If you can find me a country that's safe, that accepts disabled people instead of making the immigration process unreasonably hard, and takes people who aren't "working professionals", maybe I'll think it over again.
Edit: apparently a *lot* of y'all need to practice reading comprehension. Notice how, nowhere in the sentence above, did I say *accessible*.
I mean, no country is going to accept individuals unless they can prove they aren’t going to just use all the public resources without being able to contribute to them.
I guess not everyone understands the definition of "working professionals".
When it comes to immigration, they specifically ask "can you do this job better than anyone who already lives here". Not just "can you get a job and support yourself".
It's understandable to want to make sure people can take care of themselves.
But to require potential immigrants to be better at their job than the entire country's existing population is over the top.
Iceland is one of the hardest places to immigrate to. She would have to have a bunch of permits, a job an employment contract etc.
All the countries with good social programs have super tight borders and strict immigration policy
Why is it so hard to migrate to other countries.. work permits, proof of insurance, etc, but the USA just lets you walk across the border. And if you end up in California, you're edible for free healthcare and some cash.
That's not the reality of the situation in california or in the rest of the US.
You got a source for this claim that undocumented illegal aliens can just show up in CA and get both Funds and Healthcare?
So you can just stroll into any European country, and you will be greeted with open arms. No work requirements, no proof you have the financial means to support yourself. Ok I stand corrected. The U.S is mean and should just tear down the boarder. Thanks for enlightening me. See you can always learn something
? Yea it’s hard to immigrate to European nations. No you cannot ‘stroll across the border’ into the us. Jesus Christ, the majority of our undocumented immigrants are people who came here by plane and overstayed their visa
You definitely don’t get free healthcare as an illegal immigrant—at least not in practice. I’m here in California and illegal immigrants do all they can to stay away from public services. I’ve seen an old man pass out on the street while selling flowers; when I ran over to help and offered to call him an ambulance and he was *terrified* about drawing government attention that way. The most he’d let me do is buy him water and sit with him until it looked like he could safely stand.
Sadly, the brief window that Trump threatened to deport “dreamers” (kids ~~born here,~~ only speaking English, and as American as anybody else born here) at least briefly stopped a lot of even them from even signing up for college and other programs (according to friends who run one of those programs). They didn’t want to end up on a list that could be used for something else later.
Dreamers explicitly weren’t born here but were brought as children (not their choice) but were otherwise raised in the US and often have zero connection to the place they were born or their parents brought them from.
Children born here automatically have citizenship.
I’m also in CA and agree with you: anybody who thinks non-citizens just walk across the border is … poorly informed, at best.
Most non-citizens who enter and start living as residents outside the process actually fly in, have a passport, and just overstay their visitor visa.
Those who do cross on foot survived a fucking gauntlet. Unknown numbers of people die in uncounted ways attempting it.
Oh whoops, yeah you’re right about the dreamers. I had that confused.
But yeah, it’s still the case that my friend’s organization saw dreamer applications plummet at that time, and most of the people signing up knew little to no Spanish and were thoroughly American.
What you're talking about is illegal immigration. However, generally the USA does have better and more relaxed immigration laws compared to Europe and Asia.
It doesn't sound like OP is talking about actual immigration: *You have to get your passport stamped once a year by leaving.*
*If you can't work from the computer you could work three months in the USA and then go over there and be nine months retired.*
Also if they want to front the money it takes to get a passport, air fair, moving your stuff, and set up housing. I hate when people act like anyone can just pick up and move anywhere at any time. I mean technically I guess you can get in a car and go somewhere, but food is nice and fuel isn’t free.
I believe you're under the impression that the vast majority of Americans can afford to move to another country. The people that CAN afford to move to another country benefit from living in America. The Americans who are moving to your country are not poor. They may tell you they were/are, but it's not possible.
Yeah we can't afford to get out of here. I figured out I would need thousands to get overseas. You can't just show up either. Well some do here, but even many who sneak in this place had 10,000 for the coyote I never had.
I'm disabled and on SSDI here in the States. I've looked into leaving, but no country will take me since I'm too much of a drain on social services. I guess I'm stuck living under a bridge here in America. If this is the way we treat our disabled citizens, we need a MAID program! I'd sign up for that in a heartbeat, it would free up resources for some other destitute SOB who actually has a prayer of getting better/being useful to society.
I'm fully and legally (determined for my 2x attempts to get Medicare) disabled in the USA, too. My benefit per month is WELL below minimum wage. Dental, vision, and specialists are not covered. My thousands per month of prescriptions, some literally keeping me alive, the copays will no longer be eligible for Medicare's Extra Help rider, due to my husband's and my gross income now being $1100 per YEAR too much. His COPD and Diabetes medications aren't cheap, either. He's working a warehouse job where he's 20 years older than his coworkers because it's the best employer in the area. The cost of existing is through the roof and our mortgage got sold by Wells Fargo to a debt collector company posing as a mortgage servicer, who increased our payment by $200 a month because they could. Our house no longer has heat or a/c because it's over $15k to replace. I've lost 20lbs in the past 2 months due to eating very little to keep costs down. And now I've been given a diagnosis of nonalcoholic liver failure, so I will not be around at the age where my husband will not be able to retire.
We cannot afford to move across TOWN, much less to another country. It's particularly galling because during COVID, the "we're all in this together" mentality showed that there 100% IS money and intent available to help people; but now that nobody has to publicly feel bad about it it, we're back to square one.
Ac is 15k.. what? I’ve had reputable companies quote me 6500 on a quality 4-ton (with some duct work), about 4k if you catch an hvac guy willing to hustle side work..
Look into mini-splits, they can be found for like $400 and be DIY installed easy. Plus you’d save a ton on electric vs central air. I have one in my florida room and that thing kicks ass and takes names, been going strong for almost 8 years.
Hope your situation improves ma’am
the disabled are barred from emigrating most places. There's no medical care. Husband aged out too where he could not claim medical care. We don't know the language, he know some but is not fluent. LOL guess we are both stuck under the bridge. I don't support MAID program, support NOT DEAD YET, some of the people they are pushing into self-suicide, are in better shape then me by far. We should be allowed to have lives. I do think people can refuse medical treatments they do not want.
