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It’s time to get out

Expats, Infrastructure, Why Leave Your Country / by

The day after tomorrow is July 4th.  Independence Day in the USA.  It is with no pleasure that I write this article, but maybe it is time for Independence FROM the USA.

I try to be a well reasoned guy.  I try not to be reactionary.  Sometimes, though, things that we all say might come across as reactionary, or wild thoughts that are out of place.  I hope this post, while I acknowledge that it might sound that way, does not come across that way.

I left the United States nearly 15 years ago.  I have never looked back, or had doubts about whether I did the right thing.  My life has worked out well and I am happy with my decision.  For many of you reading this, I believe that now is the time that you need to make a move and get the heck out of the United States too!

Why?

Well, the answers are pretty obvious if you take a hard look at the country right now. The United States is falling apart.  I mean that both literally and figuratively.

Literally?

Bridge is falling apart, requiring protection below
Bridge is falling apart, requiring protection below

Yes.  The infrastructure is falling apart in the United States.  Back in November, I happened to catch an episode of the US TV show, 60 Minutes.  They had a feature regarding infrastructure in the United States and how it is not being maintained.  Do you remember a few years back there was a bridge on an Interstate Highway in Minnesota that collapsed?  As I recall, I believe that some people died when that happened.  Well, according to this 60 Minutes episode, there are literally thousands of bridges in the USA that are in shoddy condition and could collapse at any time.  The same show had information concerning an Interstate overpass in Pennsylvania that was in such a state of disrepair that they had to build a structure under it to stop the falling pieces of the overpass from hitting cars below!

In the USA, there is a gasoline tax that is supposed to pay for highway construction and upkeep.  It is fairly obvious that the money is being redirected to other things, probably paying for wars, foreign aid and interest on the huge debt.  If it were being spent on the highway system as it is supposed to be spent, we would not have pieces of highway overpass falling off and damaging cars below.

It was back in the 50s, under the Presidential administration of Dwight D. Eisenhower when the Interstate Highway System came into existence.  Those were simpler days when the country was not distracted with so many outside influences and the country could focus on it’s real needs.  These days, money is spent on so many things that really have nothing to do with the actual needs of the nation or its people.

Figuratively?

Again, yes.  There are so many very visible signs of American society crumbling that it should be obvious to anybody who cares to have a look.  American society is literally falling apart.  The middle class is disappearing.  Most of those in the middle class are not moving upward, they are falling down to the lower classes of society.  And, those people as well as the people who were already part of the lower classes, are getting restless.  Especially the minorities.  We are seeing the beginnings of race riots returning to the United States.  Killings of police officers.  Looting.  Destruction of businesses.  Generally, people showing their displeasure with the system.

I have watched this stuff on TV with disbelief.  I wonder what is going on in my former homeland.  But, as I watch and think about it, I believe the situation will only get worse.  At the very least, it will get much worse before it gets better.  I am not even sure it will get better, at least not for a long time.  I believe that a period is coming when race riots will be the norm.  Check that.  It might not be best to classify what is coming as “race riots” it might be more correct to say “class riots”.  The poor rioting against the rich.  Problem is that what I am seeing is that the poor are attacking those who are moderately more successful than them, not the true rich.  The truly rich are isolated and not easy to get to.  If a poor rioter wanted to burn down Bill Gates’ house, do you think he could do it?  It is doubtful because there would be security to stop the rioters long before they got close enough to Gates’ house to do any real damage.  But, “old Charlie” can’t afford the security to stand guard on his shoe store or auto parts store.  The rioters can and will burn those businesses down.  It makes no sense, because Charlie is not rich, just a little more successful than the rioters, and Charlie is employing 30 or 40 of the people who are rioting!  When things calm down those rioters will soon realize that they don’t have a job anymore.  They may or may not realize that it is their own fault because they destroyed Charlie’s business and killed off their own job.

What can you do?

Well, there are only two things to do from what I can see.

Stay and fight for change

When I say “fight” I don’t necessarily mean literal fighting – being out on the street with weapons, although it may come to that.  What I mostly mean is to push for change.  Push for improvements.  Lobby your government.  Do things to make life better for the lower classes of people, the ones who will be rioting.

Personally, though, I don’t think this solution will work.  For real change to happen it takes a lot of people fighting the good fight.  Every indication, though, is that the vast majority of Americans are tired of the fight.  At least at this time, the majority of people are just sitting back watching and not willing to stand up and demand change.  Even when it comes to elections, the American population seems content to just let things continue to go as they are.  I am not blaming one political party or the other.  There is blame for every politician to share.  But, every indication would tend to show, right now, that fighting for change is futile.

Pack up and move on

I packed up my stuff and left the USA some 15 years ago.  I did not leave for political reasons or societal issues.  I left because I wanted a change, and adventure. At this point, if I were still in the USA, though, I would have to be thinking about getting out while the getting is good.  It is possible to wait too long, and I believe that waiting much longer may be a mistake.

There is great living abroad.  Moving to a foreign country isolates you from the unrest in the USA.  It need not be any part of your life.

When you become an expat, you are kind of in the middle.  Living here in the Philippines, I don’t really get too involved in the Philippine political or governmental system.  I also have virtually no involvement in American politics or government.  In both cases I am more of an observer than anything else.  It leaves me free to just live my life and enjoy myself.  It gives me time to enjoy my family, and worry about things closer to my own life than things off in some government building thousands of miles away.  I used to be a real “political animal”.  I volunteered to work on political campaigns.  I was active in party politics.  I am so glad to be away from that.  I get much more enjoyment out of watching my kids grow up.  Interacting with family – immediate family and also extended family.  It gives my life purpose.

Take a look at your life

I see the signs on the wall.  They are clear to me.  It is time to move on.  It is time for others to follow the same path that I took 15 years back.  I already see signs that it is happening.  Here in the Philippines, where I live, there are more an more Americans moving in.  Back when I came here, you didn’t see many Americans around town.  Today, though, I can’t go to the City, to the Mall, or any other public place without seeing other Americans.  People, it would appear, are moving out of the USA.  It is only a trickle now, but the drips are becoming more frequent than they were when I moved out.

What about you?  Will you be joining me as an expat?  You don’t have to move to the Philippines like I did.  There are plenty of other choices that you can make.  The world is filled with perfectly good choices of places to live.  We grew up at a time when being born an American was considered a blessing.  I fear that those days have passed us by.  I think most Americans acknowledge that, but many say that the USA will come back and we are only in a temporary dip right now.  I fear that those people are wrong, but who knows?  My question for you is, whether it is a temporary dip or the new normal, why wait it out?  You can make a life change and start enjoying life now.  It’s all up to you!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Well put and Amen Bob,

    I am only a couple years behind you. I am in my 9th year living outside the US and at this point in time I don’t see myself ever moving back.

    I realize for me it may be age-related and maybe my impressions are just the ramblings of an old man (I’ll turn 70 this year, God willing), but America is no longer the America where I was born.

    I am very happy with my decision to expatriate … I think those sitting on the cusp these days ought to read and ponder less and instead take action.

    Living abroad may not be right for everyone, but unless you try, how will you ever know? It’s not a irrevocable decision, you can leave the US, live elsewhere and still return to the US in the future if it doesn’t work out … but if you don’t do something when you can, sooner or later old age or circumstances will catch up with you and you’ll lose the opportunity to ever find out.

    • Hi Dave – Thanks. It feels sad to write much of what I wrote, but it is what is in my heart. Times have changed. I’m 53, I hate to think I am an old curmudgeon, but it seems that way, I guess. Like you, I am so happy with the decision that I made to make the move abroad. It’s a good life, and I am glad I made the move when I was still young enough to enjoy it for a long time!

      • And that’s why maybe some people feel I “push” moving to the Philippines too much. People who wait 10 years, 20 years, 30 year or more and then make the move when they are already old will miss out on so much.

        The time to make the move is when you are young and energetic and “flexible” in both mind and body. And if you have children, so much the better … that way they can experience it too.

        “Waiting” forever until everything is “right” can often be the kiss of death for your dreams.

          • Hi Bob,
            Since yesterday i started reading your articles about the USA and i say i big Amen and Alleluia.
            As a retired radio reporter, i used to travel to the Philippines since 1995, and now i decide to stay for good as i am sick and thank God i could have my disability due to sickness. When i left 3 weeks ago, i told my son and i quote: Son , don’t expect to see me if you don’t come to the Philippines and i told him what’s gonna be happening, similar to your predictions.

            Now i am here, thank God. And i hope other Americans stop thinking with their toes to realize the USA i moving backward.

            I am in Cebu and after my doctor’s check up, i will to Dumaguete to establish myself until i die. I don’t know what type of small business to get into yet, but God will show the way.
            As you said on Facebook yesterday, there’s nothing we can do about it, just move on.
            May God bless you

            Serge

        • Very true. But doesn’t one have to wait until they are financially stable? Maybe some of your advice on getting financially stable, at a young age, is needed.

    • True the U.S. is, structurally falling apart. However, could the poor countries thrive without help from the other powerful nations? No, they couldn’t. How could they?

      Rusty

      • Hi Rusty – Maybe I am missing something, but I don’t understand how your comment connects to my article. I was writing today about the USA, not whether other countries need help.

        • Yes, I guess you right, Bob. I guess I jumped to conclusions. I thought you’d indicated the US was going down the tubes. Nope, won’t ever happen, right? As I posted the US is down but will come back stronger.

          Rusty

  3. Bob! I’m here and I see it and can’t wait to get the hell out of here which USED to be my beloved Country. Once the Minorities became the Majorities this country went to Hell and Nothing will bring it back!
    Leaving for the Philippines for good this year!

    • Yes, Heinz, I believe the time has come. Sadly, I think that the USA is beyond recovery now. The way of life is gone. For younger people, they don’t remember the America of before, but for those of us who lived it, it just is not the place it used to be.

      • Yes, Bob the younger generation won’t realize how good the U. S. was. But that is true of every generation. They all say the same thing. My parent’s said it and their parents and so on.

        The U. s. will recover and it will be stronger. Different but stronger.

        Rusty

    • This’s racism which is not acceptable at this time & age. The great majority of the “minorities” in the US’re descendants of slaves brought forcibly & unfortunately against their well. You yourself will become a minority in the country you chose to live in instead of the US. JUST LIVE & LET LIVE.

      • Slaves were brought her by force your right but they were also slaves in their native countries as well, not kings and such as some want you to believe. Also, the majority of slaves were treated very well since the slave master relied on them for their crops and money. Yes some slaves which caused problems were dealt with severely and made and example of to quash behaviors which they displayed from taking hold amount the rest of the workers. Not only this but those were the times, and up until Mr. O got into office the racial issues in the US was at a low.

        • Not only that but our society is based on a majority rule. But lately that has not been the case and you can now see the results of this not being adhered to… If you come to the country do so legally, learn English, pay taxes, and stay off gov’t assistance!

          • “Not only that but our society is based on a majority rule.” No, it’s based on Democracy, where individual’s rights are protected regardless of what the majority want. If 90% of voting Amercians said women shouldn’t vote, that wouldn’t make it Constitutional. About 100 years that’s what 90% of votes (only men) wanted, but it’s wrong.

            • David and Chris please go back and take High School civics. First of all a Democracy is majority rules. The United States is not a Democracy, it is a Constitutional Republic. In a Republic everyone, including the government, must follow the law. Nowhere in the Constitution is the word Democracy mentioned.

  5. I can’t blame you, Heinz! When I made the move, it wasn’t so much about getting away from the USA , but I’m afraid that day has arrived now.

  7. It won’t be long until we move back home! Bob, you can’t fix stupid and there are more & more stupid Americans. I can go on & on,… but it won’t do any good. You already know what I’ll be ranting about. See you & Feyma and the kids soon! INgat lagi. 🙂

  8. For sure, Geri! Stupid is a bad thing, and it is worse when the people don’t realize how stupid they are. It is a disease that is spreading across America. Sad.

  9. Bob, I can see where it seems that it is gone to far but i dont think we as a country have reached that point yet. Yes there is a lot of problems but because i still live half of the year in the US i see a lot of new infrastructure going in and major improvements being done. Politically there is no doubt it is a mess but at the same time i dont see a country where there is not a political mes. Yes i guess to some degree living outside we can isolate ourselves from the problems of our own country but at the same time we loose real insight to what is actually taking place in our home country.

    Here in the Philippines we can choose to ignore things around us this is true but it doesnt change the fact that here is also a country of corruption, poor infrastructure and constant fighting between factions within the country. In Thailand where i also own property it is the same way. I personally believe it is a world problem not a country problem. While i most likely will retire outside the USA i hope and pray it never falls apart or the dollar is replaced because the result will be a world wide depression. Russia already is finding this out with their currency. The dollar is at an all time high, oil prices at an all time low and unemployment under 6 percent. Yes our debt is massive but still in line with the amount of money that flows through the country and is actually better then many European countries. Good article but i think we still have some hope 🙂

    • Hi Roger – I understand that different people have different levels of tolerance, and different degrees of acceptance of change. For me, if I were still in the US, I would be gathering my suitcases. It’s that bad, looking in from the outside.

      Yes, many countries, may all, have their political problems. One of the things I like about living in the Philippines, though, is that while there is plenty of political crap, I can pretty easily ignore it and live my life. I don’t think I could do that in the States. I am not saying it can’t be done, I am saying I couldn’t do it. The politics in the Philippines is of little concern to me, and doesn’t affect my life, so it is easy to just keep enjoying life without worry.

      One thing I will say in favor of the Philippines, or should I say against the USA is that in the USA all of the regulations and such are in your face. There is enforcement. It affects your lifestyle. Here in the Philippines, so much of that is just talk, and it never gets down to the people. There is, frankly, more freedom here. The USA talks about freedom, but there is so much government control on everything. It ain’t the country where I grew up…

      Thanks for stopping by, Roger.

    • Thanks for the input Roger, I too live in the Philippines and back in the states. I have not committed to a full time stay due to children and one precious grandchild back in California. The decision to live abroad should be made out of your commitment to something. For Us, it is not the current state of the condition of the USA.. You hit the nail on the head in clarifying that the conditions of a place are governed by the people. The United States will rebound but is in no way a reason to leave when we have over come so many times in the past. We are not quitters, and have developed the world technology into what we take for granted from day to day. For those reading this, Your decision to live abroad in any country should come from the love of something. NOT being directed away by the media or any other world coming to an end post. Do not be guided by media fears, but face your fear, cause it’s under every corner of the rug…….

  10. Bob, I think aside from stupidity, a lot of Americans glorify “thugness”… no feeling, no compassion, no kindness, the meaner you are, the more you’re praised. No understanding… it’ has become an “in your face” type of a culture. “Get out of my way or I’ll shoot you ” type of mentality… “mine, mine, mine and I don’t care if you die I won’t even dial 911″… type of a mentality. It has become VERY scary. I live in one of the most expensive places in America where a 75sqm studio rents for $4000 or P176,000 a month and it’s unsafe. I can go on & on…. I just want out.

  13. Hi Bill – Why is there a timeline? I mean, it’s not like somebody has you chained down and will unlock you in 3 years, right? Are you not free to leave anytime you want?

  14. I suspect the mistake that people will make is assuming that one particular political party can fix all of this. Good luck with that; both parties sold you out long, long ago.

