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Why Expats Should Consider A Move To Chile: Part I |
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Page 2 of 8
I never paid attention to what was
going on in our country. I was too busy earning a big, fat paycheck
to care. As long as I was comfortable I turned a blind eye to the
goings on of our government. I voted regularly, paid my taxes, and
just kept on truckin'. Then September 11, 2001 happened and my
whole life changed.
The first thing I noticed was the
increased racial profiling. If you were of brown skin and looked
"Arab" you could be singled out. My coworkers said "That's
ok. If it keeps us safe, then it is a sacrifice worth making."
"If it keeps us safe" became the
mantra of the country. People were willing to give up any and all
rights if it kept us safe, and our government exploited it to its
utmost. First the Patriot Act, then the Patriot Act II, and now
Bush's Buddy list. None of the measures that are being taken are
keeping us any safer than we were before. Not. One. Bit. We simply
allowed the fear-mongers to exploit us and ram these new laws down
our throats.
The other major problem in the US is
the sad treatment of our pensioners. These are people who worked hard
all their lives, helped shape the country, bring it to prosperity,
left it better than they found it, only to be left trying to figure
out if they are going to get their prescription medications or eat
each month. It is appalling, the amount of money which they are given
each month, and the US should be ashamed.
That is why so many seniors have moved
to other countries. Their Social Security dollars go much further and
they can live quite comfortably on it elsewhere. Others, like myself,
leave to other countries because we feel so strongly about the
political situation in the States.
Whatever the reasons, though, great
care should be given when making such a life-changing move. We need
to consider our health, finances, and lifestyle before making the
leap. Research on different countries should be done and if possible,
contacts in those countries should be made. I can not imagine having
done this without a good contact. It is possible to do without one,
but it may be more difficult, especially if you are considering a
move to a country where you do not speak the language. Something
else I find to be very important to consider is that cheap living
should not be the first and foremost consideration unless you are
very young, in excellent health, and willing to put up with a myriad
of difficulties that many of us in our more advanced or advancing
years simply would not wish to tolerate.
What did I mean by that last statement?
If you are (or were before you started to collect Social Security) a
middle-class American, you do not want to go to an undeveloped or
third world country. Yes, I have read the articles saying how you can
live like a king or queen on your social security in one of these
little island countries. There is a price to be paid for this,
though. The main price is substandard living conditions unless you
have quite a lot saved that you can buy in a very exclusive area. By
American standards, most houses in the Caribbean and South America
are inexpensive. Just remember, inexpensive is relative.
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Arica 