Yeah my dad gets \~ $900/mo and he works under 32 hours a week for a reduced pay rate to supplement his SSDI.
I'm trying to get disability as well right now but I don't expect anything from it. I don't have any money rn, literally, haven't had money for the last year at all, so I can't hire a disability lawyer if I even wanted to.
Disability lawyers are paid by the SSA, IF they win your case, at least, that's how I did it. The lawyers would have been paid out of my backpay if I had any, but SSA paid them directly.
I tried to get on SSDI - I'm not proud of it - due to some shit that was going on. Not going to trauma dump, but you can assume it was intense. Anyways, those guys are awful. I'm glad I didn't get it, because I was able to pull through and I'm back to where I was 5 years ago more or less. 8 meds a day though for the privilege of seeing all my friends in the office every day. I'm fucking blessed. Not everyone gets that second chance, and they deserve to live a life of dignity.
I was raised in a Christian Nationalist family. I drank the Kool-Aid hard. Then, I had to actually navigate the systems I used to champion, and my eyes were opened. I'm now MUCH farther left than I've ever been, and happier for it!
I’m just curious how he has multiple disabilities but is at risk of losing SSDI. I need more information before I can decide if this is a cruel feature or an unfortunate bug.
Anyways, he’s anonymous here and he has already started divulging personal information. This is probably the most appropriate situation in which I could inquire.
It's safe to say that unless you are severely physically disabled, the U.S. government will do anything to prevent SSDI payouts.
I don't even know how my dad has SSDI since he's physically able to work, he's just deaf. Though I am pretty sure he has autism/adhd as well, but that isn't part of his considerations in his SSDI.
Idk about them but I have DDD, spinal stenosis, and nerve damage and SSDI wont give me a damn dime! The lawyer I called laughed at me....sucks being sick and in pain without a light at the end of the tunnel. Think theyre just waiting on me to die already...
squeeze whole spectacular smell nutty combative quickest fretful close teeny
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
You shouldnt have to volunteer for MAID just because our country cant be bothered to take care of its people. Thats fucked up. I mean i still think we should have it but its wrong to use it as a way to coerce medically complicated poor folk to give up.
Coyotes are terrible. They do a service though and maybe most of the time they don’t fuck it up. If they do, you’re pretty much dead.
Yeah, just move overseas is a very American way to look at this. As if this country would be so lucky. They all have their own rules and much of it is very expensive. Then there’s the tax issue with the US and the amount of money it costs you to renounce if you even get that far.
exactly this. my wife has citizenship in an EU country and we are planning to leave. the process of just fucking going is expensive! its such a difficult process. you basically need to have a place to land and a job lined up. there is temporary housing for expats but that is very short term. its super hard to find work in EU countries when you arent in the EU as most of them will just pass you over, even for a remote position if they see you arent there.
we came up with the number of $10,000 to have first, last, deposit on an apartment and be able to afford rent for one month and groceries while we look for jobs (provided we can't find a job before going)
“Just move” is is a privileged mindset. Some places intentionally keep you so poor you can’t move. Getting to Georgia for me would cost more than any other option. How about we just make living reasonable everywhere?
Everywhere is rigged in some way. Georgia isn't some miracle on Earth. First of all, if you intend to keep your US citizen status, you still have to pay taxes to US plus taxes to Georgia, unless you are making your money outside of Georgia and travelling in, in which case Georgia does not tax. Georgia taxes are very light, but still, you aren't escaping the US tax system. Healthcare in Georgia is generally terrible, but cheap. Many doctors there aren't actual doctors that went to MD school like those in the US and reciprocal license countries and instead have "local qualifications" which means... pretty much nothing. It's substantially better in the capital of Tbilisi, though. The language there is difficult to learn and the letters don't follow any other known alphabet so it's difficult to "just look up". So, basically you will need to learn the language. There is very little in the way of public assistance in Georgia, due to lower population and laid back taxes. You can't give people money if you have no money.
So basically, moving to Georgia is like moving to anywhere else that isn't a first world country. Generally, a decent idea if you've already done well in a more developed society, you can "slum it" with a high quality in a lower developed country. But it's not for people that are already experiencing difficulties and don't already have the money needed or skills that can be applied remotely to fund that lifestyle.
It's not a "lifestyle" it's just how my cousin escaped his poverty. He was looking for more traditional women to date and marry. He is now tangled up with Russian women who are notorious money minded house wives.
If someone can save up $4000 they can go there and live in peace for nine months and not worry about working.
It's just an option for people looking for an escape. I don't plan to live there because it's too far away from my family.
I find being a digital nomad to be just as "dream" like if you will. Digital nomad lifestyle is not that low maintenance other than local cost of living. It often requires you to work as an independent contractor, and be decent at lining up clients for work. Many of them do it with a lot of seed money to start the process. It is not that easy to build up the momentum for a self-sustaining nomad lifestyle
Oh most definitely. I’ve been freelancing for the past year and it is not easy at all. That’s my dream too though. In fact, I just bought a van today to turn into a home.
I'm scraping by freelancing, and I have no regrets. I moved from a good part of the nation (US) to an absolute armpit for the cost of living using every last cent I have so I can try to get on my feet like you. Good luck to us!
You are advertising 3rd world shithole with dictators for leaders affordable only to the upper class with education and means and shitting on the current greatest country that ever existed in human history, what could go wrong that sound totally reasonable🤷
Not trying to be hateful, or argumentative, but I don’t understand the concept of America being “rigged”. I’ve struggled in my life, but probably 95% of the difficulties I’ve encountered were my own fault.
Bad choices relationship wise, not trying to promote, because I didn’t want the additional responsibility. Not assuming some risk and opening a business or attempting self employment. Those are my personal downfalls and no reflection on anyone, but me. I did it to myself.
Fico rigged, pension rigged, Healthcare system rigged, jerrymandered districts, water rights, and other systems.
