The 10 Best U.S. States And The 10 Worst U.S. States For 2021…

This article is likely to stir up some very strong emotions.  Just a few hours ago, I discovered that U.S. News & World Report had released their list of the best U.S. states for 2021.  This immediately got my attention, because people are constantly asking me for my advice about where to move.  I always respond by saying that we are not all on the same path, and I point out that the right choice for others might be totally wrong for them.  But without a doubt, I am actively encouraging people to consider relocating during these troubled times.  In fact, earlier this week I published an article entitled “If You Need To Move Somewhere Before Everything Hits The Fan, You Need To Do It Now”.  I have very strong opinions about various parts of the country, and I am going to share some of those opinions with you in this article.

I would like to start my discussion by taking a look at the worst states.  According to U.S. News & World Report, these are the ten worst states for 2021…

50. Louisiana
49. Mississippi
48. New Mexico
47. West Virginia
46. Alabama
45. Alaska
44. Arkansas
43. Oklahoma
42. South Carolina
41. Kentucky

Needless to say, I totally disagree with this list.

First of all, I would like you to notice that nine out of the ten states on their list are red states.  The list was probably put together by a group of liberal elitists, and living in a red state would not appeal to such people at all.

Also, most of the states on the list are southern states.  For years, the corporate media has openly looked down on southern states, and that is extremely unfortunate.

Ultimately, I think that this list of “worst states” is pretty much useless.  So let me share with you how I would rank the 10 worst states…

#50 California – The state is run by lunatics, the lockdowns have left the economy in ruins, homeless encampments are everywhere, drug use if off the charts, crime rates are skyrocketing, illegal immigration is fueling the rapid growth of gangs, the traffic in the urban areas is nightmarish, last year was a record year for wildfires, and a major seismic event could alter the geography of California at any time.  Other than that, it is a fairly nice place to live.

#49 New York – New York City is the biggest reason why this state is so high on the list.  Hundreds of thousands of residents have fled NYC over the past year, and more are leaving with each passing day.

#48 Illinois – If you could carve the Chicago area out of the state, it wouldn’t be so bad.  Today, more than 100,000 gang members reside in the city of Chicago, and violent crime was worse than ever last year.  Unfortunately, there is no hope that things will turn around any time soon because both the city and the state are run by radical leftists.

#47 New Jersey – This state is often called “the armpit of America”, but New Jersey is actually preferable to New York City these days.

#46 Washington – As you will see below, U.S. News & World Report actually ranked Washington as the best state in America for 2021.  I don’t know what they were smoking, because that is not true at all.  Yes, there are sections of eastern Washington that are very nice and that I would recommend to anyone, but the city of Seattle drags the ranking of the entire state way down.

#45 Oregon – If it was just the city of Portland that we were talking about, this state may have topped the list.  But the eastern half of the state is actually very appealing, and a lot of really great people live there.

#44 New Mexico – The crisis along our southern border is not going to go away, drug use is rampant, and much of the state is plagued by absolutely crushing poverty.

#43 Pennsylvania – The city of Philadelphia alone is a good reason to place this state in the bottom 10.  Many rural parts of the state are very nice, but the crime, corruption and social decay in the urban areas are more than enough to earn this spot for the once great state of Pennsylvania.

#42 Michigan – A few years ago I would have ranked Michigan even lower.  Some positive changes have been made, but the city of Detroit is still a cesspool, and the governor of the state is a complete lunatic.

#41 The Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area – I know that this isn’t a state, but I had to include it on this list.  D.C. is the epicenter of so much that is wrong with our country, and the corruption that happens there literally affects every man, woman and child on the entire planet.  When you go into D.C., you can literally feel the oppression in the atmosphere.  It is such a terrible, terrible place, and our founders would be heartbroken to see what it has become.

Next, let’s take a look at the best states in the country.  According to U.S. News & World Report, these are the ten best states for 2021…

1. Washington
2. Minnesota
3. Utah
4. New Hampshire
5. Idaho
6. Nebraska
7. Virginia
8. Wisconsin
9. Massachusetts
10. Florida

I already shared what I think about Washington, and I have no idea how Minnesota possibly made this list.

Did they miss the part where large sections of Minneapolis were literally burned to the ground?

If you enjoy being carjacked, Minneapolis would be a great place to live.  But if you value your safety, I would definitely steer clear.

Once again, this list of “best states” is pretty much useless.  So let me share with you how I would rank the 10 best states…

#1 Idaho – No state is perfect, but Idaho has so many of the things that I tell people to look for when evaluating an area for relocation.  It has low crime rates, low population density, moderate weather, plenty of water, lots of natural resources, it is away from both coasts and it doesn’t sit near any major fault line.

#2 Montana – I like Montana for a lot of the same reasons that I like Idaho, but it can get really, really cold during Montana’s bitter winters.

#3 South Dakota – South Dakota also fits many of the criteria that I normally look for, but the winters can be almost unbearable if you are not accustomed to them.

#4 North Dakota – North Dakota is very similar to South Dakota, but the winters are even colder.

#5 Wyoming – Wyoming is like a “best kept secret” that is no longer a secret anymore.  Lots of celebrities and wealthy people have moved in, and that has changed the character of the state.  In addition, the extremely high winds that plague the state also keep it from being higher on this list.

#6 Alaska – Alaska is unique because it is not physically connected to the continental United States.  It is a great place to go if you want to get really, really lost, but the cost of living is extremely high and the winters can be really, really challenging.

#7 Colorado – If this state had not gone blue, it would be higher on the list.  It used to be such a wonderful place, but times are changing.

#8 Nebraska – The low population density if a major plus, but if you get bored easily that may be a problem.  Other than farming, there isn’t much going on in Nebraska, and that is both a positive and a negative.

#9 Kansas – This state is similar to Nebraska in a lot of ways, but the Kansas City metropolitan area on the border of the state is the one big negative.

#10 Tennessee – Sadly, this is the only eastern state to make my top 10.  I really like the Smoky Mountains, and Nashville is nicer than most of our other major cities, but I would definitely steer clear of Memphis.

I would also like to grant honorable mention status to Florida.  I went to law school there, and I will always have a great love for the state.  It would have made my top ten, but I just couldn’t include it because of what is going to eventually happen there.

So that is my list.  I know that many of you will disagree with some of my conclusions, and that is okay.

In the end, each one of us needs to be exactly where we are supposed to be.

If you feel called to live and work in California, then you should pursue that calling with all of your heart.

I am not here to tell you what to do.  But hopefully this list will be a little bit of a help for many that are considering relocating at this time.

If you are thinking of moving, I would do it quite soon, because things are only going to get crazier in this country during the very difficult years that are ahead.

***Michael’s new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.***

About the Author: My name is Michael Snyder and my brand new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available on Amazon.com.  In addition to my new book, I have written four others that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The EndGet Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned)  By purchasing the books you help to support the work that my wife and I are doing, and by giving it to others you help to multiply the impact that we are having on people all over the globe.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse BlogEnd Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on FacebookTwitter and Parler, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.  During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as we possibly can.

If You Need To Move Somewhere Before Everything Hits The Fan, You Need To Do It Now

Enjoy this brief period of relative stability while you can, because it won’t last.  I have been sitting here searching for the right words for this article, and I hope that I can accurately convey the urgency of this hour to all of you.  Following the election of Joe Biden, there appears to be a bubble of hope in the United States.  Short-term economic conditions have stabilized a bit, the COVID pandemic seems to be subsiding, and many are hoping that life will “return to normal” this summer.  But what most people do not understand is that the next chapters of “the perfect storm” are about to begin.

The cracked pieces of our planet that we are all floating around on are becoming increasingly unstable, and we witnessed multiple examples of this last week.  On one day alone, New Zealand was shaken by a magnitude 7.3 earthquake, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake and a magnitude 8.1 earthquake.  On the other side of the globe, Iceland has been hammered by more than 20,000 earthquakes over the past week, and geologists are warning of imminent eruptions at two prominent volcanoes.

Overall, there have been more major earthquakes during the first 65 days of this year than we have ever seen in the first 65 days of any other year in recorded history.

As our planet continues to become more unstable, I would not want to be living anywhere near a major fault line.

Now that the warmongers are back in control in Washington, it also appears that war is on the horizon.  Just a little while ago, I published an article entitled “9 Signs That Chess Pieces Are Being Moved Into Place For A Major War In The Middle East” in which I detailed some of the threats that we are potentially facing.  Once war begins, things will begin to change very rapidly.

Up until now, most of the civil unrest that we have witnessed in this country has been focused on “social justice” issues, and this week there will be more protests.

But soon there will be a shift.  Once war starts, a lot of people will be angry about that, and economic conditions will also feature prominently as the U.S. economy steadily deteriorates.

Speaking of the economy, we are already seeing homeless encampments take over large portions of major cities on the west coast, and we haven’t even gotten to the largest tsunami of evictions in U.S. history yet.

Meanwhile, the emerging global food crisis gets worse with each passing day.  Global food prices have risen for nine months in a row, and the head of the UN World Food Program has warned that we will be facing “famines of biblical proportions” in 2021.

I could go on and on.  The truth is that there is not a single element of “the perfect storm” that has not already begun, but of course global events are going to escalate dramatically in the months and years ahead.

So if you need to move somewhere before everything hits the fan, you need to do it now.

Over the past 12 months, we have seen the greatest exodus out of our major cities that we have ever seen as millions of Americans have scrambled to relocate.

In fact, one new study found that the number of people fleeing San Francisco increased by 649 percent last year compared to the year before.

San Francisco saw an exodus of residents during the coronavirus pandemic, with the net number of exits increasing 649% in 2020, according to a new report published by the California Policy Lab.

Unfortunately, most of those that have left San Francisco are staying in the state of California, and I believe that is a huge mistake.

When things get really bad, you will not want to be in a heavily populated area or in a region of the country that is prone to natural disasters.

Even cities that used to have low crime rates have totally changed.  When I was a kid, I really enjoyed the trips that my family would take to Minneapolis, but now it has become a crime-ridden hellhole that is dominated by roving gangs

Bill Carlyon moved to the metropolitan area in 1980 to work as an electrical engineer after a brief stint in the army. Back then, he says, Minneapolis was more inclusive than just about anywhere else in the country he ever visited.

“Almost everybody I know won’t come downtown anymore for any reason. We used to come down to theater events and movies all the time. Now there’s gangs that just rove around and beat up old people,” said Carlyon, 69, who prides himself on working with the black community for decades on anti-poverty initiatives.

Believe it or not, Portland was a very nice city at one time too.  But now violent crime is absolutely soaring

More people died of gunfire last year in Portland — 40 — than the entire tally of homicides the previous year. The number of shootings — 900 — was nearly 2 1/2 times higher than the year before. The spike has continued this year, with more than 150 shootings, including 45 people wounded and 12 killed so far.

It is so sad to watch what is happening to that once great city.  At the end of last week, I wrote about the epidemic of crimes that are being committed in broad daylight around the nation, and I just came across another example that happened just outside a bar in Portland

Elmer Yarborough got a terrifying call from his sister: She wept as she told him two of his nephews may have been shot in broad daylight as they left a bar in Portland, Oregon.

He drove there as fast as he could. An officer told him one of his nephews was heading to the hospital and the other, Tyrell Penney, hadn’t survived.

Of course there are countless other examples of people being shot in broad daylight in our major cities.  Here is an example from New York

A man was fatally shot in the head in broad daylight during a dispute outside a Bronx bodega late Friday afternoon, police have said.

Travis Brooker, 35, was killed outside of G&K Deli on Rosedale Ave. near East Tremont Avenue in Parkchester at around 5:15pm.

There is so little fear of the police that the criminals aren’t even waiting for the sun to go down to start shooting people anymore.

And once economic conditions completely implode, the violence is going to get far, far worse.

We should mourn for America, because things could have turned out very differently for our nation if we had made much different choices.

At the same time, if you plan on living through what is ahead you need to get prepared, because the years in front of us are not going to be easy.

***Michael’s new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.***

About the Author: My name is Michael Snyder and my brand new book entitled “Lost Prophecies Of The Future Of America” is now available on Amazon.com.  In addition to my new book, I have written four others that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The EndGet Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned)  By purchasing the books you help to support the work that my wife and I are doing, and by giving it to others you help to multiply the impact that we are having on people all over the globe.  I have published thousands of articles on The Economic Collapse BlogEnd Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe.  I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but I also ask that they include this “About the Author” section with each article.  The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions.  I encourage you to follow me on social media on FacebookTwitter and Parler, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.  During these very challenging times, people will need hope more than ever before, and it is our goal to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as we possibly can.

New Census Numbers Reveal Americans Are Steadily Migrating West And South – And Away From High Tax Blue States

The U.S. Census Bureau has just released their annual report on how the U.S. population is shifting, and there are some very clear patterns in the data.  If you look at this Census Bureau map, you will see lots of purple (areas where the population is growing) in the west and the south, and you will see lots of orange (areas where the population is declining) in the north and the east.  Of course this is a continuation of a pattern that we have been seeing for decades.  Given the ability to choose, many Americans would rather live in areas of the country that are warm and sunny, and that makes a lot of sense.  But that is not the only pattern that we see in the data.

From July 1, 2017 to July 1, 2018 seven of the ten counties that had the largest percentage increase in population were either in Texas or Florida

McKenzie County, ND: 7.1 percent
Williams County, ND: 5.9 percent
Comal County, TX: 5.4 percent
Kaufman County, TX: 4.7 percent
Brunswick County, NC: 4.6 percent
Walton County, FL: 4.5 percent
Midland County, TX: 4.3 percent
Osceola County, FL: 4.3 percent
St. Johns County, FL: 4.2 percent
Hood County, TX: 4.1 percent

Texas and Florida do not have a state income tax, and so that could help to explain these numbers.

The top two counties on the list are both in North Dakota, and a lot of people are being drawn up there for energy industry jobs.  McKenzie County produces more oil than any other county in the state, and even though it can get bitterly cold, many workers find the very high wages paid by the industry very alluring.

Meanwhile, some of the biggest cities in the entire nation are shrinking.

New York City is losing people for the first time in a decade, and the population of Chicago has now fallen for four years in a row

The Chicago area’s population declined for the fourth year in a row in 2018, according to the latest Census Bureau estimates.

There were 22,000 fewer residents in the 14-county metro area than in 2017, a drop of 0.2 percent, and the first time since 2010 that the area’s population has slipped below 9.5 million people. Cook County, which accounts for 55 percent of the population in the metro area, lost 24,000 residents.

Considering all of the gang violence, the absolutely insane politicians and the oppressive levels of taxation, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why people would want to leave the Windy City.

I guess the real mystery is why so many people would want to stay.

According to a report put out by North American Moving Services, Illinois is actually the top state for outbound moves, and Idaho is actually the top state for inbound moves…

Every year, roughly 14% of the US population moves from one state to another, according to Census Bureau data. But after a careful analysis of the data from 2018, North American Moving Services published its latest report on American migration patterns…and it contained some surprising conclusions.

For example, while Illinois was once again the top state for outbound moves (thanks, we imagine, to its dysfunctional state government, high taxes and massively underfunded pensions), the top state for inbound moves was…Idaho?

A quick glance at the data reveals a familiar pattern: Americans are leaving high-tax blue states in favor of red states with low taxes and low cost of living.

Hopefully the secret about how great Idaho is won’t get around too widely, because all the people from California that are moving up here have already driven home prices through the roof.

Another city that is seeing people leave in droves is Baltimore

“Thousands of people are fleeing the city each year as total population plummets to 100-year lows. There are about 46,000 vacant rowhomes scattered throughout the area, or roughly 15% of the housing stock is dormant. On a per capita basis, the city has the highest rate of homicides per 100,000 in the country. Opioids from Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland Medical Center continue to flood the poorest of neighborhoods, leaving the African American communities in a perpetual state of addiction, along with the need for constant government assistance programs. With the local economy basically a black market, gangs roam the streets like a third world country.”

I remember going to Orioles games as a kid, and at that time Baltimore was still somewhat of a vibrant city.

But now it is a rotting, decaying, drug-infested nightmare that is slowly dying right in front of our eyes.

And of course we continue to see an exodus from the California coastline, and one of the big reasons for that is because housing has gotten way too expensive

A full 43 percent of Californian voters, and an astounding 61 percent of those aged 18 to 34, feel they can’t afford to live in the state, according to a recent Quinnipiac University poll. And over three-quarters of voters agree that there’s a “housing crisis.”

The median value for a house in the Golden state is about $550,000, according to real-estate website Zillow. That’s more than twice the national median.

Of course there are many other reasons to leave California as well.  For much more on that, please see my previous article entitled “Nobody Does It Better: The Amount Of Human Feces On San Francisco Streets Is Going Up Every Single Year”.

Before I wrap up this article, I want to also say a bit about retirement migration.

As the Baby Boomers retire, millions of them are moving from cold weather states to warm weather states.

For ages, the state of Florida has been the number one destination for retirees, but now that has apparently changed.  According to Fox Business, this is the very first year that New Mexico is on top of the list…

This was the first year New Mexico topped the list. Forty-three percent of moves to New Mexico were related to retirement, while 60 percent of people moving there were between the ages of 55 and 74. The cost of living in the state is 3 percent less than the national average, while income taxes are low.

I never would have guessed that.

Perhaps the cost of housing is low and that is why a lot of retirees from California see it as a good option.

And yes, lots of Baby Boomers are still retiring in Florida, and the state is still number two on the list

While it did not make the top spot this year, Florida ranked second with 39 percent of moves into the state being retirement related. Aside from the warm weather and beach communities, Floridians are not subject to state income taxes.

