Where Else Can You Live
by Roberta B. Turner

If you are one of the Americans who are simply fed up with the state of our country, you might be considering moving somewhere else. So how do you determine the right places to consider?

For me, I want to be in a country where I feel secure, somewhere that has rules and regulations to keep its citizens safe from harms way. I would like to have freedom of speech and to be able to participate in social life and make lasting friendships. I would like for the language spoken to be partially English since I would want to be able to communicate when I meet friends, shop, and do normal daily activities.

This is the first step in how to begin the task of researching possible locations. As a Floridian, the Caribbean comes to mind as a possibility. The Bahamas islands are close and the Bahamian culture is one that I respect and admire, so that is one possibility. As an American, I can live there legally so the next step would be to determine which island, and the cost of living it offers. But before I go there, I would like to expand my options. The Turks and Caicos Islands are beautiful and present another possibility. And, like the Bahamas, they are close to Florida and English is the spoken language.

Canada is another option, but I am not someone who likes to be cold. So, I have to short-list that country.

Going to Central or South America doesn’t work either because of the language issues and, in some countries, the unstable governments and crime.

For me, that leaves Europe, and the two countries that appeal to me the most are Italy and Ireland. The rationale for these two countries is that I can relate to the cultures of both, since that is what my heritage is. Italy requires that you apply for a permit of stay and it’s the 31st safest country in the world. This puts it well ahead of other popular destinations such as the United Kingdom and the United States. And expatriates do indeed feel very safe in Italy.

Ireland is a little more difficult for Americans and, because of the climate, I have to eliminate it from my list of places to consider.

So, when I read about all that is going wrong in the United States, I feel that as Americans we need to find ways to help correct the issues and put demands on our government officials to make better decisions and unite our country and return it to its once glory. There is no other place I would rather live, but I don’t want to continue to experience our current terrible political policies. We need to speak up and be heard so we can fix the problems and go back to being the greatest nation on earth.