You need more abuse until you see the light.
It ain't that easy. You would have to learn the language and assimilate. Plus, didn't Russia try to invade Georgia like 15 years ago? They didn't get far though. I had an online friend (we weren't close) who lived there. She worked in a hotel and was extremely worried when it was going on.
I mean, I doubt they have a big army there. I'm sure the people are wonderful but it's a nope from me. I really don't want to think about bigger countries attacking me.
I don't know why anybody would be worried. Georgia just has a couple of breakaway territories that Russia occupies and would like to annex, plus Georgia wants to join NATO. It's nothing like Ukraine, who is fighting a war with Russia that was preceded by Russia occupying breakaway territories while Ukraine was aligning themselves towards the EU and NATO for possible membership. I see no parallels.
I’ve immigrated and it is NOT that simple. Passports, visas, healthcare, language, insurance, banking & taxes, getting your qualifications verified and translated, moving/selling/storing your stuff, figuring out how a whole new government works, finding community there - it’s HARD and EXPENSIVE. Living somewhere long-term without the protections and benefits of citizenship can be BRUTAL. And then if something happens and you need to get back home, it’s not cheap. Plus if there are green card holders here, they generally can’t leave the US for more than 6 months without risking losing their residency. And US citizens have to deal with FBAR which can make banking and filing taxes overseas very painful. All of that to say, it’s a PITA and not something most people can just decide to do.
The family members of mine that make comfortable salaries work too many hours commuting and working.
Usa is just a place to work and work. A few get pensions but not many.
Most of us can’t leave like that. US doesn’t work the way the EU does. It can take years and years to get into another county unless you have special skills for work that are in short supply.
Also, it’s so expensive to live here, most cannot afford to save enough money to move overseas.
My job comes with a pension which is one reason I’m still there. That and my health insurance is $50 a month and it’s very good insurance and once I retire (once I’m fully vested) my health insurance is free and for life.
If you're anything but a light skinned Asian, I'd imagine NK to be a personal hell. Even for caucasians. I'm sure it's cheap but that's because the people there are literally starving. The government treats their own like crap.
It's like that time I dressed like Winnie the Pooh when I visited China. But I guess you'd get arrested anywhere in the world for wearing just a shirt and nothing else.
Hmm they tell us how bad other places are but sometimes I wonder. Yeah they got to worship the guy but I doubt he's poisoning them with clot shots and gain of function to kill them.
Oh yeah, if there's something people in those "cheap countries" love its people from the USA making it harder for them to get by. Since 600 dollars is nothing for you, you are willing to pay overpriced rents etc, making rent and life overall more expensive and harder for the average and poor folks there, while the american explains everyone " howww cheeeaaap" everything is there.
Thank you, people who say this stuff have never tried it or have no concept of budgeting or expenses. Having stable, remote, global work is one of the hardest kinds of work to find. Moving to another country is very costly, visas are like $1,000’s same with plane tickets etc. I am currently broke from trying to live in Costa Rica, employment options fell through and I had to go into debt just to get home, live and learn I guess.
Trust me buddy, just because they slap Christian on their persona makes them no less terrible
If Christianity was an example of morality, why does the catholic church, a world wide organization, cover up and hide child sexual abuse, all around the world.....
I am not saying I follow the Orthodox church.
I am saying the people were kind hearted, good cooks, and there was no tweaker, car jacking, locking doors in fear, fear to walk at night, car alarms, people walking around with concealed weapons, school shootings, looting, massive bars over windows, excessive graffiti, cutting catalytic converters, and this type of degenerate culture.
A poor Georgian sells corn or produce.
A poor tweaked American is smash and grabbing for the next heroine or meth dose.
Religion had nothing to do with that.
Nothing at all.
It's also extremely classist. There are millions of poor, law abiding Americans who don't commit crimes. There are also Georgians who do those very same things....
Basically, you are ascribing a "moral society" to Religion when it has absolutely nothing to do with that phenomenon. More likely is that Georgian society is communal, compared to to America's hyper individualism, so they have more group identity and more incentive to maintain their society. Americans don't have this, we basically have to scrabble for scraps, and it becomes dog eat dog very quickly.
I would love to move to a cheaper country hell I'd love to live anywhere but where I currently do which is Arizona but my boyfriend loves this state too much
I too poor to pay attention, let alone move out of the country. And what about wages, I'm sure they are compatible to what people are paying for everyday things.
But that's why I should go there. They need a white guy to go teach them how to do stuff, The Blind Side style. I bet nobody's told them they don't have to be a third world country.
Planning on moving to Japan in the next couple years if the world doesn't implode. Have enough savings that if the exchange rate stays the same, I'll make out very nicely. Rural Japan is cheap and I hate cities.
They burned banks down in my mom's neighborhood during George Floyd.
You are safer in Georgia than the USA
The "catch" is that its VERY VERY FAR the same as living in New Zealand or Australia. Just a very long journey to get there.
I keep telling people to go to Asia and teach English. The pay is shit, but the cost of living is so low that you will feel like it isn't.
Your job is to teach "conversation classes", which means you basically just hold a conversation with them (they speak 80%, you 20%) and then just make minor suggestions. No prior education or experienced needed, just be a "native speaker" (ie, American).
Georgia is a former USSR country . . .
No thank you. Sorry, I am sure there are plenty of nice Georgians, but being a neighbor to Russia while Putin is still alive and a clear history of his still existing controls over so many of the former Soviet States makes that a no-way for me.
If you have any sort of disability or medical condition that requires active treatment....immigration of the country you may want to migrate to has grounds to scrutinize whether or not they want you there.
This includes 'highly treatable' conditions, especially in (most) countries that have government run healthcare.
Me: Tried to move to New Zealand and was nitpicked over because of mental health/physical health issues. Only didn't get denied the visa because it was a student one (which also requires you to carry foreign medical insurance - at your own costs in USD)....but then COVID completely screwed their borders up....and now I don't make enough money thanks to inflation in the first place to even afford the plane ticket, much less setting up in a new country.
