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AIBU?

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Original poster

If you had the chance to move to the USA right now, would you?

324 replies

HiddenGiraffes · 06/02/2023 16:35

Context is it's a major city we've lived in before and liked, and we're currently in London, and like the area we live too. Some family in both countries.

I'm just curious if, given the opportunity to get out of the UK right now, people would consider the US a superior alternative.

OP posts:
Kennykenkencat · 06/02/2023 19:04

I would be heading to the airport now

Our plan was to go on 2020 and then Covid happened.
I was absolutely devastated
DC and I have nothing keeping us in the U.K.
Just found out this last weeks that despite paying into a pensions I won’t be getting anything from it as it was used to pay off debts of a company I worked for years ago.
I also won’t be getting a state pension as I don’t have enough years of NI payments.
I won’t even qualify for any help with pension credits either as I have too much money passing through my bank account from my business.
So my future is work till I drop

At least if I am in the US I can choose to live in an area I feel comfortable and at home in.

I have never felt at home in the U.K.
I have watched the property programmes where people are looking for their dream home but all I see is grey skies when you look out of the dream home windows

IsThePopeCatholic · 06/02/2023 19:07

No way. Their society is even more divided than here. The future there is even more uncertain than here. Too many conspiracy theorists and other nut jobs. And then there’s the guns…. I’ve been to the USA many times and used to love it, but for me now it has become a frightening place.

Kennykenkencat · 06/02/2023 19:10

PissedOffAmericanWoman · 06/02/2023 18:52

My husband was canadian and while we were dating in our early years this didn’t bother me much as at the time I was very desensitized to it and thought it was just the media blowing things up to scare monger it started bothering me more and more as we debated having children. I started thinking about what I would do if I sent her to school and whether or not we would be able to protect her from these things. There are no guarantees. Even at a nice school in a nice neighborhood my niece was not safe from bomb threats and guns. There was not a shooting but there was a child who was caught with a hit list, a hoodie, a mask and an automatic weapon in his backpack.

That is what really made the wheels start turning in my head. I was very much brought up on the mantra “Be proud to be an american!” “this is the land of opportunity!” “we have it a lot better than many places!” “you can do anything when you’re american!” so it took a lot and a very long time for me to get to the place of thought that maybe america really isn’t the “best” country to be in. And I started considering moving to canada to start our family.

I was sad and there were definitely tears involved. I still love my country and hope they work through this dark path they are on and find the light. But in the mean time I’m keeping them on low contact because it’s become a very toxic relationship!

Show quote history

I grew up in the U.K. and have been near to a few bombs going off throughout my life.

Whilst we might not have had mass shootings. Bombings or the threat of were the norm for most people my age.

TrishM80 · 06/02/2023 19:11

Not while that fat fucking fascist pig Trump is still sniffing around the Presidency.

CoorieInByTheFire · 06/02/2023 19:12

I can’t think of a single thing that would tempt me to move there.

SpikeGilesSandwich · 06/02/2023 19:12

It's hard to get decent cheese over there and the bread is too sweet (priorities! Wink)

Bepis · 06/02/2023 19:12

I would, especially Manhattan. I felt safer there than in London.

watcherintherye · 06/02/2023 19:15

No, I don’t think I would.

Crikeyalmighty · 06/02/2023 19:16

No - especially as we are older now but love it for holidays, especially california and would like to do the odd 6 weeks at a time over there kind of thing.

whiteroseredrose · 06/02/2023 19:17

No way.

YourWinter · 06/02/2023 19:20

I wouldn’t live in the USA. Awful politics, no NHS, school kids can buy guns. Had a couple of nice holidays but I wouldn’t want my children in school there, nor would I want to grow old there.

daffodilday · 06/02/2023 19:20

Definitely

Anonymous48 · 06/02/2023 19:21

AngelinaFibres · 06/02/2023 19:00

DIL is American. Lives in UK with my son. She doesn't ever want to go back to America. She was raised in LA and lived in New York for a year.Her mother lives in Idaho. Mothers mother also lives there. She has 97 !!!!!!weapons in her house and a bullet making room in her cellar. Perfectly standard apparently. She's 82. DILs mother carries an 8" knife in her handbag, a purse revolver and a machete in the side wall of her car in case she is car jacked. No thank you, not for me.

I'm sorry but your daughter in law is lying to you. That is far from standard.

FannythePinkFlamingo · 06/02/2023 19:22

No way. For numerous reasons including guns, abortion laws, politics and the health system.

Anonymous48 · 06/02/2023 19:23

SpikeGilesSandwich · 06/02/2023 19:12

It's hard to get decent cheese over there and the bread is too sweet (priorities! Wink)

What a load of crap.

AliceOlive · 06/02/2023 19:23

YourWinter · 06/02/2023 19:20

I wouldn’t live in the USA. Awful politics, no NHS, school kids can buy guns. Had a couple of nice holidays but I wouldn’t want my children in school there, nor would I want to grow old there.

See, I wouldn't trade my US healthcare for your NHS for all the world. It sounds like an absolutely nightmare and pregnant women, especially are treated worse than most people in the US treat their pets giving birth.

Blueblell · 06/02/2023 19:24

Depends where of course! But ultimately depends what you want out of life. The reality is that some things about the US are better than the UK and vice versa. Depends what your priorities are.

YourWinter · 06/02/2023 19:25

And American food and its production is truly dire.

croupy · 06/02/2023 19:29

I am on Facebook group for an illness. Every fifth post is someone saying their health insurance used to pay for drug X, but will not pay for the (new improved) drug Y. (Coming to the UK in few weeks). If their illness type looks like drug Z is best then it’s a mission getting switched to drug Z. The insurance companies are looking to save money everywhere they can - just like the NHS- only you are the drugs manager / fighter over there.

They have to fight fight fight for every little thing, write letters, get different Drs opinions to justify use of new drugs, and also pay extra ‘excess’ $$$.

I guess with this illness - you just wouldn’t risk it!

Oh and GUNS, ABORTION, DIVISION, ZOMBIE DRUGS, no way!

I’d consider a holiday - maybe?

Original poster
HiddenGiraffes · 06/02/2023 19:32

SpikeGilesSandwich · 06/02/2023 19:12

It's hard to get decent cheese over there and the bread is too sweet (priorities! Wink)

This might have been true in the past, but in my experience you can get good bread and cheese at any supermarket now. You pay through the nose for it though.

OP posts:
GenuinelyDone · 06/02/2023 19:35

No. I have daughters. The US is making it contemptuously clear that women have no agency or rights.

As things stand I'd be reluctant to visit as a tourist again.

Sarahcoggles · 06/02/2023 19:57

Out of curiosity- what happens with health car when you're old and bits of you start failing, and you're no longer working . How do you pay the medical insurance and does it cover multiple heart attacks, cancer, gastric ulcers, arthritis etc?

TerfOnATrain · 06/02/2023 19:57

Not a bloody chance, and I say that as someone who has had numerous amazing holidays there from Florida, six times, to Boston to San Fran, Vegas, San Diego, LA etc

I would NEVER live there.

Mind you, they would not have me now, as we have been on holiday to Cuba and Trump made revisits difficult. Not my loss.

ConsuelaHammock · 06/02/2023 19:58

Not in a million years !

TerfOnATrain · 06/02/2023 19:58

Sarahcoggles · 06/02/2023 19:57

Out of curiosity- what happens with health car when you're old and bits of you start failing, and you're no longer working . How do you pay the medical insurance and does it cover multiple heart attacks, cancer, gastric ulcers, arthritis etc?

You end up as a meeter and greeter still working at Walmart to keep your health insurance in your elder years.

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