to understand what is okay and not cause just about anything a person does has selfish reasons from wanting to serve your country and being sent off to fight a war to wanting to visit your family overseas are all 'selfish reasons'.

[slackmaster]

9. Leaving the country for "free" health care, as the OP indicates, would be a selfish reason

Considering that our elected leaders are making progress toward a system that covers everyone. Leaving now would just make it more difficult to achieve that goal.

Leaving to avoid being drafted into an immoral war, as many people did during the Vietnam era, would not be selfish.

But leaving to avoid the draft in order to avoid putting one's self into harm's way would be selfish.

[Cleita]

29. Or it would be a practical reason no different than

our immigrant ancestors who came here for a better life.

[Desertrose]

41. So we should stay here & suffer rather than be considered "selfish".

So glad there is someone here on DU to determine who & what is"selfish".

[NuclearDem]

42. You can leave if you want, but it's going to be much, much worse for the people you leave behind

You leave, we lose your vote. And frankly, with everything stacked up against us as it is, every vote matters.

[Bluenorthwest]

7. So is leaving the country to have civil rights 'selfish'?

How about so my family can have health care without all the bigoted tax law making it difficult for us? When Josephine Baker moved to France, was she selfish?
When you have discrimination as a central feature of faith and government, that is selfish, on the part of the majority. Got to be first, the best, and also better than 'those other people' or it is just not good enough for Sunday School.
I guess selfish is in the eye of the beholder.

[slackmaster]

12. Leaving for health care is about the most selfish reason I can think of

The more people who do that, the fewer are left to contribute to our nation's insurance pools. That is true whether they are run by private companies, government, or both.

[NYC Liberal]

36. Wish I could rec a post -- I totally agree.

I wonder how many people who want to bail now will stay there for the rest of their lives to support the system from which they plan on benefiting.

[formercia]

8. Think of the people in Tahrir Square

Risking Death just to have what we have now. It won't get better unless people stay and fight, when enough people say they've had enough and they're not going to take it any more.
It's your call and you're free to go. Just don't forget us in the Square.

Be part of History. Hold the Line.

Rant off.

[bobbolink]

25. AMEN!!!!

:applause:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

10. The major obstacle would be getting ADMITTED to Canada as a permanent resident

You can't just "move to Canada" or any other foreign country without jumping through a lot of bureaucratic hoops, and you might still get turned down.

It's easier if you have a parent (or sometimes grandparent) who emigrated from that country, but for the rest, good luck!

Some friends of mine tried to retire to England. They are affluent (just sold a VERY expensive house), both professionals with good pensions, and they were turned down. They can stay six months at a time on tourist visas. That's all.

[KansDem]

11. How about Costa Rica?

Costa Rica is where you go to live the lush life. It is lush with nature—misty rain forests, extraordinary wildlife, active volcanoes, and fabulous beaches—as well as such comforting amenities as malls, supermarkets, restaurants, museums, and social clubs. U.S. retirees have flocked here for years, drawn by its mild climate, its prosperity (relative to other Central American republics), its literacy rate, its health care, and, significantly, its stable government—with no army. Another plus: Costa Rica's commitment to a thriving natural park system that is second to none in Latin America. This is as biodiverse a country as you’ll find anywhere.

Whereas many beach-loving expats have settled in the resort towns and villages along the Guanacaste "Gold Coast" on the Pacific, the majority opt for the Central Valley, which is home to the capital, San Jose, and 70 percent of the Costa Rican (or"Tico") population. The outlying towns and villages of the Central Valley offer temperate, dry days and natural beauty, as well as the culture, hospitals, and shopping of nearby San Jose. (Regarding the weather, expats here like to brag that they can fine-tune their micro-climates by moving up and down the hills.)

Though not the bargain it was a decade ago, Costa Rica continues to draw moderate-income retirees to affordable Central Valley expat havens such as Grecia and Atenas (which claims "the world’s most perfect weather"). In 2007 Army vet Ron Keller, 64, moved from Washington State to Atenas, where he designed and built his own house in a gated community. "I wanted a change in my lifestyle," he says. Keller reports living comfortably on his military pension and Social Security, and is happy with his move: "Would I make the same decision again? Without question."

