What is the point in living in America? I don’t mean that tongue in cheek, either, based on your current opinion and this comment, why would you continue to live here if we’re stuck in GOP land for 2 decades?
My wife and my parents, honestly. I've lived overseas in many different countries. And I would do it again, if I could. The issue is that my parents are in their 70's and 80's. My wife owns our house outright, and she loves the place. If we left, I think she would get used to living elsewhere - she'd love it actually - but neither of us would forgive ourselves for not spending as much of the remaining years with our parents as we can. Once they passed away, we would beat ourselves constantly with the knowledge that we didn't share as much time with them as we could. Regret is hard to overcome. But it is easy to avoid. Assuming my parents pass in the next 10 years or so, we could leave the country. We'd be in our mid-60's, though, and that is a HARD time for countries to allow new people in. We would be well past our earning prime, and would not have paid into the socialized systems in place in that country (Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, etc.), so we would largely be a burden (cost) on their systems... which would only continue to increase, until we passed. There's no money in letting old people immigrate to your country. So, due to the love of my family, we may be stuck in this GOP-crafted hell for the rest of our lives.
I think, if nothing else, it sounds like you and your wife crafted out a niche which will make things tolerable. Plus, in some ways there is the benefit of living in the Puget Sound versus most other areas subject to federal law and Supreme Court rulings. I really appreciate where you’re coming from, thanks for that response.
Yeah, we have it very good, in addition to winning the genetic/lifestyle lottery of being white, straight, married, middle-aged, middle-class, home-owning, DINKs. Which honestly makes it even harder to see the shit our friends are having to deal with, who don't have that sept-fecta of privilege. Our housemate is a black man. We have transgender friends. Gay married friends. Disabled friends. Foreign friends whose visa could be revoked for any little thing. Poor artists. Geriatrics with old age issues. Immunocompromised people with fragile healthcare. Musicians. Farmers. Small business owners. Etc... Every one of these demos is being brutalized by the conservative hate machine... and I am largely powerless to materially help make the environment we all live in one in which they have the same opportunities and advantages we have enjoyed. Opportunities that have led directly to our comfortable lives amidst this apocalypse. The dichotomy hurts. Every day. Running away to another country would feel good in one way... and bad in others.