In addition to everything that I have just shared, many Americans are migrating across the country for more ominous reasons.  They can see the direction this nation is headed, and they want to be positioned for what America is going to be like in the coming years.

The fabric of our society is unraveling right in front of our eyes, and a lot of people just want somewhere safe, secure and sane to raise their families.

Unfortunately that is not so easy to find anymore, and the social decay that is eating away at our country like cancer is spreading a little bit more with each passing day.

Get Prepared NowAbout the author: Michael Snyder is a nationally-syndicated writer, media personality and political activist. He is the author of four books including Get Prepared Now, The Beginning Of The End and Living A Life That Really Matters. His articles are originally published on The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News. From there, his articles are republished on dozens of other prominent websites. If you would like to republish his articles, please feel free to do so. The more people that see this information the better, and we need to wake more people up while there is still time.

Why Are So Many People Choosing To Leave The United States Permanently?

The United States Of America At NightHave things gotten so bad that it is time to leave the United States for good?  That is a question that a lot of Americans are dealing with these days, and an increasing number of them are choosing to leave the country of their birth permanently.  Some are doing it for tax reasons, some are doing it because they believe the future is brighter elsewhere, and others are doing it because they are very distressed about the direction that America is heading and they don’t see any hope for a turnaround any time soon.  Personally, I have several friends and contacts that regard themselves as “preppers” that have decided that the United States is too far gone to recover.  They have moved their families out of the country and they never plan to return.  As this nation continues to head down the very troubled road that it is currently on, this trend is probably only going to accelerate even more.

In fact, some Americans are even going so far as to renounce their citizenship when they leave.  This represents only a small percentage of those that are leaving the country, but as Bloomberg recently reported, the number of Americans that renounced their citizenship in the second quarter of 2013 was six times larger than the number that renounced their citizenship in the second quarter of last year…

Americans renouncing U.S. citizenship surged sixfold in the second quarter from a year earlier as the government prepares to introduce tougher asset-disclosure rules.

Expatriates giving up their nationality at U.S. embassies climbed to 1,131 in the three months through June from 189 in the year-earlier period, according to Federal Register figures published today.

Renouncing the country of your birth is not an easy thing to do.  From the moment that we come into this world, those of us born in this country are trained to think of ourselves as “Americans”.  The following is an excerpt from a recent article by Simon Black of the Sovereign Man blog

It doesn’t matter where you’re from– the United States, Sweden, New Zealand, or Venezuela… many people all over the world are inculcated from birth with a sense that their country is ‘better’ than all the others.

We grow up with the songs, the flag waving, and the parades until the concept of motherland becomes deeply rooted in our emotional cores.

Not to mention, when so many of our friends and neighbors unquestionably fall in line, it’s a powerful social reinforcement that only strengthens the bond.

We come to view our nationalities rather ironically as a big piece of our core individuality. I am an American. I am a Canadian. I am an Austrian. Instead of– I am a human being.

It has taken decades… centuries even… to reach this point. So the fact that more and more people are making the gut-wrenching decision to ditch their US passports is truly a powerful trend.

Traditionally, the American people have been some of the most patriotic people on the face of the planet.

So why are we now seeing such an increase in the number of people choosing to leave the United States permanently?

Well, the truth is that there are a whole host of reasons why people are losing faith in this country and are deciding to leave…

-The U.S. economy has been steadily declining for many years and that decline now seems to be accelerating.

-We are being taxed into oblivion.

-The quality of the jobs in our economy is rapidly declining.

-The middle class is continually shrinking.

-Poverty is exploding.

-Escalating social decay in our major cities.

-Our culture is rapidly going down the toilet.

-Our health care system has become a complete mess and a giant money making scam.  Obamacare is only going to make things even worse.

-Our politicians are tremendously corrupt, but the same clowns just keep getting sent back to D.C. over and over again.

-Our nation seems to be on a relentless march toward collectivism.

-America is rapidly turning into a “Big Brother” police state that is run by control freaks that seem obsessed with watching, tracking, monitoring and controlling virtually everything that we do.

Of course the list above could go on indefinitely, but hopefully I have made my point.  A whole lot of people out there are absolutely horrified as they watch what is happening to America, and leaving the country for good is increasingly being viewed as a potential option by many.

But as tempting as “going Galt” may seem, please come up with a good plan first.

As one family recently discovered, hopping into a small boat and sailing off into the Pacific Ocean in search of a better life is probably not going to work out too well…

A northern Arizona family that was lost at sea for weeks in an ill-fated attempt to leave the U.S. over what they consider government interference in religion will fly back home Sunday.

Hannah Gastonguay, 26, said Saturday that she and her husband “decided to take a leap of faith and see where God led us” when they took their two small children and her father-in-law and set sail from San Diego for the tiny island nation of Kiribati in May.

But just weeks into their journey, the Gastonguays hit a series of storms that damaged their small boat, leaving them adrift for weeks, unable to make progress. They were eventually picked up by a Venezuelan fishing vessel, transferred to a Japanese cargo ship and taken to Chile where they are resting in a hotel in the port city of San Antonio.

Yes, life in America is definitely going to be extremely challenging in the years ahead, but the grass is not always greener on the other side of the planet either.

There are a whole host of things to consider before you make a permanent move to another country.  The following is an extended excerpt from one of my previous articles

*****

The following are 10 questions to ask yourself before you decide to move to another country…

Do You Speak The Language?  If Not, How Will You Function?

If you do not speak the language of the country that you are moving to, that can create a huge problem.  Just going to the store and buying some food will become a challenge.  Every interaction that you have with anyone in that society will be strained, and your ability to integrate into the culture around you will be greatly limited.

How Will You Make A Living?

Unless you are independently wealthy, you will need to make money.  In a foreign nation, it may be very difficult for you to find a job – especially one that pays as much as you are accustomed to making in the United States.

Will You Be Okay Without Your Family And Friends?

Being thousands of miles away from all of your family and friends can be extremely difficult.  Will you be okay without them?  And it can be difficult to survive in a foreign culture without any kind of a support system.  Sometimes the people that most successfully move out of the country are those that do it as part of a larger group.

Have You Factored In Weather Patterns And Geological Instability?

As the globe becomes increasingly unstable, weather patterns and natural disasters are going to become a bigger factor in deciding where to live.  For example, right now India is suffering through the worst drought that it has experienced in nearly 50 years.  It would be very difficult to thrive in the middle of such an environment.

Many of those that are encouraging people to “escape from America” are pointing to Chile as an ideal place to relocate to.  But there are thousands of significant earthquakes in Chile each year, and the entire nation lies directly along the “Ring of Fire” which is becoming increasingly unstable.  That is something to keep in mind.

What Will You Do For Medical Care?

If you or someone in your family had a serious medical problem in the United States, you would know what to do.  Yes, our health care system is incredibly messed up, but at least you would know that you could get the care that you needed if an emergency arose.  Would the same be true in a foreign nation?

Are You Moving Into A High Crime Area?

Yes, crime is definitely on the rise in the United States.  But in other areas where many preppers are moving to, crime is even worse.  Mexico and certain areas of Central America are two examples of this.  And in many foreign nations, the police are far more corrupt than they generally are in the United States.

In addition, many other nations have far stricter gun laws than the United States does, so your ability to defend your family may be greatly restricted.

So will your family truly be safe in the nation that you plan to take them to?

Are You Prepared For “Culture Shock”?

Moving to another country can be like moving to a different planet.  After all, they don’t call it “culture shock” for nothing.

If you do move to another country, you may quickly find that thousands of little things that you once took for granted in the U.S. are now very different.

And there is a very good chance that many of the “amenities” that you are accustomed to in the U.S. will not be available in a foreign nation and that your standard of living will go down.

So if you are thinking of moving somewhere else, you may want to visit first just to get an idea of what life would be like if you made the move.

What Freedoms and Liberties Will You Lose By Moving?

Yes, our liberties and our freedoms are being rapidly eroded in the United States.  But in many other nations around the world things are much worse.  You may find that there is no such thing as “freedom of speech” or “freedom of religion” in the country that you have decided to move to.

Is There A Possibility That The Country You Plan To Escape To Could Be Involved In A War At Some Point?

We are moving into a time of great geopolitical instability.  If you move right into the middle of a future war zone, you might really regret it.  If you do plan to move, try to find a country that is likely to avoid war for the foreseeable future.

When The Global Economy Collapses, Will You And Your Family Be Okay For Food?

What good will it be to leave the United States if you and your family run out of food?

Today, we are on the verge of a major global food crisis.  Global food reserves are at their lowest level in nearly 40 years, and shifting global weather patterns are certainly not helping things.

And the global elite are rapidly getting more control over the global food supply.  Today, between 75 and 90 percent of all international trade in grain is controlled by just four gigantic multinational food corporations.

*****

Leaving the United States permanently and setting up a new life in another country can be done, but it isn’t for the faint of heart.  It takes planning, preparation and lots of hard work.

However, there are lots of people that have done it successfully, including quite a number of people that I know personally.

In the end, you have got to make the decision that is right for you and your family.  Don’t let anyone else tell you what to do.

For many, staying in the United States and preparing for the tough years that are coming is the best choice.  For others, getting out of the United States and heading for greener pastures is the right choice.

What about you?

What is your choice?

Please feel free to share your perspective by posting a comment below…

Expatriates

 

What Is The Best Place To Live In America? Pros And Cons For All 50 States

If you could live in any state in America, where would you go?  During troubled times like these, what is the best place in the United States to live?  A lot of people are asking these kinds of questions these days.  Our economy is on the verge of collapse, natural disasters are becoming more frequent and more intense, the U.S. population is becoming angrier and more frustrated by the day, our government has become incredibly oppressive and controlling, war could break out at any time and evidence that society is breaking down is all around us.  As our world becomes increasingly unstable, many families are considering moving somewhere else.  But what areas are best and what areas should be avoided?  Is there really a “best place to live” in America?  Well, the truth is that each family is facing a different set of circumstances.  If you have a great support system where you live, it can be really tough to pick up and move 3000 miles away from that support system.  If you have a great job where you live now, it can be really tough to move some place where there may be no job at all for you.  But without a doubt there are some areas of the country that will be far better off than others in the event of a major economic collapse.  This article will take a look at each of the 50 U.S. states and will list some of the pros and cons for moving to each one.

Not all of the factors listed below will be important to you, and a few have even been thrown in for humor.  But if you are thinking of moving in the near future hopefully this list will give you some food for thought.

A few years ago when my wife and I were living near Washington D.C. we knew that we wanted a change and we went through this kind of a process.  We literally evaluated areas from coast to coast.  In the end, we found a place that is absolutely perfect for us.  But different things are important to different people.

And if I gave your particular state a low rating, please don’t think that I am trashing the entire state or all of the people who live there.

For example, there are some absolutely wonderful people that live in the state of California, and there are some areas of California that I would not mind visiting at all.  But for the times that are coming I am convinced that it is going to be a really bad place to live.

Not that I have all the answers either.  Hopefully this article can get some debates started, and hopefully those debates will help people that are thinking of moving to another state to be more informed.

The following are some pros and cons for all 50 states….

Alabama

Pros: warm weather, southern hospitality, relatively low population density

Cons: hurricanes, tornadoes, crime, not enough jobs, multiple nuclear power plants, rampant poverty

Overall Rating: C+

Alaska

Pros: great fishing, lots of empty space, low population density, great for rugged individualists

Cons: very high cost of living, earthquakes, volcanoes, extremely cold, short growing season, too much snow, potentially cut off from supplies from the lower 48 states during an emergency situation

Overall Rating: B

Arizona

Pros: warm weather

Cons: illegal immigration, wildfires, return of dust bowl conditions, not enough jobs, not enough rain, multiple nuclear power plants, crime, gang violence, Phoenix

Overall Rating: D+

Arkansas

Pros: southern hospitality, warm weather, Ozark National Forest

Cons: tornadoes, Clintons, New Madrid fault zone, multiple nuclear power plants, crime, rampant poverty

Overall Rating: C

California

Pros: Disneyland, warm weather, Malibu

Cons: high taxes, Jerry Brown, earthquakes, mudslides, wildfires, gang violence, crime, traffic, rampant poverty, insane politicians, ridiculous regulations, bad schools, political correctness, illegal immigration, not enough jobs, air pollution, multiple nuclear power plants, possible tsunami threat along the coast, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Stockton, Sacramento, huge drug problem, high population density, the state government is broke, many more reasons to leave California right here

Overall Rating: F

Colorado

Pros: Rocky Mountains, Colorado Springs

Cons: wildfires, illegal immigration, short growing season, not enough rain, too much snow, huge drug problem

Overall Rating: B

Connecticut

Pros: beautiful homes

Cons: high taxes, insane politicians, ridiculous regulations, political correctness, short growing season, multiple nuclear power plants, high population density

Overall Rating: C-

Delaware

Pros: good fishing

Cons: Joe Biden, political correctness, ridiculous regulations, insane politicians, crime, high population density

Overall Rating: D

Florida

Pros: University of Florida Gators, oranges, low taxes, southern hospitality, Disneyworld, Gainesville, warm weather, beautiful beaches, Daytona

Cons: hurricanes, most of the state is barely above sea level, high population density, not enough jobs, multiple nuclear power plants, crime, gang violence, illegal immigration

Overall Rating: C

Georgia

Pros: peaches, southern hospitality, warm weather

Cons: not enough jobs, multiple nuclear power plants, crime, gang violence, flesh eating disease, Atlanta

Overall Rating: B-

Hawaii

Pros: awesome beaches, warm weather, great vacation destination

Cons: vulnerable to tsunamis, very high cost of living, volcanoes, traffic, high population density, high taxes

Overall Rating: C-

Idaho

Pros: awesome people live there, great potatoes, low population density, high concentration of liberty-minded individuals, low crime, Sandpoint, Coeur d’Alene, north Idaho has plenty of water compared to the rest of the interior West, beautiful scenery

Cons: cold in the winter, wildfires, short growing season, not enough jobs

Overall Rating: A

Illinois

Pros: once you get away from Chicago things are not quite so bad

Cons: Barack Obama, drought, New Madrid fault zone, high population density, political correctness, ridiculous regulations, insane politicians, crime, gang violence, Chicago, East St. Louis, not enough jobs, multiple nuclear power plants, mob robberies, the state government is drowning in debt

Overall Rating: D-

Indiana

Pros: it is in better shape than Illinois, good farming, high Amish population

Cons: drought, tornadoes, the city of Gary, relatively high population density, near the New Madrid fault zone, a “rust belt” state

Overall Rating: C-

Iowa

Pros: low population density, low crime, good farming

Cons: drought, tornadoes, cold in the winter, multiple nuclear power plants, too much snow, very flat

Overall Rating: B-

Kansas

Pros: low population density, low crime, good farming

Cons: drought, tornadoes, return of dust bowl conditions, very flat

Overall Rating: B

Kentucky

Pros: southern hospitality, great horses, Lexington

Cons: New Madrid fault zone, not enough jobs, rampant poverty, Louisville

Overall Rating: C

Louisiana

Pros: southern hospitality, warm weather

Cons: hurricanes, New Orleans, not enough jobs, tornadoes, multiple nuclear power plants, oil spills, crime, gang violence, rampant poverty

Overall Rating: D

Maine

Pros: low population density, low crime, polite people

Cons: extremely cold, short growing season, political correctness, ridiculous regulations, insane politicians, too much snow

Overall Rating: B-

Maryland

Pros: the Washington Redskins play there

Cons: Baltimore, borders Washington D.C., high population density, really bad traffic, political correctness, ridiculous regulations, insane politicians, multiple nuclear power plants, crime, gang violence

Overall Rating: C-

Massachusetts

Pros: beautiful homes

Cons: high taxes, political correctness, ridiculous regulations, insane politicians, high population density, short growing season, almost everything is illegal in Massachusetts

Overall Rating: D+

Michigan

Pros: once you get away from Detroit and Flint things get better

Cons: Detroit, Flint, Dearborn, extremely cold, short growing season, political correctness, ridiculous regulations, insane politicians, not enough jobs, multiple nuclear power plants, too much snow, a “rust belt” state

Overall Rating: D-

Minnesota

Pros: land of 10,000 lakes

Cons: extremely cold, short growing season, multiple nuclear power plants, too much snow, high taxes

Overall Rating: C

Mississippi

Pros: southern hospitality, relatively low population density, warm weather

Cons: hurricanes, tornadoes, not enough jobs, rampant poverty, crime

Overall Rating: C+

Missouri

Pros: good farming, Branson

Cons: drought, tornadoes, New Madrid fault zone, not enough jobs, crime

Overall Rating: C

Montana

Pros: low population density, low taxes, high concentration of liberty-minded individuals, Missoula, Kalispell

Cons: extremely cold in the winter, wildfires, short growing season, not enough rain, near Yellowstone super volcano, rampant poverty, too much snow

Overall Rating: B+

Nebraska

Pros: low population density, good farming

Cons: tornadoes, drought, multiple nuclear power plants, cold in the winter, very flat

Overall Rating: B

Nevada

Pros: low population density, lots of empty space, low taxes, warm weather

Cons: Harry Reid, Las Vegas, Reno, not enough water, not enough rain, wildfires, hard to grow food, not enough jobs, crime, gang violence, huge drug problem, Yucca Mountain

Overall Rating: D+

New Hampshire

Pros: low crime, beautiful homes

Cons: extremely cold, short growing season, political correctness, ridiculous regulations, insane politicians, too much snow

Overall Rating: C

New Jersey

Pros: anyone got something?