Texas retirees Skip and Donna Anderton, 63 and 58, moved to Costa Rica in 2009, and are renting a three-bedroom house in the town of Magallenes de San Ramon while building their own home. Skip says that they do nicely on $2,000 a month and praises the "excellent and economical health care." Their one frustration? They didn't learn Spanish (but are taking lessons now). Nevertheless, he says, "There are a lot of Ticos who speak good English, and those that don't go out of their way to communicate in some way There is a lot of sign language and a lot of smiling. Everyone is most helpful."

http://www.aarp.org/home-garden/livable-communities/info-07-2010/best-places-retire-costa-rica-central-valley.html

I use to tend bar and would be happy to be the resident DU bar tender! :D

[Lucinda]

14. Great minds and all that!

:toast:

[KansDem]

31. It's even in the Top Ten on CNBC!

http://www.cnbc.com/id/41407154


http://www.cnbc.com/id/41407154?slide=4

Belize looks pretty nice, too!

[Lucinda]

32. Gorgeous pics!

Agree about Belize too...I did a little research about it...but, I have friends in Costa Rica so it's ahead of the pack. :)

[Lucinda]

13. ...or maybe Costa Rica?

Lots of water views, and I am told the health care is good there too. :)

[AngryAmish]

15. PUMAS welcome?

[stockholmer]

16. hope you're very well off, cost of living is insane, average house there is well over $1 million

Vancouver has one of world's biggest housing bubbles, and inflows of huge amounts of rich Chinese expat money is pushing it higher


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-magazine/is-vancouver-in-a-real-estate-bubble/article1808967/

The house Manyee Lui is showing today is listed at $2.2 million. Although the lot is only 33 feet wide and the house is nothing more than a blandly handsome two-storey, Lui expects it to sell quickly, even though the market’s turned a little tepid. With 2,900 square feet, the place is big enough for four bedrooms and an additional self-contained suite. All things considered, she says, “It’s not so expensive.”



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37963066/ns/business-bloomberg_businessweek/
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Vancouver+real+estate+bubble+accident+waiting+happen+report/3463208/story.html

[Barack_America]

17. Not with those housing prices.

[oldlib]

18. Vancouver is a beautiful city.

It ranks exceptional as do San Francisco and Seattle on the West coast.

[NV Whino]

21. I think Canada should just

annex Washington, Oregon and California.

[cali]

26. I'm happy right where I am.

[Cleita]

28. Canada has some strict immigration laws when it comes

to us yanks yet it's easy enough to blend in. Maybe we will become the new undocumented immigrants going to "el norte".

[Tikki]

30. We love Vancouver...

We're in....


Tikki
PS we have a famous BC alumni here on DU.

[marmar]

33. Amsterdam.....or Paris 5e

..... or Le Plateau in Montreal.

[NuclearDem]

35. Sure, run to Canada and leave the rest of us to fight for America

I considered doing this once too, but then someone told me what I think DUers considering it need to hear too:

Stay and fight, you cowards. It isn't over yet.

MLK didn't run off to Canada. Iraq War demonstrators didn't all run to Canada. Eugene Debs didn't run to Canada. Neither should you.

You want to flee to Canada until things get better here, be my guest. But fact is, you won't have earned either the benefits you get under the Canadian system, or the benefits you and your children will get when they come back after all your progressive brothers and sisters have shed blood, sweat, and tears to make things better here.

[11 Bravo]

37. If you are willing to let them chase you from your country, then by all means, take a hike.

I'll stay and fight if it's all the same to you.

[Taverner]

38. Before Canada, I suggest San Francisco

There is a certain element that has made SF, SC and the BA in general nice and weird.

Join us!

[Old Troop]

40. Let me know how it works out for you. I'll stay here and continue the fight.

[11 Bravo]

44. I've got your six, Troop.

[IDemo]

43. Canada doesn't want me

Over 50, chronic illness, no 4 year degree, no Canadian family.

Pretty much no other place on earth does, either.