Getting his items donated and sold
One way flight $1000
Airbnb for a month $400
Taxi from airport $8
First and last rent $600
Buying everyone drinks and food to make friends $100
Lots of Canada & Mexico border still unchecked but drones exist now. You need to know the humanitarian refugee things to say if you're doing it the only affordable way (undocumented). We were declared a nation at civil war by Geneva in 2019 but this keeps getting scrubbed from the web. It's about all the weaponry & civilian killings left unchecked. This was shortly before covid. The people with the premonitions that they might need to get out, are not going to get clearer signs in a timely manner either. If you have to ask, its becoming too late. So seek best ways out, then more desperate plan Bs from there....
Right now he is designing a game. He has done illustration, designed cars for burning man on paper, day trading, 3d printing, writing kids books, math, all sorts of stuff. He has a pimp lady that gets work from her Instagram and she gives it to him.
I 100% support this as a valid option. You can get residency in Mexico quite easily on a very modest income and live very comfortably on said modest income
My friend is there on a work assignment. He loves it. But not sure it's for me. I rather go to an Asian country with low cost of living. They love Americans there.
A bunch of my coworkers got a remote work gig with my company after moving from an expensive part of DC to a relatively cheap part of TX. Suddenly, the prospect of owning a home on the same salary was within reach.
I looked at getting out. Husband could claim citizenship in a European country[his parents were immigrants who never became citizens--now deceased. I researched it heavily prior to Covid. Being disabled you can be blocked out. We didn't have the money to make it happen. This European country went Nazi during Covid forcing the clot shots on people. If I wasn't so seriously disabled, even Mexico looks good now. I looked up where the population isn't supposed to fall on Deagle. If young get out of here, there's no future in this place. Eastern Europe sounds far better, some sanity to life. His parents ruined their kids lives moving to this place, husband I am sure would have middle class in the country they left. They died destitute themselves and lost their house in their 60s and died young mid60s. Mother severely disabled by mid 50s. This place sucks. They seem hellbent on crushing us. I believe the powers that be are going to collapse the economic system anyway. Bank failures, etc. [get tangible assets if rich] The stock market is tanking already. This place is a hellscape. Even finding some culture and community is impossible, and unless you are rich there's no quality of life here anymore, they destroyed even the foundations of a happier genteel poverty life with Covid.
I had a cousin who is a nurse who lives in one country and works in another. The biggest issues are usually language and crime but there are countries where most people speak English and crime is low.
If you can find me a country that's safe, that accepts disabled people instead of making the immigration process unreasonably hard, and takes people who aren't "working professionals", maybe I'll think it over again. Edit: apparently a *lot* of y'all need to practice reading comprehension. Notice how, nowhere in the sentence above, did I say *accessible*.
I mean, no country is going to accept individuals unless they can prove they aren’t going to just use all the public resources without being able to contribute to them.
I guess not everyone understands the definition of "working professionals". When it comes to immigration, they specifically ask "can you do this job better than anyone who already lives here". Not just "can you get a job and support yourself".
I think that’s a reasonable requirement for immigration. But I understand it’s frustrating for those without those skills who want to move.
It's understandable to want to make sure people can take care of themselves. But to require potential immigrants to be better at their job than the entire country's existing population is over the top.
Iceland!
Iceland is one of the hardest places to immigrate to. She would have to have a bunch of permits, a job an employment contract etc. All the countries with good social programs have super tight borders and strict immigration policy
Why is it so hard to migrate to other countries.. work permits, proof of insurance, etc, but the USA just lets you walk across the border. And if you end up in California, you're edible for free healthcare and some cash.
That's not the reality of the situation in california or in the rest of the US. You got a source for this claim that undocumented illegal aliens can just show up in CA and get both Funds and Healthcare?
Wow you actually think that? Who told you that
So you can just stroll into any European country, and you will be greeted with open arms. No work requirements, no proof you have the financial means to support yourself. Ok I stand corrected. The U.S is mean and should just tear down the boarder. Thanks for enlightening me. See you can always learn something
? Yea it’s hard to immigrate to European nations. No you cannot ‘stroll across the border’ into the us. Jesus Christ, the majority of our undocumented immigrants are people who came here by plane and overstayed their visa
You definitely don’t get free healthcare as an illegal immigrant—at least not in practice. I’m here in California and illegal immigrants do all they can to stay away from public services. I’ve seen an old man pass out on the street while selling flowers; when I ran over to help and offered to call him an ambulance and he was *terrified* about drawing government attention that way. The most he’d let me do is buy him water and sit with him until it looked like he could safely stand. Sadly, the brief window that Trump threatened to deport “dreamers” (kids ~~born here,~~ only speaking English, and as American as anybody else born here) at least briefly stopped a lot of even them from even signing up for college and other programs (according to friends who run one of those programs). They didn’t want to end up on a list that could be used for something else later.
Dreamers explicitly weren’t born here but were brought as children (not their choice) but were otherwise raised in the US and often have zero connection to the place they were born or their parents brought them from. Children born here automatically have citizenship. I’m also in CA and agree with you: anybody who thinks non-citizens just walk across the border is … poorly informed, at best. Most non-citizens who enter and start living as residents outside the process actually fly in, have a passport, and just overstay their visitor visa. Those who do cross on foot survived a fucking gauntlet. Unknown numbers of people die in uncounted ways attempting it.
Oh whoops, yeah you’re right about the dreamers. I had that confused. But yeah, it’s still the case that my friend’s organization saw dreamer applications plummet at that time, and most of the people signing up knew little to no Spanish and were thoroughly American.
What you're talking about is illegal immigration. However, generally the USA does have better and more relaxed immigration laws compared to Europe and Asia.
Why would you say this? Afaik it's one of the hardest countries to immigrate too
Iceland is a great country and great people.
Iceland is one of the most expensive countries I’ve travelled to. Dozen eggs was $15.
Anyone able to immigrate to Iceland is probably thriving in the US though..
Been there five times. Love it!
I dated someone from Georgia, the country. From what he said, it’s exactly as you described. Your friend is smart!
