Coping: Where to Live in a Hostile World

by

Now that we have been home, and with the flu symptoms and aches & pains declining, we have gotten back to the largest problem in Life.

Which is:  Where to live to make “the most of it.”

As you may remember, I wrote a book 10+years ago titled “How to Live on $10,000 a Year – or Less.”   It has been hopeless copied and ripped off – my welcome to digital publishing.

It has always been a cornerstone in our thinking that living below our means makes sense for people of all ages.  Tomorrow I will be doing and update on our Peoplenomics.com site about how our plans for living well on Social Security for the two of us are doing.  Short summary:  Quite well.

But, to the point:

Our recent jog half-across America, hitting Dallas, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Amarillo, and so forth has brought something to light:  It was like a trip to another planet.

Around here, the people up the road are nice, the people over on 404 are great, and it’s a rare day to see more than three cars on the way to town.  People still confab at the meat department at Kroger’s and everyone stops and says “Howdy…” and expects an answer to “How are you doing today…”  People will wait for an answer, I kid you not.

That’s what rural America is.  It’s what Big Cities used to be.  But that has all changed and just in the past three years, or so.  Whether it’s the crookedness of D.C. Common Core kicking-in, or the general disgust that precedes people just walking away from faux civilization, I don’t know.

What we DO KNOW is that we are living in an increasingly hostile world.  People seem to be much more self-absorbed and it’s almost like they resent people for the slightest small infraction of good social graces, whether intended or not.  Couples go to dinner and text others instead of being in the moment.

That’s not healthy.

Out here at Uretopia Ranch, we cling to personal face-time. We enjoy plenty of space, lots of elbow room, a resident deer population that cowers this time of year behind the No Hunting signs, ham radio antennas enough to give a nice copper and aluminum overcast, gardening plots, greenhouse, decks, solar power and a well…

In theory, it should be perfect.

Except for one thing:  Emergency medical out here is just a tad on the slow side.

Even though we do not plan on being sick, once you hit Social Security age, you begin to think about items like “Drop-to-shock” times and so forth.  Walking to the store would be nice, too, but now we’re back into the kinds of issues that are making us a little more nuts than usual.

Take that “Walking to the store” bit.

We can’t to that here – a round trip “walk to the store is 26-miles.

We understand that walking in healthy, get there have been a lot of pit bulls showing up in small packs (3-4 animals) and we don’t wish to make enemies locally.

The fact is (and this is seriously wrong) we can’t really plan on walking to the store in most cities, it seems.  Papers are full of gang drive-bys and initiation shootings, beat-downs, and what have you.

We think we want to move, but we’re not sure how to pick where our next adventure will be.  Having the perfectly prepped place, the question is how to improve on things?  Other than build a fire station next door.

The metrics themselves are easy enough to list:

  1. Cost of Living
  2. Speed of emergency response
  3. Quality of local medical care
  4. Cost of property taxes
  5. Cost of state sales and/or income taxes
  6. Quality of government services
  7. Low priced water and sewer
  8. Cost of electricity
  9. Lack of idiotic government power-grabbing schemes (like Oregon telling homeowners what they can do with rainwater that falls on their land.
  10. State reputation and quality of voters
  11. Liberal marijuana laws
  12. Responsible police (not the asset forfeiture-crazed agencies than now take more from The People than burglars do… (A true and amazing fact, but noted by a kind reader.)
  13. Enough rainfall for minimal gardening (30” per year is a good number)
  14. Not too cold for too long (Elaine hates cold, touch of Renaud’s Syndrome)
  15. Not too hot for too long – George has eczema and sweat doesn’t help things.
  16. Moderate political values
  17. States and cities which are still American (not getting excessive invasion dumping and where the city hasn’t signed into the Sanctuary City leftist agenda – a collectivist plot to turn a Great Melting Pot into Quebec!).

We don’t have to go through the whole list this morning.  But a recent report from the Institute for Justice notes, for example, which states have a business interest in police taking as much property as they can via civil asset forfeitures.

The problem is that even when a state isn’t giving ill-gotten gains of government (e.g. those where due process is disregarded) even THAT isn’t a good indicator of whether that’s a good place to live.

