I recently had a visit from my lucky son who emigrated to Australia

[librechik]

Bret came shortly after Christmas with his lovely Australian bride Melissa. It's been a little over a year since the wedding and they have their own place in Melbourne. After first getting a permit then working for the father-in-law's firm, Bret found the perfect job, although at a cut in pay: assistant wizard at the Museum of Art, Victoria, as he describes it (talented techies are much in demand down under) He helps program the interactive exhibits, and I could just cry with joy when I think that he has found his bliss (my other kids are another story, so allow me this one little boast!)

Anyway, when they arrived, after the hugs and kisses, Bret reaches in his wallet and pulls out his Medicar card (that's the universal access health card for Australia)

"See?" he says. "I live in a country that WORKS."

Yikes. That hurt. And I'm stuck in one that doesn't. Not in thirty years. Every day they chisel away a little bit more of the gears and grease that used to make it work. And there doesn't seem to be a damn thing we ordinary citizens can do about it. Even the Democratic presidents are proud of snipping away the safety net til it's the size of Paris Hilton's panties. Oh, Clinton got people off welfare? Who did that help? The kids who had to do without their mothers because Mom had to work to get welfare? Or did it help Bill collect campaign donations from the right side? Did it ultimately help our economy? I don't think so. Especially after NAFTA, GATT, and the Republicans selling us down the toilet for Chinese and Saudi credit. I think I know who benefits from our economy, and it's not poor mothers hanging off the poverty line by their fingernails.

Will a tsunami of Dems in the Senate and the House and a Democratic President actually do the job? We had that during Carter, and he got painted as "weak" everytime he tried to follow a progressive path.
Will all the entrenched industries (oil, health, agri, pharma: i.e. give us your money or you die industries) let go of huge profits in order to save a few people who don't belong to their crowd? I don't see that happening, even though it's wrong and criminal, and I don't see any of our polite democrats doing the right thing and putting those criminals in jail where they belong. Do you?
Sure, they'll make the right noises, but when it comes down to doing something, somehow it never ever happens.

So...I have an open invitation to visit the children anytime I want for as long as I want. Do I go?
For good? Or stay and try to be optimistic? BTW, going would mean leaving the husband and the fulfilling job behind, even though there is skiing within four hours of Melbourne. It's just not the right kind of skiing, apparently. Oh well. Maybe I'll wait until I can actually retire...

[gateley]

1. I've been surprised at some of the ratings comparing us to other countries in

various areas -- how POORLY the U.S. ranks.

We've always been told that we have the best of everything, and I for one believed it.

Now when I step back and look -- as though from an outsider's point of view -- it's alarming what I see.

I would ideally like to stay and fight to make it right, but when not one of the leading Dem candidates is even considering single payer (or whatever the best term is) health care, I just don't know...

So happy for your son, though!

[Blue_In_AK]

2. My daughter just married an Australian, too,

(from Perth) in November. For the time being they're staying here in the US so she can pay off her student loans (she's a lawyer, so they're significant) but their plan is to move to Australia once she's out of debt. We're looking forward to future vacations Down Under. :)