    One interesting thing will be those that live abroad, but make their money off the U.S. Wonder what ends up happening there.

    • Hi Tom – I do lean toward one of the political parties. I think most all of us do. That said, I certainly agree with what you say that neither party will fix any of this. Both parties have had time when they had exclusive power in the past couple of decades, and we certainly got no closer toward the “utopia” that each party seems to promise. It’s all talk to get elected, but the actions don’t live up to the talk.

      • Interestingly, I don’t lean to that same party as you, but am actually in neither party. What is interesting me these days is that you and I are fairly far apart politically (I would think), but that we can agree on so very much. A little pragmatism goes a long way.

        I never thought I would be a fan of the old days with backroom deals, but things got done. Both sides could make some things work. A little deal-making (If you give us this, we’ll give you that).

        That seems to be gone.

        • Hi Tom – I agree with you. Based on reading some of the things you write, I believe that politically we are on opposite ends. But, common sense is common sense, and I also believe that both of us are willing to openly listen and make our assessment based on common sense. I always appreciate the things you say, even if I don’t agree, and I am able to see and understand how you reached your conclusion, even if mine is different. If more people in the world were able to understand each other and accept the differences, we would live in a much different place.

          • That is the way it used to be. “We can agree to disagree” on certain isssues but can come together for the greater good of everyone. I just don’t see it now much.

            • I know, James! So true. I remember a time when I was a kid, we didn’t even know what our friends and such thought about things like political issues. They were our friends. Now, if a “friend” comes down on the wrong side of the issue, they become enemies. Very sad to see!

    • That’s a good question, Tom N, but what options are there? For example I make almost all my income from the US. I have a substantial government pension. That, of course is a bit of a “sacred cow”, but if the situation were dire enough, that could be cut or even eliminated. I also make anon-trivial income from various ecommerce businesses (mainly making commissioned sales for US corporations). Of course that could “go south” if things get bad enough. I try to diversify as much as possible but absolutely nothing is a ‘sure thing”.

      So let’s say the worst happens and I suddenly have any or all of my income drastically reduced.

      Where would I be better off? In the US where I would rapidly descend into the situation I was in back in the USA before I escaped? So deep in debt I thought I’d never see daylight again?

      Or in the Philippines where I can live, if I have to, on the tiniest fraction of what it would cost me back in the USSA (where sheriff’s departments have hired extra personnel just to handle the huge demands to throw people out of their homes — where I could be arrested for taking a picture of the sheriff’s “storm troopers” doing it)?

      I certianly don’t want any of the “Doomsday” scenarios to come to pass, but it it did, I think my best chance of at least being able to have a bowl of rice and some veggies to eat every day would be here in the Philippines. (oh and let’s not forget so long as I stay here I’m exempt from all that Obama care folderol that angers so many of my fellow Americans

  16. I’m sorry, but the idea that “Americans are stupid” is total crap. People are stupid everywhere, and the Philippines, one of the worlds leaders of official corruption and murder for hire, is no exception. I like the Philippines, and I like the US, but the only stupid idea I see is when a person says “Americans are stupid”. Quit watching the news, and experience some life.

    • Thanks Jacob

      Ignorance comes in many forms. Unfortunately, the media has often times not reported fact but Opinions on what could be and the public are led, just as the lemmings are running off the cliff by following the leader…..

  17. I agree with you Bob Martin, how long do you think someone has til the borders are closed? I am thinking if you get out by end of 2015 you are safe. 2016 questionable? whats your thoughts?

  19. I don’t know, Shane Victor, I am not really one who believes in government conspiracies and such, stuff like “they are going to close the borders and keep us all in”…. I just don’t personally think that is going to happen. But, I’ve been wrong before.

  20. Bob as George Carlin said ” Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.” And boy we have a lot of stupid people in the US now. Things are just so crazy here and it is only getting worse. Me and my wife have had all we can stand and after her citizenship is done we will be moving to the Philippines ASAP. We had plans to move a couple of years ago but things did not work out. But we now have everything ready for us to move. Our businesses are up and running and we have a house paid for there. So all my concerns are taken care of now housing and income. I do not want to be dependent on anything in the US just in case….

    • Hi Scott, I will tell you, it is getting hard to watch some of the happenings in the USA, some of the stuff just doesn’t make sense to me.

  23. why would we close the borders now? we have an immigration system and allow illigal immigrants across the border and now they have all rights to stay here.for those of us who do things legally with immigration should get back every penny we spent getting our wives here.if they close the borders i will put up my sails and dissapear into the sunset.

  24. Haha, yeah Bob, I could go anytime, and would make my wife very happy!! But, we need to max out my retirement and get her 50% additional moneys. It won’t be long now!

  25. Bob as much as I like reading your articles and agree with you that living outside the US might be a good thing. Don’t believe what you see on the Liberal news networks. They are very jaded in what they report. America may be down, but the world still needs a strong America. If not America, then who? China?

      • It appears so, Doug, both economically and also due to their large population that makes them a power militarily too. Militarily, the USA no longer has the will. For some that is a good thing.. for others it is not.

        • Yes China is strong, and they are cheating everyone by selling their fake products, such as the plastic rice in the Philippines their painted pills, avian flu infected chickens, fake drywall, and the list goes on and on. We as import nations could shut China’s economy down by simply not importing goods from them anymore and instead working with others nations and allies such as importing from S. Korea and Japan… Currently if you think of it the Philippines are helping to fund China’s occupation of Pag-Asa island and other territories by continuing to import everything from China….. BOYCOTT China, Start importing from S. Korea and Japan!!! Together we can bankrupt China

  26. Hi Ronald – Yeah, I don’t see any reason they would do that. However, they are doing lots of things that I didn’t think they would do, so who knows? ;-

  28. Hi Robert – I don’t watch liberal media. When I watch or follow media, it is conservative media. Both sides have faults, I’m just glad to be out of there!

  30. Hi Robert – no place is without it’s problems. Sometimes I hear people call the Philippines “Paradise” which I totally disagree with. I do like it here, though! 🙂

  32. Hi Robert, I feel certain that I will continue to enjoy living here. I’ve been here long enough to know whst to expect out if life here. I have come to accept the downsides of Philippine life, so I should be here for good.

  35. Yes, Ninang Elizabeth Bairoy Bagonoc, there are a lot of problems in the USA. As I mentioned in the article, there are race riots, class warfare, crumbling infrastructure, no money to turn things around.

  37. The efforts to bump the United States dollar off its pedestal as the world’s primary reserve currency have gained significant momentum this year. Should that happen, the consequences to Americans could be substantial. I have also read that will not happen anytime soon, but once the USA can no longer print more money as needed?? What will happen then? I will be here watching from the Philippines….

  38. An interesting viewpoint Bob. Until I started learning about The Philippines 10 years or so ago, I never had any idea how many people are retiring in foreign countries. I remember some of my UK friends telling me back in the 1990’s that many of them retire to Spain primarily for the climate. I would not however judge what is going on in other parts of the world by press reports and news or informational type television programs. Their aim is to sell the subject matter of the program to sponsors and advertisers to generate revenue for the corporations that own the broadcast media. Have you read about the multi Billion dollar replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge here in New York ? We probably have more interstate highway roads than any other country and they for the most part were all constructed around the same era, which I remember growing up as a kid. I think we have more vehicles traveling on these roads daily than can be found in many other countries.

    Mindanao could be a perfect example of people believing the news media and so much negativity expressed towards it. You know there are good places in Mindanao as you have lived there for many years. I know of some good places in Mindanao after vacationing there 8 years in a row and always look forward to visiting in the future. On the other hand how many Filipinos in other parts of The Philippines are deathly afraid to visit another part of their own country due to the ever continuing negativity constantly being put right in their face ? This kind of thing ” Sells ” air time, print media time, and internet reading time.

    Not everyone in the USA is having a hard time or displeasure of living here in their home country. Obviously it is not the same as it was in the 1950’s when things were a lot simpler, less regulated and less enforced as they may seem today. A lot of the rioting you see in news reports I feel are started by outside agitators who have nothing whatsoever to do with the reason for these outbreaks ” As Seen On TV ” . I think it was also similar back in some of the rioting in the 1960’s that were caused by outside agitators.

    For me, retirement and living a life of pure leisure is still in the future although by some standards maybe not that much in the future. Maybe I should consider myself lucky, I can not remember any job I ever had that I totally did not like. I tried self employment for a few years and realized my own personal preference is to have a regular pay check coming in every week or two. The house I bought 35 years ago and has been fully paid for was originally designed by its former owner as a place to retire and even to this day it remains in a nice quiet neighborhood and depending on how the taxes escalate I might be able to realize the intent of the original owner. If I took the gamble of selling out to retire elsewhere I would not ever be in a position to buy back what I have now. For me, one major downside of moving or retiring to another country is the requirement of still having to pay USA Income Tax and get absolutely nothing for it. When discussing the USA cost of living with some of my Filipino friends there, some of them commented ” for all the taxes you pay at least you get something for it, here we get nothing ” .

    You have built for yourself and your family some very successful enterprises Bob and so have many others I am sure but then again it’s not for everybody. As I mentioned, for me, it is a regular paycheck that I am satisfied with. When I leave my job at the end of the day that’s it, no more til the next day or the next week. I may not be in such a position to enjoy that by moving to a foreign country.

    I think most of us can consider ourselves fortunate to have the choices we have and for the immediate future I would have no inclination to sell out and go elsewhere regardless of what some of the hyped up media presentations say, good or bad. Just think, if I listened to all of the people, all of the negative and hyped up reports about The Philippines and particularly Mindanao, I would have missed out on the best vacations I ever had, anyplace. In attempting to look at it from your end, with all of the negativity in the media about the USA in recent years, it still attracts tourists and visitors from all over the world and also those that want to make it their home by entering legally or otherwise. Recent estimates indicate there are about 3.5 Million Filipinos living in the USA now. I wonder if someday in the future there will be a proportional amount of Americans living in The Philippines ?

    In all honesty though, I would say that if I ever won a substantial amount in Lotto here ( I buy a $1 ticket a week ) I’d be on the first plane to The Philippines and Iligan City. Just as there are good and maybe less desirable in any place in the world, through my visits I have found many good things there.

    • HI Bob – You raise some interesting points.

      A few things that I want to point out, based on what you wrote.

      I am not sure if you are saying that my viewpoint of what is going on in the States is based only from watching TV, but it is not. Of course, I talk with people in the States on the phone almost daily, and also have a lot of online interaction with people in the States as well. So, my views are based on all of my different methods of observing what is happening there.

      I agree with you fully that not everybody in the States is experiencing economic problems or disgust or displeasure with the events there. But, a lot of people are, and have been (especially since the economic crash in 2008).

      A lot of people associate “living abroad” with “retirement”. To me, they are two different things. Although they are often connected, they are not always. I moved to the Philippines at age 38, the peak of my working life. I often hear people saying “I only have 12 more years (or whatever the number may be) before I can retire and move to x country. I can’t wait to get out of here.” Well, if they are so anxious to get out, why do they need to wait for retirement? There is no reason not to leave before retiring, get on with the “job” of enjoying life!

      I just feel that living a life for nothing more than a “paycheck” is not a great way to live life.

      I doubt that there will ever be a large number of Americans living in Mindanao, Bob. 😉 ha ha…

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Bob. While we may not agree on all the points, friends can still be friends no matter if their views differ from time to time. 🙂 Have a great day, my friend.

  39. Well said, Bob. In my life we have gone from one wage-earner, like my father, being able to support a large family, to two-earner families, then to the dual-income no kids being able to make it…. Finally we have two incomes, no kids and you might be able to tread water. My wife very much notices it. Troublingly, politicians have underfunded the pension fund that I was planning on. Today it has about 20% of the funds needed.

    • Hi lbgalfa – I can’t say. It depends on the circumstances. To be honest, I no longer have much family left in the States. Really, only my mother. I have other family, but people who are distant family, people whom I barely even know, so I would not go back for those funerals. My mother and I have discussed that if I were to die she would not come here for my funeral, and I would not go there for her funeral. But, you never day never.

      The reason that I may not return for such an event has nothing to do with the items in this article. It is more about my thoughts on death. I feel that the person who died would have no real knowledge of who was at the funeral, and if my mind is on that person it is just as important as if I traveled to the funeral.

  42. Hi Rick – Yes, that is something that is interesting to watch. I kind of doubt that they will knock the USD off as the reserve currency of the world, but who knows. The USA can always print more money, but it comes down that it is not usually the wise way to go.

  43. Thank you Jerry. I don’t know for sure, but I wold think that our generation has gone through some of the most drastic changes in history. Everything from Space Travel, the Internet and the socio-economic things that you mention. It has been interesting, but not necessarily good. You are so right about the pensions, and in addition to the pensions that you mention, even many private pensions are also underfunded. It is a coming crisis that not many people are aware of.

  45. Bob, Railroad Retirement is funded by US rail workers, no gov’t funds in there at all, so it’s all good, even if some politicians think there is.

  48. RR retirement isn’t really private, it is a Gov’t program, but no funds from other than RR workers. It also combines the SS i have earned, including military service, but it’s a small %,

  51. I was surprised by how similar your sentiments are with many Mexicans who leave or want to leave their country for the USA or other countries. I suppose perspective is key where being an expat is concerned.

    • Hi Alma – Interesting! I had no idea that was the case. Those are my honest feelings, although I have not been back to the USA, so it is possible that my impressions are off base because they come from watching the media on TV.

      • Hi Bob — I agree with most of your thoughts here but some of your impressions may very well be off base if you rely on the likes of media such as Fox News. Have a look at some of the reports presented by Bill Moyers at PBS. –James

        • Hi James – Thanks for your comment.

          Funny that you said that my view may be skewed because I watch media such as Fox News. Another comment in the same thread said that I must be watching too much liberal media! 🙂 I believe that I watch a balance of coverage.

  52. Bob – this isn’t just an American problem. There is an almost certain global financial collapse in the near future. The banksters ponzi scheme will eventually collapse. The problem is – so many Filipinos depend on remissions from their relatives overseas. What happens here when that goes down or dries up? Secondly – and this is a big worry for me – what happens when the US dollar loses a lot of its value to those of us who depend on Social Security, here in the Philippines? The conversion rate is good now. Imagine if it plummets. At least the Filipinos are used to being poor – many Americans will totally freak out if things go down as are being predicted. At least we don’t have a heating bill here!

    • Of course, Dave. But, a couple of things.

      1. America is “leading the way” as it does on so many things.
      2. I write from the perspective of being an American, so of course the USA would take a prominent role in what I write. 🙂

    • Hi Dave Bennett,

      You make some interesting points there, but at the risk of sounding callous, a reduction in OFW remittance to the Philippines is not my direct concern. In fact the dollar to peso exchange rate always gets worse here at the end of the year as many more remittances flow in from Christmas bonuses and such. So as remittances drop the US dollar value becomes better for anyone who holds dollars. And a slowdown in the remittance rate drives _down_ basic cost of living items .. food, public transpo, rents and such.

      And your point of Filipinos being “used” to being poor resonates with the sort of US superiority beliefs many Americans suffer with. Again, I don’t WANT an economic crash for anyone, but if one has to, American, Filipino r whatever, what you are “used to” won’t matter. You can live far, far cheaper here than you can in the USA … by necessity if not by choice.