Detail example: Civil asset forfeiture is still going on in Albuquerque, NM where the city seizes and sells over $1-million in cars per year simply for being suspected of being involved in a crime.  The owner’s involvement (and lack of knowledge) is not even considered.  Yet, as the IJ noted on one of its pages, the fact that New Mexico (in theory) doesn’t have civil asset forfeiture, doesn’t mean cities have actually given up what are now illegal practices.

Hell no.  They are still doing it in spite of a new state law last year.

Government, you see, doesn’t give up corruption easily. The stuff’s addictive, you see.

Government, as we are becoming acutely aware, will lie, cheat, and steal as much it can.

Problem is:  This all-pervasive corruption is infiltrating everything.  And with computer horsepower on the rise, not to mention the castle and moat up in Provo, a kind of Digital Dark Age is descending over the world.

And you wonder why people are depressed and hostile?  People feel it as an increase in pressure and that, if you hadn’t noticed, makes people generally crazy.

We’re having discussions about which of these search criteria to put first (we know we can make anywhere look great, depending on the ordering of criteria) but when comes down to it, there’s something to be said for the simple approach:  Money, rainfall and sovereignty sounds like a reasonable start.

New Mexico is off the list, already, though.  As much as we like some of the physical beauty of NM, the reality is it’s another porous border state and anything within 100 miles of a border is essentially a “Constitution-Free” zone per the ACLU.

Ideologically, we were hoping the next closest state to Texas (further from the border, no state income tax) would be Nevada…We both like the vibe of Las Vegas.  We I pay attention, I can actually make money gambling.

However, it fails on rainfall, and when we drove back on I-93, we noted that Lake Mead was still far down from historical water levels.

Not that you can see jack sh*t anymore from I-93:  That is all concrete enclosed…I like to thank all the Muslim jihadists for wrecking the sightseeing.  (Note to Leftie  Nutters: No, that is not a discriminatory statement…that’s a fact your alleged president can’t articulate because he’s a state sponsor of invaders.)

Truth makes people gag.

To me, figuring out which states are being disproportionately dumped on the Obamanizer  is high on my list of retirement criteria.

We have people who are waiting on legal entry lists (and have been for years) while the leftist coup in the District of Corruption slams us with invaders who hate us.

So that, tentatively takes Nevada off our shopping list since it was reported a year and a half back that anyone who wanders into Nevada can get a drivers license.  See http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/03/nevada-driver-authorization-card_n_4535905.html.

We haven’t learned shit from 9/11, have we?

Got to wonder how I’d be treated if we did move to Nevada and I wanted an undocumented license?

One way to solve the problem:  Require drivers to have insurance before getting a license.  Take this one to the bank:  Insurance companies would not be so sloppy as our government, no sir.

(ggrrr….growl…) It seems obvious the Obama administration is orchestrating the take-down of America.  People not from here end up with more rights than the people who are writing the checks for this Pelosi’ed and Boehner’ed clusterf*ck.  Paul Ryan will do well heading up the Obama wing of the GOP.  I expect Ryan will top $11-million in fundraising for next cycle. He raised $9.4 million in 2014.  And yes, office is bought as much as elected, no matter what anyone claims.

Elaine, being practical, wonders why I don’t just move to a partying town, have fun, and kick back and let the world slide by.  Why bother now?

Truth is:  I am flawed.

I believe if you talk the talk, you should walk the walk.  (This disqualifies me from holding office, naturally.)

If we are going to vote with our wallet to the tune of $300K worth of home, pay sales taxes, and live by the rules of local government, then it really does matter, who runs the local nest of vipers.

We’re kicking it around almost daily.  Tough question:  Do we try to get in one last lick for Liberty on behalf of our kids and grandkids, or so we swallow the corporate-government swill and do things the easy way?  Take the money and look t’other way?

Reader input is welcome, except from brother Bruce who we already know will extoll the virtues of Ecuador… 

Where’s My Damn Savings?  Healthcare BS

Obamacare will save us all money!!!…another media-circus lie.  I have first-hand experience.

Fact is:  My Medicare Part D prescriptions are going up 39% in 2016.  So is Elaine’s.

How Government would spin it:  George’s Part A & B is level at $104.90.  In the current year his total Medicare is $131.90.