Cons: high population density, Camden, Newark, not enough jobs, multiple nuclear power plants, Atlantic City, crime, gang violence

Overall Rating: D-

New Mexico

Pros: low population density, warm weather

Cons: illegal immigration, wildfires, return of dust bowl conditions, not enough jobs, not enough rain, crime, gang violence, huge drug problem

Overall Rating: C-

New York

Pros: the entire state is not like New York City

Cons: New York City, Mayor Bloomberg, high taxes, cold in the winter, high population density, political correctness, ridiculous regulations, insane politicians, not enough jobs, multiple nuclear power plants, the “too big to fail” banks

Overall Rating: D

North Carolina

Pros: southern hospitality, warm weather, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Cons: hurricanes, not enough jobs, multiple nuclear power plants

Overall Rating: B

North Dakota

Pros: low crime, lots of oil-related jobs, low population density

Cons: extremely cold, short growing season, too much snow

Overall Rating: B

Ohio

Pros: the Cincinnati Reds, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, high Amish population

Cons: not enough jobs, cold in the winter, multiple nuclear power plants, high population density, Toledo, Cleveland, a “rust belt” state

Overall Rating: C

Oklahoma

Pros: warm weather, good farming

Cons: drought, tornadoes, wildfires, return of dust bowl conditions, not enough rain, crime, Oklahoma City, rampant poverty

Overall Rating: C

Oregon

Pros: tremendous natural beauty

Cons: high taxes, Portland, political correctness, ridiculous regulations, insane politicians, not enough jobs, huge drug problem, possible tsunami threat along the coast

Overall Rating: C-

Pennsylvania

Pros: high Amish population

Cons: high population density, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, not enough jobs, multiple nuclear power plants, a “rust belt” state

Overall Rating: C

Rhode Island

Pros: so small that most people don’t notice their problems

Cons: the state is flat broke, short growing season, political correctness, ridiculous regulations, insane politicians, not enough jobs, high population density

Overall Rating: D+

South Carolina

Pros: southern hospitality, warm weather, Myrtle Beach

Cons: hurricanes, not enough jobs, multiple nuclear power plants, crime, gang violence, rampant poverty

Overall Rating: B

South Dakota

Pros: low population density, fun tourist traps, the Badlands, Mount Rushmore

Cons: extremely cold, short growing season, very flat, too much snow

Overall Rating: B

Tennessee

Pros: Nashville, Michael W. Smith, southern hospitality, warm weather, Gatlinburg

Cons: Memphis, New Madrid fault zone, multiple nuclear power plants, crime, gang violence, rampant poverty

Overall Rating: B-

Texas

Pros: low taxes, warm weather, Austin

Cons: drought, illegal immigration, tornadoes, wildfires, West Nile Virus, the Dallas Cowboys, return of dust bowl conditions, speed traps, not enough rain, multiple nuclear power plants, George W. Bush, crime

Overall Rating: B-

Utah

Pros: beautiful mountains, low crime, low population density

Cons: cold in the winter, wildfires, Salt Lake City, short growing season, not enough rain, illegal to collect rain

Overall Rating: B-

Vermont

Pros: low crime, beautiful homes

Cons: cold in the winter, insane politicians, ridiculous regulations, short growing season, political correctness, not enough jobs, too much snow

Overall Rating: C

Virginia

Pros: the University of Virginia, southern hospitality, Charlottesville

Cons: borders Washington D.C., high population density, multiple nuclear power plants, Richmond, really bad traffic in northern Virginia

Overall Rating: B-

Washington

Pros: the eastern half of the state is quite nice and much different from the coast

Cons: way too much rain along the coast, volcanoes, wildfires, insane politicians, ridiculous regulations, political correctness, not enough jobs, possible tsunami threat along the coast, Seattle

Overall Rating: C

West Virginia

Pros: beautiful mountains

Cons: not enough jobs, rampant poverty

Overall Rating: B

Wisconsin

Pros: cheese, the Green Bay Packers

Cons: extremely cold, short growing season, multiple nuclear power plants, too much snow,

Overall Rating: B-

Wyoming

Pros: low population density, lots of empty space, low taxes

Cons: extremely cold, too windy, too flat, wildfires, short growing season, not enough rain, Yellowstone super volcano

Overall Rating: B-

What do you think of these rankings?

What do you think is the best place to live in America?

Do you have any additional pros and cons that should be added to this list?

Please feel free to post a comment with your thoughts below….

The Sobering Reality Of What Life Is Like In Reno, Nevada

What do you do when the city where you live is dying?  All over the United States formerly great cities are crumbling, but some are definitely in worse shape than others.  One reader recently wrote to me about what she sees happening all around her in Reno, Nevada.  The unemployment rate in Reno is now up to 11.7 percent, which is well above the national average of 8.3 percent.  But that doesn’t tell the whole story.  The recent recession hit Nevada particularly hard and people have been moving out of the state in waves.  In fact, the labor force in Nevada has shrunk by close to 20 percent over the past year as workers have moved elsewhere in search of work.  But even though the labor force is now nearly 20 percent smaller, the unemployment rate is still well above 11 percent.  There simply are not enough jobs in large Nevada cities such as Reno and Las Vegas.  Unfortunately for Reno, it does not have the same kind of big corporate money pouring into it that Las Vegas does.  The good news is that you can buy a house very, very cheaply in Reno because homes were foreclosed on in droves during the housing crash.  Even today, some housing developments that were put up near the end of the boom times look like virtual ghost towns.  The main industry in Reno is “entertainment”, but many of Reno’s strip clubs and gambling establishments have aged so badly at this point that they just look kind of depressing.  I guess that is kind of fitting, because Nevada has the fifth highest suicide rate in the nation, and Reno has been ranked as one of the top 10 depressed cities in the entire country.  As the city has declined, gangs have moved in and the drug trade is flourishing.  Reno has been called the meth capital of America, and crime is on the rise.  Despite being surrounded by tremendous natural beauty, Reno has become a very unpleasant place in which to live.  But what is happening in Reno is also happening in hundreds of other communities across the United States.  Our economy is collapsing and our cities are crumbling right in front of our eyes, and it is only going to get worse from here.

A reader of my site named Heather who has been unemployed since November of last year recently shared the following with me….

I am living in Reno/Sparks Nevada and I feel like it is ground zero for collapse. There are a lot of people who are in denial right now and cannot see the larger picture. I keep also saying we are the canary in the coal mine for the rest of the country.  It is quite depressing driving around seeing empty office buildings with vacancies and retail areas just empty. Went to the stores and retail seems pretty slow also. I am volunteering at ProNet locally and it helps unemployed people finds jobs and skills. It has been depressing there too with very little jobs out there for many people who need one.

She said that I should share what is happening in Reno with my readers.  She wanted people to know what those living in Reno are going through.

You might think that since Reno is so sunny, so warm and surrounded by such natural beauty that it would be one of the happiest places in America.

Unfortunately it turns out that the opposite is true.

Reno is actually a very sad place.

In fact, last year Men’s Health ranked Reno as the ninth saddest city in the United States.

In response to this ranking, one resident of Reno wrote the following….

In light of this disheartening list-making, it is, of course, important for Nevadans to look on the bright side. Rather than allowing these statistics to depress us further, we can consider them a series of challenges that make living in places like Reno and Las Vegas all the more impressive. You don’t just live in Reno. You survive Reno! To dwell in Reno, you must triumph over the odds that are stacked against you—one of the things we’re supposed to do best here.

If we can withstand all of the emotional curveballs thrown at us because we have selected such a turbulent location in which to reside, we can probably survive anything.

As a lifelong Renoite, I am inclined to respond to these lists with defiance. Yeah, things can look pretty grim sometimes when no one can find a job, and there seems to be no way out.

And that is how many Americans are feeling these days.  They are broke, unemployed, depressed and out of options.

How can you pick up and start a new life somewhere else when you have no job and no money?

Sadly, a lot of younger Americans are turning to drugs in an attempt to escape the pain of their daily lives.

One article that I found attempted to find humor in the raging meth epidemic that is happening in Reno….

Reno has been affectionately called the meth capital of the nation. Some foolishly think mass drug usage can ravage a city as swiftly as it can ruin a user’s clear complexion. In all reality, drug addiction is no more than an endearing quirk, certainly not a cause for concern. Babies and adolescents with addiction-addled parents should stop being coddled and learn how to take care of themselves. I’ve been doing my own laundry since I was six months old­ — I’m sure they can do the same. If there is anything disturbing about the meth problem in Reno, it’s that it shows the lack of variety in this town. Why don’t you try some uppers like MDMA? Your teeth will thank me.

Unfortunately, Reno is far from alone.  In the past I have written about how formerly great cities such as Detroit, Cleveland and Baltimore are completely falling apart as well.  This kind of thing is literally happening from coast to coast.

There is a very serious lack of decent jobs in America right now.  At this point only 24.6 percent of all jobs in the United States are good jobs.

This has made it increasingly difficult for Americans to be able to take care of themselves.

If you can believe it, more than 100 million Americans are on welfare at this point.

And that number does not even include the tens of millions of people that are on Social Security and Medicare.

What in the world has happened to us?

These days most Americans work really hard all of their lives but never end up reaching their dreams.

In fact, one recent study found that 46 percent of all Americans die with less than $10,000 worth of financial assets.

Talk about depressing.

But instead of having us focus on how bad the economic numbers are, the Federal Reserve wants to start measuring how “happy” everyone is.  The following is from a recent ABC News article….

Ben Bernanke wants to know if you are happy.

The Federal Reserve chairman said Monday that gauging happiness can be as important for measuring economic progress as determining whether inflation is low or unemployment high. Economics isn’t just about money and material benefits, Bernanke said. It is also about understanding and promoting “the enhancement of well-being.”

So what would you say if the Federal Reserve contacted you and asked if you are happy?

Please feel free to post a comment with your thoughts below….

What Is The Best Country In The World For Americans To Relocate To In Order To Avoid The Coming Economic Collapse?

Millions of American citizens have already left the United States in search of a better life.  As the economy continues to crumble and as our society slowly falls apart, millions of others are thinking about it.  But moving to another country is not something to be done lightly.  The reality is that there are a vast array of social, cultural, economic and safety issues to be considered.  If you have never traveled outside of North America, then you have no idea how incredibly different life in other parts of the world can be.  For those that are unfamiliar with international travel, it can be quite a shock to suddenly be immersed in a foreign culture.  In fact, no matter how experienced you are, choosing to relocate to a new country is never easy.  But things have gone downhill so dramatically in the United States that picking up and moving to a foreign nation is being increasingly viewed as a viable alternative by millions of Americans.  A lot of people have decided that they simply do not want to be in the United States when the excrement hits the fan.  So what is the best country in the world for Americans to relocate to in order to avoid the coming economic collapse?

For each person, that answer may be different.  A lot depends on how much money you have and what your career situation is.  A lot depends on what stage of life you are at and what your family situation is.  Moving to another country can be very complicated and it can be a lot of work, but there are millions of people that have found it to be very rewarding.

When it comes to leaving America, a lot of people out there have some really strong opinions.

Many people believe that leaving the United States at this time would be abandoning our country in its hour of greatest need.  They are convinced that virtually everyone should stay and fight to turn this country around.

Others believe that there is no hope for the United States at all and that leaving this country is the only rational thing to do.  A lot of Americans have decided that the best future for their children and their grandchildren is going to be found in another part of the globe.

Still others are waiting to see what is going to happen during this next election.  Most people would agree that 2012 is going to represent a huge turning point for the United States, and if the election goes the wrong way it could move America down a road from which it will never recover.

But whatever you believe, the reality is that more Americans than ever seem to be interested in relocating overseas.  This appears to be particularly true of younger Americans.

A recent CNBC article contained the following amazing statistics….

*According to the U.S. State Department, 6.3 million Americans are either working or studying overseas.  That is the highest number that has ever been recorded.

*According to one recent survey, “the percentage of Americans aged 25 to 34 actively planning to relocate outside the U.S. has quintupled in just two years, from less than 1 percent to 5.1 percent.”

*That same survey found that 40 percent of all Americans in the 18 to 24 age group are expressing interest in relocation outside of the United States.  Two years ago that figure was only at 15 percent.

So why are so many Americans looking to relocate?

Well, our economy continues to get worse and worse.  If you have not heard yet, it has been announced that an all-time record 46 million Americans are now on food stamps.

How much worse can it get?

We just keep setting new record after new record.  Shouldn’t the government just put us all on food stamps and get it over with?

A lot of Americans want to escape this country before they get sucked into the vortex of poverty that has trapped so many other American families.  2.6 million more Americans fell into poverty last year.  In addition, according to the U.S. Census Bureau the percentage of Americans living in extreme poverty today is higher than has ever been measured before.

As poverty and despair spread across the United States, the fabric of our society is breaking down.  As I have written about so many times, the thin veneer of civilization that we all take for granted is starting to disappear.

Mob violence is becoming increasingly common in America.  The following example from earlier this week comes from a story in the Blaze….

New York City firefighters came to the rescue of two NYPD cops who were outnumbered and getting pummeled by 50 angry female teenagers on Tuesday.

The Firefighters  from the FDNY opened up on the violent crowd with a “deluge gun”– which is a high-powered, truck-mounted water cannon–finally causing the mob to disperse.

As society breaks down, the government is becoming even more repressive in an attempt to maintain control.  Paranoia has become standard operating procedure and we are all considered to be potential terrorists.  Sadly, the United States is rapidly being turned into a totalitarian “Big Brother” police state.  Millions of Americans are not excited about living in a giant prison and they are starting to look for alternatives.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government continues to pile up the biggest debt in the history of the world and spend money on some of the most ridiculous things imaginable.  If you can believe it, over the past 10 years the U.S. government has actually spent almost a quarter of a billion dollars on genital pumps for old men.

Our government is drowning in debt, our businesses are drowning in debt and American consumers are drowning in debt.  At some point this entire house of cards is going to come crashing down.

Are you sure that you want to be living in the United States when that happens?

If you do plan to move outside of the United States, there are a lot of things that you need to consider….

Money

It is a lot easier to move to another country if you are independently wealthy.  Since most of us are not, you will likely have to consider how you will pay for the lifestyle that you plan to have once you move.

There are some countries (like many of the nations of northern Europe) where the cost of living is extremely high.  If you plan to move to Europe that is something that you will need to plan for.

There are other nations where the strength of the U.S. dollar is a huge benefit (at least for now).  If you have a sufficient bankroll saved up there are some areas of the world where you can literally live like a king.

Jobs

Unless you are retired, you will need to consider what kind of job you are going to work once you move.  If you do not speak the language of the country that you are moving to that is going to really limit your career options.

Also, you will need to keep in mind that wages in many areas of the world (especially in the third world) are much lower than in the United States.

Laws

Americans are often shocked to learn that the rights that we enjoy in the United States do not apply in the rest of the world.

You need to evaluate whether or not you can live with the laws that will be imposed upon you in the country that you choose to relocate to.

For example, I would not have the same freedom of speech to write the things that I do in a lot of other countries.  There are many countries that actually hunt down and arrest bloggers like me.

Also, it is important to keep in mind that huge taxes or huge fees are often imposed on those moving to a new country.  You may actually have to pay a tax on whatever possessions you bring with you.

Security

In many areas of the world you will not be able to count on the police coming to help you if a crime is committed.

Even if police are available where you choose to live, that does not mean that they will not be corrupt.

So it is imperative that you come up with a security plan.  Keep in mind that in many countries the ownership of guns is either banned or is severely limited.

Family

If you choose to relocate overseas without the rest of your family, you probably will not get to see them very often at all anymore.

It will be important for you to evaluate whether you will be able to take long-term separation from your family or not.

Also, it can be very lonely living overseas in a foreign nation where you do not know the language.  In many countries Americans are deeply hated so you may find it difficult to make friends.

Culture Shock

This is something that should not be underestimated.  Moving into the middle of a foreign culture can be absolutely shattering for many people.  A lot of Americans have absolutely no idea what life is like on the other side of the globe.

If you are thinking of moving to another country, it might be a really good idea to visit it first so that you can get a feel for what you are getting into.

So what is the best country in the world for Americans to relocate to?

I am not going to answer that question myself.  Instead, I want to ask my readers to help me answer that question.

Over the next couple of days, I am going to take comments that readers on my site leave and I am going to post them at the end of this article.  Many of them are extremely knowledgeable, and hopefully they can help all of us learn more about what life is like on the other side of the world.

So if you would like to participate in this debate, please post a comment at the end of this article on The Economic Collapse Blog with your opinion.  Please tell us what country you think is best for Americans to move to and the reasons why you think that it is the best.

This should be a fun debate, and I am looking forward to hearing what you all have to say.

***Reader Comments***

godsofold:

I believe that the good Lord and our Founding Fathers blessed us with a wonderful country. As such, I believe we owe it to both to stay and fight to get our nation back. I’m an 11 year Marine Corps Vet, I served in the first Gulf War and in many different operations. I’ll be damned if I’m going to run when it seems what our country needs most is for us to stand up for it. I don’t believe now is the time. Soon, but not now. Things need to get MUCH worse for a great portion of the people to wake. There has to be some finite trigger that sparks that light bulb moment for the Average Joe to finally make a conscience effort at understanding the dire situation that we’re all facing. So, I won’t be leaving. I’ll stand my ground like many others around me will. Though we very way may lose, I couldn’t bear to stand in front of the Lord and say I did nothing. That would be the epic failure.

Semper Fi

—–

bobcat:

My family settled in the piedmont foothills of NC in the early 1800s. That is where I was born. That is where I live and that is where I will die.

That being said, this country ain’t what it used to be. You mentioned, “Americans are often shocked to learn that the rights that we enjoy in the United States do not apply in the rest of the world.” I’m shocked at the rights we no longer enjoy today that used to enjoy 30 years ago.

There really isn’t anywhere to run anyway. The neoliberal globalist banker agenda is being carried out in all countries. Their fate will be similar to ours.