      Don’t forget, if American Social Security benefits were to be cut in half (a highly unlikely scenario) someone on US Social Security would still be rich beyond the dreams of millions upon millions of Filipino. Don’t foregut millions of Filipinos every year line up for the opportunity to pay hefty agency fees, air fares and such, in order to go abroad and make “big money” at jobs like “domestic helpers”.

      In case you didn’t know, I turn 70 this year. I frequent a lot of senior citizen/retiree forums and such that are US based. I seldom have the patience to hang out very long however, because most of my fellow “gray panthers” moan and bitch about the most inconsequential costs, when in fact they are rich beyond belief to a huge majority of other countries.

  53. hi Bob…interesting article. I must admit i have been to busy watching Australia declining over the last two yrs to pay much attention to USA affairs, i did think on what i had read that you had turned the corner so to speak and was making a good recovery, whereas Australia has been hit with falling prices on commodities,devaluation of the dollar, aged people losing their life homes because they cant pay the high cost of essential services and so many other problems…we certainly dont feel like the lucky country anymore.

    • Hi David, thanks for stopping by. I think there are a lot of Americans who would argue with what you said about America making a good recovery. It seems most if the world is still mired in poor economic times.

    • If I were on retirement income, there is ZERO DOUBT I would be in the Philippines. I already am because it’s a quality of life issue.

      Can I make more in the states? NO DOUBT.

      But one can live quite comfortable on a few thousand dollars in the Philippines. My dad pulled it off well on $1,100 a month and he was actually saving a few hundred a month. And the people are incredible.

      • Hi DC – I am not on retirement income. I am 53 years old… moved to the Philippines when I was 38. I make a LOT more money here in the Philippines than I ever made in the USA, not even close.

  54. So, for you long-term folks in the PHilippines, given all of the possibilities, do you find yourself keeping more funds on hand in the Philippines? I know many expats keep almost all of their money in U.S. banks and just withdraw for daily/weekly/monthly needs. As the future becomes the present, I wonder how wise that is.

    • Hi Tom, that is always a struggle to decide. For now, I keep most of my money in the States, but not sure what I would do in the future.

    • Tom, that’s a very pertinent question. Unfortunately the answer is not easy.

      Right now the bulk of my savings are still in US Federal Credit Unions. I won’t use a US bank … I advise everyone not to. Banksters, that’s a story for another day).

      But lately I have been thinking seriously about a trip to Hong Kong and opening an account there. You pretty much have to be physically present to open an account. It’s along trip from the USA but for me, I can easily go there, conduct my business, have a great meal, do some shopping and get back the same day to Manila for a $100 or $150 USD in air fare … so it’s mush more practical from the Philippines .

      Of all the “dire prediction” scenarios that are floating around, one of the most likely to happen first is for the government to seize accounts and then return only a part of the money to the account holders. This has already happened recently in Greece.

      Singapore also has some interesting possibilities.

      I hadn’t been that concerned until recently because Philippine Banks have very strict privacy laws and safeguards against overextending themselves, but now the Philippines has completely capitulated to the US FATCA regulations and privacy is out of the picture.

      How much safer would Hong Kong or Singapore be? I really don’t know, the batteries are dead on my crystal ball 😉

      • I agree wholeheartedly with Mr Starr.
        Unfortunately the onerous and far reaching FATCA legislation has lowered the Philippines on my list of ideal “escape options”.
        I tried to no avail last time at my Filipino eesidence to find me a Filipino bank that wouldn’t be so “hand-in-glove” American Bankster legislation.
        I plan on maintaining my family farm there and I didn’t like the concept of the IRS seizing and taxing me US taxes on my Filipino earnings.
        My take on FATCA may be off but I foresee this happening more and more.

  60. Thank you….just starting following your life in the Philippines….look forward to ever issue. Canada is also going to hit….you can see it coming.

  61. Bob, we are too many , Philippines are overly densely populated , you’re right , all countries are bad if we don’t have enough money , I don’t even have money to buy 2 plane tickets in going back to PI . so I will just stay here until my last breath & the creamation is cheaper .

  62. Holy heck. I have lived in Davao since 2010 and am currently in the US for business for 6 months. At first, I thought you were trying to be satirical. I love the Philippine A LOT, but the infrastructure isn’t 1/50th of that in the US. I work in finance and every key indicator for 2 months straight has been showing the US economy improving. Unemployment = down with job creation up. Consumer confidence = up. Home sales = way up. consumer spending = up. etc etc. That having been said, I am excited about heading back to PH. The things I will miss are the US stable infrastructure and of course the food here. Maybe I live in California and Nevada where everything is clean, new highways are being built. I just took a couple of Filipinos to the airport who were here for a few months on J1s and they were crying about leaving because of how amazing it is here. I’m just saying!

    • Funny, Daniel Christian, I never said anything in the article today about Philippine insfrastructure. I talked about social and financial problems in the USA. If a person wants to go to any other country, I see a brighter future. I did not encourage anybody to come to the Philippines, although I do feel that the future is bright here. In fact, I even said that the Philippines may not be the choice that people make. Not sure how you came to the conclusion that I am promoting infrastructure in the Philippines????

    • Got ya Bob. When talking about the US bridge collapse and US falling apart and it being a PH blog, jumped to the conclusion. The US dollar is super strong. Europe is having the major issues right now. US actually doing pretty decent.

    • I would not consider the US dollar to be “super strong” by historical levels, although it is strong based on the past 7 or 8 years. For example, in comparison to the Peso, around 10 years ago the dollar was worth 56 Pesos. Today it is 45.

    • I wold still argue that the dollar is not historically strong, Daniel Christian. For example, back in the 90s the Euro ws worth much less than the dollar. Where are we today? 🙂 Other indicators that you mentioned, like US employment numbers… many of the stats are based on tricky counting methods. The workforce participation level in the USA is at 40 year lows.

      • Hi Bob, just my two cents worth, or a correction if you like. On 1st January, 1999 11 European Countries changed their respective currencies to the Euro. The Euro was worth more than the dollar at that time so it can hardly be in the 90´s that the Euro was worth much less than the dollar. I know that for a fact because I was living in Europe at the time.
        I´m not qualified to comment on “the crumbling of America” although there was a TV documentary about that topic a while back.

    • I actually take your side on this. I know there are struggling markets within the US. I live in Southern California righ now where I love everything. Particularly the food.

    • Philippines has always done well, they just don’t share it with their people! There are many lies from NoyNoy and his cronies about the old government.

    • I understand what you are saying. It’s not always easy, but it’s always been a policy of mine to stay out of Philippines politics. In my five years living there, I have seen foreigners sent packing. At the end of the day, we are house guests essentially and it’s not our place to judge. As Americans, we are very outspoken with our free speach. You are not on America soil. You don’t necessarily have that right. In just about any Asian country.

  64. Robert I look at the options pretty much daily. Been there twice now and both times dreaded thayt flight home! Thanks for everything you post, always find your page interesting!

  65. Hello Bob
    i to believe were a sinking country.the goverment give huge corporations huge tax breaks and taxing us small guys to the point we cant even afford to live here while we send millions to people who burn our flags and kill our people.i dont agree with how the goverment spends our tax dollars.we have millions of starving people and our infrastructure is falling apart at an alarming rate.we need to kick out all the goverment officials and start out fresh with all new ones with all races in office.wish i had the means as i would be heading to philippines tomorrow.thanks for sharing this article my friend.

    • Hi Ron – It would seem that a lot is backwards in the USA right now. When will the American people do something to turn things around?

  66. Bob, off topic, What are your views not allowing foreigners to own land? Any Filipino/foreigner can own land and businesses in the USA. Personally I believe the Constitution should be changed allowing foreigners to own small parcels of land for family/small business purposes within a limit, say less than 5 million pesos.

    • Reed Reed’z Anderson – I don’t get involved in Philippine political issues that are not my business. Certainly there are laws that need to be changed here, but it is not my place to comment publicly on something that is up to the local people to decide on.

    • Thanks Reed! I know I love living here.. which is one of the reasons that I don’t get involved in commenting on such issues! 🙂

    • Absolutely! That is why I discuss these issues in depth in my books, so that people will know before they come! But, to discuss them publicly could get me into trouble here in the Philippines, and I don’t want that.

    • Reed , America is just about the only country that allows foreign people to own land in America and not even live or born here. That is why China is buying up American land like crazy everywhere.

    • I say to find a place you like and go there as young as you can. It doesn’t matter if it is the Philippines, San Francisco or Norway or any other place. Follow your dream at the youngest age possible.

    • That’s another issue… how “younger” foreigners make a living here? Do they stay on a tourist visa all the time? No need to prove to the government that they have enough money to support themselves? And they can not own their physical business. I know ur means of support is your online business, books, etc… that’s different.

    • I moved here at 38 years old. I make a good living here, doing it on the Internet. I have a 13g resident visa, have been here for more than 15 years. Owning a business here is not a problem if you are in the right industry and study on how to do it. I have owned physical (non-internet) businesses in the Philippines.

    • Reed , most young people like those that live by me here in the Bay Area make a average of $250K starting off salary per year easy. All they have to do is save a few years some of that and they have more saved up then most that have spent a entire life to the age of 65. Most younger folks like me also own their own company and can make a living anywhere in the world. That’s the new way people look at life, be the boss not the bosses money maker 🙂

      • Brent,

        I get the gist of what you are saying.I’m a small business owner too. But, those numbers you trotted out are not realistic.I dig your enthusiasm though, but your math is definitely off.Haha.Besides, young people who are making that kind of dough are living in SF or down the Peninsula not in Fairfield 🙂

    • Reed , most young people like those that live by me here in the Bay Area make a average of $250K starting off salary per year easy. All they have to do is save a few years some of that and they have more saved up then most that have spent a entire life to the age of 65. Most younger folks like me also own their own company and can make a living anywhere in the world. That’s the new way people look at life, be the boss not the bosses money maker 🙂

    • Yes true maybe not most outside of California , but many younger generations have grow up knowing how to make that type of money online or working for things that are online related. its 2015 and working for the walmarts of the world are not in the view of most younger folks, they know if they want to make fast big money they go into the tech world and make it . they don’t want to be the Cog in the wheel at a low paying wage factory. its just times have changed that’s all.

    • Yes true maybe not most outside of California , but many younger generations have grow up knowing how to make that type of money online or working for things that are online related. its 2015 and working for the walmarts of the world are not in the view of most younger folks, they know if they want to make fast big money they go into the tech world and make it . they don’t want to be the Cog in the wheel at a low paying wage factory. its just times have changed that’s all.

    • Amen , Brent. So many people cannot figure out that it is the 21st Century now, and time to move on from the old ways of earning money.

    • Amen , Brent. So many people cannot figure out that it is the 21st Century now, and time to move on from the old ways of earning money.

  67. I think you would need to be far more cautious keeping money in the Philippine than in the US. I have generally transferred small amounts of money to my BDO through remithome for monthly use.

    Singapore and HK definitely good options if you make more than 100k a year. You can expect to pay about 3 to5k a year for the privilege to bank in those countries which for the majority of retirees would probably be cost prohibitive.

    • Hi dc – what did you read that gave you the impression that I keep any significant money in the Philippines? I never said any such thing, and your conslusion is completely incorrect.

    • DC

      I bank in Singapore and it costs me exactly $0 each year for the privilege. All that has to happen is to keep a balance of S$20K.

      Cheers

      AJ UK

  68. Just praying that God gives me one and a half more years to get gone. All I ask for is time and guidance. That and a steady stream of adult libations to keep me sane.

  69. very correct Bob Martin, realized this myself ’bout 5 yrs ago or more – so you have a 10 year leap on me though! I will be expiating in the Philippines as well. (Not the cabin in the woods type or person – but more of nipa hut beach kind of person)

  70. & the US Medicare is too dependable , in Philippines the PhilHealth will only cover 20% of all medical cost . PI is good for real healthy people that will never get sick . I was there for 18 months in PI for good but after my wife got a heart attack that needs an immediate pacemaker that was too expensive for us , the whole plan was change , We flew back to States with full of hesitation from the Cardiologist due to long travel without a medical escort , luckily we arrived in Houston that looked like a refugee from Vietnam without anything except our few personal hand carries as we left all our belongings including a brand new partially paid SUV & a 70% house building completion , by the next day my wife was admitted in the hospital for heart surgery upgrade without asking any cent from me as hospital down payment , not like in PI as a must for up front down payment . That’s the big,big difference when staying away from States as Medicare is only good for 6 months for possible refund on medical bills away from the country . God bless America!

    • Hi Garcia Ben – where did you get your information? I am sorry, but it is not correct. Last year I was in the hospital and PhilHealth covered more than 50% of my cost, and PhilHealth costs only $50 for the entire family for a whole year!

    • I am guessing if you’re dealing with cardiologists and open heart surgery with pacemakers, you probably want to be in the states. If you’re a moderately healthy person with the occasional cold or broken bones PhilHealth will be sufficient if you qualify.

    • Hey Ben. Sure thing. I actually see where Bob is coming from especially with the expat community he represents. My dad is mad as hell about Obamacare and Social Security. I have a cushy finance job and live in a world class apartment and eat at Wholefoods. It’s perspective. (I help support my dad by the way! Supplement his socia security.) AS FOR PHIL HEALTH, I have heard a lot of good. I had a buddy who suprisingly got a massive reimbursement he was never counting on. If you have permanent retirement or a work visa, it’s good. If you’re on a tourist visa, you won’t qualify. If you have extreme 50 to 100k a year medical issues, I am guessing the system isn’t going to be ideal for you and you shouldbe on medicare, VA health, etc. in a 1st world environmnt.

    • Hi Daniel Christian the rules for PhilHealth changed a few years ago. Everybody qualifies for PhilHealth now. Even tourists can get PhilHealth if they apply. No requirement to have Filipino family or anything, just go apply.

  72. Bob, It is not ONLY the USA – same is happening in UK and Europe – maybe the natural cycle of things – the only place to be is in Asia , for sure (drinking a glass of fresh dragon fruit juice :))

    • I think you are right, the natural cycle is that things rise and fall, I don’t think it can be avoided.Asia is certainly leading the pack right now, and on the way up!

    • Asia is a big place. China market tanked by 20% this week. The Philippines is stable, albeit one of the smallest economies in Asia. Europe is in turmoil right now because of Greece amongst other issues. The US markets are HIGHEST OF ALL TIME. The dollar is the strongest it’s been agaist the Euro in over 10 years. The Philippines is the slow and steady turtle that is going to be just fine. And it’s more fun in the Philippines!

    • Bob , that was my personal experienced as my wife was admitted at ST. Therese hospital in Oroquieta , Mis., Occ.,for heart attack for almost 2 weeks for 300,000.00 PH , & Chong Hua Hospital in Cebu City for another 100,000.00PH for 1 wk. hospitization & DR’s fee plus 350,000.00ph for the pacemaker, that was mid 2013, & Phil Health will only cover 20% for the first hospital & won’t cover the other hospital if having the same sickness, >> for some reasons maybe they gave you a special discount that just recently offered by the Phil Health.