In 2016 his cost will be $142.50.

Therefore is TOTAL INCREASE is “only” 8.03% and that isn’t so bad is it?

It’s actually more since my annual deductible is going from $320 to $360  (up 12.5%).

Crock of crap.  Next year the ankle grab will likely include an increase for Part A, B, and D as well.  Care to bet the benefit change – if any – won’t keep up?  This year it didn’t.

And this is what corruption looks like:  Not increase in benefits,. hike the costs…and the Unitary Party wonders why people have such a bad case of “Throw the Bastards Out”?

Be amazed, but not surprised.

If you’re under 50 your eyes may be glazing over, but this is how gramma and grandpa are being gang-banged by government and with luck, you’ll get your turn as a sub, too.  Human dumping, notwithstanding.  Your turn will come…

Climate HypeFest

No, I will not curl up and die, as one reader proposed (as a way to remove some of the planet’s hot air) but there were many more thoughtful comments including this one from warhammer who long-memory readers will remember was involved in the Air Force’s Owning the Weather: 2025 project…

George,

Yeah, I know you remember those old Comet cleaning commercials.  But to your point on cometary induced global climate change.

NatGeo says Egypt is the first ‘real evidence’ of a comet strike on our 3rd rock via Saharan glass and one of King Tut’s brooches:

http://www.space.com/23123-comet-earth-impact-first-evidence.html

SciAm details how a comet strike might have formed Canada’s huge Sudbury Basin:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/comet-strike-to-blame-for-canada-s-iconic-sudbury-basin/

More recently, around 13,000 BP, a comet is hypothesized to have fragmented over N. America and triggered the onset of the Younger Dryas after the end of the last glacial period, wiping out much of the pre-Clovis culture along with it (Solutrean/European migrants on the E. Coast included?)

Space.com asks a question in line with your article:  “Are Comets a Bigger Danger Than Asteroids?”

http://www.space.com/26264-asteroids-comets-earth-impact-risks.html

If, like the Younger Dryas comet, the projectile approaches from the polar zones instead of equatorially, there’s a decent chance of not seeing it due to the lack of telescopes and space platforms aimed in those directions.

Good article, sir.

And given his level of expertise in this, I’ll take that with a smile.  Thank you…and what is a very sloppy salute.  (My equivalent rank expired 47-years ago about the same time that the white Polaroid Swinger camera and the UFO pictures disappeared.  But that’s another story for another day.  We have more pressing on-planet issues to deal with right now…)

Write when you break-even (or when NYC sinks into the sea…)

George   george@ure.net

44 thoughts on “Coping: Where to Live in a Hostile World”

  1. Hi George, you really touched on my subject today. I wish to inform you of the near future destruction this planet has in store. Just take about ten minutes, and look at my research from a few years back. It will open your eyes, but I haven’t been able to get any traction with the ‘scientific’ community.
    http://2012forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=6319

    Keep up the good work for us last few ‘Mericans….
    Steve Pace
    Campbell, Missouri

    PS Look into to the Ozarks for relocating, Arkansas or Missouri…it meets your criteria.

    • The future to mankind is doomed I say Doomed.. oh well might as well live for today let tomorrow work it out tomorrow..

  2. Wyoming has some small towns that are similar to East Texas for political climate and culture and very favorable toward the retiree on taxes. Winter is a little rugged with the cold and the wind, but maybe you have a two homes approach for winter and summer?

  3. Have you considered Overland Park, KS? Great medical facilities, friendly people. Cost of housing seems high tho, and we live a pretty quite life style so I can’t comment on the party life. And winters can be cold. Not sure what the rainfall is but better than out west. But I think it’s a great place to be.

  4. Sorry I can’t help with the rearrangment of Titanic deck chairs. If deagle.com is any indication, most people will figure out over the next decade that the solution is to leave. If you decide to remain with the 20%, at least there should be a LOT of real estate to chose from, if you just stay put a while longer.

  6. Hi George:

    As you might be aware there is a huge difference between Las Vegas and the rest of Nevada… Clark County (Vegas) has gun registration. It is anathema in the rest of the state. Rural counties are consistently “red” in voting patterns whereas Clark is consistently “blue”.

