patrick.net

I've been considering an escape from the USA, yes.

But Australia has a serious fresh water problem that will only get worse with global warming.

Ya gotta ignore the fires, the floods, the droughts...

I liked Australia very much. The places I went to were great and the people were friendly. I have a few spots in mind for a place in the event I won lotto over here. I have been to Tasmania twice for several weeks and it's awesome.

Judging from the construction people I know in Michigan, you probably don't want them in Australia.

If you hunt down, shoot and kill an unarmed teenager you will almost certainly go to jail.

What do they do in their free time then?

[...]

elliemae says

Ya gotta ignore the fires, the floods, the droughts...

Eschew Obfuscation

Already there thank you very much(california), but without the benefit of moral heathcare I can use when needed and a government at least partially staffed by moral individuals. Certainly without the benefit of eschewing obfuscation. To be so polite while one lies through their teeth, truly my countrymen excel at that above all other.

Truthfully I've been thinking about moving to Australia for years, I have a lot of relatives there spread out betweem NSW, Victoria and South Australia. I would move to Queensland though; if a healthy distance from a river or floodplain. I remember donating to the incidents in late 2010 knowing that the majority of the money would help the victims, not just be pocketed by vultures like donations are here.

Danaseb says

Already there thank you very much(california), but without the benefit of moral heathcare I can use when needed and a government at least partially staffed by moral individuals. Certainly without the benefit of eschewing obfuscation. To be so polite while one lies through their teeth, truly my countrymen excel at that above all other.

I'm certainly not implying that the US is better. Just that no place is perfect.

I was speaking with someone who lives in Colorado, works in New Mexico and sometimes another state (I can't remember). He files federal taxes, Colorado state taxes, New Mexico non-resident taxes, the other state taxes, local taxes and... after all that, including the accountant they have to pay, it would be easier and possibly cheaper to live on welfare.

Incidentally, I hope the readers know that the first post is spam and bullshit posted by a nutcase. FYI.

clambo says

Incidentally, I hope the readers know that the first post is spam and bullshit posted by a nutcase. FYI.

Australia having a fresh water problem is spam by a nutcase?? WTF.

Aussie Nerd says

Banks are tightly government regulated and not a single one went bust in the GFC.

Australian banks didn't go bust because they didn't have enough capital to play games on the global financial market. Not from any kind of smart money management or enlightened legislation.

Other than that it was a pretty funny post.

No, Aussie Nerd was the first post and he's a nutcase.

Great post Aussie Nerd. I'm 4 months away from dual citizenship CZ and USA. It has taken five years! My wife and kid are both dual already. I can say with 100% certainty that it feels good to know that I have options if shit hits the fan. Or I should say bigger shits knock the fan off the world map.

We already collect a substantial amount of money for our baby and for "maternity pay" from CZ. We've done several deals with manufacturers in CZ acting as brokers and translators for selling Czech products to the US market. I'm now exploring distribution opportunities for American companies in CZ.

Why not? Why sit here watching reality TV, refreshing facebook and buying iPhones and assume it will get any better? The fat lazy loafs over here who don't give a crap may be just the fuel the few of us who think critically and creatively need to better our lives.

Go on my fellow American tards, ignore the harsh realities, wash them down with coke and donuts. Just don't say we didn't warn you.

Aussie Nerd says

Gee you people live in one screwed up country.

Yup.

G'Day, I escaped from the U.S. in 1990 to Oz. I escaped from Oz in 2008, after the Aussie $ went to $0.50 again and 'Comrad' Gillard and 'Commie' Kevin Rudd got the helm. They're Gough Whitlam followers. Total losers.

I'm now in Dubai, paying NO tax. I'm making four times what I was earning in Oz. I'm 50yo, now married to a 30yo wonderful Russian Beauty, instead of some stuck-up Aussie bitch, who takes everything you have (happened to me). I also live at the Burj Kalifa. I could be in Australia and buy something like below, paying 50% tax:

http://www.karratharealestate.com.au/
In the most isolated place on earth

Everyone's circumstances are different, but for me, I did well in my decision. I fly business class now.

Regards, Omerde

The grass is greener on the other side of the fence but it still has to be mowed.

I would think about moving to Australia, but they don't speak English there.

G'Day Aussie Nerd,

Tax by any other name is INCOME TAX. GST. Whatever you're paying is another 10% on top of any of your other taxes. I like to think of GST as a "Tax on your tax". I'm not against GST, in fact I think it's the fairest. One should get rid of ALL other taxes and just have a GST.

What is the price of a pack of Ciggies in Oz? What is the price of Alcohol? What is the price of Petrol? Why is a American car in Australia TWICE what you'd pay for it in the U.S? It's from the Federal Government and I call it income tax. Pay now, pay later...just pay. I really think, if one was to work it out. One might be paying close to 90% tax in OZ.

The U.S. isn't much better. When you look at all the tax paid out for EVERYTHING that touches ones life, you're looking at about 75% of your income is taxed. I was trying to find the link for it...can't. Too much on the WWW about France and their 75%..

I did like Pauline Hanson's taxing bank transactions. They're going to do it in Europe. It might stop all of this high frequency trading that happens on Wall Street. It's OK as long as they get rid of Income Tax.