—–

Kaye Art:

I am one who doesn’t believe in countries and borders. But I find it amusing that Americans who have invested so much in keeping people from troubled countries out of America are now looking at some of those countries to relocate, as if planet earth was set up solely for them. The reason they have such difficulty in other countries is because they are unaware that there are other people and cultures on earth who have just as much right to the freedom of this planet as them. As a relocation country I could recomend Zambia. It is a beautiful peaceful country in central Africa with a simple improving economy and very friendly people it has no oil so is unlikely to be bombed by Nato and America. But before you come it might be good to check out what a Zambian has to go through just to visit America let alone live there. I am not anti America in any way I am for all people but it is time for us to wake up!

—–

A Viking in Asia:

Relocating to another country is a huge decision, and for any number of good reasons (family, career, sense of obligation, etc.) may not be the right thing for many. Also, some people do not handle big changes and new settings well, and relocating to another country is probably not the best option for them either. But for those who do think it’s right for them AND are open to making big changes in their life, the ‘right’ country to relocate to will depend on your motivations.

I myself am an expat in my mid-30′s living in Mongolia. My primary reasons for relocating were 1) excellent business opportunities, 2) existing family ties to the country, and 3) a desire to see and experience more of the world. It also helps that in general attitudes towards Americans are friendly there, and firearms ownership is allowed (not as unrestricted as most of the US but much better than most countries). But what’s good for me would not be right for many; for people who heavily favor things like warm climates and metropolitan lifestyles or who can’t tolerate a rougher standard of living, Mongolia would be a terrible choice. So the ‘right’ country depends hugely on the person and their desires, and the good thing is that there are many options out there, whether in Asia, South America, Central America, etc. It certainly HELPS to have lots of money, but is not necessary in many places. I myself am far from rich and have only modest savings, but managing expenses carefully and staying out of the consumerism debt lifestyle made all the difference in making relocation possible.

Now as to avoiding the coming economic collapse, I don’t think relocating to any one country will let you ‘avoid’ it. Some may fare better than others but I’m betting all will be affected to some degree, even here in Mongolia where banking and high finance is not nearly as entrenched here as in many countries. Furthermore, I think it’s unwise to have the sole motivation for relocation being “to get away”. Except in the most extreme circumstances (like being a refugee) one needs to have good reasons beyond that to relocate, or else they’re likely acting out of fear and making a mistake. So I think it’s better to rephrase the question “Where is the best country for my life and needs, that will also allow me to prepare and better endure the coming economic collapse?”.
Finally, I expect down the road at some point after the big crunch (or perhaps “slow grind”) comes, if I prove to be successful here I will be in a better position to help my family and communities back in the US. IMO if we continued to stay in the US, our opportunities for helping our families and others would be much, much smaller.

—–

Armel:

Maybe instead of leaving the continent, we should just reconsider the political boundaries with respect to values, freedoms or lack thereof. Igor Panarin has been predicting a breakup of the US for the last decade. Perhaps it’s time that those of us with similar values stick together via relocating—sort of a ‘safety in numbers’ move, if you will….conservative, Constitutionalists in one designated area and liberals in another area, each area being treated as separate, sovereign entities, entirely different countries, who cares as long as they are distinct. There are too many left versus right arguments going on in this country…if we can’t get along, let’s just bid adieu and part ways, at least for a while.

—–

horhey:

This is a really fun blog, there is so much to the final equation. The culture thing was it for me. When I was 16, my folks moved to the Philippines. I grew up in SoCal, 7/11s on every corner. Every thing one needed an arms length away. In Manila the smog gag was nasty. Jeepneys ran on …….seemed like kerosene. Black smoke everywhere and humid. We ended up on a small island, beautiful but primitive. Power out daily, cold showers, Tagalog was not a first language or second are any. 2 years to learn, and gone now. It was a real tough wake up call. Best long term experience ever, it at the time gave parents grief. If you have a family and want to move, make sure your kids know the whole picture. Not the one you want to paint. Funny to read this Michael, just talking about this subject tonight.  People soon will chose…Canon fodder, run for the hills, or just bail. Whatever is coming, it’s soon to arrive.

—–

Gutter Economist:

NOT GOOD

If you have a survival plan for living in the USA or offshore, don’t discuss it in public.

Before leaving the USA like a group of cowards, we should force all of the democrats and republicans out of Washington.

BAD

After trashing the USA and subjecting the rest of the world to our military, why would any American be welcome in any other country?

UGLY

Avoid the Northern Hemisphere – one nuke would cause severe problems here due to prevailing winds.

If you don’t leave the USA by year end, you may be too late. In fact, it is already too late to move most of your wealth offshore.

If you do move offshore, don’t count on electronic banking such as social security transfers.

Get a passport immediately while you still can.

—–

Greg:

I have 2 young children. And while pledge allegiance to the U.S. that comes below my God and my family. If the point comes I will take my kids and as much as I can carry and leave with no regrets.

—–

Already Gone:

why run away like a dog with it’s tail between it’s legs? i agree with godsofold that we need to stand up for this country. if people are leaving because they like culture/way of life in a different country that is fine other people in other countries come here looking for the same. we as a society are responsible for what is happening we trusted the government to do the right thing and it backfired. okay,so we are going to learn a valuable lesson and yes it is going to hurt but to leave because they do not want to be here when shit hits the fan to me is running away from responsibility. i would rather stand beside somebody who is not afraid than to be next to somebody who will run at the first sign of trouble. How could a person develop confidence, trust and dependence with these type of people? Maybe the grass is greener on the other side of the hill. But running away will never solve anything so if they want to go let them go. Who needs them or wants them?

—–

Gary2:

yes things will be better in 2012 when Obama easily wins reelection and we veer far left and hopefully become more like the Scandinavian countries. 2012 will be the year of taxing the rich hard(finally). He can’t run again so what the heck.

I have these idiot relatives who go to Norway on vacation and just go on and on about how good everything there is-universal health care maternity leave and a ton of valuable gov services. They then come back here to WI and I say I want it to be that good here and they cry socialism.

I encourage all conservatives to move to another country we will be better off with you and your selfish world view gone.

—–

EndOfAnErrorOrEndOfAnEra:

Michael, thank you for everything you do and I look forward to your articles each day. Coincidentally, just prior to reading your latest post, I was researching New Zealand as a potential destination for myself and my family before the excrement crushes the fan. Then I read this:

http://www.infowars.com/nz-food-bill-to-make-growing-food-a-government-privilege-rather-than-a-human-right/

The sheeple need to wake up to the fact that what is happening in America is only a part of a much larger, carefully orchestrated effort by a global oligarchy to bring about a one-world governance. Period. There is no other place to hide nor should there be. America MUST be protected and preserved. Therefore, I will stay at home and stand side-by-side with patriots like godsofold and fight to return America to the virtues of its founding. No other society in the history of the world has enjoyed the freedoms and prosperity that this country has over its short 235 year existence or “experiment” as some like to call it. I just can’t imagine turning my back on that.

—–

Crystalcrew:

Relocation is a tough one as fewer countries welcome Americans. Westerized countries are becoming increasingly crippled by NWO regulations so that leaves less delevoped nations who aren’t targeted. Uruguay? Panama? Dominican Republic? Costa Rica? I guess we have to see where the power elite is hiding. Anybody know?

—–

Cinderella Man JD:

Michael, Theres no place like home as Dorothy says. Im stayin right here in Central Montana where men are men and sheep are scared. Thank you godsofold for your service. Both my mother and father are Marines. Even though you may die the Corps is forever so you will live forever!!! (from Full Metal Jacket). No this is not the time to run from our problems. We must make our stand here and now against the tyranny that is being thrust upon us. America is worth saving, once all the bums, useless eaters, and illegal aliens are gone all that will be left is the prepared and the holy. Believe me people the great culling is at hand and no where on earth is going to be safe. Im staying out here in the country raise my crops and livestock, build a wall and set up landmines to keep the zombie hordes from the cities out. They might get me in the end, but I will go down fighting. So dont move to another country. They have more nasty diseases and inscects and dangerous people and wildlife you can imagine. Hell I didnt like the American south with all the roaches and new snakes I saw when I went down there to visit my brother. I love it here in Montana. We have problems but not everyone could live here especially when its -70 windchill and blowing snow. Its a hard country but its worth it to be away from the insanity of the cities. Millions will be freezing and starving to death before this decade is out, mark my words. The fight for freedom is on! LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD!!!!

—–

Matt:

I’ll go to any other country that has a Constitution equal to or better than ours? How many of those are there? Oh, none. Case closed. I ain’t goin nowhere. Good luck to those of you that do – you’ll need it.

—–

David:

Some people like China and S. Korea, and they like to go and teach English.

—–

Charlie:

I’m a proud American Freethinker and Atheist. I’ll stay and fight.

—–

Ben:

All I can say is, I think it is cowardly to leave the United States. If you are not a natural born citizen and you have family overseas, I can see leaving. But if you were born here, enjoyed all of the services this country has to offer and then “cut and run” when things get bad? You have no heart. You have no character. And you are a coward. Plain and simple. Sound harsh? Sound unfair? Well…life is hard sometimes, life is not fair. Did you expect life to be easy? Most people in this country take too much for granted and the minute their “comfort zones” are infringed upon they look for something else to bring them back to their little “area” of comfort. If you are in this country and living here then I would bet you are doing better than 5.5 billion people in this world. Hell, even a homeless person in this country has it better off than half of the world’s population. So you are here, you have enjoyed the fruits of this nation and when it is in trouble, you cut and run? Do you do that with your family and friends too? Because by my estimation…that is COWARDLY! I cannot say it enough! And I don’t give a good ******** about what you think about this post. If you are a person who leaves when the going gets tough, then don’t expect to come back. I would fight and die for this country. I would fight for my family and friends and their children would have a better life. I would even fight for someone who was thinking about leaving this country. That is how committed I am to it. Do NOT EVER forget that this is the greatest country the planet has ever seen. You, me and everyone on here are a part of it.

Why do you want to throw that away?

—–

DaShui:

So, I guess our ancestors were losers for leaving Europe to come to America?
However I live overseas now, unless you marry one of the locals, moving overseas is a bad idea, especially to a non western european nation.

—–

Darien:

Is this a joke? Throw in the towel and leave the USA? First of all, I am staying put, this is my home and I can’t imagine living anywhere else. Second, how many countries will accept masses of Americans with open arms, like we have? Instead, we must fight. We must jail all of the big businessmen and fake leaders who have commited treason and put into office those who have the citizens of the USA first, everything else last. We must demand repayment from the hundreds of countries we rebuilt, especially Japan and Germany who were the real winners of WW2. We must stop the imports form China, mexico, India and the hundreds of other countries whose workers pay ZERO US taxes. We must pull our military out of Europe and the *************** in the Middle East and instead fortify the shores of fortess America. I could go on and on, but won’t. This is our home, lets defend it and the good people who live here.

—–

David:

“BTW, my mother works 32 hours a month, my father works 44 hours a month, I work 60 hours a month and, in Chinese money, we make almost $2900 American a month.

Forgot to mentions. If $2900 American in China doesn’t seem like a lot, let me put in buying power.

I can have lunch and dinner (meal and a coke or juice) on less than $3 and still have leftovers since buying food from a restaurant is cheaper than cooking yourself (the same when I lived in Korea).”–Steven Katz’s son who is a teacher in China, and lives with his mother and father in China

—–

Words of the wise:

Lol good luck getting citizenship in another country as they actually enforce their citizenship laws unlike the banana republic. Nice of you to act like a typical ignorant american who knows nothing about any other country and pretends they are all hellholes compared to your banana republic. For all your talk in the end you are no better at trying to run away but it’ll all be for nothing as this collapse will have an effect on most of the world and nobody will be truly safe.

—–

Rancher:

I am a natural born Citizen here and my lovely wife “legally” immigrated here many years ago. We retired early and debt free at 50 or so. We like the rights we have here in the USA but they are slowly being eroded away. Our Nation is changing and the direction it is headed is not pretty for the future of once hard working or current hard working American Citizens.

There are many wanting to minimize or eliminate our right to keep and bear arms, store supplies, openly post our opinions and so much more. I am not here to rant about all those subjects as much as the financial trend.

I am not going to pick up a weapon and go to war against this Government in any way shape or form. I know better to kick against the “pricks”. I do try to educate myself and we do vote all the time. That is my weapon here. But the ammunition which is provided to vote on most often is just “Meet the new boss, much the same as the old boss” choice. I also refuse to get into politics as it ruins people and everyone I know going into that arena has changed and not for the good either.

Politics is no longer an office for a servant to temporarily serve in. It is now a means to prosper and gain wealth for life. It is corrupted. That corruption also has it’s eyes on other people’s wealth as a way to spread it around to buy votes.

It is more and more common place to hear discussions about the need to begin yet more wealth redistribution so the less hard working can more easily enjoy the things they did not earn but should be entitled to regardless. Not happening. I will refuse to stand by and let politicians and law makers devise more and more ways to drain away what we have set aside for ourselves. If fighting against that requires we take our savings and relocate away from the ability for this government to seize it or destroy it …we will. I owe no allegiance to corruption in government and thieves.

Let me say this again and I am not sorry to either. I have willingly paid my taxes 100% on what we have yet for many that is still not enough as we still have a pile left so to speak. Being our remaining pile is larger than theirs and some others we must now be subjected more and more to many peoples beliefs and intentions that we spread our remaining wealth around yet more to level the playing field for others. Again, not happening.

You see we expect to live for sometime yet and I will refuse to ever go back to work someday to support us because others have taken away our rights to prosper and keep it. What we are allowed to keep is challenged all the time and the amount only drops. More and more I am having to spend money to protect our wealth from seizure.

Therefore I am deeply concerned that in or out of desperation the politicians and leaders of this nation will either confiscate said wealth and or print more “FIAT” money to the point they undermine all our net wealth and collapse the dollar into having such a low value we are all broke again. That is just another threat to us. I do not take kindly to being threatened.

So we are beginning to look into picking up all our toys so to speak and go play in someone else’s back yard. I would be looking at the central American Continent at this point. No where specific but I am convinced one or more countries will begin to see the wisdom of setting up their laws and the such to ensure the wealthier Citizens from America and other nations which are attempting to take their personal properties… to relocate to there. It only makes sense to me. Other nations create the means to attract our industry and companies…why not those with the money as well? Being that the top 5% here are the cash cows for the rest and are paying for most everything around here things around here they will be seen as the solution to fund the future even more. The 50% and growing number of none federal tax payers will vote to see to that take place. Keep my freebies and entitlements coming regardless of the damage it is really doing.

They will force those who still retain some wealth to move away to just protect that wealth. Now I realize that I spend a lot of time on the subject of money and financial wealth. Jesus mentioned it more than any other subject in the New Testament. Go figure? But the thought of having our hard work and sacrifice taken from us or destroy from within with FIAT money so as we must return to the work force and also can not leave any for our children is our current greatest reason to consider leaving this nation someday.

It is not unpatriotic to protect the results of your life’s hard and smart work. It is called survival.

—–

JMorcan:

“Many people believe that leaving the United States at this time would be abandoning our country …”

Wrong, wrong, wrong – it’s the country (government) that has abandoned its citizens. I would feel no regrets on leaving, other than that my country has been irreparably destroyed and that the politicians and corporations who did so aren’t being punished.

—–

Sepo:

That’s an easy answer, right where I am at, Alaska, or moreover Southeast Alaska. There is a bounty of natural food… it is easy to self-sustain, you can greenhouse garden nearly year-round. I only ask that “you all” stay down there in the lower 48 so it doesn’t get crowded up here!

—–

John Rambo:

If you’re a young man, Thailand is the best place to be. Tons of beautiful sexy young asian women, you can get jobs easy at different companies if you have a degree, and the cost of living is cheap.

Thailand is the best country, in my opinion.

—–

Ms. Wiseman:

When you are persecuted in one city (or country for that matter), pack up and head for another. I remember reading that in the Bible some time ago. It is NOT cowardly to leave. On the contrary, it is quite the opposite as our ancestors before us can attest to that. It takes men (and women) of valor to move to a country, sight unseen, and build an entirely new country from the ground up. You say you will stay and fight but while you are fighting you are feeding the beast with what it needs to survive and defeat YOU – namely you vote to give those who rule over you its power, you “allow” them to take even more of your hard earned money via taxes and fines, you allow them to trick you into believing that money is wealth (it’s not, it is debt), you participate willingly in THEIR economic system which is just one big pyramid scam, you send your children to be educated and socially engineered by those who rule over you. Get real. YOU are the government and you are complicit in your own slavery. The only way to defeat the beast is to starve it of the power and money it needs to survive and that involves shunning, not voting, not participating in their political and economic schemes, and fleeing. The USA is NOT a country – America is the country. Some will stay and fight, which is fine, but it is also totally fine to pack up and leave each person living in accordance with his or her own God ordained conscience and free will. The USA is a corporation dependent on a populace willing to work for slave wages or no wages at all. Think about it.

—–

Cleo:

If you move, you can kiss your 2nd Amendment rights good bye, but we may kiss them good bye anyway if we elect another big govt D or R

—–

Joseph:

I was able to obtain citizenship and a passport of an EU country based on ancestry. |I moved to Germany. Physically, the country is beautiful, from the northern coasts and shipping centers, to the mountains and the growing regions. Germany is a large land area with about 80 million people.

Socially: English is broadly spoken here and that is helping the transition. Germans are a friendly people, well educated, hard working and civil. They also believe in following rules, obeying the laws and letting other people get on with the lives.