    Keep up the great work

    Steve

  7. “(ggrrr….growl…) It seems obvious the Obama administration is orchestrating the take-down of America. People not from here end up with more rights than the people who are writing the checks for this Pelosi’ed and Boehner’ed clusterf*ck. ”

    Boy am I with you on this one.. back in the eighties.. jobs were tight I actually had to work six plus jobs to get enough to scrape by.. at one of the jobs they had a guy that some church sponsored to live in the us from another country.. they of course made sure he had his rent paid.. his wifes college tuition.. his schooling they got food stamps and state paid insurance.. they bought him a conversion van.. ( they were hot in those days.. ) anyway.. EIC tax refund came into being it was voted in so that people would spend it and punch up the economy.. at the end of the year.. I found out that those six jobs weren’t taking out enough taxes and I was going to have to pay in.. wasn’t much but some..
    at the same time this immagrant ( not even a green card that I know of. ) he showed me his tax return.. because he wasn’t an american citizen he got back what he paid in for social security and federal taxes.. what the company paid in.. he got the eic tax credit.. to boot his check was bigger than what I grossed working six jobs.. not to mention free rent new van etc etc.. I don’t mind if someone comes to the us to work and raise a family shoot we were all immigrants at some point in time.. but they should be paying what we have to pay and not get any of the benefits till they become citizens..Now we have what twenty million plus their families they want to ship back.. but bring in how many that no one knows if any of them are Trojans sneaking into our country and what disperse them all over the nation.. give me a break..

    • just try and get food stamps once.. if you have any assets at all a car less than ten years old or home etc..its not going to happen.. you literally have to have nothing to get them and then you are constantly reminded just what a looser you are.. to be american and need assistance by the same people whose job rely s on those receiving them.. yet for some ungodly reason bring in these foreigners and they can acquire all of them.. grrr..

      • The citizen is always tracked, fined, and taxed, the illegal is free to roam untaxed, untracked and unfined, and even now as it has been revealed, released back into the congo of America to kill, murder, maim, assault, rape, and pillage unencumbered due to the sanctuary cities and the obscummer not enforcing our immigration laws.

        With a wide open border and no accountability, continue to watch this criminal element proliferate in our country.

        Anymore, I refuse to attend churches that are so stupid as to think that by helping the invasion ahead of their own citizens is a good thing. It is not. It is the churches who have also stood down and helped give the nation away.

        No, the citizens will not be eligible for food stamps with a home and a car, they will have to go under the radar to get any help. The scammers, though, in the form of illegals will get it all, and do get it all and some of them will get it all for the next 40 years without working ONE of those jobs we supposedly won’t do!

        • As if to underscore the point, I heard from a fellow in gov’t the other day (non-fed) that our national trainwreck has already “lost track” of some 3,300 “visitors” who are just living beyond visiting now.
          Makes you wonder…or think our worst suspicions are true…

    • There is the ‘key’ and the ‘secret’ to the takeover of America. The lies that the establishment have told the citizenry for the last 30 years, that these poor immigrants are just here to do the jobs we won’t do and work so hard. And that they do not collect any benefits as they are not eligible. BS. They game the system from the get go, that is why in my town, the only women not working and staying home with their children are the illegals.

      The white and black citizenry are getting royally screwed and it should be patently obvious by now.

      When our elected leaders, last December, took more money away from the VETS and yet did NOT stop the known IRS tax return fraud to the tune of 5 BILLIONS dollars a year in returns to the illegals, didn’t tell us all something, I don’t know what will.

  8. George,

    How about adding an automatic defibrillator to your supplies? Anyone can operate it pending arrival of EMTs. Now you don’t have to move!

    Liz

  9. Once you accept the fact that we live on a killer planet full of crazy people, everything starts to make sense…of a sort. iow, there is no such thing as a ‘safe’ place. Not on this world. There are only places that are less dangerous than others; and that is based primarily upon your personal survival skills and skillset/knowledge base. A few will do well in an urban environment, in spite of the odds, while others will survive best in a rural setting.

    eotwawki scenarios: Avoid populated areas, if possible. From that pov, George, you and members of your house live in the perfect location. The zombies will have to trudge approx 30 miles to eat your brainzzz. iow, urban areas will be unsustainable once the flashbulbs go bang. However, self defense against roving gangs becomes an issue, especially in the weeks after the bulbs go off. w/o at least some military training and the -ahem- proper gear, a small family will be hard pressed to survive against such gangs. otoh, in an urban area, things will be much much worse. Although some neighborhoods will band together for protection, the relative lack of resources will be their undoing. e.g. a family of four needs an acre to grow enough food for the year = approx 10 times the body weight of each family member. …and that’s based upon intensive gardening.

