Cyprus-Forum.com

[Maximus]

Of course I have.

Are you the warden of Mordor?

[Paphitis]

https://www.rt.com/usa/463826-court-battle-boy-transition/

You should read this,

This mans civil liberties have been hijacked by the courts in the land of the Stars and Stripes.

You couldn’t make this up..........

I feel sorry for his son.

He is the victim and caught in the crosshairs of the insanity spreading across the western world.

Err Max,

I am sorry but I am not reading an article from a Russian mouthpiece and basing my judgment on that. What you have posted is propaganda. I have been to the USA, and wife has lived there. It isn't a backward place. In fact it's quite the opposite and far superior to Russia I am afraid in terms of living standards and human development index. Now Russia is a place I would not dare go for work. Absolutely friggin insane to move a family from Australia to Russia which is a literal shithole! Moving to the USA wouldn't be a bad move. Australian Pilots are moving over in batches as fast as the American Sponsor Airlines can process them through their training infrastructures and apparatus. It is a capital and resource heavy sausage factory. I have been put in touch with some of our expats who have moved families over and they have provided an accurate rundown. They seem to be happy and also flourishing. Kids have gone over as well and they have their support networks. Everyone sticks together and they have the odd barbecue and get togethers to watch Australian Football as well and they wives get to chat and connect and help each other with schooling and baby sitting.

I have been to the USA. One thing the US Citizen has and dare I say we do not, is enshrined Civil Liberties into a Bill of Rights of the US Constitution. This literally trumps everything both in Australia and in the EU and the US takes it extremely seriously and the Bill of Rights is enforceable by the Federal Courts. The courts have not hijacked a thing.

But like anyway, including Australia and Europe, the US legal system is expensive and not easily accessible to the average joker on the street which can undermine people who do not have the means to pay. The legal system there is built for the rich like everywhere else. No different to the EU.

The big difference though is this. Free speech is mandated and protected. In Australia and the EU it isn't. Freedom to worship and practice religion is protected. In Australia and EU it isn't. Freedom to bear arms even is protected. OK that may not work so well for them but it is a great example of how serious they are to protect the rights of citizens.

You also said they are becoming so progressive and that all weird bullshit ideas about 1000 genders and such nonsense originated in America. It hasn't. You can be tried for manslaughter if you abort a baby in the some States of the USA. And they still have the DEATH PENALTY for serious felons. That's not progressive like Australia, EU or one of the Scandinavian countries at all...

And to be totally honest with you, I see a lot of debauchery coming out of the EU and Australia. I literally cant get my head around some of the bullshit.

[Maximus]

Oh paphitis,

If you go, you are going to be in for the shock of your life.

Russia will become the last bastion of hope for you.

[Paphitis]

Oh paphitis,

If you go, you are going to be in for the shock of your life.

Russia will become the only bastion of hope for you.

Hardly mate.

The biggest shock I'm in store for is a bit of home sickness because Australia really is a pretty country and offers stuff the USA can't in terms of the kind of lifestyle I like.

I wouldn't say placed like New York, Washington, Chicago, Denver, St Louis, Dallas, LA or San Fran will give me a shock at all. I really don't see the much difference to Australia when you put things into perspective.

I also send my kids to private schools in Australia and pay for that, and I know that there is a great private sector in the USA which is very high end stuff.

[Maximus]

If you say so,

I am just a little surprised in how you perceive things over there compared to Europe and Australia.

[Paphitis]

If you say so,

I am just a little surprised in how you perceive things over there compared to Europe and Australia.

People are different Max.

I do like the lifestyle Australia offers which in my opinion you can't get in the USA or Europe. Maybe you can but in isolated pockets. Which is why I am leaning West Coast USA.

Wife likes the New Yorker lifestyle which I am grappling with. But yes, New York is a really exciting and fast metropolis where everything is possible. I can enjoy it but not sure for how long.

Wife talks about New York like its literally paradise and you will meet God there. Whereas I think God is located in Noosa and Bondi.

[Maximus]

Everything certainly is possible in america, including what I am saying and that poor mans situation regarding his kid.

[Paphitis]

Everything certainly is possible in america, including what I am saying and that poor mans situation regarding his kid.

Look, in the USA you have people below the poverty line, the majority who gravitate to the middle classes and some people who are obscenely rich.

Corporate America is full on. Business is conducted on a different scale over there.

America can be a brutal country to the poor and vulnerable. That is a fact. There is no health care, and not much of a safety net but the State does offer some level of protection. But it's not like Australia or one of the Scandinavia countries in Europe which are far more compassionate towards the vulnerable, and there is universal health care and pretty much free education. So yeh, you can find the good and bad but you got to put it into context. Explaining it simplistically is only going to give you false impressions.

Australians and Scandinavians are also taxed for it don't forget and that impacts on their wealth and economy. whereas the USA has lower taxation levels which means the US Government has room to move. If they raised taxes to Australian levels, the US Government would reap Trillions overnight and wipe out their debt so there is no doubt in my mind that their economy is one of tremendous scale and possibilities.

They can provide everything Australia offers but they have to rethink everything and right now the American worker doesn't want to pay huge tax.

The airlines over their are also the biggest companies in the world. Only China has 2 companies as big. No where else is there anything on their scale.

[Paphitis]

If you gave Americans a vote about universal health cover accompanied with a tax increase to pay for it, the majority it seems would be against it.

