Retiree expats leaving the country has never, ever been stupid people looking for a place that was unsafe or dirty.
It was people looking for some place where they could afford to live out their lives without humiliating circumstances.
I'd say it was more a matter of not preparing for a financially secure retirement. My retirement planning start way before I retired. That allowed me to retire once I turned 60 without any financial worries.
But yet most of these same people you say are not stupid still vote absentee for democrats to this day.