    • Bob , that was my personal experienced as my wife was admitted at ST. Therese hospital in Oroquieta , Mis., Occ.,for heart attack for almost 2 weeks for 300,000.00 PH , & Chong Hua Hospital in Cebu City for another 100,000.00PH for 1 wk. hospitization & DR’s fee plus 350,000.00ph for the pacemaker, that was mid 2013, & Phil Health will only cover 20% for the first hospital & won’t cover the other hospital if having the same sickness, >> for some reasons maybe they gave you a special discount that just recently offered by the Phil Health.

    • The amount that PhilHealth pays is based on your diagnosis, not who you are or giving a special discount. Their payment amounts for each diagnosis are published openly.

    • The amount that PhilHealth pays is based on your diagnosis, not who you are or giving a special discount. Their payment amounts for each diagnosis are published openly.

  73. I’m afraid your sooooooo correct Bob. 17 Trillion and growing by the minute. My biggest fear is the USD will no longer the worldwide currency. US will never be the same when this happens. It’s coming, when ?

    • Hard to know when that will happen, but it will happen some day. Maybe next year, maybe next century! If it happens and affects you, start earning in a different currency, that is my advice.

    • I lived there for two years and while it was a great experience I prefer the money I earn here and lifestyle I can enjoy here. In the meantime we are working on buying up land to retire there someday.

    • I lived there for two years and while it was a great experience I prefer the money I earn here and lifestyle I can enjoy here. In the meantime we are working on buying up land to retire there someday.

    • Why are you afraid that the USD will no longer be the “world currency”? It won’t make any difference to anyone if it is or isn’t! When I lived in Saudi Arabia, I earned and spent Saudi Riyals and didn’t give a monkeys cuss what any other currency was doing. If the value of my property in the UK at the time went up or went down, it wasn’t going to really change my life. As it happens, it did go up, then it went down, and now it’s going up again. Same in South Africa. Same in the UK. Same in Australia.

      Things go up and down naturally, adjusting themselves for the present situation; just as it is with global warming. There will be another ice age too, but who’s got enough time to worry about that? Talk of war brings war, and constantly whining about it, and discussing it repeatedly and endlessly, which seems to be mainly an American disease, won’t actually make any difference. (I say that because Brits and Australians don’t do it…that’s the extent of my western experience…no offence intended).

    • Michael, I understand your alarm that someone would talk about the uncertainties that America is facing. But rather than denying unpleasant developments and being caught unprepared, you might want to consider whether or not Bob has a point. Then at least you can face whatever comes down the pike with your eyes open.

  75. Very well written post, with decency and respect.

    I’m not American, but i sure follow what is going on in the world, since almost all countries are interconnected now.
    I agree in you post.
    As you, i was – no i still am – “a real “political animal”. to quote you.
    Just that here i can’t really participate as active, since i am not a Filipino citizen.
    I can’t help it, but i have to follow happenings in the world and since we have Internet it’s not so hard to find a wide variety of informations. Some times to much maybe.

    It will be a long drag to change things in USA, a little elite is controlling the country and i’m not talking about a President or a Government.
    Once upon a time USA was a role model, but those days are gone now.
    We must get used to a different “world order”.

    I come from the peaceful Scandinavia – Denmark, we see the same problems, just a little different. It is about east europeans immigrants coming in, because all borders are open for members of the European Union, welfare and social security are way better than it is in Eastern Europe.
    It gives a lot of problems.
    Immigrants and refugees from Middle East and Africa are also a heavy burden on the economy. They also bring a religious problem with them, wanting to change a countries old culture. Not well received by citizens – and causing problems.

    I left for more than 3 years ago, not because of these things, but because it was about time my wife came “home” and spend her life here, after 20 years abroad,
    As always i love adventures and new things, so it was am easy decision for me.
    I had my own savings to live for here, still not official retirement age and doing some business here is possible.

    I do not go back to Denmark, only for visits now and then.

    If we look at the situation here in Philippines, it doesn’t look to good either, but we can’t really do much about it other than doing the “right things” and hopefully have a influence on the people close to us. It can spread.

    The world is changing fast, communication are intensive and a lot of it. Some true, some lies, some manipulations. We must be very alert for what we see and read.
    The world is so small now, we have to get used to different cultures and ways to live, it is not something we read about in a book anymore, now it is our close neighbors. We are getting closer to each other and have to adjust to a lot of new things in life, we have to learn to respect each other a lot more.
    The world is far from the same at it was only 20 years ago.

    What happened – i would just write a short message to say thanks for a good post – and now this 😀

  77. I will likely some day move to the Philippines, but I would be a fool if I said i was going for more freedom, or better opportunity. I will be going because of the massive disparity in cost of living…the same money that would just get me by here in the US would be a tidy sum in PI. Does that mean the Philippines is better? No, it means their economic situation is worse. Flee the country? That is an irrational emotional response to the news…news which is designed to rile you up. I really like a lot of your articles Bob, but this one I do not agree with. Neither does my Filipino wife, or any of her filipino family.

    • Hi Jacob – Everybody is free to their own opinion. this article was actually written about 7 months ago, so it has nothing to do with the current things in the news. BTW, there is great opportunity here in the Philippines if you know where to look. I make a lot more money here in the Philippines than I ever made when I lived in the States. So, it can be done.

    • 17 Trillion with 0 interest at this point. 4% interest its now 36 Trillion 7% its 136 Trillion . China is on the brink of being the richest country. 13 countries trading with China with their own currency already, bypassing the USD. It’s gigantic wake up call for all Americans.

    • As a power plant engineer, I am fairly certain I could get a good paying job in PI. My wife has a nice piece of land, part of the families 16 hectare farm. When we do go and live there, as seniors, I am certain we will be in good shape. As far as China/US as the US goes, so does the Philippines. China would like nothing more than to make Philippines a vassal state. They are already taking their land, and if the US does weaken, they will take more. And China does not play well with others. China is for China. Not for mankind, or the idea of freedom for all. China is for Chinese domination. So if one is quoting how China is strengthening, Philippines is NOT the place to go to get away from it.

    • Please don’t misinterpret me, Jacob Underwood, I never said any such thing. 🙂 What I write does is what I mean, nothing beyond that.

    • Largest transfer of wealth in history, and are own government did it with Nafta, and grossly over spending obscene amounts of money of course.

    • I moved tot he Philippines because I wanted a bit of an adventure, and a change in my personal life. Not for political or economic reasons. I found that it was a good move that I really liked, so I decided to stay permanently.

    • The point is the US is soo deep in debt that its wise to diversify your money into other investments overseas and consider moving somewhere with economic advantage b4 the USD takes a big hit. PH or elsewhere ur choice

  78. I will likely some day move to the Philippines, but I would be a fool if I said i was going for more freedom, or better opportunity. I will be going because of the massive disparity in cost of living…the same money that would just get me by here in the US would be a tidy sum in PI. Does that mean the Philippines is better? No, it means their economic situation is worse. Flee the country? That is an irrational emotional response to the news…news which is designed to rile you up. I really like a lot of your articles Bob, but this one I do not agree with. Neither does my Filipino wife, or any of her filipino family.

    • Hi Jacob – Everybody is free to their own opinion. this article was actually written about 7 months ago, so it has nothing to do with the current things in the news. BTW, there is great opportunity here in the Philippines if you know where to look. I make a lot more money here in the Philippines than I ever made when I lived in the States. So, it can be done.

    • 17 Trillion with 0 interest at this point. 4% interest its now 36 Trillion 7% its 136 Trillion . China is on the brink of being the richest country. 13 countries trading with China with their own currency already, bypassing the USD. It’s gigantic wake up call for all Americans.

    • As a power plant engineer, I am fairly certain I could get a good paying job in PI. My wife has a nice piece of land, part of the families 16 hectare farm. When we do go and live there, as seniors, I am certain we will be in good shape. As far as China/US as the US goes, so does the Philippines. China would like nothing more than to make Philippines a vassal state. They are already taking their land, and if the US does weaken, they will take more. And China does not play well with others. China is for China. Not for mankind, or the idea of freedom for all. China is for Chinese domination. So if one is quoting how China is strengthening, Philippines is NOT the place to go to get away from it.

    • Please don’t misinterpret me, Jacob Underwood, I never said any such thing. 🙂 What I write does is what I mean, nothing beyond that.

    • Largest transfer of wealth in history, and are own government did it with Nafta, and grossly over spending obscene amounts of money of course.

    • I moved tot he Philippines because I wanted a bit of an adventure, and a change in my personal life. Not for political or economic reasons. I found that it was a good move that I really liked, so I decided to stay permanently.

    • The point is the US is soo deep in debt that its wise to diversify your money into other investments overseas and consider moving somewhere with economic advantage b4 the USD takes a big hit. PH or elsewhere ur choice

  85. Bob:

    Like you, I did not move here due to economics or politics. There are two things that are different in the USA that really are different now than long ago.

    The first is income inequity. There has always been income inequity in the USA, from the days of the Robber Barons. What is different now is that so few people control such large percentages of the wealth in the USA, at levels never seen before. They will not give up that power and control without a fight. The system is being manipulated by those who really control things. Gay marriage, confederate flags, and gun ownership are distractions to keep people worked up and focused on the irrelevant issues. Those who point at the record high stock market and say, “Gee, things are going good” are missing the point. Those highs have not benefited the middle class. They paid for wars that fed the corporate machine.

    However, what I think has changed the mood of the USA more than anything else is the prevalence of modern media. This isn’t a “liberal” media or “conservative media” rant. There is just as much nonsense from both. Media companies thrive on controversy. That is what sells advertising. Yesterday, you posted on Facebook about people going on and on about US political nonsense after they expatriate. The fact is that were you to expatriate 30 years ago, there was far less connectivity with your past life. There was no “up to the minute breaking news”. The media has successfully polarized people, not only in the USA but elsewhere, too, into complete opposite views. A true “us vs them” mentality. You are either with us, or against us. There is a new level of nastiness that has taken over the mood in the USA.

    This situation thus extends to politics. Most politicians pick a side, and what you get is people with extreme views running the country. It would be very difficult for a moderate or centrist from either party to succeed. I honestly believe a lot of the “Obama” nonsense you see online would be no different than “Insert any conservative name”. It wasn’t any different under Bush. There was just as much stupidity out there when he held the reins. I don’t want to live under a Christian theocracy, nor do I want to live in any socialist utopia either. If you look at the respective parties, and the politicians that represent them, this is ultimately what both sides supposedly want. An it plays right into the hands of corporate America. Exxon, Shell, GE, and Time Warner do not care which party runs the show. They do not care about all of the “issues”. Regardless of which party is in control, they win, and they will spend whatever it takes to keep it that way.

    • Hi John – Always nice to hear from you! Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment.

      I can’t disagree about income inequality.. the CEOs are making so many multiples of the regular workers, it’s a bit crazy. I am a business minded person, so I would usually side the other way, but I can’t deny it.

      Anyway, John, thanks again for sharing your thoughts.

    • John,

      Great take as always ! I would add that Wall St. and the Military Industrial Complex are the real puppet masters who control the machine.

      My son is going into his sophomore year double majoring in Economics and Mathematics or Computer Science at a well known college in Massachusetts.Wall St. recruits big time on this campus and some of his baseball teammates are doing internships on the street this summer.Three of his teammates that graduated last May already have jobs at places like Goldman Sachs etc.

      Anyways, he told me the other day that he has an interest in exploring opportunities on Wall St. if his baseball career ends after college.I damn near fell out of my chair ! Haha. After I regrouped from that incoming, the parent side of my brain reasoned if that’s what you want to do then go for it.I mean,the starting salaries are enormous and I guess there are lots of benefits to working on the street.The surfpunk/hippie side of my brain reaction was like WTF ! Why do you want to enter into the belly of the beast ? If there is such thing as a devil he surely resides and reigns on Wall St !

      I’m reminded of “the duality of man” scene from Full Metal Jacket :

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMEViYvojtY

  86. Bob –

    Your post really struck home with me. In the wake of a few recent Supreme Court rulings, I have become disillusioned with my country. I have always been quite sensitive to the fact that I seem to have “abandoned” my country to live in the Philippines. I have always loved the principles upon which America was founded and was somewhat ashamed that I was willing to live in another country.
    But the America of today is nothing like the America of 1776 and not even the America that I grew up in.
    To non-Americans, it sounds ridiculous to be criticizing what is still arguably the greatest nation on earth, but from an insider’s view, the rot goes deep, probably far deeper than it is possible to fix. It will not improve. The great American experiment in individual liberty, small government and free markets is over for good.
    It pains me greatly to be expressing these truths in a “foreign” forum.
    After the U.S. Supreme Court spat on the Constitution this past week, I immediately removed the flag that has been displayed for years in my front yard in America. I am almost literally sick to my stomach about it. I spent 20 years defending my country and now my country has abandoned me.

    -Peter

    • Hi Peter, thanks for stopping by ans sharing your thoughts.

      I must say, America has shown that it is no longer the country where I grew up. Whether a person agrees or disagrees with the direction, there can be no denying that the direction has changed in recent years.

      I have never felt sad or guilty about leaving the USA to live in the Philippines. I did it for my own reasons and for what I thought best for myself. It does not mean that I am anti-American or anything, just that I wanted a change. You should not feel guilty about the change either in my view.

      Hang in there, Peter! Think of what is best for you, and you will come up with the perfect solution!

  87. Good points indeed, Bob.

    I was very fortunate to find a career working as an air traffic controller for the US Government. That gave me a very decent retirement pension at a young age (I was eligible when I turned 50, but for a number of reasons waited another year.) I could have stayed in an earned a very nice wage for quite a few more years, but we wanted to retire and enjoy life ASAP.

    Living in the Philippines makes that pension go MUCH further. We can enjoy a lifestyle on par with what we had in the US and still do all of the world traveling we plan to do.

    I just hope the US Government can hang in there for another 20 years or so. I’d hate to find myself with no income. This is NOT a good place to be poor and unemployed!

    • I hear you, Doug! If the US Government goes away, so does your pension. But, another 20 or 30 years should not be a problem. For the long term, though, I am just not so sure! Hopefully the USA will change course and become the power that it once was.

      • I’m in agreement with you, and I’m not sure the US will ever be the power it once was. Not to say my old home country will fall into irrelevance, but Rome and Great Britain were once major powers in the world. Italy and the UK are still big players, but were overshadowed by the US. Now, the US is slowly sliding into being a “once was” nation. I fear that China and India will become the major players on the future world stage.

        • Becoming the 21st Century version of Great Britain would not be a bad thing, necessarily. I could live with that. Hopefully not the next Greece, though! 🙂

  88. Interesting to read both the article and all the comments. My wife came to the US on a fiance visa. We married, then moved from the USA to the Philippines eight years later when I retired. I am happy here in the Philippines and have accepted this as my new “home” and plan on living out the remainder of my life here. My wife, on the other hand, misses living in the USA and speaks of returning to live there at some future point in time.

    • Hi Michael – Like you, the Philippines is my home now. My wife lived in the USA for 10 years before we moved back here. After coming home to the Philippines, for the first 5 years or so, my wife badly wanted to go back to the States, but I was able to convince her to hold off on doing it. After 5 years, though, she decided that the Philippines was the better choice of where we should live. From time to time she still wants to go back to the US, but mostly she is very happy here! Hopefully your wife will reach that point too, Michael. Good luck!