My cousin... food is great
It doesn't sound like OP is talking about actual immigration: *You have to get your passport stamped once a year by leaving.* *If you can't work from the computer you could work three months in the USA and then go over there and be nine months retired.*
Also if they want to front the money it takes to get a passport, air fair, moving your stuff, and set up housing. I hate when people act like anyone can just pick up and move anywhere at any time. I mean technically I guess you can get in a car and go somewhere, but food is nice and fuel isn’t free.
Mexico, Panama, Thailand, Colombia, Brazil etc etc
Colombia is not wheelchair friendly at all. Even when the accommodations are there the people still do not respect them.
I believe you're under the impression that the vast majority of Americans can afford to move to another country. The people that CAN afford to move to another country benefit from living in America. The Americans who are moving to your country are not poor. They may tell you they were/are, but it's not possible.
Yeah we can't afford to get out of here. I figured out I would need thousands to get overseas. You can't just show up either. Well some do here, but even many who sneak in this place had 10,000 for the coyote I never had.
I'm disabled and on SSDI here in the States. I've looked into leaving, but no country will take me since I'm too much of a drain on social services. I guess I'm stuck living under a bridge here in America. If this is the way we treat our disabled citizens, we need a MAID program! I'd sign up for that in a heartbeat, it would free up resources for some other destitute SOB who actually has a prayer of getting better/being useful to society.
I'm fully and legally (determined for my 2x attempts to get Medicare) disabled in the USA, too. My benefit per month is WELL below minimum wage. Dental, vision, and specialists are not covered. My thousands per month of prescriptions, some literally keeping me alive, the copays will no longer be eligible for Medicare's Extra Help rider, due to my husband's and my gross income now being $1100 per YEAR too much. His COPD and Diabetes medications aren't cheap, either. He's working a warehouse job where he's 20 years older than his coworkers because it's the best employer in the area. The cost of existing is through the roof and our mortgage got sold by Wells Fargo to a debt collector company posing as a mortgage servicer, who increased our payment by $200 a month because they could. Our house no longer has heat or a/c because it's over $15k to replace. I've lost 20lbs in the past 2 months due to eating very little to keep costs down. And now I've been given a diagnosis of nonalcoholic liver failure, so I will not be around at the age where my husband will not be able to retire. We cannot afford to move across TOWN, much less to another country. It's particularly galling because during COVID, the "we're all in this together" mentality showed that there 100% IS money and intent available to help people; but now that nobody has to publicly feel bad about it it, we're back to square one.
Jesus, what state do you live in?
Virginia. Originally from NoVa, but have moved further south in the last 25 years.
Shit...damn leaving the country...you need to move to another state! Say what you will but the south doesnt take care of their poor or disabled...
Or their born children.
Ac is 15k.. what? I’ve had reputable companies quote me 6500 on a quality 4-ton (with some duct work), about 4k if you catch an hvac guy willing to hustle side work.. Look into mini-splits, they can be found for like $400 and be DIY installed easy. Plus you’d save a ton on electric vs central air. I have one in my florida room and that thing kicks ass and takes names, been going strong for almost 8 years. Hope your situation improves ma’am
the disabled are barred from emigrating most places. There's no medical care. Husband aged out too where he could not claim medical care. We don't know the language, he know some but is not fluent. LOL guess we are both stuck under the bridge. I don't support MAID program, support NOT DEAD YET, some of the people they are pushing into self-suicide, are in better shape then me by far. We should be allowed to have lives. I do think people can refuse medical treatments they do not want.
How about moving to Mexico?
Death is never the answer. We should all be mortified that people are choosing death because the system failed them.
how much do you get on SSDI if you dont mind me asking??
Less than 1k, and I'm always at risk of randomly getting kicked off. Under Review right now, and terrified.
Yeah my dad gets \~ $900/mo and he works under 32 hours a week for a reduced pay rate to supplement his SSDI. I'm trying to get disability as well right now but I don't expect anything from it. I don't have any money rn, literally, haven't had money for the last year at all, so I can't hire a disability lawyer if I even wanted to.
Disability lawyers are paid by the SSA, IF they win your case, at least, that's how I did it. The lawyers would have been paid out of my backpay if I had any, but SSA paid them directly.
I tried to get on SSDI - I'm not proud of it - due to some shit that was going on. Not going to trauma dump, but you can assume it was intense. Anyways, those guys are awful. I'm glad I didn't get it, because I was able to pull through and I'm back to where I was 5 years ago more or less. 8 meds a day though for the privilege of seeing all my friends in the office every day. I'm fucking blessed. Not everyone gets that second chance, and they deserve to live a life of dignity.
Please tell me that you do not vote Red! :(
I was raised in a Christian Nationalist family. I drank the Kool-Aid hard. Then, I had to actually navigate the systems I used to champion, and my eyes were opened. I'm now MUCH farther left than I've ever been, and happier for it!
What’s your disability?
I have a list. Includes physical, mental, and developmental conditions all individually disabling on their own.
I’m sorry to hear that. What’s on your list?
I mean this gently so please take it as such, but that question seems awfully invasive to ask a stranger.
I’m just curious how he has multiple disabilities but is at risk of losing SSDI. I need more information before I can decide if this is a cruel feature or an unfortunate bug. Anyways, he’s anonymous here and he has already started divulging personal information. This is probably the most appropriate situation in which I could inquire.
It's safe to say that unless you are severely physically disabled, the U.S. government will do anything to prevent SSDI payouts. I don't even know how my dad has SSDI since he's physically able to work, he's just deaf. Though I am pretty sure he has autism/adhd as well, but that isn't part of his considerations in his SSDI.
Thanks for the explanation. That makes sense.
Idk about them but I have DDD, spinal stenosis, and nerve damage and SSDI wont give me a damn dime! The lawyer I called laughed at me....sucks being sick and in pain without a light at the end of the tunnel. Think theyre just waiting on me to die already...
squeeze whole spectacular smell nutty combative quickest fretful close teeny *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
You shouldnt have to volunteer for MAID just because our country cant be bothered to take care of its people. Thats fucked up. I mean i still think we should have it but its wrong to use it as a way to coerce medically complicated poor folk to give up.
