Reasons you wouldn’t move to US

[Preiu]

Dh has been offered a job in the US. The increase in salary would put us into a completely different wealth bracket but I really don’t want to move.

• fear of home invasion with guns
• school shooting - guns in general I guess
• American exceptionalism attitude annoys me
• Being away from family
• Not having Europe on doorstep

Can I ask if you have any other reasons

There are lakes and mountains in the UK.

GMO Foods
Washing their chicken in chlorine.
Use of carcinogenic food colourings and E numbers that are banned here in the UK.

CT and NYS are by and large democratic, safe and well run. I would live in CT with children, I wouldn't live in NYC with children, but would live in NY upstate. I know your husband thinks you are going to be in a different wealth bracket, but I live in the US and have lived in those places, and can tell you that the cost of living is astronomically higher than the UK. If you don't want to go, and the only driver is money, then don't go. Being an expat is hard and can be very isolating unless you are fully committed.

I had a car accident 10 years ago, resulting in 7 operations. If it had happened to me in the US, even with insurance I would now be bankrupt. It's a terrifying place to live.

So many stereotypes and sweeping statements! The USA is HUGE, generalising what it's like to live there is like doing the same for all of Europe- the experience of living in Ireland is totally different to Slovenia (countries picked at random). The culture of states varies hugely. CT & NY are generally liberal, progressive places. And only 5hr flight back to blighty

guns
no mandatory annual leave mandated by the government - from wikipedia page:

There is no federal or state statutory minimum paid vacation or paid public holidays. Paid leave is at the discretion of the employers to their employees.[195][196] According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 77% of private employers offer paid vacation to their employees; full-time employees earn on average 10 vacation days after one year of service.[197] Similarly, 77% of private employers give their employees paid time off during public holidays, on average 8 holidays per year.[197][198] Some employers offer no vacation at all.[199]

no free healthcare
extortionate prices for medicines if not covered by your health insurance

My brother lives out in US and his wife was in hospital over xmas for covid - this was the rundown of the bill which some of his insurance covered:
$2000 ambulance ride
$1000 for initial visit before transfer
$30000 for ER and overnight stays

absolutely shocking - we don't know how lucky we are to have the NHS - even if it is on its knees

I completely agree with @HolyMolyAnne and @CloudywMeatballs - and like them I've lived here for 20+ years.

Im in the Midwest, actually close to a city that has undergone some serious civil unrest in the last few years, I still wouldn't move back to the UK with my kids. I live in a walkable, first ring suburb. Within a half mile radius of my house there are 3 parks, 2 grocery stores, bookstore, drugstore, dog groomer, etc. We walk everywhere.

Guns - other than in the holster of the neighborhood police (who came to our annual block party) I've never seen one. Not minimizing the horror of gun crime, but the idea that everyone walks round armed to the teeth, and I'm at risk of a random house invasion by gun-toting men - madness.

Education - key difference between US and UK is breadth vs. depth. UK forces kids to specialize earlier - I.e. choosing three specialisms at 16 for A Level. Having to determine your undergraduate major before you've even had a single lecture. Breadth of education here is that you can take a little bit of everything in your first year or two before deciding where your interests lie. I actually think that's a good thing.

Recreation - school districts and park systems have programs running year round. Whether it's coding, volleyball or D&D there's something available.

Healthcare - we've unfortunately experienced both physical and mental health issues within our family. Without exception our treatment has been comprehensive and swift. I was admitted to an inpatient postpartum program within 10 days of first going to my doctor. Communication is modern; none of this "wait for your letter in the mail" nonsense, and you can select and self-refer to a specialist rather than overwhelming the local GP with a request to send you on to someone else. I've had three children here, in a (gasp) county hospital and my treatment was exceptional. Private room as standard. By contrast I've seen how much the NHS struggles as my parents age. Appointments missed and then cancelled because the letters don't arrive, etc. The poor standards and inefficiencies of the NHS are scarier than gun crime to me, I can tell you.

These anti-American posts are both tiresome and amusing, actually, as they just highlight how ignorant and ill-informed people are.

Though Europe is a trek, I'll give you that.

Some of these reasons are stupid.

If the OP's husband is going into a decent job, healthcare shouldn't be a problem. US healthcare is terrific if you're fortunate enough to have the right insurances.

Things like gun threat, scenery, lifestyle - entirely dependent on where you live.

Connecticut is a wealthy, liberal state. Great lifestyle.