  89. Things are falling apart because America is extremely large and there is not enough money to fix every road and bridge. To fix all they would have to raise taxes and income tax. Can’t wait till I get to the Philippines.

    • Hi John – They tax gasoline which is supposed to be used to fix the roads, but they don’t use the money for what it is intended for… just another example of mismanagement by the politicians. Time to flee indeed…

      Thanks for your comment!

  90. Hello Bob I would like to come and live permanentlyI am setting roots in aaround Sapang Palay Bulcan. Have been driving trucks all my life here in the states. Trying to see how to support my new wife and out children ages 4 and 10 if I stayed in the ph full time. We are making cause i drive here then go there for a short time back to work here.Any ideas would be aappreciated.

    • Hi Paul – Thanks for stopping by, nice to hear from you.

      I firmly believe that you can make a living here in the Philippines. If I can do it, I believe anybody can do it. It is not easy, but it can be done with hard work, just like anything else in life.

      I do not believe you can do it driving a truck here, though. Since I don’t really know you, know what you are knowledgeable about, what your interests are, or what you are good at, I can’t really recommend anything to you. But, my strong recommendation would be to try to do something online, that is a whole new world, and a great place to work if you can make it happen. And, I believe that you can do it, anybody can. You just have to find the right niche.

      Good luck to you.

  91. Any ideas on how to earn money as being a truck driver here in the states. I earn here support her and the 2 kids 4 and 10 gobfor short time back to work

  92. Bob, I agree with you, unfortunately. My son and I are almost there.

    This is not the America I grew up in. As a child, I remember watching adults in the 80s not working as hard as adults in the USA do now.

    In Silicon Valley where I have my home, where there’s one of the largest concentration of billionaires where the largest homelessness in the USA. A homeless person living under a freeway bridge while a Ferrari drives over it. A homeless person defecates himself in public transportation and sidewalks while billionaires are living in $30M homes with gold plated faucets.

    The “working poor” where a family of 4 earning $90K is not enough to live without public assistance in Silicon Valley.

    As a Christian, I am ridiculed by people, yet, when a drug dealer or a thug does crime, it’s accepted.

    I was told to “go back to where I came from” by people who are living on public assistance paid by my hard earned money.

    Rudeness is a way of life. When I tell people in Pinas that the roads in Manila are in better condition than the roads in California, 99% who has never step foot in the USA are in disbelief.

    I can go on & on Bob… all I can say is this is not the America I grew up in. Ingat kayo ni Feyma and kids. God bless.

    • It is Bob. Most people are working 2-3 jobs per parent just to make ends meet. I know one lady who is married, 3 children and she has 2 full time jobs. Her husband has 2.5 jobs and they’re barely making it work.

      That’s not a life, but it’s reality in America today.

    • Living in Manila as I do I really must disagree with you on the road situation. I never saw a tree growing in the middle of road in California or a power pole blocking a lane because the power company hasn’t got around to moving it yet.

      • Haha! Amen to that!

        All this about money is almost ridiculous. I had $750 coming in to me for my Social Security. I paid all my bills with it. The only other help was I got was with my rent. $150 I think. So $900. I didn’t have a lot. I am not very materialistic. But I also supported my gf and her son here on this money. There is ways to live in America with little money. People who have multiple jobs is mainly from their life style IMO.

        • Great Post and very true. It is one’s lifestyle that determines what they want to do with their money.

          Rusty

  94. Even those who wanted a nursing career in the USA well here is a fact some private hospitals are really closing shop due to no funding since 2010. Those applying for nursing visa’s in the US Embassy are still on hold since 2006. It means these nursing students or board passers are stuck here for life. in tagalog we call it “#Nganga” it means nothing is moving anywhere…….

    • Hi Brian H Yasay – I feel bad for them, but the USA is in a situation where they must look out for their own people. If an American nurse is available there is no reason to have somebody immigrate from the Philippines to take the job. I love the Philippines and the Filipino people, but Filipinos have to take a back seat to Americans when it comes to jobs in the USA, just as I have to do here in the Philippines. 🙂 Of course, the Filipino nurses can go to other countries like Canada, Europe, Middle East, etc.

    • I’ve wanted to live in US since childhood but when the Basic Education system dramatically changed here. That really changed my mind. My future sons & daughters will benefit from this new system. In my life I always wanted peace & quiet all around. Best of all “It’s more fun in the Philippines” still & technology changed all that……

    • Hi Brian H Yasay- I personally believe that for the future, there is more opportunity here in the Philippines. You are wise to see that,and wish for your future children to take advantage of that! Good luck to you!

    • Thank’s Bob I have read blogs on some Filipino-American families coming back here & they are happy to see a lot of changes including the new Basic Education system from DepEd Philippines. They may not come back in the US except for visiting. Actually they have filed for Philippine Dual Citizenship so they can have choices. I have a Filipino-American Uncle who already retired from USPS comes here every 6 months & 4 yrs. ago He already bought a house somewhere south of NCR…….

    • Hi Brian H Yasay – My wife and all of my kids are dual citizens. I think it is a great program, and I wish I could be a dual citizen too, but unfortunately foreigners are not accepted into the program.

    • Actually, I don’t have a 13a. I have a 13g, which is almost identical to a 13a. The difference is that at the time I got my visa my wife was not a Philippine Citizen, because she was naturalized in the USA. Now that she has become a dual citizen, I would qualify for a 13a, but it makes no difference really.so no need to change!

  95. I would only comment on the guy who said you should diversify in other countries because of the debt the U.S. Carries. Where would that be? He surely does not think the Philippines is a good investment hub does he? A leader in corruption and a limited insurance program for your investments as well as poor legal security makes the PI a poor place to invest. Europe? I don’t think so as Germany is about the only country stable economicly. South America? No one would buy into that which leaves China. An economy propped up by false development and also huge national debt. What we are seeing is simply the entrance to the full scale global financial connection and when the dust settles everyone who moved to countries for monetary reasons will wake to see more clearly. I have said before and will continue to say , move or retire because you want the adventure and cultural experience. Everything else is subject to change and change quickly.

    • I could not agree more, Roger! Happiness and adventure come from different places for different people. For me, I love living in the Philippines, but it is not for everybody. Each person has to find their own “right place” and follow their dream.

  97. I have found it interesting in my small group of retired and former government employees of various agencies the number that are not able to get passports to travel abroad. It is not because they are or have a criminal record, the thing they have in common is relatively high wealth and knowledge.

    There are about 55 thousand people who cannot get approval to travel out of the country at last count. Also, the expenses for giving up citizenship (yes I know that was not suggested) has radically skyrocketed.

    Isn’t that what we grew up hearing about the former Soviet Union?

    In our country in Cornfield County Indiana about 8% of the blacktop roads are reverting to gravel because of lack of funds. The police palaces and judicial shrines are expanding at the expense of the general population.

    Unemployment is dropping according to government statistics. However, when you figure the people that don’t get counted; self employed, people who have exhausted unemployment benefits, people who have lost a job and taken a job at a fraction of the wages, real unemployment in my area is very close to Great Depression levels according to a Perdue professor at a business seminar I attended last fall.

    The last thing I will mention is the number of senior government officials that have moved overseas after retirement because of their concerns.

    Bob, I don’t disagree with your comments, but to say them publicly can be risky these days in this country. You will often be called or considered a person in the same class as a traitor.

    • LeRoy, I have known you for some time through this site
      I believe you to be a man who is intelligent. You are not some lunatic at all. If I did not feel so highly of you, I would say that you cannot be correct about these people not being allowed to have a passport or to travel abroad. But, I fully trust you and believe you to be an honorable person.

      I am floored. I have never heard if such a thing and I want to know more. This is shocking to me.

      • Never heard anything like that before. 55,000 people denied passports to leave the country? As many problems as the US has now, i would never burn all your bridges. You just have to wait and see what happens. Things could go bad here at anytime too, you just never know. A good investment country not mentioned is New Zealand. Have to agree with Jacob above. If the US became very weak, China would take advantage and the Philippines would be in trouble.

        • I am trying to research into it, PapaDuck, but so far I can’t find anything. I feel, though, that LeRoy is a responsible person that I trust, and I am sure that if he says it, there must be something to it.

          I have been here long enough, and spent enough time away from the USA, that although I have never “burned my brigets”, for all intents and purposes, my bridges are barely standing any longer. 🙂

          If things went bad here, I would likely go to another country, but not back to the USA.

    • I’m guessing they don’t have the required documentation. Take your Fox News generated conspiracy theory elsewhere.

      I made a VERY good wage in the US as a FEDERAL employee. My passport was renewed without question every time.

  98. I know this article was meant to be controversial– and in that regard it succeeded. But in reality, USA is still light years ahead of PH on so many levels it’s not even funny. I won’t elaborate too much but here are a few ways USA is still better:

    1) Quality of health care. If you have a REAL problem and need heart surgery, a knee replaced, or a shoulder repaired, you better high-tail it out of PH to get it done. I’m sure in Manila you might could find someone ok. Maybe. Even Pacquiao had his shoulder fixed in USA and I’m sure he can afford to go wherever he wants to go. Instead he chose USA despite it being a hassle traveling back to PH in a sling.

    2) Roads. Roads are still better. And traffic laws are enforced. And people have insurance. Oh, and we have stoplights at nearly every intersection!

    3) Power. We actually have reliable power to operate those stoplights. And the stores, and the hospitals. Brown outs and blackouts are rare.

    4) Trial by Jury within a REASONABLE time frame. And innocent until proven guilty. Accused of a crime in PH? Guilty or not, in PH you can rot in jail for years, and then your fate relies on one judge who may or may not be corrupt. At least with the US system, you are entitled to a jury trial.

    5) Fast internet. No need to explain.

    6) Food quality and safety and quality. Grocery stores in the US are not allowed to “turn off their freezers at night” to save power. Also, again, we have a mostly reliable power grid free from constant brownouts which helps. Yes, PH has some fresh fruits and veggies, but this doesn’t make up for the lack of safe food handling you’ll often see and lack of other quality food.

    7) Jobs and job discrimination laws. Self-explanatory if you’ve ever been to PH.

    8) Convenience. With a click of a mouse or a phone call you can order anything you want in the US and most likely receive it within 3-5 days. In good shape. On time. And not “picked through” or with missing items thanks to customs “inspections.”

    Despite the USA being way better in most ways, I still like PH. And I will most likely go back. Yes, USA is getting worse every day I believe. It’s pretty disappointing. I believe we have flushed most of our founding father’s ideals down the toilet and we will all pay for that. Well, the handle has been pulled, but we are still swirling around the bowl. And it will be a slow and steady decline if we continue down this path. However, it will still take many, many years before PH comes ANYWHERE close to where the US is currently. Decades.
    And that’s assuming no major typhoons and earthquakes or volcano eruptions to slow down PH further.

    • Hi John – I don’t know if perhaps you did not fully read my article or if you just misinterpreted it. I never said anything about the Philippines being ahead of the USA on anything.

      What I will say along these lines is that while the US may well be ahead on the things that you pointed out, and I do not argue that point, the general trajectory of the US is in the downward direction, while on instances such as these, the Philippines is improving. I can’t say how many years it would take, but if these trends continue, the Philippines would sooner or later catch the USA.

    • Hi John Campbell
      You will change your views pretty soon.
      It is with a very high level of confidence that I’ll say this; it will take only about five months for that to happen.
      By the way, I hope you don’t live in California.

      • PalawanBob,

        Ok, I’m game. I live in SoCal. What’s gonna happen in 5 months ? Please support your argument(s).

  99. Great article Bob. Your totally right! The thing is the Americans who keep talking about moving away are the same Americans sitting on their arse in front of the TV complaining about the political situation but too lazy to go out and demand change. Just like you said, America is too wound up to go out and demand change. Maybe the government already has all the control it needs with TV and Video games there really isn’t anyone to get out and fight for their freedoms anymore.

  101. I just celebrated my second “personal independence” day (June 21). Though I moved out of the US in 2002, and haven’t even visited since early 2003, I was still “American” and all that means.

    On June 21, 2013, I became truly independent. On that date I completed a renunciation ceremony at the US Embassy and officially became NOT American. Completely free of the beast. Not only that, but I didn’t pledge allegiance to another beast. I’ve been enjoying life without any political bondage. Free of nationality.

    • Hi Glen, how do you travel internationally. If you are not a citizen of any country, you can’t have a passport? I am seriously curious.

  103. Bob, I thought this article was very well reasoned and fair. Thomas Jefferson ( paraphrasing ) said it is not unpatriotic to point out a country’s problems. I hope to visit Philippines and save for retirement there down the road .

  104. Great article as always Bob , but don’t you think there’s a danger in allowing so many foreigners into one country , I know the Philippines is vast and over 7000 islands , but I feel with so many expats possibly coming to the Philippines , that this could cause issues down the road for the Filipino people , especially influencing change to cultures and ideals , bringing with them their own ideas for change to the Philippines, or am I just throwing caution to the wind , cheers Bob !!

    • I don’t believe that a measurable percentage of the population that has thought about leaving for greener pastures, actually takes the steps to do so, and finally settles on the Philippines, will cause a massive spike in new immigrants.

      • Yeah, I never really said much of anything n the article about coming to the PH, only it is time to get out of the US. People certainly would not all come to the Philippines.

    • Hi Lorne – Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Actually, I never said much at all in the article about moving to the Philippines. I just said it is time to leave the USA. People would not all move to one country, there are hundreds of countries to choose from! 🙂

  105. Bob,

    You are right on and for me, I can’t get out soon enough. I have 2 more years until retirement and I just pray and hope that I can survive the next two years. Today, I barely recognize America anymore, it has been thrust backwards instead of forwards lately. Racial tensions are worse than I ever have seen them in my lifetime and the same could be said for the economy and the social atmosphere. It is so bad now that the American Citizen has been pushed down to the bottom of the pile while liberal policies cater to illegals, communist, radical Islamist and their supporters. America used to be both respected and feared and rich in both morals, ethics, and wealth. Now nobody in the world respects nor fears us and we are the weakest we have ever been. All the while our president refuses to stand up for the American citizen, and seems hell bent on destroying any and all remnants of our society. If I could leave to day I would not hesitate, and I hope nothing will stand in my way when my retirement comes in 2 years. I am hopeful I can get out, but I am fearful I may be stuck by some catastrophic event or bs policy.

  106. Bob, I am in agreement with you 100%. You already know my story……im just waiting until I can come to Cebu city and live my life with the woman I love. I could come there now but speculate it will be late summer next year for proper timing. I hate the waiting game.

  107. 300 Plus nice. I know Bob you are probably asleep being that it is now 11pm there in the Philippines. I had to comment.

    I have always shared my plan and dream to live in the Philippines with my friends here in the USA. A lot of times people ask me how are you going to make money. And I always tell them you don’t have to show up physically in one location to make money. Then it seems to always come up…

    …” Well when we have the financial melt down…how are you going to survive?”

    Then I ask them, well IF it is that bad here in the USA, would you rather be in a place where a lot of the people have been raised to feel that they are entitled to what ever they want, when they want it? A place that have kids think money comes from a ATM or the government program. And food just shows up at McDonald? A place that almost never have power outages? If and when a place like the USA fails. There will be a lot of people who will be angry. They probably take to the streets, willing to take what ever they could find. And will not worry over who owns it.