In Australia and Europe its the opposite.

Americans seem to be so anti socialist. They want low taxes and be responsible to provide their own health cover.

And when you look at it they are probably better off because a health system in Australia and Scandinavian countries is provided for, people are affectively paying a lot more money than they would if they had to take out their own insurance. I kid you not.

It comes down however to what kind of society you want.

there really isn't a right or wrong here. You really need to unpack it and place yourself in the shoes of an Australian or Swedish tax payer who has free health but is paying up to 50% in tax or up to 60% tax in Sweden's case. That isn't nice at all.

Then put yourself in an American tax payers shoes and work out where will you be better off.

The Australian and Swedish model is most certainly more compassionate and cohesive as it provides better services to the poor. That is true.

[Kikapu]

Is the USA the best country in the world?

Let's look at it!

Low cost of living - check!
Low cost of housing - check!
Good education system - check!
Good infrastructure - check!
Sense of community - check!

Paphitis,

Having lived in San Francisco, California for 25 years from 1979-2004 before moving to Switzerland, for me it was fantastic being in the states having traveled across the country extensively flying and driving, but mainly in the Western half of the states. I loved it from the moment I arrived when I was 25 years old at that time and no family, so I was only responsible for myself. I knew no one there, but that didn't matter as Americans are very friendly people, but not necessarily your friends, as the term "friends" varies in different countries.

Western USA for me is far more appealing than the rest of the country, only because of it's landscapes and it's beauty, which can change rapidly if you are driving for few hours. The highest point in the USA and it's lowest point are only about 70 miles apart and they are both in California, so that should give you some indication of the landscape layout. The eastern half of the USA is flat as a pancake.

No, the USA does not have the beaches for swimming that Australia has, aside from few area like Florida, some parts of southern California and parts of Texas in Galveston.

I would say property prices in Australia and the USA are similar in like for like places. California with it's 40 million population which is far more than whole of Australia and perhaps only 1/10th land mass of Australia, you have a lot to deal with from a lot of traffic to higher taxes to higher home prices. Many people commute 1-2 hours each way to work and home if they live around Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area or San Diego. I have driven from Adelaide to Sydney along the coast for two weeks and did not experience any kind of traffic that you will experience around all major cities in the USA. New York state is not much better if you settle in NY. Since most of the hubs for the airlines are around major cities, you are not going to be able to escape traffic jams or large populations, and with it's large populations comes crime, poverty, stress, not knowing your neighbours as most have a busy life of their own and so on.

USA is a huge 24 hours a day, 7 days a week consumer based market, so it may be cheaper to buy clothes, household goods, cars and eating out than Europe and Australia. Some states have State Tax along with Federal tax and some do not. Some states have sales tax and some do not. California has tax on everything they can get their hand on. Life is different if you lived in Utah, Oregon, Washington State, Arizona, Nevada or New Mexico etc. than California where living is cheaper and quieter in those states. No matter what, you always end up having to drive a lot to get to where you want to go, because public transportation is not very good in most parts of the states, which is why your wife prefers NY. However, the weather in the west is much better than the east, as the heat is dry in the western states and humid in the eastern states, which can be unbearable at times.

Good schools usually comes in good neighbourhoods where you live. More affluent the neighbourhood, better the schools and class sizes. Higher education can cost a lot of money in Universities, or much less at community colleges. Good grades can get scholarship from good schools for your kids or interest free grants from the government. You will be gone from home 3-4 days at a time flying around the country no matter which part of the country you end up with, so it is important that you place your family where is the least problems for day to day life for the family when you are not there, especially if your wife wants to work also. Most kids get into trouble because parents are not around as both parents work to support the family. Life can be very tough on families at times. Most Americans and their family get their healthcare through their employers as benefit, and if one parent is laid off, it can be financial hardship on the family. Fortunately, your salary will be quiet high, so you can manage if your wife was laid off, but it can be a major problem if you are laid off or sick, and as unlike in Europe or Australia where the state will help you to get you back on your feet and not become homeless, you will find less help in the US. It is often stated, that most people are one paycheck (paycheuqe) away from being destitute.

I now live in Switzerland for the last 15 years and I love it here as it is far more suitable for my needs at my present age, but I have never regretted going to the states in 1979 from the UK, and if I were 25 years old again, I would do it all over again, so, for you and your family can be a big move to go to the US, and since most moves have some risk in them regardless if you move across town, country or continents, one thing for sure, it will bring new experiences to your life. My advice is, go ahead and make the move to the US, because you will never know otherwise what it could have been if you don't. You can always move back to Australia if all else fails. I never had to, to go back to the UK, so perhaps you won't have to either. If you have some savings and some family support, it will make your move to the US easier in the event of job loses. America can be a tough place to live, but also exciting, which is why I sill go to the states once or twice a year because I have a strong attachment to the country, not to mention I still have my sailboat in San Francisco and my friends. I love American food as there is a very wide range in quality, style and cost when eating out, but never never short of places to eat and choices in what to eat.

Good luck to you and your family in the USA. If you do not go, you may regret it much more than regretting it if it fails after you make the move. That has always been my philosophy and it has worked for me in my life, but it is not for everyone, especially when you have a family to move half way around the world where they have their friends and life as they know it in Australia, because after a short time, they will lose their Aussie accents and become just like any other American kids. At first, the other kids might not even understand them because of their accent, but they will survive, so, no worries mate!