The best reason to not go is Trump, and what a second term could bring.

I was chatting with my son a couple of days ago, we were having a gripe about the UK and said I’m glad he wasn’t brought up in the US (my ex, his dad has lived in the US)

The reasons being:
the vastness of some of the suburbs (no sidewalks, have to drive everywhere),

the fear of school shootings, mass shootings generally

Cost of healthcare (probably covered in your dh’s job)

guns

their public (state) high schools (too big, weird hours, the general culture

Not having the total cost on price tags

Their normal tv is terrible

two point plugs

There are lots of things to love as well though.

Zero reasons. I am moving there very soon and is all I can think about. However, I believe in personal responsibility and love wealth creation incentives as oppose to the race to the bottom we have here.

I'm from the US and would go back tomorrow if I could. Its a huge place, millions of people go about their day, every day, without being involved in shootings. You seem to be saying you'd be wealthy do healthcare wouldn't be an issue.

You've got to be comfortable where you're living though and if you don't want to go, then don't.

If you think being opposed to kids getting shot in school is ‘anti-American’ and tiresome then so be it. I find it abhorrent that nothing is ever done to stop this. You never do anything - how awful. After Sandyhook the whole world looked on in horror. And nothing changed.

It’s a perfectly good reason to not want to live somewhere. Just because you don’t see people carrying around guns every day.. go have a look at how many people die. You’ve all become desensitised to it and that’s the problem.

Doesn’t happen anywhere else..stop making excuses for it and downplaying how awful it is.

And loads have guns in their family homes (for protection) , some don't keep them as secure as they should. I've read so many stories of kids getting a hold pf their parents guns, accidentally discharging them, taking them to shoot their high-school etc etc. It is disgusting, there needs to be restrictions like there is in the UK.

I wouldn’t move because I like living in the U.K. It’s not a complete shithole yet! Plus they wouldn’t have me. I did live there many years ago though, and there are lots of peaceful suburbs and small towns where crime is really not an issue, although obviously overall it is a much more violent country than the U.K.

It might be a nice thing to do for your descendants though. It is a huge country extremely sparsely populated. Whatever horrors climate change has in store, the USA should be able to feed it’s population many times over. While in Britain, we’ll be busy fighting over the last turnip.

Absolute BS. The leading cause of childhood deaths in the US is accidents. Far, far behind that is cancer. Far, far, far behind that is homicide, which includes any violent cause of death.

you must be very worried for her

Also, here people are murdering with wherever they can get their hands on. Machetes, knives, hunting rifles, cross bows. There are many people murdered here everyday in the most horrific ways like honour killings and gang violence.

Yep - look at the stats at young children getting shot in homes.

No idea why this is all brushed over. I could never live somewhere like that

Nope you’re wrong. See attached stats. Again more denial on how messed up your country is

Guns
Drugs
Reliance on cars
Religious nutters
Aggression
Entitlement
Shit food

Apparently it's accepted by US citizens that they'll get food poisoning several times per year. Not only do they pump animals full of antibiotics and allow a % of faeces and hair into meat products, they also pad food out with corn starch, which has practically no nutritional value, and use corn syrup as a hidden sweetener to make food more appealing and make you want to eat more.

TBH that fact alone would be enough to put me off.

Guns
Healthcare
Cost of higher education
No paid mat leave
No paid holidays to speak of
Trump
Religious right
High crime levels
Restricted access to abortion
Extremes of wealth and poverty

Oh God yes, politics and healthcare.

Those saying you'd be alright because you'd get it covered by work are missing the point that, morally, some people would find it a reason not to live there because it's an unfair system.

One word:- guns.

The car insurance of the car that caused it would pay it.

And if for some strange reason that wasn't enough, your health insurance would kick in. All health insurance plans must, by law, have out of pocket maximums, after which the insurance must pick up 100% of the charges. Health insurance premiums are deducted off income tax. There are also tax-favorable Health Savings Accounts where people can save to pay for health costs, including braces, OTC meds, etc. If all else failed you could just not pay the bill, because healthcare debt is not reported to the credit agencies, again by law, so healthcare debt doesn't affect your credit score.

My US colleagues ARE available 24/7. Their ‘choice’ to the point of when they do take their pitiful vacation time they will
still get up early and check emails every day.

Haven’t RTFT but the food industry would put me off. It’s dysfunctional and I would worry about the food quality.