    Or would you rather be in a place that the people have not had things just handed to them. Where brown outs are a normal thing growing food for your survival is a regular thing? Reminds me of that old song. Song of the south. “somebody told us wall street fell, but we was so poor we couldn’t tell”

    We can take our chances in different places, I would choose the place when things don’t work out that well, the people are still smiling on the side of the road.

  108. Spot on, on many fronts! The middle class “kill off” began with NAFTA and that giant suckling sound of jobs going overseas that Ross Perot warned about. Now TPP that Republi-Cons teamed with Barry Sotero on to sneak through while the media and those not paying attention distracted you with a darn flag and gun control argumwnts, or Caitlin Jenner nonsense. Really pathetic that more Americans probably know who the Kardashians are, But can’t name their Senators or Rep. Now, because it was not revealed to public for content, none of us know what’s in TPP or what it will do, but given the Demon-cats abandoned Barry on it, and the CONS teamed up with Barry should tell anyone with a brain that something is amiss….and it’s 99% not good. …i.e. more lost jobs. I grew up in a now hurting NC textiles town, jobs lio gs gone overseas

    • It’s the 21st Century. Time to give up on “jobs” and start thinking in the new 21st century way…. people need to think in terms of self-employment. It is the way of the future.

  109. Those jobs are never coming back and destroyed a solid blue collar middle class that could afford to buy in the consumer economy. Yeah, more I read and pay attention, and comm with other expats it’s soon time to make the move. I don’t see things ever turning around here on top of Barry, Dems and R-cons,Continuing to bring people here who have No desire to assimilate. Yes…Doomed and that path has been set.

  110. Certain topics I always refuse to discuss, religion and politics are at the top of that list. We all have our views, and we all think we know how to fix the problems, thats the ongoing problem these past years with congress , and in my humble opinion nothing will get accomplished til the independent parties might someday become popular rather than just be considered as they seem to be now and are elected , at least many of them can look at things from different perspectives and not only from the right or left side only, so there is my perspective on how to “fix” things here, but I really dont know if things can be “fixed” at this point. I can see a lot of emotion in your article.

    Yes, this country defiantly has its problems, and its not the same country as it once was, but then neither are the times we are living in compared to the 50’s or 60’s, or any other decade after that, but we had our problems back then and all through the times up to the current.

    That being said and considered, I also want to leave here, but not because of these problems, but more because I also want a new adventure in my life before I die. I like many here, fell in love with a Filipino, and she, along with my trips there , have made me want to move there. I would like to be able to help a few of the people there , although it will be very limited I know. If I had any family here in the US, then it would be much harder for me to do this, but since I dont, its the perfect opportunity for a change. I like it there because in many ways it does remind me of the way things once were here, decades ago. I know there will be many things there ,that because I am unaware of there yet, I will not like, or be able to change, but I still want to give it a chance and see if I can change enough to live there.

    For the past 16 months we have been selling about 90% of everything we own, and just very recently put our last big obstacle up for sale, our house. Because of the economy here and certain things about the house, mainly its size, its going to be a hard sale I am already seeing.

    Hope to see you one day Bob, if we ever get over there.

    • I believe that it that the wound has been left festering so long that we are beyond a solution. It can no longer be fixed. The fix is too painful, and no politician will do it, because it wold be death to the political career, thus, the country cannot heal.

  111. Hi Bob,

    You wrote a lot of what I would have written, except for one thing. I’m 51 this month, counting down until 55 when I can bug out. I was thinking of snow birding, but Obamacare pretty much put the kabosh on that idea. More than a month in the US requires you to get Obamacare. I figure between premiums and co-pays I would be out more than $20,000 per year, for a couple.

    Nope. I haven’t saved all my life to blow most of my savings just on health care, between 55 and 65. And frankly, I don’t see medicare being around like it is today, in 2029, long past the bankrupt date.

    Because of that I’ve went from, I might try this living there part time. It might be kind of fun…to YES, I can’t wait to make this happen. You know what? Making the decision has really lightened the load on my conscious. Yes, I’ll still vote to save America but I know I’ll lose. American might be Ready for Hillary but I’m paying more attention now to being Ready For Grace, as I’ll be living there by the end of her term.

    See you all in a few years. 🙂

    Todd

    • Hi Todd – Actually, you can stay in the USA up to 35 days per year without having to get Obamacare. So, it is about a month, but a bit more than a month. You must be outside the country for 330 days per year.

      Good luck with your potential move.

  112. I like that idea. One of the many things this country needs is to rid itself of everyone that thinks like this. Goodbye and good riddance. This country isn’t in any more trouble than it ever has been. If people had small balls and little ability to perceive what is coming next had populated the country from day one the US we have come to know in our lifetime would never have happened in the first place.

    • I don’t think the future of America improves if my balls grew, and my attitude improved about what people like yourself have done to it.

      Don’t worry. You’re get your purge, especially of healthy people. I’m drawn to the Philippines because I’m married into it. More here are headed to Central and South America for lower priced health care, lower costs of living, and frankly the culture, as American culture is getting poisoned.

      It’s getting easier and easier, moving somewhere where people are friendly to each other, as opposed to, “well get the f*** out because this is America, f*** Yeah, love it or leave it, bla bla bla.

  113. John, when you say the US needs to rid itself of ‘people who think like this’are you talking about me? People who think like what I wrote are undesirable? Just not sure what you mean.

    • Anyone who thinks that simply leaving the US is the best thing to do because bad things are coming should just go. Those folks are not undesirable per se. They will just take up space and not work to adapt to the way technology has changed not only our society but the planet. Our psyches have not been able to keep up. Add the Global Economy to the mix and there is a great deal going wrong. What we need here are people willing to learn, understand, keep up and contribute. Infrastructure needs an updated fuel tax and other funding sources, one could go on and on but do not mistake problems that do have solutions to those that do not. Curiosity and brilliance are all that’s required. If you see no recourse but to leave. Leave.

  114. There is no point in belaboring nostalgic memories of how great America was in yesteryears. Those days are gone. People change, attitudes change, nations change. The America you see today is not the same America you grew up in 50 years ago. Neither will it be the same America your grandchildren will grow up in 50 years from now.

    With all due respect, what I consider more stupid than calling Americans stupid is the tired, worn expression by America-haters, “This is not the America I knew”.

    Of course, not. Things change, and it’s called evolution, just in case you are blinded with hatred for America that you fail to understand that nothing stays the same.

    Those who want to leave America, please do so as soon as possible. We don’t need you. If you don’t like the USA, we don’t like you either. You are a hindrance to our progress. Fortunately, there are a lot more of us real Americans than you, faux Americans. The REAL Americans stay put to keep America strong.

    On America’s birthday tomorrow, you will see everyone of us, natives and immigrants alike, celebrating America’s birthday.

    Here in Washington, D.C., hundreds of thousands of us will gather at the Washington Mall to celebrate the good old fashion way. Between the U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument, you will see a sea of diverse faces representing almost every country and culture in the world, all of whom show a genuine respect and admiration for America and all that it represents by being present at the Washington Mall for the celebration of America’s birthday.

    If America is so bad, I wonder why America remains the destination of choice by thousands of immigrants the world over each year.

    • So based on what you are saying, anybody who is not willing to tow the line is no longer welcome in the USA? Wow. America used to thrive on varying points of view. You Just painted an America that is much worse than I even imagined.

      • Read what I wrote. Where did I say that if you don’t toe the line, you are not welcome in America?

        What I said was, if you want to leave America, do so ASAP. You are a hindrance to America’s progress.

              • “Those who want to leave America, please do so as soon as possible. We don’t need you. If you don’t like the USA, we don’t like you either. You are a hindrance to our progress. Fortunately, there are a lot more of us real Americans than you, faux Americans. The REAL Americans stay put to keep America strong.”

                OK, I see where you’re getting your “varying view”. But, if you don’t like the USA, and have a VERY negative view of the country, how can you possibly contribute to its well being?

              • John, in my entire life I have never once said that I don’t like America. I love America. I went to pains to point out that I did not leave the USA because I was against the USA, but rather because I wanted a bit of adventure and change in my personal life. I did not leave the USA because of politics or who is in power or anything of the sort. Only for a change in my life. Can you point me to anywhere that I have said that I dislike the United States of America?

                I dislike some of the paths that the country has taken, I feel that mistakes have been made. I hope that the USA can change direction, although I feel that it is too late for that. But even if I feel that it is too late, I still hole for the best for the USA, it is the country of my birth after all.

                You left the Philippines? Do you dislike or hate the Philippines? I don’t think you do, and I have not accused you of that. That is where it seems you are going with what you have written, though, toward me.

              • Oh, Bob! Come on. I’ve been reading LiP since 2009. I remember many things you have said about America in your articles and in many of your comments. But that’s OK. You are entitled to your opinion.

                I just wanted to contribute my own opinion to an article that generated many disparaging remarks about America, because, frankly, it is not the America I see, in culture, in society, and in government. There are plenty of imperfections for sure, but nothing that cannot be corrected.

                Anyway, let’s drop it.

              • John – I have never said that I hate America or dislike the country. Never. If you have seen me say that, please give me a link, because I have never said such a thing. I love America, but I do dislike some things that America has done, or direction it has taken. I don’t think that there is a person alive that does not dislike some things about things their country has done.

  115. Hi Bob,
    I could not agree more. We are getting out while the getting is good. My wife and I are moving to the Philippines this year. We almost have everything lined up for our move in September. We are only waiting for her US citizenship to be approved. We just want that just in case we need to go back for some emergency. I am investing in the Philippines more and more every month, while divesting from the US. My wife already has three businesses up and running. She also has 2 rice farms and one piggery near Cebu and we have plans to open a large piggery on our farm in Leyte. Thing are really looking good there for us to support our selves. The reason we are moving is obvious as you have pointed most out in the article. People think nothing could ever happen to the US, but they are mistaken.

    • Hi Scott – I know that moving to the Philippines was the right move for me, I hope it turns out that way for you as well! I love living here, and I know a lot of other foreigners feel the same way too. I really wish you well with your pending move! Any certain part of the country where you plan to settle?

      • We have a house in Gensan and will live there for a while. We have plans in the future to move to Davao. Most of our properties are in Leyte, but the wife doesn’t like it there because they get too many typhoons. And I absolutely love the Philippines.

        • That’s great, Scott! You probably know, we used to live in GenSan, and Feyma is from there. It is quite a nice area. To me, Southern Mindanao is a great place to live. Of course everybody has their person favorites, and there is nothing wrong with that, but Southern Mindanao is just right for me!

  116. That’s interesting John Pearce. I’ve spent over 30 years Serving my country starting in USMC in Beirut, then around the globe including later in Iraq and Afghanistan, mostly Not in USMC ( you figure it out) ..34 yrs now fighting evil, especially jihadists; so, please don’t preach your simplistic crap to me. What have You done? I’ve paid the price and picked up body parts, literally, and said farewell to friends who died way too young. The fact is that our country has been taking down a path by corrupt politicians who sold out the working class, so that now that group of high school educated Americans can only turn to working in low pay service and food industries, or proverbial wally mart. Topped off, Again, by cockroaches being brought into this vountry who have no desire to be part of America. Im set financially heading forward in retirement because I did adapt to change and technology and made sacrifices a hell of a lot of Americans never dream of. Maybe it’s you that needs to hit the road. Please enlighten us on tour contributions.

    • Everything you have done in the past is meaningless if you are going to disengage in the future. Thank you for your service and it sounds as though your experience as a tool in the military industrial complex probably set you up well financially. Nice that you took advantage of that, all of us taxpayers have done well for you but it seems our money has been wasted. But it has left you with a rather parochial view of the world. Much of my accomplishment has been helping the cockroaches assimilate and with chest thumping gorillas with attitudes like yours knuckling their way around the roaches need help if they are going to contribute. Otherwise its just crime and disenfranchisement they have. It is true that some are not interested in help but that’s always been true of many since the 1800’s. Nothing new there. Congress has been bought and the supreme court says corporations are made of people so they can give as much money in various ways as they want. There are big problems no doubt about that.

    • John, you have been my friend for years, and I have always considered you a close friend. You have really reacted to this post… to me you reacted in an unpredictable way. I am not sure why. I hope that everything is OK.

    • John Pearce I’ll whole heartedly agree that the whole SCOTUS ruling on Corps are people is absolutely FUBAR. Yep we Now get the Govt that someone pays for And owns….that being the elites, which your ending above would seem to support Bob’s original premise about getting out now, regarding U.S. Still, as You suggest, And as I’ve always intended, I will always stay engaged in what I can in U.S. Even FROM afar, When I leave. My asawa also sees a possible need to come back for best opportunities and schooling for our kids. I still believe in the American dream to some degree, just that far fewer will ever see it in the younger generations, as the elites have stacked the deck against many, and those that don’t want to sell their souls to Wall Street, still do with the higher education/ Wall St collaboration that puts them in slave debt for often useless degrees, But for which we still need those people with said degrees for social services etc to help others. Not everyone is gonna be rich nor super skilled, and we’ll always need labor to do the hard jobs and build or rebuild the infrastructure. Biggest problem I see is the deep divide that exists now more than ever in modern America, between the haves and have nots, that is made worse by the current administration feeding those fires. Maybe all intended, I don’t know. We’ve lost ability to communicate and the Great Society of Johnson, coupled with elites grabbing their 90+%, has created generations now of no work or education ethic from the start in many children, who the are unprepared to even become a positive part of society. ..Frankly I do not even know a way to fix that now because That problem starts in the home. If you gave each of those families a $100K per yr, it would not change, because it’s now ingrained. I wish I did know a solution. So, my drone on here essentially goes back to Bob’s point..
      Maybe it’s time to get out for many. It won’t be all that long before a slew of us will be back in diapers and not contributing anything! …gotta go enjoy something in life sooner or later, and “later” is often Too Late. Best of luck with the jihadi minded cockroaches…if you can fix them, I’ll crown ya a genius.

    • Are these the cockroaches you are trying to help John ? They have Zero interest in assimilation into Western culture.
      DEARBORN, MI – Following months of obstruction by state officials, the federal government intervened on behalf of a Muslim group who is outspokenly supportive of the Islamic State, to open the doors of a new Islamic youth outreach center in a lower-income area in the city of Dearborn. The facilit – See more at: http://thepeoplescube.com/peoples-blog/topic16519.html#.dpuf

    • No Jim, not exactly these groups but some. A very few and it is mostly to allow them to follow other paths rather than join the MI type of people.

      • I remember a time when I got my draft notice. I remember a time when those who went into the military didn’t hold it over those who didn’t. I remember a time when we all thought that people served their country in their own manner. Remember when we all wanted to serve, in our own way, the country we loved. Then JFK was killed and the world seemed to change.

        Why do people feel others aren’t as good as they are because they didn’t enter the military?

        Rusty

        • I don’t think that it is a universal feeling. I do honor those who served. Although I did not, those who did are heroes in my eyes.

  117. Good post Bob and agree with you all on points. All empires rise and fall, and the U.S. is on its way down. It’s out of people’s control and reflects the natural cycle of humanity, so staying and fighting for change is a fool’s game… a waste of time. As you mentioned, the only viable option is to become an expat.

