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Wow, great discussion. I didn't know the idea of an annual property tax was not widespread. That really is a big chunk of your money, especially if you live in one of the high tax areas like Long Island. I have some relatives who pay $20k in taxes each year on their home!
Wow, great discussion. I didn't know the idea of an annual property tax was not widespread. That really is a big chunk of your money, especially if you live in one of the high tax areas like Long Island. I have some relatives who pay $20k in taxes each year on their home!
Wow! That sounds horribly unfair! If understand correctly, they're being taxed not on consuming or income, which at least can be progressive or graduated so you pay less when you're having a rough year, but instead taxed on some abstract value of property they've already bought? $20,000 a year, and the tax never goes away, and you have that full amount even if your still paying down mortgage? It sounds to me like there is no way to make an investment in property in America pay off long term, in the US the property taxes mean you always lose on the long run due to because you must always pay "rent" to the government! And what if they are retired or lose job? Or have to pay a lot for a car accident or get sick? How to come up with the money for that? What if kids inherit it but don't have enough to pay the property tax? So do they lose the home if they cannot come up with the $20k every year? How do Americans survive this or why aren't they up in arms about it?
Actually I'm very glad you mentioned this as it helps me understand why so many more Filipinos are bypassing USA these days for immigration and choosing instead to go to eastern Asia, Europe, even the Middle East and South America. You go abroad to work and earn and save money to help your family, and hopefully get home of your own that you can live in securely, but if you are having to pay $20,000 a year in property taxes with no end in sight, for an asset that is not liquid, and which you don't get income from, how can you survive or come out ahead? And of course that high property tax means rents are higher which makes it hard for everyone. Now I see why more Filipinos choose Europe though with low or no property tax at all esp in so much of France, Scandinavia and Italy, or just pay once, you own a home and it's yours. In China and lot of Asia and South America too. Your home belongs to you. How does the US government have so much power to do this? Not even the Chinese government even considers doing something like this, in fact there you don't have to worry property tax.
Are the Filipino workers able to get citizenship in Korea? Just curious as some of my own relatives have talked about this, I used to think Japan was impossible for foreigners to immigrate or get citizenship to but apparently some Filipinos are able to do it, always wondered how Korea's naturalization policies compare to Japan.
Citizenship is obtainable though it seems to happen in usual case through marriage to a native, not so sure of details but in cases that I hear about that's a common route to do it. Also both Japan and Korea do have paths to citizenship for Filipinos or other foreigners with special skills, it's just difficult and takes a lot of effort, but they make sure they allow in only people who can contribute something and fit into society well.
There's a bit of misconception that Japan is totally closed to foreigners with no immigration or naturalization, in fact in terms of strict laws, France if anything has tougher immigration laws than Japan-- only high skilled immigrants to France now and if you break migrant laws even slightly there, they kick out you, your family sometimes even your friends. While I think France has done this mainly to expel more and more of its Muslims, to avoid looking too biased they do it to other groups with immigration violations too, and in France you can't settle at all unless you bring something major that contributes to economy. Even some second generation immigrants born in France get kicked out, especially if they're Muslim and North African more than any other. Filipinos actually have decent shot to get work permit and naturalization in France due to nursing and other value skills, Japan and Korea much the same but even slightly a bit easier since they have lower birthrate than France and more skills shortages so they make it a bit easier for us.
If you look at the models and actresses actors in Japan and Korea in fact, a lot of them are Filipinos and Filipinas, or mixed marriages between Filipinos and natives. Japan and Korea aren't totally closed to foreigners, you just have to bring something to the table as they say. In fact for that reason Japan and Korea both are basically closed to Muslims, some Filipinos in Mindanao for example are Muslim and Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan and Thailand won't let them in, they see the Muslim immigrant groups as mainly troublemakers and after that horror attack in Manchester England yesterday, the perception will be reinforced.
Citizenship is obtainable though it seems to happen in usual case through marriage to a native, not so sure of details but in cases that I hear about that's a common route to do it. Also both Japan and Korea do have paths to citizenship for Filipinos or other foreigners with special skills, it's just difficult and takes a lot of effort, but they make sure they allow in only people who can contribute something and fit into society well.
