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My husband and I travel internationally on a regular basis. Between the two of us, we've traveled to over 30 countries, and have lived in five foreign countries for a total of about thirteen years - and those countries include countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa. So I'd say we're pretty well traveled and have experienced more than "our share" of different cultures.
We love to travel and do so as often as possible. We appreciate many things about many different cultures.
That being said, we LOVE living in Texas, in the United States, and we are ALWAYS GLAD TO COME HOME. And for the record, I consider the entire United States my home, as well as my 2500 square foot building in East Texas.
Kathryn, the same here! We've traveled internationally too and lived abroad, and there is no place like home on the American soil. I love traveling though and experiencing new cultures.
Kathryn, the same here! We've traveled internationally too and lived abroad, and there is no place like home on the American soil. I love traveling though and experiencing new cultures.
Oh me too!!!
We go to Europe about once every two years or so. The rest of the time we vacation in the US. There are SO MANY awesome places in the US to visit - I don't see how anyone could ever be bored. Last year we went to the Appalachians, the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas, Memphis, Ohio, and Virginia. This year we are going to North Carolina's Outer Banks, and possibly Boston and New England in the fall. I'd like to go back to Portland, Oregon and drive down that Pacific coast again - we're considering that for next year. We will never run out of interesting things to do in the US.
It would depend on where in the US I live. Id be happy West Coast, NM, Northeast. I would not think to move.
Not a big fan of the middle states with no ocean or southern states with the heat and humidty. But Id probably look to move to a state with less heat and humidity or at least oceanfront first. Then again I've lived in Australia, Canada, Europe and now Northern New England which I love when its not cold and snowy. Also have multiple passports so that would make leaving.. easy.
We go to Europe about once every two years or so. The rest of the time we vacation in the US. There are SO MANY awesome places in the US to visit - I don't see how anyone could ever be bored. Last year we went to the Appalachians, the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas, Memphis, Ohio, and Virginia. This year we are going to North Carolina's Outer Banks, and possibly Boston and New England in the fall. I'd like to go back to Portland, Oregon and drive down that Pacific coast again - we're considering that for next year. We will never run out of interesting things to do in the US.
Exactly. There's so much within my own country that I haven't even explored, so I can't honestly say I have that urge to travel outside the US that so many others seem to. The major exceptions would be parts of Africa, the Caribbean (that I haven't seen), and southern South America.
If I were about 30 yeas younger, I would be very seriously working on getting status in some other country. The USA is rapidly declining to third world status, and will be there within the lifetimes of most of you. As it is, if I live another decade, I expect Mexico will have become a better choice by then.
Here are two statistics that I've recently seen that indicates that:
1. The increase frolm 2011 to 2012 in spending on Biomedical research is up 20% in China, India, Brazil, 10% in Japan and Germany, and down 6% in the USA. We will be importing our medical technology on the global market in a decade or two.
2. In 6 years, China's high speed rail network has gone from zero to a high speed (125+ mph) rail system that is almost 1/3 of the entire passenger track mileage that's now in use in the USA, and will be half by the end of 2015, even if Amtrak is still in existence then. Give them another decade, and China will have trains running on more track than in the USA, at 2-3 times the speed.
There may be some wealth in the USA, but very little of it, if any, is being expended to advance our standards to keep up with the rest of the world. That is the fault of the oligarchy that controls the wealth and decides how its use is prioritized.
Yes.
The United States is getting to the point where we don't make much of anything. Search the Internet and you'll find plenty of references to how the American economy has "transitioned from a manufacturing-based economy to a service-based economy". Well, I read something not long ago - it said "We can't just have everyone servicing each other. Sooner or later, we have to make things."
Quote:
Originally Posted by iNviNciBL3
Do you really believe we will randomly decline to a third world status, or do you just want to see us decline to third world status?
It won't be random. It will be as it has been - deliberate. When we ship our good jobs overseas, when our once thriving industrial cities become run-down slums because China is making all of what we used to make, when we borrow 33 cents of every dollar our government spends... yes, there will be a decline.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer
Do you seriously believe this? Because it is pretty far off from reality.
Did you know that the United States remains the nation with the highest GDP in the world, and its economy continues to grow every year? If you combined the economies of all the other countries in North and South America, it would not be equal to half the size of the U.S. economy.
Our economy grows every year because our government prints enough money and borrows enough money to make it look like it's growing. When you consider how our real economy has changed, there has been no real growth... actually it's been negative. Prices going up does not equal economic growth. Spending a fortune on gasoline because the USA did an excellent job of getting us addicted to vehicular transportation and then sat idly by as gas prices quadrupled does not qualify as economic growth. College costs and medical costs skyrocketing beyond the so-called "official rate of inflation" (where you don't get more for the extra money) does not constitute growth.
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