Where would you go?

[alfsauve]

Okay, the wife asked two questions the other night.
First how bad would things have to get in the US before we would consider leaving? 
DON'T ANSWER THAT ONE.  It's a personal thing, each of has a different tolerance level I'm sure.

BUT, if we did leave the US, her second question was, where would we go?

What other country would offer a similar, or better cost of living, and have freedom of speech, assembly, worship and arms?

Any thoughts?

[jnevis]

The biggest problem you'll find is now matter how bad it is here, it's MUCH worse just about everywhere else. 

Some people say Costa Rica is a good place to go, US $s go pretty far and the gov't is relatively stable, for Central America.  Not my bag, man.  No significant sustainable industry and high inflation.

[Solus]

25 years ago, I would have picked Australia.   It was actually a "dream" goal.

Now I'd probably pick Switzerland.  Notice it is NOT a member of the EU.  

I passed through Switzerland many years ago on leave and found it to be a very friendly country.  I visited many European countries and could find something bad to say about all of the except Switzerland.  Even the winters and snow were not a problem because of the way it was handled.  I was there in December and  found it not a disaster or much of an inconvienence.

My favorite story is waking up in my hotel room in Chur and finding it had snowed 3ft over night.  My car was a white hump in the parking lot.

I had go to American Express to cash travelers checks and asked a man, who was supervising the locals who had come out to shovel the streets in their neighborhood, for directions and he pointed out the AE office a block up the road.  He also asked me where I was parked.

I went to AE and when I returned, they had shoveled a path in the parking lot to my car, swept it clean, windows and all, and had moved off someplace.  I was not even able to thank them.

Any other place I had visited, they would have had been bargaining for pay for the job or even acting intimidating about getting paid afterward,  which happened in Italy.  

This was just the most outstanding example.  Every encounter with the Swiss showed a willingness to help and an enjoyment of doing so.

Have no idea about the cost of living there or employment opportunities, but the folks are great.

[Timothy]

Stay in North America, go off the grid and live off the land.  Get as far away from civilization as I can.

We only need government if it serves the people.  It no longer does...

My wife?  That's another question.....

[Bic]

If we ever feel compelled to move from our home here in the most conservative, and well armed part, of the most conservative State of the Union, it would have to be New Zealand.......and give up a bunch of the gun thing    ............but, of course it would be full by then

[Sponsor]

[philw]

Australia  it is not that bad 

if I had to leave the Island then New Zealand would be my next stop

they still allow Semi Auto's 

just the economy is not the best

[Bic]

Hey Phil,
            I may well be doing Oz an injustice by not making it my first choice, but I have a goofy CumByYawhycan'tweallgetalong (half, HALF!) sister who lives somewhere near Brisbane clouding my judgement,
MP

[droggsey]

Alaska. Yes Alaska is a part of the US.

If it ever gets so bad that we need to leave the lower 48, Alaska will have already declared their independence. I was in Fairbanks for work for 20 days February didn't see one BHo sticker and saw the Al Gore hot air ice sculpture. The other bonus is if your a US citizen, not mentally deranged, or a felon you can carry concealed. Which from the peoples attitudes up there I don't see changing anytime soon.

The beautiful thing about Alaska is that natural selection still seems to work up there.

[alfsauve]

Alaska. Yes Alaska is a part of the US.

If it ever gets so bad that we need to leave the lower 48, Alaska will have already declared their independence. I was in Fairbanks for work for 20 days February didn't see one BHo sticker and saw the Al Gore hot air ice sculpture. The other bonus is if your a US citizen, not mentally deranged, or a felon you can carry concealed. Which from the peoples attitudes up there I don't see changing anytime soon.

The beautiful thing about Alaska is that natural selection still seems to work up there.

I noted the "ruggedness" "off-the-grid" of the people up there and yes, it would be a good place for survival.   I'm convinced that in a major catastrophe it will be the Alaskan's who survived us all.

I was thinking not so much a catastrophic event though as a political boiling point.   But Alaska, may still be the best choice.

[crusader rabbit]

Bunny and I have been to an awful lot of places all over this world and there are major drawbacks to most places one might consider.  Alaska is too effing cold.  I need warmth.  Costa Rica is gorgeous.  Temperatures are very moderate.  They have great wilderness areas and the offshore fishing is superb.  They are the longest lasting democratic republic in Central America, but they don't have much sustainable industry, and no standing army (if things really go to heck up here, they would be a target down there).  OZ is beautiful except for their gun laws and the fact that they don't want immigrants over some ridiculously low age (leaves me out).  NZ is neat, but not as temperate as OZ and it will run out of room when lots of immigrants flood the place so they will shut down quickly. On our side of the world, Panama has an awful lot of ex-pats already there, so English is widely spoken.  It has an abundance of fresh water, forests, lakes, fishing and more.  They will allow guns (with approval of the local LEO) and it may even be possible for a resident to get a carry permit, but not likely.  Real estate is still reasonable.  The US was in control of the Canal Zone for about 100 years, and it's easy to get just about any American products you might need.  Problem is it's still a third-world country and located in a desirable place for some nation to make a stand.  If the US falls apart, China would probably try to take over the Canal.  Deepwater can tell you about Peru--neat place but not terribly stable in the political sense.  Ecuador--same-same.  Plus, you'd need to learn to speak Spanish.  Chile is accommodating, but tends to come down hard on gun ownership.  Brazil is overrun with inflation and crime--both non-starters for me.  Argentina tends to be anti-gun and not particularly pro-immigration.  Venezuela has Hugo Chaves and if you think it's bad here, try there.  We' ve been all over Asia, India, Europe and a bunch of other places, so if anyone has a specific question about a specific country, I may be able to answer it for you.

Submitted by Crusader who intends to stay where it's warm and has a large supply of guns and ammo and food and stuff.