There's a bit of misconception that Japan is totally closed to foreigners with no immigration or naturalization, in fact in terms of strict laws, France if anything has tougher immigration laws than Japan-- only high skilled immigrants to France now and if you break migrant laws even slightly there, they kick out you, your family sometimes even your friends. While I think France has done this mainly to expel more and more of its Muslims, to avoid looking too biased they do it to other groups with immigration violations too, and in France you can't settle at all unless you bring something major that contributes to economy. Even some second generation immigrants born in France get kicked out, especially if they're Muslim and North African more than any other. Filipinos actually have decent shot to get work permit and naturalization in France due to nursing and other value skills, Japan and Korea much the same but even slightly a bit easier since they have lower birthrate than France and more skills shortages so they make it a bit easier for us.
If you look at the models and actresses actors in Japan and Korea in fact, a lot of them are Filipinos and Filipinas, or mixed marriages between Filipinos and natives. Japan and Korea aren't totally closed to foreigners, you just have to bring something to the table as they say. In fact for that reason Japan and Korea both are basically closed to Muslims, some Filipinos in Mindanao for example are Muslim and Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan and Thailand won't let them in, they see the Muslim immigrant groups as mainly troublemakers and after that horror attack in Manchester England yesterday, the perception will be reinforced.
Yes I have seen that about France, after Sarkozy the immigration laws are super strict there. A lot of confusion about France among Americans I think due to earlier immigration policies or France's colonial period, when immigration laws were lax and a lot of people could come in from Algeria and even then it was mostly just the French soldiers and colonials who could come in. France is insanely tough on migrants now, they even slapped down Angela Merkel when she whined at France about taking Syrian refugees telling her to go pound sand. France does have problems due to its earlier dumb immigration policies but they've done a 180 since then, and yeah the French have no qualms about kicking out anyone who talks about extremism now. Didn't know this about Korea or Japan or rest of Asia either not letting Muslims in. I'm not political by any means about US politics, but I find it funny that Trump gets a ton of flak for even a very limited Muslim travel ban, whereas France and a bunch of European countries, and east Asia basically have a bright explicit neon sign saying "no Muslims allowed" and the media doesn't even seem to notice it.
True about Singapore, heard the housing and things are pretty pricey there though they may be looking into changing the model. Very affordable most other places though, I have some friends who actually travel to Korea, Taiwan, Thailand or China when they need medical care, even though they don't have insurance, it's far cheaper than the care in the USA with health insurance even accounting for travel costs. And high quality too. Especially dental care and dermatology care.
I'm not sure how or what "model" you're talking about with respect to S'pore in terms of housing and other economic policies, but for private car ownership - the Singapore government deliberately makes it costly to control the growth of traffic on a very small island. That policy is unlikely to change in the future.
That said, Singapore's health care costs are quite reasonable by US standards - they have long promoted medical tourism so it can be much less expensive for an American to do a major surgical procedure there even factoring the travel and lodging costs.
Yes I have seen that about France, after Sarkozy the immigration laws are super strict there. A lot of confusion about France among Americans I think due to earlier immigration policies or France's colonial period, when immigration laws were lax and a lot of people could come in from Algeria and even then it was mostly just the French soldiers and colonials who could come in. France is insanely tough on migrants now, they even slapped down Angela Merkel when she whined at France about taking Syrian refugees telling her to go pound sand. France does have problems due to its earlier dumb immigration policies but they've done a 180 since then, and yeah the French have no qualms about kicking out anyone who talks about extremism now. Didn't know this about Korea or Japan or rest of Asia either not letting Muslims in. I'm not political by any means about US politics, but I find it funny that Trump gets a ton of flak for even a very limited Muslim travel ban, whereas France and a bunch of European countries, and east Asia basically have a bright explicit neon sign saying "no Muslims allowed" and the media doesn't even seem to notice it.
