Today, I was talking to someone who is fairly moderate. I do not talk politics with them. Out of the blue they said one grandparent was born in Europe and they are working on getting passports because the country allows for it. They are making preparations to escape if things get really bad in America. They said things are falling apart and hyperinflation may hit in early 2012.
This is the weirdest thing. Do any European countries allow return if a great grandparent came from there?
It would depend on the country, I would think. However, if the US goes to hell, what would the rest of western nations look like?
Leaving the US for Europe would be the very definition of jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
And you really have to earn it. Know the language, pay big $, etc. And you will never, ever fit in.
The world is not like America.
The collapse of the U.S. Economy would be a big enough splash to take out a good portion of global trade, that would negatively effect a good number of western countries in the least.
I don’t think they can escape the repercussions so easily.
Impressive how committed they are to their country and their fellow Americans.
My Mother’s family came from the Hebrides or Western Islands. I would sort of like to live there but would never leave my Grandchildren.
There are a couple of good things about the islands tho. They are one of the few areas of Great Britain which are still fairly religious and are also known to be more conservative than the mainland. From what I have seen on the internet and National Geographic, they really are beautiful.
While it was sorta for Economic reasons it was mostly that they missed living there and all us kids were grown, so they thought why not?
I would consider the former eastern-bloc countries, like Poland, Czech Republic, or Slovakia, because the people there understand what tyranny is, and don’t take their freedoms for granted, also they somewhat try to retain something of their culture without kowtowing to the Muzzies, like in the rest of Europe.
More than 1 million Americans now live in Mexico - better climate, lower cost of living.
Ecuador, Guatemala, and a host of other countries are filled with ex-pats.
You do not have to be a citizen to live full-time in many other countries. International Living magazine had its annual rankings of other countries in January of February.
http://internationalliving.com/2010/02/quality-of-life-2010/
It is an interesting read.
Getting citizenship is another story. It is possible to do so in places like Italy, as long as your grandparents never actually renounced their Italian citizenship. For those who qualify (rules are a bit more than I’ve stated), you would not give up your US citizenship, you would add Italian citizenship. Some follow through with this in order to participate in the benefits of the EU. Others for nostalgic reasons, or whatever. In my own case, one set of my grandparents came from Italy, but my grandfather served in the Army here to get citizenship. The Oath renounces citizenship in any other country.
More than you asked...
On two separate occasions last year, I happened to sit next to some people at a rather exclusive location. These were/are very wealthy people. They had sold everything they had and were just floating around here and there, content to rent or stay at hotels here and there.
This family will stay in the US. This is where we’re from.
However, I could not wait to get home (to Texas) after a couple weeks.
In the brief time I was there it was the little things that got to me: no ice in drinks, weird system of ordering food in fast food places (go to the display counter... then go to a register to pay and get a ticket... give the ticket to the guy behind the counter), narrow roads, I like driving American made V-8s that use fuel... too expensive to do that anywhere in Europe, etc.
I know there's more to living abroad than this... but if these "little" things ticked me off... I couldn't imagine having to deal with the big things like emergency medical care, buying a home, on and on.
Americans were planning to leave the USA if McCain or “The One” were to win in 2008. Obama had Millions of us in fear that we were gonna wind up in a Hitler like administration,and look at whats happened since Obama took office. Can you imagine the mass exodus if Obama wins in 2012?
Europeans have no guns. The coming locust swarms across the Mongolian plains will eat them alive.
Yamamoto, the Japanese admiral, understood the perils of an American invasion...”a gun behind every blade of grass”
Having traveled in or worked projects in most EU nations, I would definitely pick Germany.
My wife and I are prayerfully considering a request to go to Kiev, Ukraine as missionaries.
My father was born in Germany. I lived in Germany for two years and really disliked it.
Having said that, I spent the year in Sweden last year and found it much more tolerable and dare I say Americanized. I left bank accounts and we have Swedish personal numbers and may have to use it as an escape hatch. Though it is much too cold for me. I am thinking of looking into Chile. But, yeah, for certain we are thinking of exit plans and just what would be the catalyst.
It is relatively easy to get Irish citizenship if you can prove a parent or grandparent was born in Ireland.
I have a friend who did this just to get a European Union passport. This makes him a dual citizen, along with his children.
Contact an Irish consulate or the embassy for details.
My family came to America in the 1640s. I’m not going anywhere.