Thread Drift

[ny biker]

Whereas here in Virginia, one of my few consolations is that we keep Tim Kaine as one of our senators.

I saw this link on facebook, thought some folks here might be interested.

http://jezebel.com/a-list-of-pro-wom...big-1788752078

I know a young woman who was adopted. She was still a child at the time but not especially young, because she had "special needs" -- health problems which include mental health issues. She was crying the other night, worried about people who rely on mental health services and what will happen to them in the next few years. She's lucky that she has a loving family to support her, but not everyone is that lucky. I'm worried too. And really I'm not talking about politics here, I just feel meanness is winning. So I am looking over the organizations listed in that article, to make some donations and maybe do some volunteer work.

[emily_in_nc]

My mother and step-dad were joking about New Zealand as well, but from what I've heard it is very hard to get more than a tourist permit to go there and the cost of living is very high. I have no first-hand experience, but it sure looks like a gorgeous spot, though!

DH and I are talking about Mexico. I'm surprised that Canada is mentioned over and over, but never Mexico. Surprising, since with the peso's fall, it is incredibly cheap there, and there are plenty of very safe places with great culture. The entire Yucatan Peninsula is very safe. The city of Merida, for just one example: amazing food, expat infrastructure, museums, theater, gorgeous architecture, etc. It's a big city, though; not for everyone. And for those who still need to work, it is harder than for we retirees. The cycling infrastructure isn't nearly as good in Mex as in the US either. That keeps tripping us up as there are very few places we'd be willing to live there because of not being able to ride, or in only a very limited way.

I do agree, though, that we progressives are needed more than ever in the US. We'll certainly stick it out for awhile, but if things get too impossible, Mexico will likely be our exit plan. I hope things will not get as bad here as they could, and if things go really crazy, the midterm elections could really help balance things back out.

[Catrin]

I lived in Vancouver back in '83 and would move back in a heartbeat if I had the money. Frankly I've been shocked at the response from both of my sisters (one kept sending me pro-Trump links and others telling me that "your church isn't telling you everything" kind of thing). Ugh. Outside of TE, I've walked away from social media (especially Facebook) for a period of time as it's just upsetting and my stomach is in a knot. I can't do myself, or anyone else, any good by watching all of this stuff on Facebook, and it's upsetting that most of it is from my family.

Guess I knew before as I'm the only socially liberal lesbian Anglican in the family, but it really brings it home at JUST how different our worldviews are. They just don't seem to "get" that isolationist natiivism, white supremacy, homophobic, and misogynist policies actually hurt people, for real. I do have a couple of nieces who give me hope, but I wonder if there is really anything on which my sisters (and the rest of my family) and I agree. I don't think there is, and this week has really brought that home. Sorry for venting/mourning/whatever this is.

[Sky King]

emily_in_nc
right there with you. Was researching today. Will be a few more years, I think but time to get serious. My son and his GF are in Tulum this week and I told them they should just stay

I try to stay politically neutral but only to a point and I think this election just got me to that point. HUGS TO ALL! Be Strong together

[Crankin]

There's a lot of talk of moving, but I know I am not going anywhere...
Since I broke ties with family members who are racists 8 years ago, I don't see any pro Trump posts on FB. I have deliberately cocooned myself. I do, however, read, and it would be unrealistic for me to think that there's not a lot of Americans who are angry and unhappy. To me, it gets down to the fact that the world has changed, and certain jobs are never coming back, despite an incredibly low unemployment rate overall. That's reality. It's not the liberals' fault, it's progress, technology, and change. I am not sure what the solution is to this, except government investment in retraining, education, and small businesses. People don't like change. People are afraid of anything that is different, including other people. Heck, I hang out with those who think like me.
I was a wreck Tuesday night and had bad dreams all night. I didn't want to get up and turn on the news. I knew DH had gotten out of bed at 2 AM to look at the TV. I dealt with all kinds of grief and acute stress reactions in my clients and some of my peers I went to grad school with (the younger ones).
I am going way back to draw on my experience in the late 60s. We have the power to change things.

[emily_in_nc]

emily_in_nc
right there with you. Was researching today. Will be a few more years, I think but time to get serious. My son and his GF are in Tulum this week and I told them they should just stay

Seriously! Tulum is cool, though I think a bit too "young" for us. We certainly enjoying visiting, though.