France does a poor job of assimilating or integrating its Muslim community, many of whom are native born, yet feel marginalized in society. Those acts such as banning head scarves and making them feel unwelcome actually feeds more anger and discontent.
France does a poor job of assimilating or integrating its Muslim community, many of whom are native born, yet feel marginalized in society. Those acts such as banning head scarves and making them feel unwelcome actually feeds more anger and discontent.
I'm not sure I agree with this, France has bent over backwards and gone out of its way to provide them with jobs, education, training assistance and other help-- far more than almost any other country, and certainly far more than their home countries-- and yet the Muslim immigrants still fail to assimilate. So I really have a problem with blaming the French government b/c I can't see how they could realistically do any more. Besides assimilation ultimately takes effort from the immigrants and the main reason for the failed integration is that the Muslims in France don't want to integrate, they want a separate society of their own with Sharia law and that's unacceptable, they came to France supposedly to escape such oppressive societies. Banning the hijab and burka is totally legitimate-- this is France, not Saudi Arabia, and if they really want Sharia law and the burka they shouldn't come to Europe in the first place. Maybe one could make a different argument for North America or Australia since we're settler countries that have long had a multicultural status, but Europe has a long ingrained culture from stretching back to the classical period, populated by Europeans with European culture. I wouldn't go into, say, Japan or Korea and demand that they bend over backwards to accommodate me, instead I'd learn their culture and fit into it as best as possible. Europeans have every right to demand the same.
Besides, France has tons of immigrants from other places who assimilate readily despite, usually, receiving far less in support from society. France's biggest immigrants groups are actually Italians, Portuguese and Romanians, far more than North Africans in fact, and yet you hear little about them because they integrate so well. Same with the Vietnamese, Cambodians and other Southeast Asians in France, same with the Russians and Brazilians there (also big numbers and bigger than Algerians in many places), same with the Brits, same with the Chinese and Indians who are also numerous in France, apparently the same with the Filipino population there based on what PT has been saying. There are dozens of other immigrant groups who get far less in help and yet integrate very well into France. It's only the North African Muslim groups who seem to struggle despite getting far more help, so I'd say the root of the problem is that they are failing to make an effort to integrate, not that France is failing to integrate them.
Asian Americans who were born/raised in America are Americans first and foremost.
I am black and people call us African Americans but I don't want to go live in Africa because I'm not African. FWIW though more black Americans actually are immigrating to African countries as well in the 21st century. I know a couple people who have and quite a few who want to.
I am like silverkris in that America and my state and community are my home. I have long roots in my country and I would rather positively contribute to my own country versus another.
The world is a much smaller place these days. If your parents are from some old country and you grew up in the US it is natural to want to branch out and explore, perhaps get in touch with your roots.
It is good for America to have our citizens living and working all over the world. Also helps give them some perspective on world events.
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It is good for America to have our citizens living and working all over the world.
Oh so true, Fatca, possibly the single dumbest and most self-destructive law (it's cost the US billions and billions more in red tape and lost trade than it's gained) of the past 2 decades. And that's saying a lot. The heart of its stupidity is that it was supposedly designed to catch tax shelterers like Mitt Romney who stash their money in the Caymans, but the fools who wrote the law failed to realize that most of the billionaire tax shelterers don't actually live abroad, they live in the US and put their money offshore, which Fatca doesn't address. Instead Fatca only hits mostly middle-class Americans and entrepreneurs who work overseas, and also new immigrants trying to start businesses who get hit with BS fines for assets they always have overseas as they're mobilizing businesses. Fatca is the real reason the US trade deficit keeps getting worse, and that US business startup rate is the lowest ever in our history-- it's impossible to start an export business to other countries now since Fatca hits all the exporters very hard (who by nature have to spend part of the year overseas) and they wind up just turning up their passports. While immigrant entrepreneurs in the US are discouraged since they get hit with dumb fines for basic mobilization of capital. Dumbest law ever, and Congress is too corrupt/incompetent/gridlocked to actually fix it. Both Republican and Democratic political parties are not on the side of the people in any, they're worse than useless and Fatca proves it.
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