Economically: The GDP has been growing at about 3.5 percent for the last few years and their unemployment rate is very low. They need more workers to keep the economy growing, especially those with skills. They have a well educated work force, good social benefits, health and medical benefits and other advantages to their workers. And for all those drains on profitability, only China, with half the world’s population, exports more products than Germany. Sounds like hard work and value added products are the key to Germany’s success on the balance of trade and economic fronts.

Politically: They have stayed out of the illegal Libya slaughter and have tried to keep out of as many foreign entanglements as possible. The government is also resisting the bankers demands to issue EU bonds and print money. Germany has a clear memory of what hyper inflation can do to a country and what sort of evil can arise as a result. They want to avoid that and would rather go their own way then destroy all that they have worked for. This is the right of any sovereign, whether nation or person.

Defensibility: Germany has a strong military and an incredibly strong armaments industry. They are the second largest exporter of products (consumer goods and industrial machines) in the world and in terms of arms exports are second only to the US. This means there will be no drone strikes inside of Germany. This means Germany will not be invaded over a weekend like Haiti, Panama, and countless other smaller countries were. German’s want to be left alone to live there lives and go about their. They want to leave other people alone to let them live their lives as they see fit. The German tendency to follow rules is supported by a vigorous democracy with multiple parties trying to address the needs of the population and create coalition governments that are responsive to demands.

Recap: get an EU passport if you can and then get yourselves to Germany. Or get a work visa and find yourself a sponsor and a job. We need good people and talented workers. I am finding they prefer not to bother any other peoples and we ask not to be bothered by other peoples. We keep our lives and our businesses run as best we can, according to our own desires. Just what more can you ask for from life.

—–

REED RICHARDS:

Question:

RUN WHERE?

There is no where to run. Western style and western run central banks control every nation on earth to this point execept for Iran and North Korea. And should a small oasis of tranquility be found, it will be that, a small oasis.

Prior to the nuclear plant meltdown, Japan would have been the best place for expats to migrate to. Although a bit pricey, there is not the widespread repression that is the amerikan police state. Learn the language and you should be fine. Japanese will not bother foreigners for the most part. In fact, they will not take much notice of you at all unless you were to do something stupid to draw unnecessary attention to yourself. Other reasons pro and con to being an expat in Japan include:

Pros:

1. Very low crime rates in comparison to amerika
2. Friendly pepole
3. Culturally exciting to behold
4. Abundant supply of vending machines for various coffees, snacks, and even beers

Cons:

1. A bit pricey
2. Drive on left side of the road and roads are much smaller than in the asylum states
3. Small scale for homes (smaller houses where only small furniture will fit and you do can not have huge western style furnishings)
4. A bit harder to adjust and fit into Japaneses society unless you marry into a japanese family and have good friendly relations with inlaw host family

Japan, as long as you live outside a certain radius of the nuclear plant meltdown and can avoid fallout, would be my ideal place to move to outside of the ASA.

—–

Csaba:

Lot of good comments !! I can say that a lot of people STILL don’t know how good we got it here in the US ! Ask anyone immigrated here from eastern Europe or Africa !! We think this is bad ?? Think again !! Where I’m from they take close to 50% of your paycheck on taxes If you a honest small business owner you have to pay close to 70% tax on your profit ! Gas cost close to $9 a gallon , food prices are the same as here in the US just your avrage monthly salary is between $400 $600 a month !! I can go on & on but I’m sure you guys get the picture ! So before you start packing up look around & realize that this is still one of the best places to live in the world !!

—–

3atm3:

look out for yourself/Family first, there is no God to save you….& there is no Government to save you. Chile would be a fine choice!! Large Middle Class/ The Government fears its Citizens NOT the other way around/ Chile Welcomes ALL Foreigner’s/ sound Medical Field/ English speaking attorney’s available and Land ownership is encouraged.

—–

Urban Survival Guide:

It’s really interesting to read how people plan to survive the upcoming economic collapse and police state.

If you’re going to stay in the U.S., do everything you can to get out of the major cities, which will become death zones when water and food supplies are shut down.

If you must stay in the city, be prepared with lots of extra food, as big of a garden as possible, water and water filters such as a Katadyn, guns and ammo…

Strengthen your bonds with like-minded people, so that you can support each other with different skill sets. Lone wolfs won’t fair well.

But don’t tell others about your preparedness plans, otherwise they will know where to go to steal your stuff for their family.

—–

MRXSANDIEGOCA:

I am too old and going to go down with the ship; however, my advice to the young is to look elsewhere.

—–

ron:

I know of a perfect country that I spent time in, but I don’t want any sissified yanks moving there and screwing it up, so I’m not telling. We have firearms, good land,water,and lots of wild nature. The thugs down the street are what we all have to worry about first. Learn traditional weapons-axes,archery,slings and slingshots. They are easy to make and quiet. Be in shape. Avoid stupid people. And of course, show some balls. We outnumber them. This is a global wide agenda-moving will only prolong the inevitable, and in the end, you’ll just be another foreigner in an unarmed nation.

—–

eric:

Ive been considering this the past few months and plan on a move within 1-2 years. My default is Canada, because it’ll be the least culture shock, and familiar to me. However Id love to hear thoughts on whether or not Canada would be the same as the US? How much protection would I have being in Canada is the US dollar collapses and/or the US enters WW3? My real choice was Chile, and I plan on making a visit after re-learning Spanish. i really don’t know too much about this country, but it looks appealing. Thoughts on there? I do have others on a list, but I’m very serious about moving and am saving up for trips to visit. Any thoughts on this would be great, as I’m just starting the process now.

—–

bobinsherwood:

If you intend to leave the US, you better have some seriously mad skills/talent. Most countries DEMAND exceptional performance from their employees especially foreigners or it’s “Hit the Road!” I seriously doubt 1 in 50 Americans have the “Right Stuff” to thrive in a foreign country much less survive.

—–

boeing engineer:

I have lived abroad for more than 20 years, in 3 different countries. Asia, Middle East, and Europe. As bad as it’s getting in the USA, you’ll soon discover that without loads of money, it’s even worse abroad.

The alternative is to find a place to live in the USA where the impact of government oppression, which is what really is at issue, is least. That’s the American Redoubt. The Rocky Mtn states are still operating most like the USA did 50, 100 years ago.

—–

El Pollo de Oro:

I’ve done a considerable amount of business travel in Europe, and I’ve known plenty of American expatriates who were quite happy living in France, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands or Sweden and had no desire to come back. They went overseas with an open-minded attitude and assimilated, which in many cases, meant learning the local language and learning it well. Speaking English exclusively puts you at a major disadvantage in parts of Europe. If you aren’t proficient in Italian, you’re going to have a hard time adjusting to life in Roma or Milano perche ci sono molti italiani che non parlano molto inglese. Meglio imparare molto italiano se un americano abbia voglia di abitare in Italia. And France is very difficult if you aren’t proficient in frances. In the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, on the other hand, most of the locals speak English fluently. I’ve known Brits who spoke only rudimentary Dutch and got along fine living in Amsterdam. Unfortunately for Americans, Europe’s immigration and employment laws make it very difficult to immigrate. And with the economic crisis in the PIIGS countries, anti-immigration sentiment is bound to increase in Europe.

As for Latin America………ten mucho cuidado, jefe. Some Latin American countries are relatively safe and have very good infrastructures. Travel in parts of Chile, Uruguay or Argentina, and you’ll feel like you’re in Europe. But in other parts of Latinoamerica, violent crime is pandemic. If you have a lot of money, getting kidnapped is a very real possibility in El Salvador, Guatemala, Venezuela, Mexico or Honduras. Desperate people do desperate things, and there is a lot of hardcore desperation in much of Latinoamerica. The carjackers, kidnappers, muggers, gangbangers and violent home invaders in Caracas and Guatemala City mean business.

Of course, there is also a lot of hardcore desperation in The Banana Republic of America, where things are ugly and bound to get a whole lot uglier. When the former USA decided to join the Third World and become a banana republic, it was a very bad decision.

—–

cvt htm:

Do you know how sailors knew their ship was sinking? All the rats jump ship. My previous comment is indicative of my opinion on the matter. Why are we considering other places to live, if we’re just going to die anyways? I would much rather die a free man, than with a harness on my back. Not many options available to those of low income, a gun, ammo and food sound cheaper than a plane ticket, radiation bombardment and “rape” from a strong armed stranger. So I will Die where I was born, Protecting those of whom I love.

—–

Lisa:

When the dust settles, and the banks own every country, it probably will not matter where one lives.

I know a good number of people living abroad, families and singles, in different countries on different continents. Most have residential permits. There are always positives and negatives living abroad. There is no perfect place to live.

One aspect almost no one addresses in expatriation is personal religious liberties.

—–

Jack Pat:

The biggest thing I see when I travel to other countries is that Americans, Germans, and a few other nationalities do not respect other peoples and other countries. They break in line. Insult the food, women, etc.

Watch HGTV HouseHunters International. Everyone wants granite this and that, instead of using local materials and supporting the local economy (save for the one ex-pat gringo real-estate agent and his importing buddies). It reminds me when I met a Brit from Nottingham who had a Japanese bike, although the Raliegh Bicycle Factory was literally across the street from his house.

Fast forward on a country where a few importers are bypassing local workers to obtain cheap and/or trendy foreign made goods. What happens? Local craftsman is put out of work, and the “trendsetting” American is stuck with poor-quality chic goods.

Also 70 years ago people did one or two things, ate only a few things. Now instead of being a hunter with a quality made rifle or guitarist had a quality handmade guitar, or a wife with a black pot that will last 170 years, we have 100 hobbies and our money is stretched to the point we can only afford cheap things. Same with food, instead of raw pigs, chicken, eggs, flour, milk, veggies, and eggs, we are eating olive oil thats nit even olive oil, greek yogurt thats not even yogurt,
etc.

Living a simple life supporting quality manufacturers is no longer cool.

I am looking to exit now! I left a while back and if I had a job overseas I would be out

Your pain is self-chosen.

—–

mondobeyondo:

The local Home Depot here is piping in Christmas songs in Spanish over their PA system. And there’s a guy outside who has a little “roach coach” push cart thing, where he sells tamales and enchiladas.

Yup. Estamos la Ciudad de Mexico del Norte. Bienvenidos! You’ll find pinatas on aisle 3.

—–

Steve:

I have visited, invested, and heavily researched Fiji as a possible destination. I have not moved yet, but I am saving up for it with physical Gold and Silver coins (planing to leave when silver breaks $100/oz). Fiji does have some advantages:
English is the primary language, No Military value – too far from everything for Fighter planes to reach, No Developed Oil Reserves for the Military Industrial Complex to Steal, Most developed economy of the Pacific Island Nations, Gold/Silver,/Copper are mined there, Food independent – while they do import some food not raised there, they produce enough to feed the population, no one there is starving, the country was nothing but friendly towards Americans, the climate is warm, rainfalls are plentiful enough to raise any food crop, no poisonous land snakes/spiders/vines, few bugs, the country is very open to foreign investment, Average family yearly income is 7,00 US dollars – so you can live there cheap, at least 50 years behind America’s police state actions against their own citizens, relaxed atmosphere, the capitol Suva has just about everything you could want/need with a population near 100k, only 850k people on all of the 330 islands, the five largest islands have a land mass of New Jersey, Plenty of Room, 7% of the land mass is Free Hold Land – You buy it and it is yours – no renting from the government (No Property Taxes – ever), Located in the main shipping lanes between Australia and Los Angeles, California – so parts and materials not made there can be acquired, All the infrastructure you have come to expect in America, Rail, Paved Roads, Airports, Cement, Asphalt, Hardwares, Internet, Cell Phones, Schools, College, Medical School, Hospitals (clean), Chiropractor, Dentist, Optometrists, Mail, Banks, etc…, Protection from Tsunami’s due to the coral reefs surrounding the islands, Clean drinking water, Hot springs, No one is starving nor desperate, yes they have coups every decade – but less than 10 people died in the last 4 coups, No other country is eyeing it for take over, and the best reason of all – it is located in the southern hemisphere. When a prolonged war, Natural or man made Disaster, EMP, riot, protests, etc… occurs in the USA, those several hundred Nuclear Power Plants rely upon the grid for power to the cooling pumps. After the power goes out, the cooling pumps are powered by diesel generators with about 2 weeks of fuel. Any disruption in fuel – Fukushima 2.0. It takes 4-6 months to cool a reactor after shut down. Winds will carry the radiation everywhere north of the equator. China and Russia are arming themselves, US is dismantling the Nuclear war heads. Who is China building this massive war machine for ? Why does China need the Largest Army, Air Force, and Navy in the world ? Are they afraid of Tibet or Mongolia ? Think about it.

—-

cvt htm:

I’m personally interested in Ecuador, A tribe more famously known for “head hunting” or “shrunken heads” well in all actuality they haven’t shrunk any heads for generations. This tribe threatened to reteach their young about the significance and importance of their gruesome practice, upon the workers and ceo’s of a gold mine,that they were indentured to. My position is, this group of natives have successfully driven these globalist bastards. If I want to preserve my freedom, I must become a part of a force that will actually defend themselves.

—–

mondobeyondo:

I think it boils down to this…

I’m willing to fight and possibly die for my country, against enemies foreign and domestic. But I will definitely NOT stand by and watch my country rob me of my wealth, my health, evict and starve me and my family, and incarcerate or possibly even kill me. It’s not that far fetched either. Just have the feds label me as a “terrorist”, or a threat to “national security”, and a friendly FBI agent will be knocking at the door. (Hopefully a good looking one, like Clarice in “Silence of the Lambs”). The “terrorist” guy who was killed by a drone in Yemen was a U.S. citizen, but that didn’t matter. Yes, he was an al-Queda operative, but he should have caught, extradited and subjected to “due process under law” as a United States citizen, born in the state of New Mexico.

If we meet the enemy, and it turns out to be us (thanks, Pogo!) then it may be time to head for greener pastures. Americans generally have the wrong idea about ex-patriation. They think moving to Paris or Buenos Aires or Moscow or wherever, is like packing up the kids and van and driving from Chicago to Miami. It is not.

There’s a different language to learn. A different culture. It’s expensive to move overseas. Hopefully those who are considering it know what they are getting themselves into.

In any event… *sigh*… if you live in the Midwest, Norway might be nice. It’s cold and snowy, and from what I hear, the people there are friendly, just like North Dakota. And there are probably good jobs and better opportunities there. It definitely helps if you know Norwegian, and if you like the pop group ABBA. (Yes I know. ABBA’s Swedish. Close enough!)

Me? I’m gonna stick it out and fight it out as long as I can. But damned if I’m going to wait until the exits start to close, while the screaming mobs wave their flags and shout “God Bless America!!”.

Screech……. Clank.

—–

Steve in Iowa:

I love this country just as much as anyone else here, but I do have to say something that’s been itching the back of my brain for awhile now.
I find it funny to see ex-military here saying how it would be cowardly to abandon ship. Where are you guys while the Constitution is being trampled on? Did you take your oath to the Constitution seriously? You call me a coward all you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that you FAILED to protect and defend the Constitution from any and all domestic enemies. You want to blame someone for the mess we’re in? Blame yourselves for blindly following orders (just like the Nazi’s), and letting our Liberty and God given rights be slowly eroded on your watch.

—–

SteveO:

I already have a 2nd bank account in Belize and am transferring money down there slowly. I am looking to purchase some property there and maybe retire. I might be retiring there sooner than I planned.

Belize has some of the best banking laws around, simple to open an account in person, not too expensive with a lawyer. English is the official language, warm weather, pristine beaches. Medium to low cost of living depending where you land. Could live on a boat too.

—–

N. Daniels:

We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. (1 John 5:19)
“If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 15:19)
“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:15)
2 Corinthians 6:14Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? 15What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? 16And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them.
I will be their God, and they will be my people. 17Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.

The preceding are just an encouragement to all who read them to hurry up and get out, but to move much farther than just to another country, move to an entirely new kingdom. This entire world belongs to the evil one and I moved out some time ago. Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world, if my kingdom were of this world, then, would my disciples fight”. I refuse to fight for something that has already been prophesied to fail.
2 Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.”
Definitely time to leave. Thanks for your blog.

—–

Robert Stone:

Any country is better. go where you have an open door, a desire and first research of potential for work, get used to the customs and thinking, and do whatever you have to do to make it. be prepared to have culture shock to wake you up out of your American thinking and brainwashing. You aren’t better than third world countries… they are.

—–

Jeff:

I was disgusted with the life in the US and left years ago. Since then I lived in 3 countries,
here are my experiences:
1. Canada – very peaceful, fairly prosperous country where neither I nor my family members have ever met a single mean Canadian. That might be different in the burgeoning immigrant populations.
Negatives – economic interconnection with the US and dark and bitterly cold winters from October thru April.
2. Malta – an English speaking island nation in the Mediterranean which is just a ferry ride from Italy. Enchanting scenery, especially in the North of the main island and on the smaller island of Gozo (3 bedroom there with seaview can be had from 100 euros a month). Violent crime is practically non-existent there. Excellent place to retire or live if you are wealthy already otherwise you need to find a source of income from outside the country. Flights to London can be on sale for less than the taxi ride to the airport.
3.Israel – starting with the negatives; a difficult place to live, which could have been every bit as picturesque as Italy of Malta but is not due to lots of ugly old apartment buildings dating to fifties and sixties and ubiquitous industrial plants. People here work very long hours with 12 hour shifts common. Many staples here cost a multiple of what they do in the US, but some like fruits and veggies are cheaper. Health care is very good and advanced and coverage is literally just as inexpensive as the internet. The biggest plus here is that the country is one huge Silicon Valley where lots of people with new ideas get very wealthy very quickly. Foreign investors generously fund Israeli ingenuity. Now also there is the expected windfall from the huge recent gas and oil finds near the Israeli shores. The language here is obsolete by 2000 years, but English is widely spoken especially among the educated people.

