United States vs Australia (universities, moving to, money)

[mrkool]

I am quite familiar with UK, and am an American.
Go to Australia.
America has both present and looming problems, especially demographically and economically. And things aren't going to get any better. There are very few positive signs, unless one has rose-colored glasses on. And I'm not going to debate it with the naive/idealistic folks who are sure to take issue with me.
And the UK (and most of western Europe) is facing some significant crises of their own.
Australia is somewhat insulated from much of what ails these other developed countries.
I think Australia will be viable and pleasant enough for longer than the U.S. will.

[rubber_factory]

The U.S. primary educational system is not run by the federal government. In most states it is not even run by the state; our system is designed so each county/city can make its own decisions. Some school districts have far more resources than others. It is only somewhat useful to compare one state to another, much less to generalize the entire nation.

The same goes for crime. Crime varies by neighborhood, and to some extent by city/county. You can draw some meaning out of statewide trends. Trying to statistically compare all of the U.S. to all of some other country is not really going to help you avoid crime in any meaningful sense.

In terms of healthcare, if you have a good job and a good employer, you'll get thorough, excellent healthcare. If you don't, you more or less will not have healthcare.

[FuzzyFoxx]

Originally Posted by shea14shea

If you decide on the US I would recomend TX (not Houston though). It has one of the most stable economies in the country, especially with everything that is going on here right now. I moved to Texas from Idaho about four years ago and it has been great for us. There are more opportunities and cultural diversities. People are very friendly here as well, especially in San Antonio (I have lived in San Antonio and Dallas). I do not know much about Australia, but I have always wanted to go to the Cairns area!!! It looks so beautiful. If you do decide to come to the US you should know that there is no universal health care, so you better get insurance. Taxes are ridiculous, and it is always more expensive to live on a coast than inland. I would go for Australia, but I am sick of the U.S. Good luck!

Yea, i did hear taxes is doing better then most of the other states in the US.
I know you have to pay for healh care there unlike the UK, which we get free... but does not mean its the best as i said in my other post.
Australia, is nice, but everything is different for like when we have summer they have winter and stuff... unlike the US is the same as us.

[bluebeard]

australia has a way cooler name. but the US has 2 distinct caosts, wo when you say east and west coast its very clear where the ends of them are.
hmmm....

[TheNick]

Hello everyone,
I'm trying to decide between US and Australia choosing the country to drop an anchor in, but what makes my situation a bit more difficult is that I'm a citizen of an East European country and my options are:
1. Move to US as a skilled worker (IT) under a temporary visa.
2. Move to Australia under a permanent residency visa.
The first option automatically includes such troubles as looking for ways to acquire a green card to make my residence permanent, which is quite a problem as far as I know.

P.S. I'm an IT specialist working in US joint company on an offshore basis, having a possibility to get transferred to our US office, which I meant by the point 1.
Any opinion is welcome

[Eduardo983]

In Australia you`ll become an "Australian". In U.S. you`ll become an "Asian American", "Anglo American", "African American", "Latin American", whatever American..."European American", white, latino, black, brown, yellow, etc etc... the country is so segregated...there are no "U.S. Americans-only" it is way cooler to be just an "Australian". LOl.

Seriously, we have no universal health care system like Canadians, Europeans, or Australians. Obama proposed one and FoX News labeled him as a "leftist"...

There is 21 million people in Australia and 30 million people in Canada...And those 2 countries have a huge land area... I think bigger than U.S. Move to Australia.... or Canada..any of those two. Their head of state is the Queen elizabeth II (a Monarchy) . Here, we have "presidents" ...leftist...right... invade....don`t invade...this is good...this is not good...let`s invest in green energy...no, green jobs aren`t good...etc etc.....LOL-- Australia and Canada also have less war enemies. Less unemployment and more opportunities.

Of course, we have the NASA, Disney, Theme parks, NYC, California, Microsoft, Walmart, Miami, Hawaii, excellent universities, ..Michael Jackson. Ohh we have Paris Hilton..etc etc... well..that super huge and unique coral reef in Australia is cool too.

Best of lucks...
Ed.

[ATLien86]

Originally Posted by rubber_factory

The U.S. primary educational system is not run by the federal government. In most states it is not even run by the state; our system is designed so each county/city can make its own decisions. Some school districts have far more resources than others. It is only somewhat useful to compare one state to another, much less to generalize the entire nation.

US Department of Education?
Yeah, education is somewhat local, but as someone that attended 14 different K-12 schools (military, then corporation), they are all pretty similar in the way they are run and the way children are taught. I am guessing that schools in other countries are quite different.

p.s. cool to see a WB poster. I went to UNCW for undergrad.

[mtta]

Well, I agree with rubber_factory. In the US, upper and middle class parents with babies and young children are seriously keen on finding good schools and living within the municipalities that have them. Most kids attend the public schools because they are taxpayer funded. For example, there was a movie "Beverly Hills Hillbillies" where the lower class guy had his family packed into a cheap apartment specifically because it was in a good school district with mostly rich families. There is a lot of moving house done specifically for the perceived quality of schools.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by FuzzyFoxx

Hey, My family is thinking about moving to United States... well me more, but they are just unsure and they like Australia as well as me also coz my mum has family out there.
This well be a very big move, so we want to get it right... i'm sure they are both great places to live, but whats the best overall?
We live in the UK at the moment, but want a new start.
I will be very greatful for replys and if you can answer the poll also, thank you.

If you are from the UK, they are BOTH GOOD - Australia and the U.S. But I think Australia is very easy to get citizenship, particularly for a UK passport holder, right?

Generally though, I'm an American, and I think Australia SOUNDS more safer, more peaceful, more socially intact and grounded. But I am unsure.

The U.S. is a complete madhouse at times...but it's an addictive one. I'm American and lived outside of the U.S. most of the last 13 years...but I really miss the so many interesting things about the U.S. - and having 50 states, which is kind of like 50 countries sharing the same language is still fascinating to me.

[mtta]

Um, I meant "Slums of Beverly Hills" not "Hillbillies". Oops.

Point being, it's not quite right to aggregate the whole US and compare with the other countries. You have to choose a particular state, city, and even neighborhood; then, consider your field of employment, possible company, and income. It may be a side effect of our economy - these details really count! Each American winds up with a different circumstance.