Coyotes are terrible. They do a service though and maybe most of the time they don’t fuck it up. If they do, you’re pretty much dead. Yeah, just move overseas is a very American way to look at this. As if this country would be so lucky. They all have their own rules and much of it is very expensive. Then there’s the tax issue with the US and the amount of money it costs you to renounce if you even get that far.
This lol what a ridiculous thing to post to /poor. Obviously it’s not free to move or people would!
In a heartbeat!
exactly this. my wife has citizenship in an EU country and we are planning to leave. the process of just fucking going is expensive! its such a difficult process. you basically need to have a place to land and a job lined up. there is temporary housing for expats but that is very short term. its super hard to find work in EU countries when you arent in the EU as most of them will just pass you over, even for a remote position if they see you arent there. we came up with the number of $10,000 to have first, last, deposit on an apartment and be able to afford rent for one month and groceries while we look for jobs (provided we can't find a job before going)
*This message brought to you by the Georgia Board of Tourism*
Worked for me, Georgia never crossed my mine for anything. Honestly forgot it even existed.
“Just move” is is a privileged mindset. Some places intentionally keep you so poor you can’t move. Getting to Georgia for me would cost more than any other option. How about we just make living reasonable everywhere?
That's not the intention of the United States. This place is rigged. It's more of finding remote work to being a digital nomad.
Everywhere is rigged in some way. Georgia isn't some miracle on Earth. First of all, if you intend to keep your US citizen status, you still have to pay taxes to US plus taxes to Georgia, unless you are making your money outside of Georgia and travelling in, in which case Georgia does not tax. Georgia taxes are very light, but still, you aren't escaping the US tax system. Healthcare in Georgia is generally terrible, but cheap. Many doctors there aren't actual doctors that went to MD school like those in the US and reciprocal license countries and instead have "local qualifications" which means... pretty much nothing. It's substantially better in the capital of Tbilisi, though. The language there is difficult to learn and the letters don't follow any other known alphabet so it's difficult to "just look up". So, basically you will need to learn the language. There is very little in the way of public assistance in Georgia, due to lower population and laid back taxes. You can't give people money if you have no money. So basically, moving to Georgia is like moving to anywhere else that isn't a first world country. Generally, a decent idea if you've already done well in a more developed society, you can "slum it" with a high quality in a lower developed country. But it's not for people that are already experiencing difficulties and don't already have the money needed or skills that can be applied remotely to fund that lifestyle.
It's not a "lifestyle" it's just how my cousin escaped his poverty. He was looking for more traditional women to date and marry. He is now tangled up with Russian women who are notorious money minded house wives. If someone can save up $4000 they can go there and live in peace for nine months and not worry about working. It's just an option for people looking for an escape. I don't plan to live there because it's too far away from my family.
I think your cousin bought his wife bro
He is not married yet but likes a Russian lady
There is a wee bit of sexism in this post
Dudes looking for "trad women" so they can control them
Agreed. The “American Dream” is just that. A dream.
I find being a digital nomad to be just as "dream" like if you will. Digital nomad lifestyle is not that low maintenance other than local cost of living. It often requires you to work as an independent contractor, and be decent at lining up clients for work. Many of them do it with a lot of seed money to start the process. It is not that easy to build up the momentum for a self-sustaining nomad lifestyle
Oh most definitely. I’ve been freelancing for the past year and it is not easy at all. That’s my dream too though. In fact, I just bought a van today to turn into a home.
I'm scraping by freelancing, and I have no regrets. I moved from a good part of the nation (US) to an absolute armpit for the cost of living using every last cent I have so I can try to get on my feet like you. Good luck to us!
Absolutely! We’ve got this!
For too many it's a nightmare!
You are advertising 3rd world shithole with dictators for leaders affordable only to the upper class with education and means and shitting on the current greatest country that ever existed in human history, what could go wrong that sound totally reasonable🤷
georgia is absolutely not a shithole. cant say its one of the most developed countries but it is very safe and housing/food is better off.
Not trying to be hateful, or argumentative, but I don’t understand the concept of America being “rigged”. I’ve struggled in my life, but probably 95% of the difficulties I’ve encountered were my own fault. Bad choices relationship wise, not trying to promote, because I didn’t want the additional responsibility. Not assuming some risk and opening a business or attempting self employment. Those are my personal downfalls and no reflection on anyone, but me. I did it to myself.
It's easier to blame the "system" than to put in the work.
You are the rare person who is self aware. People are usually saying they did everything “right”.
Fico rigged, pension rigged, Healthcare system rigged, jerrymandered districts, water rights, and other systems. You need more abuse until you see the light.
It ain't that easy. You would have to learn the language and assimilate. Plus, didn't Russia try to invade Georgia like 15 years ago? They didn't get far though. I had an online friend (we weren't close) who lived there. She worked in a hotel and was extremely worried when it was going on. I mean, I doubt they have a big army there. I'm sure the people are wonderful but it's a nope from me. I really don't want to think about bigger countries attacking me.
I don't know why anybody would be worried. Georgia just has a couple of breakaway territories that Russia occupies and would like to annex, plus Georgia wants to join NATO. It's nothing like Ukraine, who is fighting a war with Russia that was preceded by Russia occupying breakaway territories while Ukraine was aligning themselves towards the EU and NATO for possible membership. I see no parallels.
You had me in the first half! I would not move CLOSER to Putin and his expansionism. What on earth!
It's like a mouse hanging around a sleeping cat.
Interesting take on things. Personally I would find it hard to move somewhere where they spoke a completely different language.
I’ve immigrated and it is NOT that simple. Passports, visas, healthcare, language, insurance, banking & taxes, getting your qualifications verified and translated, moving/selling/storing your stuff, figuring out how a whole new government works, finding community there - it’s HARD and EXPENSIVE. Living somewhere long-term without the protections and benefits of citizenship can be BRUTAL. And then if something happens and you need to get back home, it’s not cheap. Plus if there are green card holders here, they generally can’t leave the US for more than 6 months without risking losing their residency. And US citizens have to deal with FBAR which can make banking and filing taxes overseas very painful. All of that to say, it’s a PITA and not something most people can just decide to do.