    The number of people migrating away from the U.S. will always be relatively low, however. Americans, on the whole, are a provincial folk who seldom travel beyond their borders. Usually they live life in a self-imposed glass bubble and the thought of moving to another country is a bizarre and alien concept to them… for some, it is downright unpatriotic.

    I remember the reactions I got even when I was planning my first trip to the Philippines (a trip, mind you, not migration yet). I was warned to “Be careful,” “Don’t get your head chopped off,” and “Don’t stray far from your hotel.” Americans’ ignorance about the rest of the world is hard to fathom, but is understandable when one realizes the brainwashing that takes place from birth onwards… “America is the best!”, “We are a free country!”, “We’re number 1!”, and so on. Americans grow up in a strangely protected environment where the outside world is a place to be shunned.

    I agree with the sentiment of your post and, as mentioned, agree on all points. But I also realize the futility of your plea, which is a shame indeed.

    • Hi Brian – Interesting comment, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I really liked your thought about the American people being so provincial and traveling so little. That is certainly true.

      I found it interesting at how adamantly a few people insisted that the USA is not in bad shape, no trouble on the horizon. To me it is just so clear, and I can’t understand people being so blind to it.

    • “All empires rise and fall, and the U.S. is on its way down.” – Brian

      Brian, you got a minute? Don’t go away. I’ll tell you how “down” America is. Since China is one of the top economies of the world, let’s use China as a measuring stick.

      Let’s start with Forbes’ 2015 list of the world’s biggest public companies. Of the top ten, 5 are American companies. They are Berkshire Hathaway, JP Morgan Chase, Exxon Mobil, General Electric, and Wells Fargo. The other 5 are Chinese.

      Of the top 10 companies in the world based on revenues, according to Fortune Global 500 list for the year 2014, the much maligned Walmart is number 1 with revenues of $476.3 billion. To put that into perspective, Austria’s GDP in 2013 was $428 billion. I stopped counting at 100, but there were more than 100 countries on the list behind Austria whose GDP was less than Walmart’s revenues in 2014.

      Of the top 10 countries with the most Global 500 companies as of year 2014, the USA ranks number 1 with 128 companies. China has 95.

      According to Forbes’ list of the world’s 50 innovative companies as of 2014, 39 are American companies. Only 6 are Chinese.

      The Bloomberg innovation index of 2015 defines innovation as the best antidote to a country’s stagnation. It entails the creation of products and services that make life better. Under the category of research and development, South Korea leads the way.

      But, under the category of high tech companies, the sheer innovative power of America’s huge high-tech sector places the United States at number one among the top 5 countries in the world with high tech companies, led by Apple with $625 billion in market capitalization, followed by Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Oracle, Intel, IBM, Cisco, and Qualcomm.

      China, meanwhile, is no. 2 in the high-tech category, with a lone entrant called, Tencent. I’ve heard of the American rapper by the name of 50 cent, but not Tencent.

      Of the world’s 50 most valuable brands in 2015, according to Global 500, the USA tops the list with 27. China has 5.

      Of the world’s top twelve valuable global brands, 10 of which are American. They are Apple, Google, Microsoft, Verizon, AT&T, Amazon, GE, Walmart, Coca Cola, and IBM.

      The Global Sherpa index of 65 of the world’s most global cities in terms of business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience, and political engagement lists New York City as the most global. Of the top twenty global cities, 6 are located in the United States. While New York City ranks number 1, Beijing the lone global city in China, ranks number 15.

      Of the world’s top 10 economies as of 2015 according to Investopedia, the U.S. economy is the largest in the world at $17.41 trillion in terms of nominal GDP (current prices). CNN pegs the U.S. economy higher at $18.1 trillion as of 2015. In terms of GDP per capita, the U.S. is way ahead at ca. $54,678, versus China’s at ca. $12,893.

      China’s economy is number 2.

      So much for comparisons.

      Americans must be blind to the impending gloom and doom about to befall them because so few Americans emigrate to other countries. Hmmm, must be the “provincial” nature of Americans as you arrogantly put it, no?

      Both the United States and India had 0.8 percent of their population emigrate to other countries as of 2002, tying them at 174th among nations. China was ranked #191. This may reflect, in part, the diffculty of most Chinese in leaving the authoritarian country.

      In a 2010 study, Indian and Chinese students, respectively, make up the largest number of foreign students at American universities. Despite America’s reported slippage in the field of education, why aren’t these foreign students flocking instead to Finland, the country that has statistically overtaken the U.S. in education? It must be the intangibles found in American society that are nowhere found in many societies overseas.

      On the other hand, 42 million immigrants live in the United States today, ranking the USA the number one country of choice for immigrants from all over the world.

      India and China ranked 9th and 57th, respectively, as immigrants’ destination, according to the United Nations Development Program. Many of these immigrants will be at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. tomorrow to celebrate America’s birthday.

      China’s wealthiest citizens want nothing more than to leave China for the USA, according to a recent Yahoo news. “The United States is the most popular destination for Chinese emigrants, with rich Chinese praising America’s education and healthcare systems”.

      Last year, nearly 68,000 Chinese-born people became legal permanent residents of the U.S. Can all these Chinese be wrong? Is this a country that is “on it’s way down”?

      You see, despite all the apocalyptic talk about America’s economy, and how it has gone down the pits beyond repair, thousands of people from all over the world think otherwise. On the contrary, the country is alive and well.

      If there is a slippage somewhere, I have no doubt whatsoever about the American people’s ability and the tenacity to bounce back. Compared to many countries, the USA has so much more to offer in terms of the quality of life and the standard of living in this country, both tangibly and intangibly.

      Compared to other cultures, which culture do you think is imitated the most? You need only to get out of that one-traffic-light-hicksville you live in to see the REAL America, my friend. Go live in an American suburb or join a country club, and see the prosperity that is the United States of America.

      Go watch a college football game on a fine autumn afternoon, or a PGA golf tournament, and see if you can spot any sign of doom and gloom written on the face of just one, just one American spectator.

      It is also often said that a nation’s military is an extension of its society. How true. Do you want to see a microcosm of American society in general and the can-do attitude of those entrusted with the defense of the American nation in particular? Then, watch the documentary on YouTube on the construction of the massive nuclear-powered aircraft carrier – the USS Ronald Reagan.

      Witness America’s raw power. Marvel at the display of American engineering and technological know-how. Their tough competitiveness is evident throughout the aircraft carrier.

      The only countries on this Earth which have the wherewithal to match the USS Ronald Reagan technology for technology are Russia, China, France, the UK, India, and Brazil. Not one comes close. (See: Jane’s Fighting Ships).

      Since the USS Ronald Reagan, another supercarrier, the USS George H.S. Bush was launched in 2006 at a cost of $6.2 billion. There are 3 more supercarriers in the pipeline over at Newport News, VA, in the next ten years. Does this sound like a country that is “on its way down”?

      Furthermore, a country that is “on its way down” has no business being frequently at the forefront of on-going big science projects that have world-wide implications. A country that is “on its way down” does not go around building jet fighters that can land on aircraft carriers WITHOUT a pilot, my friend. Subscribe to a magazine called, “National Defense”, to expand your perception of America’s brains and brawns a bit.

      So, my friend, go forth and leave the USA for whatever personal reasons you may have, but never say, “The U.S. is on it’s way down”.

      It’s not the America I know and see.

      • The point that is being made is that the USA is “heading” down, not that it is already there. It is going in the wrong direction which will lead to other countries becoming stronger, or surpassing the USA in many fields.

        John, you mentioned about Chinese companies gaining spots in the top 100 of this or top 50 of that, etc. If you looked back 50 years, how many spots would China have on those lists? Zero. So, the point that that the USA is HEADING in the wrong direction is proven by the statistics that you quoted.

        Can it be reversed? I personally don’t think it can. From what I read, it would seem that you don’t see any need to reverse the trend, because you don’t think that the trend exists.

        One area that you did not mention is Aerospace. During my lifetime the USA has dominated in the Space race. When i was born, John Glenn was in orbit, the first American who orbited the earth, and he caught us up with Russia (the Soviet Union at that time) in the Space Race. Now, where are we? The USA can’t even seem to put an unmanned rocket into space. There are few government programs in this realm, mostly military only. No manned space flight at all, unless it is secret military stuff, as far as I know. We have private industry trying, such as Space X and such, but what happened just a week ago? Another failed attempt. This is only an example.

        There are deep problems in the USA. You say that no faces show worries about problems (you point out that you won’t see it at football games or golf tournaments). What about the race riots that are becoming so common in the country? That is a sign of decay and problems to come. Those people who are out rioting and burning down businesses, whose faces we see on TV almost daily now, do show signs of worry about problems.

        • You must not have read my entire comment. If you read it again, you will find that I quoted Brian’s exact quote in paragraphs 21, 29, 30, and 31, a country “that is on it’s way down”.

          Regarding heading the wrong direction, yes it can be interpreted the way but, I am not talking about what transpired in the past. I am talking about the present time, quoting current years like 2014 and 2015.

          I am not arguing the point that the USA is NOT slipping, but I disagree in your assessment that the problems are beyond repair. Knowing the tenacity of the American people, I really believe that the problems can be reversed. But, it takes time.

          OK, you got me there about the race riots. However, our top politicians on both sides of the aisle are doing all they can to reach out to the minorities, educate people, and implement measures to prevent the triggers that usually lead to race riots. In fact, the governor of South Carolina did support taking down of the Confederate flag in that State as an attempt at reconciliation.

          • Actually, I did read your entire reply. I did not reply to Brian, though, I replied to you I did not intend it as an all encompassing reply to every point that you made, really just thoughts on my mind that related to your theme.

            Also, I want to point out that I did not say that the problems are beyond repair. I have even consistently said that I hope that the problems CAN be repaired, but I also said that I FEEL the problems are beyond repair. I do feel that way, but I hope that my feelings are wrong. Nothing would make me happier.

      • I was just thinking a bit more about your comment. I agree that America has many good companies and a lot of innovation. It cannot be denies. But an important point that you did not mention is that are large number of those companies produce their innovative products in places like China Apple is, I believe, the largest company in the world in terms of market capitalization. Where are those iPhones, iPads, Macs and such made? China. when there are tech support needs, where is that done? Philippines, India and other such countries, through call centers. Apple still tops the list, but just saying that it is an American company only tells a very small part of the story.

        • LOL Bob. Let’s get technical, shall we? What you are saying is that if you go to Macy’s and buy a Liz Claiborne-brand white linen shirt, it’s not a Liz Claiborne shirt, but a Bangladeshi shirt because the tag says, “Made in Bangladesh”?

          • I don’t see any reason for LOL, I am talking serious here not making jokes. I thought that you were as well.

            What I am saying is that by Apple and others being innovative it is not a boon for US workers. They do not benefit from these US companies bringing out new products when all of the products are made by people overseas. Sure, it is great for a US company, I don’t argue that it is not. BTW, a lot of US companies are manufacturing overseas and they are not repatriating that money, they are leaving it overseas to avoid US taxes.

  118. james, with all due respect, in regards to your comment about corrupt politicians in america, the philippines has got to be one of the most corrupt countries in the world that i have ever been to with the exception of probably mexico.

  119. “God bless America” should now be sung as “God SAVE America!” That, if America is still willing to call on God. But, as believers, we have to pray and fast for America because she was an instrument that God used to bless the nations.

  120. The dollar is the worlds currency and when the worlds currency collapses, what then? America and much of the world has turned their back on God, what can he do? What can a father do when his child refuses to listen, turns his back and walks away?

    • Which god? Well, regardless of which god you are referring to, if children (“us”) supposedly turn their back on their parent (“god”), the parent shouldn’t torture them for enterity. Not if love is involved.

  121. some of the naysayers to your article are the ones that really needed to hear what you said. I for one have found that the head in the stars crowd generally live in gated communities in the states and rarely get out and about with the working class.

    There are also those that think they are better than the working class when in fact they are also part of it, but refuse to SEE whats going on.

    there are still a lot of great things here, and great people, but as your article so aptly points out….its heading in the wrong direction. I still live here, I see it up close and on the ground. I am a working class mug trying to get ahead. You are very in touch, more so than many that still live here.

    Frogs at the bottom of the well only see what there position that they put themselves in will allow them to see.

    Is the Philippines better? Not by a long shot in a one for one comparison, BUT as you point out many there are more free folks there than folks here.

    Finally, the old tired refrain of I served my country and I get to say what I want and anyone that did not serve is a slacker is BS. You get to say what you want because you ARE an American and a freeman for the moment. That fake socialist choir of ex military folks hanging onto to prior alleged exploits is class distinction of a lower order. being sent into harms way by a government that sees you as cannon fodder gives them no more rights than the rest of us. read Smedly Butlers accounting of his time in the Marines and it will be all so clear to all of you.

    PS: before any hot heads start in on me, be aware I am prior active duty Marine Corps with blood on my hands and not just a little. Not proud of it, and I only bring it up so you can adjust your viewpoints and see what is really going on. I and my buddies wasted our lives and time fighting for a political machine that don’t give two bits what really happens to us.

    Thanks Bob for being honest and Brave. The real heroes are the ones that want to improve life. We are citizens of the world, not paupers by an accident of birth on a particular spot of dirt.

    • Hi Joe – Nice to hear from you, it has been a while!

      You know, I totally agree that there are still a lot of great people in the USA.. I believe that the vast majority of Americans are great people! But, in recent years, it seems to me that those millions of great people have become complacent and willing to accept the slide downhill. I don’t know why, but that is what I see.

      I don’t think that the Philippines is better than the USA. What I do see, though, is that the USA is headed in a downhill direction (coming from the top of the mountain) and the Philippines is headed up the hill. Sooner or later, if the paths remain the same the USA and the Philippines will pass each other on the road, and that will be a sad day for the USA and for all Americans.

  122. Agreed. Starting in 1980, Reagan sided (suprize!) with the corporations over the American middle-class, and that became the down-hill slide of America.

  123. What is really sad is the quality of people that are coming from either America or another western country to the Philippines to become expats.

    This comment is not meant directly to Bob Martin or anyone specific but the quality of these individuals that are expats is pretty low class.

    I personally think that what Bob did when he was 38 is admirable. Leaving America for a new adventure and not because he was anti-American. Too bad more expats are not like him. This comment comes from witnessing first hand the type of people that have migrated to the Philippines.

    • I can’t really argue the point. While I don’t like to classify people, many people who move to the Philippines are from the lower end of society. That said, though, I have met some expats here who are quite wealthy, well educated and such. Those people are certainly the minority of expats though.

      • the comment was not made to start a debate so i wasn’t looking for a rebuttal. it was just merely an observation.

    • What you said is very true. Question: Does it seem like 90% of expats came to escape from the U. S.?

  124. Everything is fine here Bob Martin, thanks for asking. Things really have never been better. Here in AZ I keep seeing more hatred and bigotry than I have ever seen in my life. So many people circling the wagons and talk of getting out. Certainly it is time to get some money out of the US for sure, and buy gold and silver as the chances of money not being worth much is higher than I’ve ever seen it. But again, this is nothing new to this country. Anyway I’ve got to head out for the next few days. Family fun and recreation.

  125. Happy Independence Day everyone! To borrow a cliche’ , Independence and Freedom Are NOT Free. Thankful that for Now, We all can live in a country where you can express yourself and have freedom to do so, as well as to protect yourself, family or others…for now. If the P.C. driven left or right have their way, we won’t.