    Water? shelter. clothing. After that, a garden and some sort of access to meat (protein).

    …after all the prep, you’ll still needa whole lot of luck.

    YMMV. Batteries not included.

  10. “Elaine, being practical, wonders why I don’t just move to a partying town, have fun, and kick back and let the world slide by. Why bother now?”

    You’re so blessed to have her! Eat, drink, and be merry. In 50 years from now it will be over. ;-))

  11. Well George since I am lots older than you but in good health, tho my wife isn’t, I find that living here in Columbia Tn is the answer. I am a Yankee but came here to work at Saturn. Retired out of GM and stayed here. City of 40000, about 60 miles south of Nashville Tn. Have a huge hospital in town, highly rated and access to Vanderbilt Medical Center. No state income tax, mild winters, you can live in country and be 20 minutes from hospital. Friendly people, low taxes and a 2nd Amendment state. Gun manufacturers moving to Tenn. and police suggest you get a carry permit. Taxes on products just under 10%. City growing because of GM plant and Nashville overflow coming here.
    Hope this helps

  12. George,

    Your anguished musings on where the “grass is greener” struck home. I moved into my condo complex 20-odd years ago with an eye for the future. I chose the location for 1. essentials [my credit union is one blk away and a 7-11 only three] and 2. security [McConnell AFB is a few blocks away and city police patrols are regular]…. so, this is where I assembled my bunker for the past two decades. Seen a lot of people come/go in the process and have adjusted my own plans accordingly[!]- but, all things considered I should be ready for come-what-may. A new big grocery store even opened up two years ago about 1/4m away. The downside is the AFB – a sure target in a conflagration… but, by then I’ll be well-drunk and past caring.

  13. George one thing that my wife and I have seen after many years in real estate,is a couple in your age range who has spent years making a comfortable home and then deciding to change up because they are tired of “mowing the lawn”, want to be “closer to the kids” need to be”closer to the doctor”,etc. What we have seen time after time is the that it almost never works out and that the couple would have been far better off staying where they were.People seem to think that 100% perfect is out there and will give up the 95% perfect they have to attain it with disastrous results.Making such a large move at an older age is I believe fraught with peril and you will probably never be as well prepared for the future as you are now.

  14. From Page, Arizona the most corrupt burg in America. Good print, it is nice to know that there are other people across America that don’t have blinders on and understand. Your right! The documented medical fraud is outrageous.
    Arleen Miller
    Page, Arizona

  15. Draw a triangle from a point 30 miles south of Nashville, to the Pickwith dam in SW TN, to Huntsville AL. I believe the area in that triangle is a good place for growing a garden via natural rainfall and access to good flowing surface water.

    Red Dog

  16. First off I admire what you have done in the Texas outback. It is what I wanted to do back pre 2012 hysteria. But as time went on and I looked at the “Hostile world” problem I realized that your set up was not optimal. Sorry to tell you, but you and I would have done the same years ago but it would have been a strategic mistake. I finally came to the conclusion that you want to be part of a community 200-500 People or so That would have taken care of your present medical concerns right now. It is amazing you moved to the country for safety and now you want to move to the city for a different safety. I think you should wait right where you are and purchase an ambulance Drone as soon as they start building them. Maybe go in halves with your neighbor. Then you will have access to emergency care just like in a big city. I bet a deluxe model can keep you alive until you get to the regional emergency care facility 30 min or so away. Or how far by air are you from EMT services? Anyway You probably know people that can get that idea off the ground so to speak. I enjoy your column everyday thanks for all the hard work.

  17. I lived in Overland Park, KS for 8 years– from the late 60s to mid-70s. It was then what you’re looking for now, George. Today… Wouldn’t/couldn’t go back if you paid me.