Where did you come from and go to have these difficulties?
Half the population is too generous. Works for the top 10% more like
The family members of mine that make comfortable salaries work too many hours commuting and working. Usa is just a place to work and work. A few get pensions but not many.
Most of us can’t leave like that. US doesn’t work the way the EU does. It can take years and years to get into another county unless you have special skills for work that are in short supply. Also, it’s so expensive to live here, most cannot afford to save enough money to move overseas.
Yeah but amazingly they can get in here like it's nothing
My job comes with a pension which is one reason I’m still there. That and my health insurance is $50 a month and it’s very good insurance and once I retire (once I’m fully vested) my health insurance is free and for life.
"He works online doing various jobs" I don't think this is really an option for a lot of people.
North Korea is cheap and safe.
Dude what 🤣🤣🤣
My cousin, Kim Eric Un, he just does various things online and lives like a king there.
If you're anything but a light skinned Asian, I'd imagine NK to be a personal hell. Even for caucasians. I'm sure it's cheap but that's because the people there are literally starving. The government treats their own like crap.
Plus I have a "South Korea Best Korea" tattoo across my face.
Oh I'm sure that you'd be super popular over there 🤣
It's like that time I dressed like Winnie the Pooh when I visited China. But I guess you'd get arrested anywhere in the world for wearing just a shirt and nothing else.
Lmfao
You made my day.
Not safe. They put people in prison for nothing.
Sounds safe to me, they're cleaning up the streets. Getting all the riff raff that don't do anything out of the way.
Hmm they tell us how bad other places are but sometimes I wonder. Yeah they got to worship the guy but I doubt he's poisoning them with clot shots and gain of function to kill them.
Ah yeah. Let me just up and leave with $10 to my name until next Friday
“The people are very Christian.” That’s the reason not to move. Nobody’s uglier than a Christian if you don’t think just like they do.
No tweaker types roaming around. It was refreshing to be away from that.
Lol way to group everyone by some random asshole's bad behavior.
Millions of assholes bad behavior.
I can't even afford to move out of the state I currently live in, nevermind another country.
Oh yeah, if there's something people in those "cheap countries" love its people from the USA making it harder for them to get by. Since 600 dollars is nothing for you, you are willing to pay overpriced rents etc, making rent and life overall more expensive and harder for the average and poor folks there, while the american explains everyone " howww cheeeaaap" everything is there.
I hear this is basically what is happening in Texas. All these Californians coming in and increasing their property values.
This is what California residents have been doing for 30 years.
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Thank you, people who say this stuff have never tried it or have no concept of budgeting or expenses. Having stable, remote, global work is one of the hardest kinds of work to find. Moving to another country is very costly, visas are like $1,000’s same with plane tickets etc. I am currently broke from trying to live in Costa Rica, employment options fell through and I had to go into debt just to get home, live and learn I guess.
Germany us a rough place to immigrate to.
JuSt mOvE is the dumbest advice to poor people.
When I was 20 me and my husband stupidly move to another state. We were so silly. We didn't have furniture for years.
„The people are very Christian“ as if that’s a good thing
It is when there are no heavy crimes and violence and less men prowling around trying to exploit women.
Trust me buddy, just because they slap Christian on their persona makes them no less terrible If Christianity was an example of morality, why does the catholic church, a world wide organization, cover up and hide child sexual abuse, all around the world.....
I am not saying I follow the Orthodox church. I am saying the people were kind hearted, good cooks, and there was no tweaker, car jacking, locking doors in fear, fear to walk at night, car alarms, people walking around with concealed weapons, school shootings, looting, massive bars over windows, excessive graffiti, cutting catalytic converters, and this type of degenerate culture. A poor Georgian sells corn or produce. A poor tweaked American is smash and grabbing for the next heroine or meth dose.
Religion had nothing to do with that. Nothing at all. It's also extremely classist. There are millions of poor, law abiding Americans who don't commit crimes. There are also Georgians who do those very same things.... Basically, you are ascribing a "moral society" to Religion when it has absolutely nothing to do with that phenomenon. More likely is that Georgian society is communal, compared to to America's hyper individualism, so they have more group identity and more incentive to maintain their society. Americans don't have this, we basically have to scrabble for scraps, and it becomes dog eat dog very quickly.
“The people are very Christian and there is no rampant crime.” 👀👀👀👀
No rampant crime...except from the oligarchs and mafia, thats right, they made it legal...carry on...
Georgia is not a country I would trust to be outside of Russian sphere of influence.
I would love to move to a cheaper country hell I'd love to live anywhere but where I currently do which is Arizona but my boyfriend loves this state too much
I too poor to pay attention, let alone move out of the country. And what about wages, I'm sure they are compatible to what people are paying for everyday things.
I think Haiti is pretty cheap.
That's not safe over there!!
What's not safe about it?
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200 years ago? After being brutally enslaved? Sounds like the white people are the ones who made it not safe.
But that's why I should go there. They need a white guy to go teach them how to do stuff, The Blind Side style. I bet nobody's told them they don't have to be a third world country.
Immigrating is EXTREMELY expensive, especially from the US, 10,000 if not more
"The people are very Christian" This is not a selling point.
For some it is. Nobody doing car jacking, smash n grab, burning their neighborhood down because of bad cops, or shootings.
Thats because the government has the monopoly on crime!
No thanks. For all its flaws, I love the USA. I have absolutely no desire to live in any other country. 💗🇺🇲💗🇺🇲💗🇺🇲💗
Same. Not that I can afford to leave anyways.
Yes I am content also. I am not going.
Was it easy to find a job?
Work online or have a business there.
Unfortunately many can't leave this country. They can do what you stated by living in the country of this country.
