Personally, I spent the Biden years unsuccessfully trying to switch careers and immigrate away from the USA/ Rust Belt. I have had little success in either, but now I understand why it was so hard for “good people” in “Germany” to get out of dodge. Did a lot of food access mutual aid when I had the time and resources, felt pretty impotent though. Having mostly recovered from the two failed attempts to improve my situation, I am trying to figure out what to do next in the New New Neo Shin Age of Monsters we find ourselves in. While the Democrats smized and handed us over “peacefully” for pogroms, territorial grabs, limitless pollution, genocides and domestic terror in the name of their sacred oligarchic democracy, I wondered if there was some other decent way forward for the sane that I was missing.
For those who do not understand the analogy, I am comparing our situation to these:
Yeah, we have friends who went that route. One obstacle to overcome there is the difference in economy between the Rust Belt and the places you mention. My family is barely middle class in the Rust Belt but because the dollar is much more powerful here, we would take a social ladder tumble elsewhere in the stolen lands. Might be a sacrifice worth making since expatriating entirely has recently (since '23-ish) become so difficult.
Minnesota is Midwestern priced and within driving distance of a border.
Getting to and over the border isn’t really the problem. The Canadian Government is currently experiencing a rightward lurch, and a part of that has included severely restricting the ability of middle class and lower to gain visa status. The laws change frequently and generally have gotten worse for us.
I am a big fan of the Twin Cities culturally.
I understand that stance for sure. My border proximity is less for running because of rights restrictions and more based on the necessity for humanitarian aid if things get too spicy. I arrived at a similar conclusion about where Canada, and the rest of the Western world to be frank, is going. We just tend to lead the pack on things like modernizing fascism here in the US.
Leaving Missouri for Minnesota has done loads for the mental health of myself and my family. I cannot recommend this place enough especially if you’ve mostly only experienced states run by people who think that governments can’t actually do things.
Yes I can imagine leaving the slaver’s stolen territory they call “Missouri” was a good move 😜 . Bet you feel significantly less “compromised” now.
Same for us. That’s why we moved to inland (away from the coast) Maine. It’s fairly rural but within 45-60 minute drive to medium-sized cities. Most everyone living in our area commutes this for work. However, at home our money goes a long way.