    Your list looks pretty similar to ours was 10 years ago when we decided to leave suburbia. We’ve settled in a small town (pop 1100)in central Kansas. Wonderfully friendly people; just as you describe in your world down there. The grocery store is a block up the street–right next to the pharmacy, Post Office, and the bank. Doc, dentist, and nursing home are four blocks to the west, fire department/EMS one block to the east. All the other amenities of civilization within similar distances. 18 miles in three directions to highly rated medical/surgical facilities. Same distance to the Amtrak station. An hour to the big cities of Wichita and Salina–should you want to go there to remind yourself why you left. Annual rainfall is 34″. Weather… Variable is a good word. Housing costs are low. Taxes are a little high, but, as you said, you have to prioritize. We think that the cost in that regard is well worth the trade-off.

    Good number of smaller towns around here can claim much the same.

    If you’re serious about relocating, George, you might want to take a look at small towns in central and southeastern KS.

  18. Hi George,

    You mentioned an increase for part A,B,D of medicare. I do hope you’re wrong, since part A is the one that covers obamascare mandates, and has no direct cost for those 65+. Charging seniors for “care” that many don’t even want and being required by law will break the bank for many, especially since the money can be grabbed from social security.

  19. Live on SS only? We do and live well in Costa Rica. Budget is $2000 total and we come in under for ALL Costa Rica costs, including $210 for vacations. Can do it as we are Debt Free and only have 1 med. Hospitals are first class in San Jose. Excellent where we are. We can easily walk to the local store and bus into town ($1.40) for other stuff. Property taxes are $150 (est.) a year. Gov leaves most of this area along. Gardening is 12 months a year. Electric is hydro power for the most part. Draw back is travel to see grand kids but that is OK. Use Skype. Food is fresher – we are healthier. When SHTF happens we have veggies, water, fruit and eggs. Crime is mostly in the big cities. Here was 1 theft of shop tools. Do some research and plan. I also have a list that the wife and I compiled for differences between here and there. What life style do you want to have? The last half of George’s list doesn’t apply here for the most part. Build your own list as we did some years back. We are not alone. Enjoy!

  20. I have no complaints about part B Medicare, I didn’t sign up for it. If you read enough NDEs, the ones in accidents do best if they refuse the back surgery and heal themselves (Free part A covers the emergency stuff mostly), 2- Hardly any really want to come back here anyways and 3- Some see both their past and their future so either we don’t have free will like we think or our date to cash out is pretty much fixed and worrying about it is a waste of time. But don’t ask me, I am just a in the dark human. Love you guy, have a great day.

  21. I live 30 miles east of KC Missouri. Grew up SW Missouri. I too have had the privilege of traveling all 48. I keep coming back home to Missouri. I do wish you other guys would quit talking about how nice it is here. It’s better if they just think we are “fly over country ”

    Robert Lanning
    KC0RAT

  23. Listen to Dr Simon Atkins on the Skyaia show. He is a climate scientist who was so disturbed by Fukushima fallout and the fascist condition of America that he moved his family from Montana to Montevideo, Uruguay. He has two programs in the series where he explains his criteria and how he settled on Uruguay. He bought some land near the city and is building an earth bag home. If I were younger and had money, I would follow him.

  24. If you want to live near a big city, consider moving to where I live, Tulsa. We have two big time casinos, Cherokee and Muscogee (Creek), excellent water source to the northeast, better climate than where you are now, stable thriving growing economy, lots of great restaurants, 2 excellent Catholic hospitals, acceptable local government, friendly folks, strong evangelical culture, top notch museums, ballet, opera, symphony, several public flower gardens, minor league baseball, international air port and an excellent business airport (Jones Riverside), very little street crime outside “bad” neighborhoods, gorgeous art deco downtown, beautiful big arena and convention facilities, world class park under construction, river parks, demographics: predominantly white, a black community, growing latino population, and small but strong southeast Asian groups, national model flood control system, five universities, community college and votech system. This is a great area within the US.

  25. Hey George! Stay where you are! Texas will be the last to fall. When they start coming across the border, there are enough Texans to fix that! Come and take it….