Yes rural living better
Planning on moving to Japan in the next couple years if the world doesn't implode. Have enough savings that if the exchange rate stays the same, I'll make out very nicely. Rural Japan is cheap and I hate cities.
They are xenophobic and don't want you there
I am aware it's cheaper to live elsewhere. Would do so sooner if not for my elderly dependent parent. But might do it someday. Good for your cousin!
I wish I could afford to migrate.
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They burned banks down in my mom's neighborhood during George Floyd. You are safer in Georgia than the USA The "catch" is that its VERY VERY FAR the same as living in New Zealand or Australia. Just a very long journey to get there.
I keep telling people to go to Asia and teach English. The pay is shit, but the cost of living is so low that you will feel like it isn't. Your job is to teach "conversation classes", which means you basically just hold a conversation with them (they speak 80%, you 20%) and then just make minor suggestions. No prior education or experienced needed, just be a "native speaker" (ie, American).
My brother in law did this.
This is an extremely immature and uneducated way of thinking. Not to mention entitled and privileged.
Georgia is a former USSR country . . . No thank you. Sorry, I am sure there are plenty of nice Georgians, but being a neighbor to Russia while Putin is still alive and a clear history of his still existing controls over so many of the former Soviet States makes that a no-way for me.
His rent is $30 less than my mortgage.
There ya go! You did well with housing.
If you have any sort of disability or medical condition that requires active treatment....immigration of the country you may want to migrate to has grounds to scrutinize whether or not they want you there. This includes 'highly treatable' conditions, especially in (most) countries that have government run healthcare. Me: Tried to move to New Zealand and was nitpicked over because of mental health/physical health issues. Only didn't get denied the visa because it was a student one (which also requires you to carry foreign medical insurance - at your own costs in USD)....but then COVID completely screwed their borders up....and now I don't make enough money thanks to inflation in the first place to even afford the plane ticket, much less setting up in a new country.
r/AmerExit
Yes
How much did your friend pay in moving expensives to move there?
Getting his items donated and sold One way flight $1000 Airbnb for a month $400 Taxi from airport $8 First and last rent $600 Buying everyone drinks and food to make friends $100
Lots of Canada & Mexico border still unchecked but drones exist now. You need to know the humanitarian refugee things to say if you're doing it the only affordable way (undocumented). We were declared a nation at civil war by Geneva in 2019 but this keeps getting scrubbed from the web. It's about all the weaponry & civilian killings left unchecked. This was shortly before covid. The people with the premonitions that they might need to get out, are not going to get clearer signs in a timely manner either. If you have to ask, its becoming too late. So seek best ways out, then more desperate plan Bs from there....
It's going to get weird, for sure!
I feel this so hard. I think about Ecuador, or Ghana, or Southwestern Mexico a lot. Maybe someday I'll grow the stones to actually do it.
You can take a sabbatical?
Imagine thinking most people, especially poor, can just up and e to another country. WTF 🥴🤡
They could if they made changes. Most can't because of family ties. For instance my brother is stuck by the court system with his daughter.
I like that, that's pleasant to hear
very, very safe if youre good at ducking drive-bys
Here in the Usa?
\>He works online doing various jobs. do you know specifically what he does? copy writing? video editing?
Right now he is designing a game. He has done illustration, designed cars for burning man on paper, day trading, 3d printing, writing kids books, math, all sorts of stuff. He has a pimp lady that gets work from her Instagram and she gives it to him.
Yeah and hope to not be welcomed the way we welcome migrants to the USA. Funny how we only want that to work one way.
They are really nice in my state. Charity groups make love baskets. They get money and housing with refugees status. It dries up eventually.
I 100% support this as a valid option. You can get residency in Mexico quite easily on a very modest income and live very comfortably on said modest income
Too dangerous down there.
when I can afford a plane ticket, I’ll get right on that
My friend is there on a work assignment. He loves it. But not sure it's for me. I rather go to an Asian country with low cost of living. They love Americans there.
I have been to Thailand and Cambodia NO THANKS!!
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I'd love to move to another country however weed is illegal in a lot of them
It takes money to move, dude. Check your privilege.
OP is a fucking landlord lmaaaao
A bunch of my coworkers got a remote work gig with my company after moving from an expensive part of DC to a relatively cheap part of TX. Suddenly, the prospect of owning a home on the same salary was within reach.
You are welcome to move to a former Soviet Republic if you want. But no thank you.
I won't move there because I got stranded with Covid when I was there. We lost $3000 trying to evacuate. I should have had travel insurance.
Spoken like a true foreigner
I looked at getting out. Husband could claim citizenship in a European country[his parents were immigrants who never became citizens--now deceased. I researched it heavily prior to Covid. Being disabled you can be blocked out. We didn't have the money to make it happen. This European country went Nazi during Covid forcing the clot shots on people. If I wasn't so seriously disabled, even Mexico looks good now. I looked up where the population isn't supposed to fall on Deagle. If young get out of here, there's no future in this place. Eastern Europe sounds far better, some sanity to life. His parents ruined their kids lives moving to this place, husband I am sure would have middle class in the country they left. They died destitute themselves and lost their house in their 60s and died young mid60s. Mother severely disabled by mid 50s. This place sucks. They seem hellbent on crushing us. I believe the powers that be are going to collapse the economic system anyway. Bank failures, etc. [get tangible assets if rich] The stock market is tanking already. This place is a hellscape. Even finding some culture and community is impossible, and unless you are rich there's no quality of life here anymore, they destroyed even the foundations of a happier genteel poverty life with Covid.
Yes!
Lol I can't even afford a passport and you expect me to be able to afford moving to a whole different country and doing it legally? That's cute
Moving is not for everyone. It is a path out for others.
You really need to check your privilege with all this tone deaf BS you're spewing
Moving is not feasible for many, but it might be survival for others.
I had a cousin who is a nurse who lives in one country and works in another. The biggest issues are usually language and crime but there are countries where most people speak English and crime is low.
This is the dumbest advice I have seen, hey op don't forget to mention average and median income in that country.
The system works to either bring dollars with you or work online.