—–

JohnnyinthePedros:

Vote for Ron Paul and stay and fight.

—–

JustanOguy:

Interesting Article Michael. For about 1/3 of my life I lived in foreign countries in Europe and Asia so much of what you bring up hits the nail right on the head.

After a couple of years… you always want to move back to the U.S…. Not just my opinion but the majority of other U.S. Citizens that you’ll find all over the world.

Not too long ago… I was recently offered a job in a foreign country but passed for now primarily due to family reasons. It was Certainly a very attractive possibility and from my visit, I came across many other U.S. Citizens moving there because it’s so darn cheap… a complete bargain for the quality of life that goes along with it. I honestly really liked it… the laid back lifestyle where family is more important then money certainly appeals to me.

However, something about living in Las Vegas (Oh yeah… I’ve lived all across the U.S. also) is pretty exciting with all of the people that live and visit here from all over the country and world so it’s tough to leave.

And… As a couple of others have mentioned… bailing out right now and letting the goons win is weak.

Fact of the matter is that people have been too tolerant with the minority that push their distorted views or want everybody’s lives to be as miserable as theirs.

Time to stand up and boot them out back to the rocks they crawled out from underneath…. and let them leave the country if they don’t like it.

I’ve travelled around the world… there is no Utopia. Many countries would sink tomorrow if the U.S. handouts ended…

For the past couple of years I’ve become a much more generous person to other people I don’t know… but my guns are loaded… and my Passport with some gold and silver is ready.

I’d prefer to stay and spread my message that Washington D.C. and Wall Street are one in the same and that’s why the rest of the country is getting screwed…

2012 will indeed be the deciding factor… Time to take the garbage to the curb.

—–

Kevin2:

Stay in the US and relocate within it. Move to where the energy, food, and self reliant culture is. Get a trade that is useful for those areas, electrician, welder, certified automobile mechanic to name a few. Move to a rural or small town and make friends with the neighbors. When in Rome do as the Romans do. You don’t believe in God? Well if 90% of your neighbors do tell them otherwise and attend Church with them.

If your thinking of moving to another nation that nation may be one of the self reliant states. Remember the USSR broke up. It can very well happen here too. If it does be in the good part.

—–

Thiagarajan TVS:

Michael,

Relocation may be a temporary solace, but going
by your articles which I read regularly and
going by the reports in the dailies, every
economy will be affected by what is ha0ppening
in Europr or USA.

As I pointed out in my correspondence with you
more than six months ago, we are all overlooking
the one who created us. Unless we rea;oze tjos
and plan to take corresctive steps, we have no
other option but to allow the world economy to
collapse.

If we dont believe in God ( I know you dont like
this word), we have to believe in our leaders!

—–

Ragnar:

Good topic… one that I have considered myself in recent months in light of our current situation. I love my country but have become increasingly distrustful of our government. That being said, the principles upon which our nation was founded are second to none.

In doing some research on the topic several months ago I came across the following on the James Wesley Rawles’s website survivalblog.com. It is an interesting concept in which he advocates relocating to the northern rocky mountain states. Specifically Eastern Oregon and Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. The local government is minimally intrusive, population density is extremely low and the values of the local populace are typically libertarian/conservative. Wyoming, for example has zero income tax and zero corporate tax. Here is the link to the American Redoubt of Rawles:

http://www.survivalblog.com/redoubt.html

To the individual who stated that selfish conservatives would bring the downfall of our society, I would respond with the following: In a free, capitalist society selfish individuals who produce for their own self-interest create benefit for all.

—–

Prepared Pastor:

There is a state in the U.S. that already operates much like a third world country despite plentiful water, natural resources, and inexpensive (but fertile) land. It contains no nuclear reactors and most of it is outside the fallout zone potential targets. It has a high population of elderly who will not live long after TSHTF. Like third world countries, the cities are very much like other cities in the U.S. The countryside, however, is geologically separated by the oldest mountain range in the U.S. making much of the state inaccessible by automobile. The U.S. Census Bureau has designated WEST VIRGINIA as the ‘least typical’ (most backward) of any state in the U.S. It’s relative nearness to New England eliminated it from consideration for many people, but the truth is the mountains will stop the majority of unprepared folks from getting too far in and the community will take care of the rest.

—–

DaVid:

Anyone interested in Patagonia, Argentina as a place of escape which was during WWII for Germans, Jews, and everyone else who saw the handwriting on the wall then, and those who feel the same now, feel free to email me. In your email include something about your background and what you are looking to accomplish. Remember, it is not only better but it’s a matter of life-and-death to be 2 years or 2 months too early than to be 2 minutes too late. MF Global is a clarion warning shot across the financial bow of the United States of ponzi schemes (i.e., banking holidays and lockdowns). They are locking down the US with NDAA (indefinite detentions without due process) and the soon-to-be activated FEMA Camps.

—–

karen:

World War 111 is on it’s way, Russia and China are preparing as we speak, you can research it on the web, Syria will be envolved, Chine already has thousands of troops on the India border Isreal and the US will be envolved and so will Europe. The war of all wars, FEMA is activating prison camps. The economy is crashing all around us and most don’t even have a clue, huge sun flares will hit earth and most have no clue check out NASA.

—–

This_Is_My_Turf:

First off, you have nowhere to run and hide since the siege engine of the earth IS the USA. USA hosts the United Nations, Babylon on the Hudson. USA hosts the Federal reserve cartel. USA hosts the CIA, the DOD.

USA has been hijacked by a handful of Offshore operators, and engineered a system for which to employ traitors amongst us (like congress). Remember, The traitors in congress and the white house got hired via your “consent” the voter.

It is your fault that it is the way it is. CONUS is flooded with offshore folks who came here RUNNING from the problems and corruption in the country they originated in. They did nothing to overturn the oligharcs there, and they will do nothing to change things HERE.

I would suggest preparing yourselves HERE, and dealing with the oligarchy on this soil as it was done in 1775, as it was done in 1812, as it was attempted in 1860′s.

This is my turf, I am not going anywhere THE ENEMY is going, or some of us are going to die in the attempt.

State secession at legislative level, formation of organized and unorganized defense forces, and eliminating property tax on homes and land, and then the seceeded state outlawing any form of central banking is the most efficient order of operations.

What allows the central bank to survive is property tax on your homes and farmland, and that most evil social security number that tags you like cattle.

The “BIG EXPERIMENT” has proven itself to not work, it is time to return to confederated states and not empire (union).

—–

DirtyCar:

I am not American and have lived all over the world. I would recommend anybody who wishes to leave the US to check out Santiago in Chile. Good economy, good healthcare, lots of Starbucks and it’ll feel like home. Its one of the few countries in the world where US culture is still a thing to aspire to. English is widely spoken.

—–

Owen:

There is no hiding place down here. This will soon be apparent to all. We are in the end stages of a war that began before mankind set foot on this planet. Jesus is returning soon to rescue those who have placed their trust in Him for their eternal salvation. Endeavor to be part of this group. You were created for that decision and everything rides on what you decide. All else is folly.

—–

William:

Well, well, the Smirking Chimp Bush and the failed Obummer have left us with grim choices. Either run, or stay and become a slave. There are not enough willing to die to stay and fight, if it came to that. Welcome to the Gulag. And, be SURE to vote in Nov of 2012 and reelect the very same cretins in the US Congress……..you know, the ones like Kyl or Sessions or McConnell or Cantor or Hoyer or Pelosi. You get what you vote for.

—–

Ray Davis:

I see lots of interesting quotes about staying and fighting, how leaving is cowardice, etc.

Folks, we lost America.

The mainstream media is so corrupt that even my 9-year-old can tell we are being fed lies. The treasury has been looted. Our politicians are bought, threatened or blackmailed and they have delivered us to the dark side. Wall Street can now openly steal our individual property without consequences. The military and police are being prepped that “we” are the enemy.

I don’t see a lot of the American Republic remaining …. do you?

—–

joe:

My wife and I have lived outside of the USA for most of the last 20 years so this is a subject upon which I feel I have some expertise. This is the reality-there is no perfect place and no place that will offer you complete safety. Our last country of residence was Guatemala where we lived on a large estate with a 5 person staff. We recently moved to the mountains of North GA-where we have no staff (for economic reasons-the cost are too high here). So why? Latin and South American countries have more poor than North America. In the event of a world wide collapse, they will rise up and the wealthy will be targeted. Europe and Asia are too expensive. Thinking about an island paradise. Forget it. We lived on our boat for four years looking for that paradise. It doesn’t exist. Yes, there are places that are currently less expensive to live. However, you would not be reading this blog unless you believed the world is in an immediate threat of economic peril. We not like the current state of politics or culture in the USA but as much as we dislike it, the USA (or Canada) likely remains the best place to hunker down, as long as you select somewhere away from metro areas.

—–

Granite Prepper:

To all who say leave the country while you can…..that’s just weakness leaving the body!! I say good riddance to those who won’t stand and put skin in the game. Did our founding fathers run when it got hard?? Did they move to another country?? HELL NO!! The time is now to stand and be counted

—–

Robert:

I live in Brazil now and have for a long time as I moved here after I married a Brazilian, but what I have seen here since 2008 when the recession (depression) hit the states, people who where older than fifty where being fired and replaced with people in there 20s as the owners didn´t have to pay as much. And these people who lost their house, job and there pension went south, and they are married to a foreigner many packed up and left for the home country of their espouse. Some already had a vacation home in the espouse´s home country or not, but at least that was a roof over ones head that the banks could not take away. If one is over fifty and does not speak a second language, it will be diffucult to speak in a second lanuage at this age and ones espouse will always be their translator.  But nonetheless when I talked to some of these Americans they are happy that they moved too Brazil, because they lost everything in the states, their espouses are working even if they are not and when I asked if they feel if they have more freedom here than in the states, after thinking about it the response is here in Brazil there is more freedom, I believe here in Brazil ones does not talk about having freedom it is just here, but in the states, since one is a child it is almost pounded in ones head or shall I say brainwashed that one has freedom and democracy, which nowdays the two not exist, maybe a hundred years ago freedom and democracy existed in America, but not anymore.

—–

Mainuh1:

You can run but you can’t hide from the global collapse set to thin the herd. Before long the nukes will be flying as the resource grab kicks in to high gear.

—–

ross:

1.Some where where the locals share the same culture and language as yourself. Not being racist but in an emergency, if you cant connect and make friends with the locals, your going to be in trouble.

2. Near the coast so if there`s ever food shortages you can go fish

3. A good climate, not too hot or too cold if you cant get fuel to heat your home.

4. Any of these could be Europe or USA

—–

FrankyFreelance:

All Americans who are pondering jumping ship should be given a mandatory examination to test levels of intelligence, common sense and general obnoxiousness.

All of those who score low on the first two and high on the last should have their passports confiscated and be forced to go down with the ship.

PEACE

—–

Paul:

China is a good place,

if you are a quiet person and don’t mind people closer to you than you are used to.

Living in China is cheap, if you don’t mind eating rice and local produce and don’t insist on Western food and western food labels every day. An apartment in a secured compound for western people can be had for USD300 per month for two bedrooms. Add USD5 for a shuttle bus to the city center, or USD 0.50 for a subway trip to downtown.

China’s economy is growing at a rate of 8% every year. And most of the money is not spent on consumption but on investment in infrastructure.

Tax is about 30% for a western-level salary.

If you are friendly to the police they are friendly to you. If you shout at them because you think you are of a superior race, you have a permanent place at the end of the queue.

Foreign news are blocked in China, but who in America watches foreign news? There are about 200 TV channels, 20 of them with war themes, when the economy is going bad, this will increase to 150 channels with war themes, 20 with shopping, 20 with sports, and some drama stuff.
CCTV9 is for Westerners to tell them how good and geat China is.

Most Chinese in China speak Chinese. Not all of them speak Mandarin (Putonghua), but their local dialect. And most of them know white and black people only from TV. So people WILL STARE at you. Every day, wherever. They might have heard that black people have heavier equipment and will check out whether the rumours are true.
A Chinese girlfriend wants to know your job and how much you earn. That’s before the first date.

Compared with America, crime is not existing in China. The worst thing that can happen to you at night is that someone with an electric bicycle knocks you down because there isn’t any streetlight, he doesn’t use any light and you don’t hear him coming.

—–

Hans:

Just remember that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence because there is more manure there!
If things collapse, you probably stand a better chance amongst your own people (better the devil you know….!!!)
During a collapse, people in other nations not responsible for that collapse will first look out for their own. Do not expect too much sympathy.
If you have children, persuade them to study and qualify in stable neutral countries. Do not place all your eggs in one basket. Also look at obtaining physical assets in safe countries. I believe a big collapse is due, but I am not sure whether Europe or the US will go first. By creating currency out of thin air and with the dollar being the reserve currency of the world, I do believe that the US can postpone the inevitable slightly longer than the Eurozone.

—–

Henry:

Your best solution is to stay yet become very wealthy. That’s what I’m working on 24/7 myself. I have already picked up my family and made a major geographic for the purpose of trying to escape to freedom, and I learned very much that the NWO is deeply entrenched in every place you could possibly go. The only escape is up, at least for a generation or two more anyways. Freedom today comes through financial wealth – embrace that reality, venture out, and make it work for you.

—–

nchris:

I’m with all those who want to stay here and fight for this country. As I’ve thought about this there is a problem, however. I’ve been a hunter & gun owner since childhood and would come to my country’s defense against those who we would all agree fall under the description of “domestic enemies”. But does that mean I’d be drawing a bead on my neighbor down the street who is a National Guard member, or local law enforcement officer? These are the very people to whom we express our gratitude and support. This is a big part of the problem for those who want to stay and fight. Fight against whom? The people who need to be brought down & eliminated will be able to hide behind the military & police forces. And those people in uniform, especially police forces, are being indoctrinated to see the “domestic enemy” not as their corrupt leadership, but the constitutional citizens trying to defend their rights.
The only way our freedom survives this is if the military leadership sees the truth and turns on the political and financial thugs that are designing our destruction.

Every totalitarian government eventually has to protect itself from its own citizens. Notice the change in defense spending? Used to be weapons systems like jet fighters, submarines, etc., now it’s weaponry and survellience to fight “terrorists”.
There is a storm coming.

I like the idea of giving the liberal/socialists their half of the country and the conservative/freedom lovers the other half. Pretty soon the liberal side will implode anyway.

—–

r.bitting:

Can a man hide himself from the hand of the Almighty God? Run if you want, but you will not save yourself. It’s a far, far better choice to run to God, and not from him.

—–

Arrandaman:

I left the USA in 2010. Two years after I realized that the government has the American public scattered and mentally inadequate to deal with what needs to be done. The divisions are so drawn in America that no one will unite to fight against the oncoming corporate slavery.

Ive been living in Australia and it is bad over here just not as bad as the USA. One can actually make money here as an average worker.

A rally call needs to be made to take down the lobbyists and career politicians that are owned by the financial institutions. Until we go backwards to find the constitution as it was written we will always be enslaved. A slave wage system is in place and our lives and freedoms are at stake. Treason is being passed down daily in congress by the president and they all need to be brought under control of the people.

—–

Marco Polo:

I’ll quote from the words of Jesus: “Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” This is found in 3 of the 4 gospels, so it must be a pretty important concept. (See Matthew 16:25, Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24) As it applies to this conversation, I would say it means that if you’re trying to find the safest place to live just to protect yourself from harm, good luck! The safest place to live is right in the center of God’s will. He promises to take care of His children. This does not mean you will not die, as there have been plenty of martyrs (as well as probably many more that have been spared from being a martyr), but I would rather die while doing God’s will than die while trying to find the safest place for me to live. We will all die sometime, so 100 years from now, the thing that is going to matter is whether you responded to God’s love for you and did what He asked you to do.

Having said that, I travel almost constantly for work, and I’ve been in about 20 countries so far. I have never found another place that I would rather live–it’s going to be interesting if that changes.

Two places that come to mind that are very easy to get around in are Hong Kong and Singapore. They have an incredible transportation system. You don’t need to own a car. But I don’t know how easy it is to move to one of these places.

Is there any country you can move to without getting permission? Maybe Canada?

—–

Marco Polo:

I wonder what happened to those jews who decided to stay the course in 1938-42 Germany. There are 6 million less to tell that story. If your gut tells you to jam, I say listen to your gut. That having been said, while there is no shame to staying or leaving, there will be penalties paid for making the wrong move. Either way, there are pluses and minuses. Regardless of where you go or decided to be, there will be a price to be paid. In the end, we need to face the fact that we are in matrix. You are scr@wed regardless of where you are. The only thing that modifies this calculus is if you happen to be (as some have said) independently wealthy.

—–

Erin:

It is naive to think that people will not relocate as jobs and public services go down the tubes. Given the ability to move, people will move just for a better school, a better job or a better standard of living. Detroit is an example.

We are a nation of immigrants, moving out of the country is part of the cultural DNA. It should be noted that every individual that leaves costs a small fortune in lost revenues, it is the usually the best and brightest that jump ship.

—–

Alex Linhares:

Brazil or Chile should be considered (I am Brazilian, and I love the US, and I am extremely concerned about the unfolding scenario).

I have been through hyperinflation, serious crime sprees, govmnt default, bank confiscation of money in ALL accounts (google president Collor), you name it.

Brazil today is stable, and even the crime situation is improving rapidly. Record low unemployment, skilled people actually make MORE here than in London, NYC, or Tokyo due to the deep shortage of skills. We’re a country of immigrants, from Japanese to Africa to all parts of Europe. We love people and foreigners in general. Three world events are on the horizon here: Rio+20 (2012), the soccer world cup (2014), and the Olympics (2016 in Rio).