  26. The secret is to give up the American cultural tradition of trying to optimize, to make the most of it. There may be places with a better climate, or cheaper food, or more beautiful mountains, but what worked for us is finding a place that does not have a downside, where one day you wake up in the morning internally screaming because you just can’t handle some aspect of life where you are.

    I talk about where I live only to open people up to the possibility that there is something other than the American lifestyle for retirement. You have to find the place you vibe with. There are millions of Americans living outside the USA, whether it be Panama, Columbia, Costa Rica, Mexico, etc. You might not stay the first place you land, so just rent and hang out to see how it fits. But it all starts with getting that passport and heading out for that first stay at a non-tourist area of any country. Most snowbirds will tell you it took a few seasons to find their people.

    And very few people can just drop into a place and stay long term. You have to budget for several trips back home as you transition. We have a saying here in Vilcabamba, the first time you leave it is really cool, the second time you find reasons to justify the trip, and the third trip back you cry when the plane takes off, because you already are missing the new home you have found.

    And the other axiom of expat living is that if you don’t have at least one close friend or family member who thinks you are absolutely crazy for expatriating, you should probably stay where you are, because you are obviously surrounded by people who understand you and are in a community where you are connected and will do well no matter how difficult things get.

    • ” if you don’t have at least one close friend or family member who thinks you are absolutely crazy for expatriating, you should probably stay where you are!”

      Shouldn’t this say:

      “if you do have at least one close friend or family member who thinks you are absolutely crazy for expatriating, you should probably stay where you are” ??

  27. ideas…

    Where anyone decides to reside has to do with a willingness to cope with the variables per the personal list of importance. Utopia is a state of mind and one can “be there” anywhere… and in the end, we must seek out tranquility knowing earth is run like a business, it is controlled and not for humanity – see your title “hostile world”. There will always be opposing forces.

    On Raynaud’s syndrome, it’s just a name for symptoms – In this case, what causes the blood vessels to constrict? cold temps, emotional stress, low thyroid, food, drugs… 15-20 yrs ago, I was diagnosed with the title (can bother me year round – air-conditioning – I hate it) and they offered no solutions at that time. Medicine offers drugs and the truth is, there are ways to deal with the symptoms of the varied kind… Nowadays I look up a so called dis-ease/syndrome, with “vitamin” and just like magic, answers appear for personal solutions.

    …Alcohol, smoking, caffeine, and chocolate should be avoided due the vaso-restrictive properties.
    Da gooberment says red wine may help – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17349450

    Specific vitamins aid blood circulation, relaxation; magnesium, niacin and Vit C just to name a few.
    http://www.lifeextension.com/protocols/heart-circulatory/raynauds-phenomenon/page-07

    For eczema, George, skin issues are symptoms of what is going on in the inside, the immune system.
    Pharmacist Ben has a lot to say.

    http://pharmacistben.com/health/dermatitis-psoriasis-eczema-and-rosacea/
    http://pharmacistben.com/health/incredible-immune-system/

    If one looks to live on less, they might expect “the system”, social services to fill in, believing there is a savings, rather than factoring personal responsibility means more choices. Independent living is healthier, thus one might not prioritize these – emergency response, medical care, water/sewer (city water?), and most of all government services – “ya, we’re from the gooberment and we’re here to help you – more like, take over! The more requirements a body demands, one might want what a city offers. If sovereignty is key, to what degree of independence, the individual decides.

    There’s a lot to be said concerning the water issue, they are controlling more of each day… What if a major disappearing lake (in the state of 10,000 lakes) is said to have extremely low levels because of evaporation. Hmmm…………

    http://www.startribune.com/november-water-loss-surprises-scientists-studying-white-bear-lake/359193091/

    Regarding geo-engineering – I read they were experimenting with chemicals that wick moisture out of the air, using the same type in diapers. The premise was they wanted to reduce (control?) a hurricane. This info I recorded 2 computers ago and presently I can not find this chemical name – basic name – SAP = Super absorbent polymers – this might explain the fake snows we get. Living in MN, something is wicking moisture out of the air. Watering plants and trees, nevertheless, they continue to burn and dry up as if they are starving for moisture.