Regards, Omerde

One problem for US expats is dual taxation. The USA is the only advanced nation on earth that does it. Citizens and permanent residents have to pay taxes on worldwide income. Even in the developing world, very few countries do this -for example, if you are an Indian working in Dubai/Saudi etc. you pay zero taxes and get to keep 100% of your income.

Now the US does have a 90k exemption-but it has dual taxation treaties with many countries and then the state govts here step in to take their pound of flesh-claiming you are still a resident. This is not dem vs repub as the establishment will like you to think- states like Missisipi require you to pay taxes even if you are an expat. So you could be retired in Costa Rica and still be forced to pay MS state income taxes and they will come after you for back taxes and penalties-if you haven't paid. Some one like Romney can afford the best accountants, but for someone like me who was an expat, it can be mind boggling to get a handle on the tax treaty/exemptions governing the country you are in and what you owe on state taxes.

Then of course you have onerous reporting duties-resulting in some foriegn banks refusing to do business with American citizens abroad, due to the bureacracy and consequences of not doing the US bidding on their soil. Foreign banks are now allowed to seize assets and function as the IRS from US citizens who are not following the new laws.

Again we are the only developed country in the world to have these stupid laws and it is getting worse and worse. That is why there is an increasing number of citizens giving up their citizenship. Even then you have a problem. if you are a bum, the US is fine. But if you have assets and the US thinks you are giving up citizenship to escape paying future taxes-such as estate taxes or other taxes in future-you have another thing coming.

Now the craziest thing in this is that corporations don't pay taxes on worldwide income-unless they bring that money back here. The dems and repubs have been tripping over each other to take even that provison away. Whatever happened to corporations being people-why are they not governed by our rules.

This is no longer the land of the free the founders envisioned. We have the highest incareceration rate in the whole world and have 25% of the world's prisoners-while only having 5% of the world's population. Our govt gets into the business of every family in America, it has the power to determine-right down to the minute-how much time you spend with your kids, how much money you pay and you really don't have a say in that. If we leave, we are taxed to death and if the govt suspects that you are leaving to avoid future taxes-they can ask you to pay the difference right now.

No wonder we keep screaming land of the free-because we have so little when compared to many other coutnries. But of course, as long as we are distracted with the repub vs dem wars, gay marraige, birth control, dancing with the stars, we can keep believing otherwise and continue on.

G'Day
My 1st hour in Cairnes,QLD., I had the uglest Gin you could imagine, offer me a bj for a beer. I threw $$ at her and ran like a scared little boy. Gawd, I still get shivers thinking about it.

Regards,

Omerde

It's not ObamaCare people. It's RomneyCare.

It'll be hilarious watching Mitt Romney campaign against socialized medicine. Only in America.

freak80 says

It's not ObamaCare people. It's RomneyCare.

It'll be hilarious watching Mitt Romney campaign against socialized medicine. Only in America.

It will be even funnier with his new sidekick, because RyanCare simply applies ObamneyCare to senior citizens. He says he'll only do it to people currently 55 or younger, i.e. only the ones who have been paying into Medicare for 30-40 years will get the RyanCare Substitution. Meanwhile CBO says RyanCare would cost seniors more while delivering less, with the difference going to insurance company overhead (executive bonuses, private jets) and profit.

It is amazing to see how the industry has covered all the bases here. Obama and Biden, both of whom campaigned against ObamneyCare in 2008 when it was called Hillary's Plan, must now campaign for it. (I think they may have been hoping SCOTUS would throw out the individual mandate, but alas that didn't happen.) Campaigning against it will be Romney (the only other executive in the country to have signed it) and Ryan, both of whom want to impose the same plan on seniors instead of the general public, even though seniors oppose ObamneyCare by the widest margin of any age group. Either way, the industry can recycle the profits from lemon socialism to buy the next election and impose the same policy on whatever group didn't get hit with it this time.

Returning to the original topic of the thread, it's a good argument for emigrating to Australia. They have a basic Medicare for all program, somewhat like the British NHS. They also encourage private supplemental insurance in ways that look a bit like ObamamneyCare, but with a crucial difference: most people face no penalty for not buying; only a fraction with very high incomes face a maximum penalty of 1%. (In Australia's mining boom, these may include some "Cashed Up Boggins," who famously spend on jet skis and AWD toys that put them in particular need of insurance.) The vast majority of Australians can either rely on the Medicare for All program, or choose to buy the subsidized insurance, with no penalty for not buying anything.

curious2 says

Either way, the industry can recycle the profits from lemon socialism to buy the next election and impose the same policy on whatever group didn't get hit with it this time.

God Bless America.

curious2 says

Returning to the original topic of the thread, it's a good argument for emigrating to Australia.

Except it's a desert. And it will get worse with global warming. Canada is probably a better choice, no?

freak80 says

Canada is probably a better choice, no?

Probably, though their economy is much more closely linked to America's, so the net result may depend on the prognosis for the USA.

BTW Canada recognizes same-sex marriage, which most people consider to be an additional advantage, but you might call it an unforgivable sin. Australia doesn't generally recognize same-sex marriage yet, but most Australians support it, so it seems likely to happen there too.

curious2 says

but you might call it an unforgivable sin.

Where did I ever say anything like that?

Don't fall for the "black and white" fallacy. It's possible to fall somewhere between the "God Hates Fags!" and "Traditional Marriage is Jim Crow!" extremes.

I've already made my position on that issue clear in previous posts.

I'd move to the South Pacific, so fast my eyes would squint, if I were single.