The weather is nice, there is plenty of rainfall (food), you can own guns (if you must, but in the large cities the educated people will frown upon you), you can say whatever you like about our pathetic corrupt politicians.

We hardly import any oil. 90% of cars run on sugar cane ethanol. The biggest oil discovery of this decade has been here (though it’s hard to get and our politicians can f*ck things up to the point of having the deepwater horizon disaster seem like a disney movie). Electricity is generated by dams (also some nuclear).

Unbelievably, we have gotten rid of hyperinflation, crime is getting to lower standards (Ipanema’s human development index is *higher* than the scandinavian countries). People are overall happy with life, and foreigners make friends here easily.

Median age of women: 28 (according to wikipedia; the same for the US is 37, for germany is 44). So lots of fertile girls around, if you’re young, and skilled you’ll have the time of your life.

We haven’t had a war in over 100 years. Nobody hates us (except perhaps a little bunch of people in Paraguai, or maybe Bolivia that see us as an empire, if you can believe that). The Brazilian passport is the most expensive on the black market, because anyone can say, plausibly, that they were born in Brazil (except Albinos, perhaps).

There are small towns in the south where you’d think you’re in Europe.

This is Pomerode, where everyone speaks fluent german:

https://www.google.com/search?q=Pomerode&hl=en&safe=off&prmd=imvns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=imbgTuOCB8bMtgf05fjSBQ&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CBQQ_AUoAQ&biw=1280&bih=702

Was that your image of Brazil?

On the negative side: It’s a welfare state full of paternalism. Politicians are corrupt (but getting caught more and more). My entire generation is inflation-hawk, so if we start importing those trillions of computer-keyboard-created-dollars-hyperinflation, we’ll have to decouple the BRL from the USD and the greenback slide (our politicians are FAR from realizing this at this point, though–which means it will me a little messy). Also a negative: you have to learn portuguese. You will also have to learn to get used to smaller cars.

I also like Chile. It’s the unknown Switzerland of the Americas. What’s their debt-to-GDP? 6%. Yes, SIX percent debt-to-gdp. So when the dominoes start falling and people start looking for countries without debt, a tsunami of money will flow into Chile. The police there is outstanding (just try to bribe them). It’s not a welfare state and has relatively low taxes. Pretty girls. Overall, awesome country.

I hope some of this helps. Since I assume people will mention Australia, NZ, etc; I just focus on Brazil & Chile. By no means do I think Brazil & Chile will turn out unscathed from the big one, but the zombie outbreaks will be tiny, if any. Food will be plentiful; cars will be running, and skilled jobs are in extremely high demand.

This is my first comment on your blog. I’ve been following it for some months now, and It’s awesome. I particularly like the fact that you link to “credible” sources. Keep it up!

Good luck to us all; I can only hope that this will not end in an unthinkable massive war.

I am a Univ Prof here and teach decision-making (to lots of Americans and Europeans in M.Sc. Programs). A sad thing in my life is that people here are so uninformed about the rich-world crisis that when I mention it, they look at me as if I were insane. For example, nobody thinks gold will have any value.

—–

tommcd:

The easiest places for Americans to relocate to would be Canada, Australia, and New Zealand because the language is English and the culture is similar. I would avoid the UK because they seem to be in just as big a mess as the USA currently is.

—–

Karen:

My husband and I have relocated to Italy.  It was a well planned exit and it was not for the current economic problems. Part of the consideration was our ability to live on what we have saved though. My husband has dreamed of living in a certain area to make a certain grape into wine.  He has his masters in enology and viticulture.  His grandparents immigrated from this same area of Italy to the US.  We are able to live here much cheaper than we could in the US farming the same amount of grapes.  We will be as self sufficient as we can with gardening etc.  Almost every neighbor has a garden and many different kinds of fruit trees and nuts. We have the most efficient  heating system possible and live without many of the “standards” like a dryer, microwave, garage door opener…because electricity is so expensive.

We have many neighbors our age from many different countries also.  The Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway,Britain, Scotland, Russia, Romania… you get the idea.

My husband is a Marine, my father and grandfather were in the US Army and participated in WWI and WWII.  Though I am labeled an “expat”, I am still a US citizen living in a country with many of the same values and ideas that I have.  Considering Italy and the economy, the people here have never had a good government.  They have learned how to live by paying in cash, not having a mortgage, growing their own vegtables, buying their meat products within 30 miles,  if not actually knowing the farmer. They have an attitude of surviving without the help of the government (except for their unions of course).  This is not a perfect place, but you must make choices and decide what your priorities are first.  If you like beautiful weather, good food, great wine, people who put family first, art and architecture to die for…

—–

Open your eyes!:

There is but one place to run and hide, and that place is God — Yahweh Elohiym, as he identified himself in Genesis and to Moses, at the burning bush.

“Yahshua (Jesus) said to ‘love Yahweh your God with all of your heart, mind, soul and body’ then all the things that you need will be given to you as well. That does not mean religion, which is idiocy and falsehood. But he must seek him in spirit and in truth.

Five sevenths of the Scriptures are directed at America (the center piece of the House of Israel). And what is written about America is coming to pass before our very eyes.

From RRB:

” It is no accident that people from all over the world have been flocking to America in droves for over 300 years, and especially after she became a nation in 1776. She was prophesied by Isaiah and Jeremiah, to be a light to the world – a blessing to every nation on earth – to be nation with an east coast, a west coast and divided by many rivers! America is the ONLY nation in the world that fits any and all of those prophecies, and dozens more. And her destruction is also prophesied, for her rebellion against and rejection of God (Elohiym). From the true land of milk and honey to the Great Whore of Revelation, America is the rebellious House of Israel – the Ten Northern Tribes of the Scriptures!”

—–

Old School:

An excellent topic, by the way. A few thoughts from a historian/economist/prepper… First, if the U.S. collapses, the rest of the planet collapses with it. You simply can’t have the largest economy, and the world reserve currency, collapse without all the other dominoes falling as well. So will there be any intact cultures left to which we Americans could possibly flee? Once all of the follow-on convulsions play out, I do not think so. At least none that we “arrogant, fat, rich, consumerist, imperialist” former Americans would find good for our long-term health.

Realistically, for the overwhelimg majority of us, this leaves only one option: remain here in the U.S., do the best we can to survive, engage in our local commuities, and attempt to rebuild our republic one step at a time. No doubt this would be a brutal, lengthy, and costly process. It would not be the first time, or the last time, that the blood of both good and bad people is shed in the name of liberty and a better life. No escape, no magic bullets, no easy answers.

Americans today are hated by many around the world. We are also appreciated by many. Irrational biases aside, our constitutional republic has proven to be the most effective form of government at safeguarding individual liberty that the world has seen in all of its history. Our problem today is precisely what our founding fathers feared: our central government has become too powerful and is no longer accountable to the people. It has created a welfare mentality, which our founders knew would corrupt and enslave those caught up in it. It engages in Hegelian Dialects in order to strip us of our liberties. It interferes with the sovereignty of other nations while giving our’s away to world bodies.

WTSHTF we most likely will not have any place on the globe to run to. However, it very well may be both a threat and an opportunity.

—–

Luis:

I think moving comes down to choosing the lesser of evils. I’m very concerned with the coming economic collapse, but I’m much more concerned with the potential of another World War. We have stirred up a lot of hatred around the world over the last few decades. We currently owe China around 3 trillion dollars. How do you think they are going to react if the U.S. should default on its debt? The U.S. is starting to look like ground zero to me.

‘God would never allow a massive nuclear war to take place on this planet, let alone in the United States’, you might think. Remember, He already allowed two nuclear bombs to go off during WWII. Don’t be so sure it’s impossible.

BTW, getting into Canada, New Zealand, and Australia is not as easy as you think. I tried all three a few years ago and was not able (though I have no criminal record, am educated and with good work experience, I could not get enough ‘points’ in the assessment survey- mostly because at 48 I was deemed too old). Ironically, all three countries could care less what you’re net worth is. If you’re loaded, they seem to expect you to start a business that creates jobs- then they are interested in you. Otherwise, you had better be young and educated. I was shocked when I found this out. And here in the U.S., we let anyone over our border. It’s unbelievable…

Anyways, be careful with the Latin American countries. With the exception of Uruguay (that has a large middle class), crime can be a problem.

—–

SMASH THE CONTROL MACHINE:

LET YOUR KINGDOM COME!!!All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

—–

JBurdman7:

I dont know what your commentators are doing recommending bankrupt European countries or countries bordering bankrupt European countries. Do they think “the coming economic collapse” is for those with surpluses? Lets go where the standard of living is on the rise please!

So we have Australia, New Zealand, and Canada as resource based economies which should fare well. Add Singapore to the category for those who do not wish to learn another language.

There is Costa Rica for an inexpensive place to be with the relatively easy to learn Spanish. I suppose there are areas with significant numbers of English speakers but you will need to do your own research on that topic.
And then there is Asia! Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, S Korea, China – I would gladly read a discussion about any of the Asian options with a particular interest in Thailand.

To posters “Ray Davis” and “mondobeyondo” – brilliant posts. Please search the net for my name and drop me a note. It shouldnt be hard to find me. You are just the guys who all need to KIT for when TSHTF we can navigate out of here and start over. A lot of research is needed. No sense us all doing it independently.

—–

Peter E:

Hey, come to Australia!

We welcome everyone – even Prez Obama (our politicians even shook his hand unlike Russian politicians). We have a new base for marines in Darwin. So we are new target for China. However, they love us as we sell them tons of iron ore and stuff like that! Don’t let the fact that 6 nukes would wipe out 80% of the population – all of the major cities.

But sadly don’t come here if you are over 45. Almost guaranteed no one will employ you as the companies are quickly becoming “Americanised” and dump experience for cheap contract employees. It even happens in the government. Corruption is strong and if you run a business and export, the policies favour the cheap and law is ignored. For example, anti-dumping laws are ignored as it offers cheap goods for consumers. The government wont help you (or your company) if a country is imposing huge import tariffs (eg 30-100%) and fees.

We had a thriving chemical industry, but when we opened up “free” trade, exporters could dump goods here, pay no tariffs, but we had to pay huge tariffs , import duties, customs duties , etc. No help from our government – just like the US I guess so you would probably be used to it!

Oh, and our politicians are just as feeble a lot as yours.

On the good side we don’t have the intrusive body searches or revealing body scanners. If you are travelling over 12 hours on a flight to anywhere you’ll be too tired to be a problem. I think even the terrorists think that too far to go to way jihad or whatever.

The biggest shock will be if you want coffee with cream or half and half. Its white coffee and the regular stuff is black. Cream is milk. While you may regularly sprinkle the ****** expletive without thinking about it, we use terms like “bloody” and “damn”, so if someone is really intentionally stupid they’ll be called a “bloody idiot” or similar. Noone will “bat any eyelid”. And if you don’t like it, we “wont give a damn”.

—–

Orange Jean:

I am in love with this country and have no intentions of ever leaving!

I’m not young enough (61) or strong enough (arthritis and a few other age-related things) to imagine I could fight here in any meaningful way if it came to that. But if it did and there was anything I could figure out to do, I would. I would literally rather die here than live elsewhere. My thanks, by the way, to those of you who have served in the military… especially the Marines (I work for you guys, at NMCPHC, part of the Medical Support Command).

I believe the only place in the world a person has a snowball’s chance in hell of surviving hard times is where you are a citizen. Nope, it doesn’t always work, but I’d hedge my bet on that one. My grandparents (all of them) had a very hard time where they lived before (the Azores & Poland), and we were taught to love this country.

I did not say I love the government necessarily (tho I do believe in the Constitution), but it’s the LAND I love! I also think it’s a sacred place (even before there was a United States). I’ve lived in multiple states (Massachusetts, Maine, California, Utah, North Carolina & currently in Virginia). Some places I liked better than others, and there was some back and forth, for example I’ve moved to CA 3 x). I’ve traveled around and back and forth across the US a lot… and I can’t get enough of it!

Almost every time I’ve said to myself, well maybe next vacation I ought to go see some other country – by the time that next vacation comes around, I’ve already got yet some new place in the US I’m just dying to see what it’s like, or hankering to go back to see some place I’ve been.

The places I’ve been are fascinating, and I would most likely “head for the hills” somewhere (I love mountains especially) given the choice. I’ve got family that are too scattered (FL, NH, TN & MI and I’m currently in VA)… and while I love them, I think a bit too scatterbrained to be much help in terms of survival.

When I was younger, I used to think I wanted to live outside the US for a time, but I’ve long since changed my mind. Since 9/11? I have no intention of ever leaving this country again (I’ve been at least to Mexico and Canada a few times, plus a few places in the Caribbean)… not even to vacation.

—–

Cyrus:

I raised my two sons in Greece, isle of Crete. Beautiful people, great place. I have lived and worked in North Africa, south-east Asia, southern Europe. There are numereous reasons to go but the polical climate is changing in almost every country. I won’t go back to North Africa on a dare. CIA is stirring up trouble day and night. I have heard great things of old soviet republics from guys who have married women from those areas and decided to stay there instead of moving to the states. I wrote an article expressing my thoughts on it here: http://dont-tread-on.me/?p=11092 . If you are young and want a challenge the old soviet republics may be the way to go. I know a lot of friends and distant cousins who moved to Keny and surrounding area as missionaries and say they will never come back. Their children feel the same way.

Think about it long and hard. I have heard high marks for Chile and Mexico. (Mexico sounds a little to wild west for me.

Good luck what ever you decide.

—–

El Pollo de Oro:

I’ve done a considerable amount of traveling in Western Europe (been to Italy, Spain, England, Scotland, France, Portugal, Gibraltar, Ireland and other countries). And most of the “socialist” countries over there are really capitalist countries with somewhat of a safety net and some protections for the middle class. I always laugh my head off when some neocon clown like Sean Hannity or Rush “Pillhead” Limbaugh compares modern-day Switzerland or modern-day Germany to the old Soviet Union because some of the most entrepreneurial, hardcore capitalist people I’ve ever met live in Milan, London, Berlin, Geneva or Munich. For Hannity and others like him to say that the Netherlands or Denmark is exactly like the old Soviet Union is truly idiotic. But then, what do you expect from a guy who went ballistic and turned red-faced because Signore Obama put Dijon mustard on a hamburger? 50 million Americans lack health insurance, the country is falling apart—and Hannity is worried about what the president puts on a stinking burger. There are some intelligent people on the right who are very good at standing up to the corporatists and neo-feudalists (Alex Jones, for example), but when these neocons tell us that our only two options are people starving in the streets or a Soviet-style communist government, it shows you just how clueless they are.

Hannity should spend a week in Milan, Italy followed by a week in Guatemala City—and no bodyguards are allowed in either place. The worst thing that would probably happen to him in Milan is maybe a gypsy picking his pocket on the Metro or one of the locals laughing at the dumbass tourist who gets upset whenever folks speak to him in Italian. But in Guatemala City, Hannity might want to keep that “I’m filthy rich and you’re not” stuff to himself in case there are any DPDDTT collectors around.

—–

A.S.:

I am going to Israel. Actually, I am already here. I believe in Bible prophecy that when the ultimate war comes, Israel will be saved by G-d! Even if you are not Jewish, so long as you are in Israel and take the side of Israel (don’t listen to all the “evil zionist” nonsense), you too will be saved. Look at the first Desert Storm war: Sadam shot so many missiles on Israel, and only one person died (due to mental shock)! So, if you too are G-d fearing, Bible reading folk, you know the answer. If not, may G-d have mercy on you because there will NO WHERE ON EARTH WILL BE SAFE!

—–

emma:

No one will get away from teh economic collapse, but if I had a choice I would say Australia or Canada. the US is screwed.

—–

chowthen:

The real power in any country is the Central Bank. The governments are run by Central Bank so all the laws and restrictions or individual rights are by the Central Banks. So what’s the use of moving out of the US? When the SHTF comes to the US all other country in the world is affected and will probably be in even worst situation. All the ignoramus who thinks they’d be better of in an unfamiliar society can do what they want and move but don’t try to come back after the SHTF or you get hard up where you are.

As I said, the final outcome of all this after the US gets the SHTF is one world government ran by one Central Bank. Remember what Amstel Rothschild said “Give me the control of the nations money and I care not who makes the laws”

—–

EZ:

The question still remains: WHERE to run?

The simple answer is that there’s nowhere to run, nowhere to hide from the coming economic collapse. The Goldman-Sachs people invented a financial virus, which has infected the entire world. Even if you live in some out-of-the-way place like Fiji, when the financial system crashes, you won’t be able to buy much of anything not made locally.

My wife is originally from Russia, and our daughters have dual citizenship. My wife is an American citizen. We had several discussions about this subject, and we’ve decided to stay and fight, since the only difference between E.Europe an the USA is that we have access to plenty of weapons.

Those who think you can somehow avoid what’s coming, are wildly optimistic. If you run, you’ll always be running.

We’ll stay and fight, for our homes, our families, and posterity.

—–

Ted:

I”ve been all over Europe, Mexico, and the west coast of Canada, and the only place that I felt a culture shock was in Yugoslavia(back when it was called Yugoslavia). It was like going back in time a good fifty years. I have a number of friends who have traveled extensively in Asia, India, and south america, and they loved it(although they aren’t going back to Asia or India anytime soon). What I hear from people who go abroad for the first time is that they can’t believe how beautiful it is.

A lot of people have this idea that it’s dangerous to travel or live down in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama, etc., and the people I know that live down there want it to stay that way. They don’t want a horde of expats stampeding down to what is increasingly not much of a secret anymore.

If you have money, an income stream of some kind, and don’t have a record; you have a chance of getting down there. If not, forget about it. The standard of living is still pretty good in the US. As far as security, laws, and freedom go; not so great anymore.