    See list of SAP uses and imagine other uses –
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superabsorbent_polymer

    And finally – patent – “Method of modifying weather” absorbing moisture with a polymer
    http://www.google.com/patents/US6315213

    …now if i could figure out how to get my daughter to move out of a high crime area so she will not have to leave her car unlocked so thieves don’t regularly break windows to get in and take refuge, get drunk and trash up the vehicle…

    • Great response, don’t depend on healthcare, learn to fix yourself. If you can set up a farm, solar, grow your own food, you can heal yourself. If you are depending on Western medicine then you are not self sufficient and never will be!

  28. George, what a challenge! I have to ask: In all your “wonder lust” how many regions/places have you settled down for a minimum of a year or more?

    Truthfully, I have you by about 15 years and have had the experience of most states except the Northwest. From what I have read in your pieces, you have ones mind pretty well determined by the children. And, if for whatever reason, either they move or you become incapacitated, then ???

    No matter what, you can only move after renting at THAT location for a minimum of a year. So much more to study that way. The intellectual level, the spiritual level, the political, the health care and regional level, the weather all year, to name just a few.

    What do you plan to do everyday after 75.? It’s tough meeting new friends after they have mostly left. Taint the same my friend!!!

    Then I MAY have a chance to discuss this with one. Not before.

  29. Polaroid Swinger was my first camera, and is proudly displayed on a shelf in my rec room. Great camera at a great price, from a time when middle class folks didnt have money for film development.

  30. Just remember that as the response time for medical care increases so does the population density, along with tax rates.

  31. Couple neighbors in some previous comments I see. Agewise I am just behind you George and am looking ahead to winding my time up on El Rancho de Chaos couple and a half hours south of the folks up in OP Ks. Problem is that indeed emergency medical care is a about 40 minutes away minimum here but ask my 91 year old Mom who still lives on the ranch and drives 45 miles a day to the Senior Center if she would want to move to town. Plus so far no dimwits from the county will come out to tell me I can’t have an outhouse…yet anyway.

    As you so eloquently described the state of our union is becoming nothing more than the worlds toilet it seems. I have even entertained the thought of Ecuador, Belize or maybe Nicaragua as an expat retiree. I have seen that Panama is also a place to consider. Main drawbacks are those pesky narco boys running about and most places frown upon private ownership of defensive weapons as far as I can tell. But the main thing that pulls me back into reality is that myself, my dad, all my uncles, and a LOT of our friends paid a chunk of themselves for this place. Some paid more. So I think I’ll follow mom’s lead and stick by the ranch where I can try at least to keep some of what we have left.

  33. Two things:

    1) Let me know if you find a suitable haven for us older types stateside. My wife needs constant good medical care available at a moments notice.

    2) Medicare vs Obama care: I was spending real close to 1K/month not counting copays for my wife before Obama care. The year before it was $1400/month not counting copays. Last year it dropped to around $500/month because of the law changes on preexisting conditions and our income level after the accountant got through working his magic. This year her insurance went up to almost $800 not including copays. She just signed up for Medicare beginning January 1st. Cost? we get a refund of $92/month from Humana and her medications will cost us about $240/month. Her copays for doctors and hospital services will be less than 1K for the year. Max ot of pocket for the year is 5K.

    Me … well my wallet … happy!!!

  34. George & Family, We made the move to Wyoming from Oregon.Everything here is 2 hours away.Weather is crappy .No homeless,no roving dogs,and we live in a small town 1blk away from the store and food.5miles to hunt and fish,tourist go away in October.The altitude is the one that will make your (mine) old body hurt.Did I say cold?
    The dollar for food will not carry you too far,but the taxes will offset that.I and mine do not get taxed on retirement from Oregon.If we stayed in Oregon we would be at 12
    %.5 hour drive to Denver or Salt lake,Billings.Jackson is nice and Cheyanne is the snotgobbs that will try to rule us,God I hope not.Good airport plowed for snow daily,But Thermopolis,Wyo has the coolest runway,outer marker is the town,and you gear up just over the fire station.So please make the trip to Lander,Wyoming. You will see some real west out here.
    Merry Christmas to all. Bill

    • For us to fly into Lander, we’d be more comfortable if you could lower local airport elev from 5537 down to 2-thousand something.
      Get back to us when done with that

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