[Eden]

My mother and step-dad were joking about New Zealand as well, but from what I've heard it is very hard to get more than a tourist permit to go there and the cost of living is very high. I have no first-hand experience, but it sure looks like a gorgeous spot, though!

Really? I just heard the exact opposite - granted it was from a teen - 20 something that we just bumped into on a bus in San Francisco, but we were talking (he was shocked at how crowded the bus was - he said in NZ public transportation is usually mostly empty) and he said they've a lot of unoccupied space and are looking for immigrants. He said Christchurch has been rebuilt since the quake, but that people have been reluctant to move back and that one of the islands (south?) is quite desolate. We know someone who moved there around a decade ago. He was simply sick of it here. Moving there seemed fairly simple for him, but he was still young and is an electrical engineer (I think, or a programmer) and highly skilled people are often given preference. I'm not sure what his wife does.

[Eden]

I'll admit my first reaction was just wanting to throw up and then to hide under the covers and fantasize that someone would find a big box of uncounted ballots from Pennsylvania... but I've been forced to take a big deep breath and remember

- We survived 8 years of G. W. Bush... we can survive four years of this. There will be setbacks and things will happen that we don't like, but we can still oppose them and we'll get through it. We've got 4 year terms and separation of powers in our government in part to limit the amount of damage any one office holder can do. If anything this can be a serious wake up call and an inspiration for the next term - don't take anything for granted and every vote counts.

- Our friends, neighbors and neighborhoods haven't suddenly changed and the people who supported you before haven't gone away. At least up here, which I will admit is insulated, being one of the bluest districts, in a blue city, in a blue state, it hasn't changed overnight. The people here are still the same and we will continue to be progressive. It may become more expensive as we won't be able to rely on federal dollars for the next few years, and we'll have to fight all the more for what we think is right, but again we'll get through it and we won't change. I feel for those who live in places where some people now feel free to publicly express racism, sexism, homophobia and other bigotries, but now, I guess, it's been made very clear how shallow it was buried and how easy it was to make it all surface again. Hopefully it will inspire more people to speak out and fight - and not just locally - here it's preaching to the choir...

- This was not a mandate - it wasn't even a majority.... It was closer than I like to think about, but the popular vote still went the other way. I believe it's absolutely time to rethink the use of the Electoral College. It's an outdated system that was made when a majority of voters were illiterate and communication was measured in day-weeks-months rather than milliseconds... This is the second time in my lifetime that I've seen a president elected without winning the popular vote. I think change is most certainly needed.

[emily_in_nc]

Lovely post, Eden. I agree wholeheartedly!

RE: Moving to New Zealand. I don't know a lot about it, but I do know that they have strict requirements for retirees (income related, mostly, I believe), and for working folks, they have some kind of points system based on your profession/expertise and their need for that type of work.

I would never move that far from my family, as long as I still have some family, so I haven't paid more than a cursory bit of attention to anything about moving to New Zealand. Would love to visit, though!

[Crankin]

I agree, Emily. My younger son may be moving to Hawaii after he does his initial training for the Army. That is just too far away. His other choice he put in for was Colorado Springs. It would be way more realistic that I would go to Colorado a couple of times a year. Hawaii is just too far. Now, they are in CA and I've even done long weekend visits.

[shootingstar]

Recent article by an American and immigrating to Canada: http://torontolife.com/city/life/dea...g-canada-hard/

I've been to Hawaii twice on different islands and I'm not sequestered on a beach: it struck me as quite different in "feel' than mainland U.S. but of course it's cultural history is just quite different. If it weren't for palm trees and flowered apparel, it felt like to me, like being in Vancouver, BC.

[emily_in_nc]

I agree, Emily. My younger son may be moving to Hawaii after he does his initial training for the Army. That is just too far away. His other choice he put in for was Colorado Springs. It would be way more realistic that I would go to Colorado a couple of times a year. Hawaii is just too far. Now, they are in CA and I've even done long weekend visits.

I love Hawaii, but flights to/from are tough on the system, especially west to east. You basically lose a night of sleep. I'd hope for Colorado too.