Here’s my short list: The Bahamas, Uruguay, Ecuador, Chile, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama.

Europe is in the same boat as the US, China is following our lead, and Asia and Africa are a little iffy right now.

South america has a lot of little counties with a high standard of living, that are easy to get lost in. Their economies are stronger, you might not make as much money if you’re working down there, but your money goes a lot farther. Pretty much everybody speaks English down there, and there’s already a lot of expats to welcome you to your new digs.

—–

mark:

ARGENTINA. we moved here from SoCal about 12 years ago. total basket case of a country. ruled by knaves and nitwits. if we could find a better place to live, we’d leave tomorrow. but until that place appears, we stay: all rules and regulations here are ignored…people just simply do as they please, until a neighbor objects…every man for himself…exactly as god ordained.

—–

Old Man:

All the talk about moving out misses a huge raw reality.

What make you think other countries will approve your immigration application, and even if approved the locals will actually welcome you? That local business will actually hire a recently immigrated American packed solid with their famous arrogance, freaking constitutional rights, lawsuit at a drop of a pin, big fat dinner everyday, and talk of Uncle Sam cruise missiles coming your way the moment someone insulted you?

America today is certainly not the same as even 2 decades ago. Up to 1990, America was still a country admired. But foreign & trade policies of US government and war-by-globalization conducted by big biz execs have damaged the American brand most severely. The coup de grace was Wall Street banksters who sold many billions of fraudulent securities to foreigners, who then lost everything. Have you ever asked any of a million foreign investors who lost their shirts when Lehman and other failed how they felt? I have.

What make you think any foreign country will approve immigrations from so many Americans? Yes 99% of you who applied are very fine folks but sorry you are the victims of the devastation of US policies and reputation.

But I do suggest you go through the immigration exercise for one or two countries. You will most likely fail because all countries (except the 4th world) immigration laws are just as or even tougher than that of USA. But your exercise will let you gain a first hand appreciation of the true meaning of ‘reap what you sowed’. Such, I am sorry to say, is how far America has fallen in world standing.

—–

Matty:

What a joke-there is no escape! You are in the world no matter where you run. Better run to God folks. Then you can be in the world, but not of the world.

—–

Klean:

I feel that certain northern European countries (Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark) might be excellent choices. Belgium seems extremely appealing in some ways. Canada could be more appealing if it focused on itself more than its invaluable trade partner that essentially fuels the nation. There is so much U.S. influence in every country and I feel the U.S. often forgets that it is not THE WORLD, it is a country as well.

—–

Kiwi:

My suggestion would be New Zealand
We got hardly any people
freshest water in the world
no dangerous species
very little military
south islands got Lots of bunnies to eat.
and the whether is mild. never to cold, never to hot.

—–

KingofClay:

I love the comments who refer to people as traitors or cut-and-runners who leave the United States for a better life, as – unless these comments are posted from Native Americans – they come from the descendants of people who have done just what they oppose.

I live in Sweden now as I saw the hellish fate of the USA coming a long way off. I didn’t choose to live in Sweden because of any socialist philosophy (I’m more libertarian than practically anyone) but because I saw it as a place where people can still have a future. Yes, the tax rates are high here, but I earn more money than I ever earned in the United States. And even after paying taxes for a bunch of liberal social services that I will never use myself, I still have more disposable income at the end of the month than I ever had in the United States. And that is what really matters. It just goes to show – when you live in a country that doesn’t spend countless billions of dollars on murdering people and breaking things, there is enough money left to do practically anything. Norway is the prime example of that.

I would recommend Americans move to Scandinavia with Norway being the most attractive place. All Scandinavians speak English and the truth is you can live here just fine by just speaking English without knowing a word of Swedish, Danish, or Norwegian. Start by teaching abroad at an English language school (they’re everywhere in Sweden & Norway), working on a farm in one of the many programs available, or being a cook/chef at a restaurant. Or try finding a spouse in Scandinavia.

Remember: The point of every government immigration office is to prevent people from coming to the country, not to let them in. So roll with the punches and overcome all the usual B.S. the immigration office throws at you long enough, and eventually they will give up and grant you a residence permit.

—–

FreeRussian:

Although it is a personal choice whether to live the country or stay and fight, I would still like to input my 5 cents. Many comments here do inspire to stay and fight, but if we examined it carefully we would come to a conclusion that brave comments come from the people who are aware and read this and alike blogs. The problem that America faces today is a symptom of a long and chronic disease that infected the country long time ago. The process of deconstruction is not triggered by the NWO puppeteers until they see that the society is completely corrupted of moral values and ready for destruction. This is the reality. The question here is this. Do you stay and die fighting, or do you leave and carry the torch of knowledge with you. The Black Friday crowd will not appreciate your death anyway; more likely associate you with a “home grown terrorist”. They get a regular brainwashing session every minute they watch the box, and they do watch it hours and hours every day. So, does it make sense to die and burry the knowledge 6’ under or try to spread it through a different location? As for myself, I left my home country when it was destroyed in 1991. Ever since I lived in Europe, Canada, States, back in Canada. But now I am thinking to leave. I try to educate people, ask them provocative questions, wake up their curiosity and thinking. But is all useless. They are either not interested or cannot get it. They are like under some kind of spell. I also know that these people are going to be used against me by the puppeteers to loot my savings and my food reserves. When the ship is sinking the rats are jumping off of the ship. The have a 50/50 chance. If they stay they have a 100% chance to die. Logic tells me that we leave the sinking ship. (50% is not that small of a chance, you surely would want to get a lottery with this chance, wouldn’t you?)

—–

Prepare Protect and Pray:

Excellent input! Our founding fathers and patriots have given their lives for our freedom.

How sad is it that people would rather run away than fight the evil elitists who seek to steal all of our wealth and our freedom, to setup their New World Order.

Thomas Jefferson warned “If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their money, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them, will deprive the people of their property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.”

Henry Ford said, “It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning“.

So what’s the answer? Remove the elite bankers who own and manage the Federal Reserve, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Citibank, etc.. And when I say remove, I don’t mean by voting or by calling your corrupt congressman, I mean by revolution.

President James Madison said “If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.”

—-

Agelbert:

Another thing I would like to add is that, absent a nuclear war, the main beef that people in the USA have is government interference in their businesses and personal affairs. From mandatory insurance on everything from cars to mortgages to “health” care, increasingly detailed car inspections designed to guarantee a good income for local mechanics and car dealers, increased taxes on food, gasolene and property along with increased government fees for services like title transfer, registration, hunting licences, park access to “public” lands, not to mention ridiculous zoning restrictions, etc. while people’s incomes are actually going down drives people nuts and makes them want to run away.

It seems we can no longer reason with our local and state governments. They just want more and more for their corporate bosses.

It seems every avenue we have to try to stretch our dollar and make ends meet has a government or corporate goon gatekeeping to make sure they get more swag from us.

Well let me tell you that, in the example of the USSR, it was much worse. When things began to unravel, not becasue of war or violence, but because people just stopped cooperating, while roving gangs did become a problem that people had to organize against, all the oppressive government restrictions DISAPPEARED! Would you like to have sheep on your quarter acre? How about chikens in your yard? A homemade wind mill that runs a generator to run a current theough an iron bar in your house for heat without inverters or anything fancy?

All this is the bright side of the gubmint biting off more than the fascist gestapo control freaks there can chew. Remember that IF the Fed is stupid enough to trash the dollar totally, the gestapo has no buying power to support their families with goods and services. That’s what happened (for other reasons) in Russia. Since the 700 trillion dollar derivatives MESS that the neoliberal agenda has created is forcing the Fed to devalue our currency to save the bacon of the banking crooks, it is inevitable that the security fascists on the front lines will get cheated and feel resentful. The end result will be more freedom from government intrusion here in the USA.

It’s not all bad, folks.

—–

Mark:

Switzerland

1. Highest salaries in the world
2. Lowest taxes in Europe(Canton Zug)
3. Unemployment rate = 3%

My friend is 31 and makes $140K and pays 9% total income tax. Speaks english at work, so no foreign lanaguage requirement. Minimum wage is around $50K, no joke.

Downside is that everything is expensive, but you can definately save money.

—–

survivingshtfmom:

Europe will be toast soon…if you think Germany is ‘safe’ think again, everyone will be trying to get in there. Asia? hmm…not with the Chinese or North Korans waiting for their chance to make a move. Japan? nope, too dependant upon imports…Canada? nope economic reasons, not to mention they don’t want us and are very strict with immigration. England? don’t think so, they are so far in the hole and depend on imports too. Ireland? in the same hole as us.

Running isn’t the answer. Staying put and doing what you can to help yourself is. Get out of the cities as far away as you can. Get some skills besides driving and complaining. Make friends with others who have real skills as you learn yours. Get some faith. Store food and water. Keep your mouth shut about your plans. I might make suggestions but I don’t tell all…loose lips sink ships you know? especially with DHS wanting everyone to rat on each other.

We are ALL in for a rough ride, one country goes and its like dominoes my friends. I just can’t figure out which one we are.

My father was a decorated Vietnam Vet, my husband was a Marine in the first Gulf War…these colors don’t run.

—–

Pastor Donald S. Eskine:

This Is What We Need To Do AS Americans!
REPENT!
14If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.(2Chronicles 7:14

But You Must Know; The King Is Coming! (King Jesus)

—–

James:

If you don’t mind not living in the cities of the U.S. You probably won’t feel as much of an effect of the turmoil that will occur in the cities. If you can get a small farm and grow your own food, have the ability to sell some of the food, know how to fix and make things, can keep yourself physically fit and healthy. You should be alright. Most of the violence and lawlessness will be in the populated areas. The military and police will primarily concentrate on populated areas and not so much the rural areas. So, if you live in the country, you should be much better off.

—–

Stephanie:

Heartening to see how many people feel strongly about staying in the US and refusing to give up on her. I will NOT allow my country to be defined by the swamp called D.C. nor by those in the financial sector that have surely damned themselves to eternal Hell for how they have chosen to conduct themselves. I’m ready, willing and able to fight for her life (and mine) and fight for her I will!

—–

Agelbert:

There are a lot of serious and well thought out posts here which logically and accurately anticipate that a segment of the population will fight tyranny to the death, another segment will run and another segment will turn themselves into an amoral pretzel just to be on the gubmint’s good side. Depending on how much the gubmint squeezes the populace, this last segment will splinter into those that join the fight against tyranny and those that remain paralyzed and coopted by gubmint propaganda.

But let’s say that the squeeze is long and slow. What then? You have a home, a job and some free time now, as well as many conveniences that you will miss if you leave as well as missing family, community and cultural comfort. You must decide the point at which you are unwilling to compromise.

I have a modest retirement income. I realized about ten years ago that the greedsters and war profiteers have taken over the USA. I bought a manufactured home in a rent controlled state (Vermont), paid it off in 5 years and now can live in my 980 square feet quite decently ($415 lot rent) without fear of property taxes ruining me (about $700 for $48,000 assessment)or the gubmint or other criminals bothering me too much because I live a frugal life so I am not much of a target. I have a 15 year old car and no debts. If there is a worldwide gasolene shortage I can ride a bicycle to the supermarket if need be with no fear of being mugged as is the case in some countries. Remember that if you move, say, to Central or South America, you will need to take measures to avoid being a target of the gubmint or other criminals by living quietly without any outward bling.

I say, if you are going to have to do it there, why not just do it here? As others have said, the neoliberal assault is world wide. Why not just stay where you know the turf? Things may improve when most of your neighbors finally get it about the greedster/war profiteer takeover of the USA. You’ll have some ratfinks, sure, but at least you know the culture because it is your culture and you can more easily tell friend from foe as well as maintaining family, community and certain conveniences you are accustomed to.

Do you think all the tricks our gubmint is up to aren’t being repeated all over the planet? Do you think that you won’t have to fight the neoliberal onslaught somewhere else but without the benefit of being a member of that culture? Think again.

Finally, I disagree with those in the country that want to set up mines to keep the city folks from gaining refuge. They are Americans! What kind of future country do you want to build if you are going to start shooting desperate and needy families on sight? SHAME ON YOU! Love your neighbor as yourself is NOT OPTIONAL if you are a Christian. If you aren’t, you might as well move to Wall Street and embrace the neo-liberal greedster/war profiteering/people-are-commodities-to-be-used-and-discarded mind set.

If the city folks on the run show up, set them to work earning their keep tilling the soil, canning, picking the ticks off the horses or digging for worms. More people around defending an area means more security from human predators with guns.

Let’s stay here, treat each other with respect and work towards direct democracy. If we die trying, at least we died for a good cause.

—–

Randy:

I lost my job 2.5 years ago. My wife and I restructured our lives somewhat. We don’t buy anything we don’t need. We live mainly off our small farm and some part-time work when available. Last year we grossed around $8000. We still live surprisingly well and are very happy. One thing, it is not a life for someone lazy, or in need of an extravagant lifestyle. At one period I put 200 miles on my car in six months. We do have one thing going for us, we don’t owe anything and that is a key issue. I really think that is what individuals and the government should strive for, NO DEBT.

—–

stillcode:

This topic is very relevant to me so here are my 2 cents from my perspective.

I will soon graduate from graduate school with a degree in a medical field in which there is currently a large dearth of available workers. Job openings are available in virtually every state within the US. I will also soon be starting a family of my own. My first few years of working will be towards eliminating my student loan debt.

Many people on here have been saying how those who desert America are nothing but traitors and good riddance to them if they leave. They need to realize that the America of today is very different to the America that our founding fathers envisioned. My loyalty is first to my family, secondly to my country. If I can achieve the American dream outside of the US, I will do so.

Everyone who lives in the US is contributing to the problem by the forced taxation of our labor. Our taxes feed the beast, and it is in my moral judgment that voting with your feet and starving the beast is the better path to walk. I only see things turning around when enough people vote with their money and their feet to collapse the system, then rebuild from the ground up. Ex-patriots, whether they realize it or not, are contributing to this goal.

Realistically, what can we citizens do to change America? The voting system is broken, protesting has had negligible gains (whoop-dee-doo, BoA no longer charges $5 for checking accounts), our politicians represent the corporate interests through lobbying rather than their constituents, etc, etc, etc. Are people in any significant numbers going to express their dissent through getting off of their bums? People vehemently talk about retaking America, but then they don’t act on their words. Talking without action is meaningless. The most effective and non-violent form of protest, in our situation, is to vote with our feet.

I have had the experience of living in Japan, so I will say a few things about those thinking about moving to Japan.
As a foreigner, it will be difficult to start your own business without marrying a Japanese citizen. You can get permanent residency, but Japan is as much of a bureaucratic nightmare as is the US. Most foreigners who go to Japan work in the English language business. Going through the commercial ESL schools such as AEON is a good way to get a visa into Japan, but the working conditions are not so great. The best way to get a ticket into Japan is to go through the JET Program, however you must hold a bachelor’s degree to apply for the program. The government’s JET Program has the best working conditions (public schools from elementary through highschool) and I believe still pays 3,600,000 yen / year (approx. $40,000). If you go to Japan, don’t go if you have no intention of integrating into the culture there. Learn the language. Leave your ‘American-self’ behind. You will have a much better time interacting with the native Japanese and learn a whole different way of life and thinking there. Unless you can make a deal with a native Japanese on starting your own English school, it will be difficult if not impossible to stake out on your own.

My reason for not moving back to Japan is because my license is not recognized there.

I will more than likely stay within the US after graduation, but I am keeping my eyes open for any job postings where I can provide my future family with a higher standard of living. Places like Singapore and Dubai are particularly high on my list. I have no problem with learning another language, as I have already done so before.

For those of you who are encouraging young professionals such as myself to leave because of our discontent, I can only say that if you care about America, then you’ll consider leaving, too.

—–

Sunday:

Here’s the truth…

There is NO safe country on this planet…

The bible says in the last days, PERILOUS(another word for DANGEROUS) times will come.

Jesus warns that whoever seeks to SAVE their life will LOSE it and whoever seeks to LOSE their life will FIND it.

If you are SERIOUS about preparing for the END, and want SUPERNATURAL wisdom, visit the site below.
http://endtimepilgrim.org/etprep.htm

—–

tommcd:

The easiest places for Americans to relocate to would be Canada, Australia, and New Zealand because the language is English and the culture is similar.
I would avoid the UK because they seem to be in just as big a mess as the USA currently is.

—–

Barbara:

A Single Grandmother’s Choice

The choice of which country might be best for me personally, is no choice at all. I have loved ones here, grand children whom I intend to be there for, through whatever comes our way. And I believe what’s coming will be horrific.

But think about life in another country. America is seen as the bully on the block by most countries. Now take your imaginings to a time that you have relocated to a foreign land and the Bankers have worked their evil across the globe. Do you see yourself safe in a foreign country as an American when the economy has crashed on a global scale? I think not.

And what will your life hold when your loved ones are thousands of miles away on American soil, and you are unable to help, unable to console and protect them?

My decision was to make a drastic lifestyle change, to get as far out of debt as possible, to move from a town to a homestead where there is land to grow vegetables and is far enough off-grid to protect those I love from looters and worse. For when the economy can no longer support fiat currency with nothing to back it but blind trust, when government can no longer offer food stamps and rent subsidies, those that the government has taught to depend upon handouts, whom have been made to believe are “entitled” WILL rebel. This decision was not an easy one! It has meant sacrifice for the past 8 years, and continues to be a sacrifice. But it is worth it. I believe the plans to ship our jobs overseas through trade agreements was not an economic “mistake” on the part of our leaders, nor was the economic collapse. Their plans are on a global scale, and it will be up to us to stand our ground and do whatever we can to try to salvage what’s left of America.

—–