  126. Mindanao Bob,
    Though you posit hope that your writing will not be viewed as reactionary just the title of your post indicates intent to the contrary.

    Criticsm without constructive or analytical comment is venting. Criticsim without objectivity and attention to the fact that everything is realtive further denigrate it’s value.

    Depnding on who you’re addressing there is a plethora of literal and figurative reasons why someone might make their life better by leaving the U.S., however neither of your two examples address the subject in a cogent manner. It’s a stretch to say it is time to go because U.S. infrastructure is falling apart. Citing that as proof for your premise, at best, indicates a lack of knowledge and calculated disingenuity at worst. Will all parts of their lives get better if they discover and move to infrastructure heaven? Or will a move to another country make them better off because sociological change is absent in countries outside the U.S.? Who exactly are the people you had in mind when you wrote: “For many of you reading this, I believe that now is the time that you need to make a move and get the heck out of the United States too!” And which of the things you use as proof do you actually consider literal or figurative.

    Every decade in American history has brought about increasingly complicated issues. In that respect I accept your assertation that the 1950’s were simpler times. However, I deny the hand-in-hand implication that they were better days; except for any but the socially annointed majority.

    You know your audience and quite wisely cater to that demographic, one that bemoans the changing of the guard, despite the fact that change is inextricably linked to expectations promised, granted and denied. On a different front, I’m a black man with 50 years of up close and personal experience in the reality of expectations, and promises, granted, denied and absent. The essence of your ideas leave me cold.

    As offered up by one of your respondents, it’s not true that minorities, in the common use of the term, have become dominant in the U.S. It has become increasingly clear however that education, militancy and a better grip on politics have brought about a situation whereby those who previously felt entitled simply because they were of the majority must now step up their game to remain competitive. You predict the escalation of race riots and incorrectly excuse yourself to substitue the term “class riots”. Class riots exited the American way of life when the words German, Polish, Irish, Italian, etc, became minimally perjorative after conflict in Chicago, Pittsburg, ect., made it clear that, to prosper, all-concerned needed to redefine their concept of lower class vice underclass. Unfortunately, the events you describe as riots, won’t go away until there is a sea change that brings about the fact that are very few nasty names and equal chances to earn a living for minority lawyers, physicians, would be politicians and CEOs who fall short of being PR certified geniuses.

    You freely describe your ability to gather the where-with-all to live well in the Philippines. Like you I have found a version of economic well-being, not uncommon to some expats, but unavailable to most. I have never told an American (your target audience) that life is/could be/will be better in another country. Perhaps like you, I have helped a forgotten number of ill-prepared expats find a sustainable niche; paid hospital bills for itinerant expats, given loans on worthless collateral and bought plane tickets out of the country with the proviso that the recipient not return until he could pay me back.

    You soften your approach in the closing paragraphs of you message. A good debator always gives an opponent a bone to chew on to draw them back into prearranged discussion, however your closing just doesn’t jibe with your opening.

    The last thing I want to do is to put a crack in your “come to the Philippines” rice bowl, and going on and on usually detracts from intent, so I’m wrapping up short of noting a lot of stuff I find misinformative unfortunate and objectional in your original message. I would be pleased if you published this, but should you choose not to, I request only that you make an effort to understand that your 15 year absence permits only a sniff of current reality, and that you denigrate the U.S. without factual backup.

    As one respondent wrote “Independence and Freedom” are not free. So true. I would add that there is a growing consiousness related to the belief that those concepts must likewise be non-exclusive. I think true adherents to that philosophy work on ways to pay their bills.

    • I don’t believe my article is at all “criticism without constructive comment. My constructive advice to Americans is that it is time to leave the country before things get worse. For your own safety, peace of mind and a happier life, the time to look elsewhere has arrived. That is how I feel.

  127. Oscar,
    I agree with Rusty.. a tremendous reply.
    I live here in the Philippines because my wife (who is Filipino) wanted to be near her family and I have no family except a grown daughter and grand-daughter both living their own lives. I devoted my life to protecting and defending the USA 19yrs Military, 17yrs Civil Service. I am still a registered voter in my home state and if the wife ever changed her mind I WOULD consider getting on the next plane back but I don’t see that happening. She love her family and I love her… What’s a guy to do huh 😉

  129. Hi Bob

    I thought long and hard as to whether I should reply to this post as it was originally aimed at Americans. However, as some have pointed out, it could be taken to represent a lot of the Western world right now.

    We bought a house in the Philippines in 2008 as we needed somewhere to leave our belongings but primarily I needed a home after divorce in the UK. I had just married a beautiful Filipina and to make our home in Davao made sense at the time. The brutal truth of the matter is that I could not or can no longer afford to move back to the UK, or certainly not the part where I spent my first 40 years. There is no way on earth that I could afford to retire there.

    I still love my home country and I travel back there two times a year to visit family but when I do return I can see the changes that perhaps others don’t notice. The area where I spent the last 20 years of my life in the UK had a large Indian community, some fantastic curry houses, but now all I hear is East European voices when I walk through the town. It’s a bit like losing weight whereby anyone you see daily doesn’t notice but people who haven’t seen you for a while will.

    During discussions with people I would always be very defensive of my country but having worked/lived abroad for the best part of fifteen years now I find that the defensive arguments do not work so much any more.

    Like the USA, the UK has a lot to be proud of but there is also a lot wrong with the countries. Nothing makes me more proud than when I see an event like the royal wedding being beamed to the world and the spectacle that my country put on and then hearing the compliments from all different nationalities. Unfortunately I also get sad and angry when I see riots and the scenes of a Malaysian boy being robbed whilst someone is pretending to help him with the broken jaw that he received from the same gang.

    The Philippines is now my home and I hope that when I retire it will help me to live a long and healthy existence. There is always the other side of the argument as this poor guy found out – http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3149680/Retired-British-teacher-stabbed-death-Philippines-Brian-Bridge-69-suffered-multiple-injuries-savage-attack.html

    I suppose this could have happened in any part of the world but luckily the happier stories outweigh the bad ones.

    Cheers

    AJ UK

    • I fully agree, AJ, that this article can be applicable to anyone in the West, not just in the USA. I wrote it based on Americans, because that is where I am from, but I did mention many times in the article and the comments that it applies to many other countries as well.

      I am proud of my country and love it, but I feel it is on the wrong path now. Some people disagree with that, and that is their right. That does not mean that I am not proud of my country though. I hope it turns around and gets back to the way it should be, in my opinion at least. As for me, I am enjoying a great life in the Philippines.

  130. I have been in the Philippines for 4 years. I came here with big hopes of a nice restful life, easy and without much worry.

    I am disabled. I now have a 1 year old baby girl. Mother is Filipina.

    With some sacrifice, yes, life is very simple here. Much of what I wanted.

    But I don’t care what anybody tells you, living here is the most god awful decisions I have ever made. One of the biggest things people don’t really explain is how much you will be singled out and constantly be attacked for your money by everybody. It is a constant threat to your peace. Even the people who you was hoping to trust will pick at you constantly for every cent (peso) they can scam off you.

    I hate even going out of my room.

    That is how bad it is.

    I had to mail a letter to the USA and I needed it fast. The only way I could mail it was through the local post office. I tried using DHL but they would not mail it. But anyway the Post Office tried to scam P500 from me. I had all my paper work and I turned it in to the Post Master General and they did make that Post office worker come to my house and pay me back the money she stole from me.

    That is just one example. I get screwed when I take a trike. I lived in Angono for a few years. Even there, my landlord at where I was living tried to scam me all the time. It doesn’t matter if they have money, they ALL try to scam you. It seems to be in their blood.

    And they are really not very smart. I am not trying to say they are a dumb people. They are not smart because the education system here is terrible. Absolute crap. My girls friends boy, in his first year, they was making him do some pretty hard math. It was at least second grade level math which he never understood. So he didn’t learn anything except how to hate math, school, in general. He probably will never make it through school. His teacher just takes off all the time. Without warning, our little boy comes home and says no teacher. This is looking more and more like another total waste of my money.

    One thing that I cherish dearly is my privacy. That gets taken away often. One morning I wake and go to the bathroom to pee. I open the door and an older lady sitting in my living room, alone, watching my TV. Nobody else.

    People walking in my front door often. Makes my blood boil. And you can’t do anything because they don’t understand much English and if you get upset then you are the BIG MEAN AMERICAN.

    Before anyone comes here they better get ready for big sacrifices. BIG! You will have to do without many things like a hot water in most places. Sure you can live cheap if you can do without which I can and have.

    I just can’t take anymore of the constant and daily thievery that I get. I think I am about to pack my bags and go back to the USA. If you come here you just watch every filipino is sizing you up and wanting every peso they can get from you.

    • Gary – I have been living in the Philippines for nearly 16 years. I really enjoy my life here, and it is nothing like what you describe, nothing even close. I would say, based on what you say, that you really have not learned yet how to live a successful and enjoyable life in the Philippines. Can you get ripped off here? Absolutely. But, you don’t have to. I know, because it has been many years since I had any trouble like that. I got it a bit when I moved here, but I learned how to shut it down, and there are no such issues now.

      Sorry for your pain and suffering. I believe you have two choices… either learn how to change things so that your life is enjoyable. or admit defeat and go back home. The choice is yours, but you can do either one very easily in my view.

      • if gary decides to leave, i think your choice of words “admit defeat and go back home” is probably not the best way to describe someone leaving the country.

        • Leaving the country is not the same as being defeated. However if you leave because of the reasons that Gary listed, that is truly being defeated.

          • If you go back up and look at what I wrote, it is a great bit more that just leaving.

            And I can prove to you just about every word i have said, and mostly with the post office. I have their investigation, at least in part, in PDF form that they sent me.

            And if you don’t see anybody sizing you up every time you are out in public, sir, I would suggest you open your eyes a bit more.

            Perhaps they see that I am disabled and it makes me an easier target.

            • Hi Gary, I read every word of what you wrote.

              I did not say that I don’t believe you about the Post Office, no proof is required. I believe you 100%. What I also believe is that you don’t have the experience or knowledge yet, to avoid that kind of thing happening to you.

          • Gary

            I never have a problem with people walking in for two reason. Firstly we use a padlock and secondly I find the Filipinos will never enter the gate of our house without making their presence known and being invited. Not one person has ever entered our property without an invite.

            We make it harder for scammers with my wife dealing with everything. If we have someone round our house to give a quote then I quietly watch the TV upstairs or read my daily LIP whilst my wife deals with it. Once they have quoted in writing it is very hard to change the quote.

            Also, when we go to a shop of any kind we always insist on a proper receipt as that is now the BIR regulations. If there is any resistance to giving us a receipt we just threaten to report them and miraculously one appears. It is very rare that we are not given one.

            I hope you can sort things out Gary.

            Cheers

            AJ UK

            • Hi AJ – My experience and yours are very similar. I have never had anybody enter our property, even the yard, without being asked in.

              Like you, when we have somebody come to the house for repairs or other types of work, I don’t get involved. I trust my wife, and she takes care of everything. If I get involved, it usually only leads to trouble – usually I get upset about something, or I confront the person inappropriately. It all works out fine if Feyma takes care of it, and it keeps my blood pressure at normal levels! 🙂

              Insisting on an Official Receipt will shut down just about every attempted rip-off!

            • Hi AJ, I can understand you but I live in an apartment. I live in Ormoc and I moved here from Angono in September just before Yolanda. And it has been a real struggle since then for many reasons.

              After Yolanda, houses are still in short supply so I have been stuck here in this apartment. And just yesterday some girl walks into my house. Today, a small boy sitting in my living room floor watching TV.

              It is really getting to be too much.

    • Gary, It isn’t just foreigners that get taken by tricycle drives. A Filipino said he hated to take tricycles. They always over charged him.

      Rusty

      • Yes I know. Because any time I am out my gf is with me. So they take it from her. I often give her a 20 to pay for two. Should cost p16 but they take the 20 and take off.

        Often, when we pay they start digging out the change. I will get their attention and motion for them to keep it.

        One time, we was on a trike and it got a flat. The guy pulled over and let everybody off. I gave him a 20 because he lost a good bit when everybody had to get off the trike.

        I have a big heart.

  131. Hi Bob

    Great post. Been advocating the same to anyone that will seriously listen. And what you say applies also to the UK (the lapdog of the USA). I am 68 and was born and raised in America waving the flag, i.e., until I got out of the Air Force in 1969 and saw the corruption of the government (another story). Spent 11 years in the UK.

    But my real concern is for all those Filipinas wanting to marry an American for a better life and move to the decayed USA. I am married to a Filipina and after I sat her down and explained to her about the USA she was shocked. Here in this rural area of Bukidnon I get asked all the time, “Please can you find me an American to marry so I can go to the USA?” I tell them they do not want to live in the USA and I get “But everyone happy there and rich.” They hear this from friends and relatives who have gone to the USA. I tell them I’ll find them someone who does not want to live in the USA. This they don’t want. Well, you know the mindset of the Filipinos.

    On a sad note, I was contacted by an American who was marrying a friend of my wife’s wanting info on the girl. I said she was a very nice girl. He wanted to know if I thought she’d be a good source for taking care of his house and kids (he was divorced with 3 kids and a farm to run). I said, why are you asking me now after you’ve met and have set a wedding date?

    He said, he wasn’t marrying because he loved her, rather he was doing what a friend had done and told him to do also. He had originally wanted to employ her, but his friend told him it’d be better to marry her. If he employed her there would be social security taxes and salary and benefits he’d have to pay for. If he married her then she would be a tax write off and he’d get money back. I now find out this is very common.

    My wife showed her friend the emails between him and me about her and she just said, “So what, I am going to America and be happy and rich.”

    I’ve been to 19 different countries and the living is so much better (except for the recovering Eastern Block – will it recover?)

    I’ve seen the corruption here in the Philippines and I am not willing to stay. Built a house here, for example, hired an engineer that I was told by others went to Mountain View College engineer school. Gave him the job and trustingly let him go at it. It looked great when he was done. Then when the master electrician came out to put up our meter I find out not one of my grounded outlets was grounded.

    Now, also, during the rainy season my ceiling leaks and black mold is setting in. I purposefully told him to make sure the roof and new ceiling were made waterproof. “Yes, sir, no problem, sir.” He and his crew have disappeared. The building material left over has disappeared. I had everything securely locked away. Where did it go? A neighbor suddenly had lots of sand for his project. Another, painted their house the same color as ours, etc.

    After all the problems were revealed I had people from here (including in-laws) come to me and tell I shouldn’t have hired the guy. They knew he was no good. I asked them why didn’t you tell me this before. “Didn’t want to talk bad about him.” Now, unfortunately, I don’t trust anyone here to hire.

    I won’t go into the corruption and arrogance we had to go through to get married. Even my wife was appalled at the number times things were suddenly changed but fixable by a little cash. I will mention this (because it’s funny) the administrator at city hall saw I put down under citizenship USA. She said, “Are you not an American?’ I said yes. “Then why do you put USA?” I said, it means United States of America. The USA is part of North America “I know that! Which are you citizen of America or USA?” I could see that this woman was clearly stupid so I said America. She haughtily said, “Next time make sure you put America not USA.”

    When I went to extend my visa I felt feisty and put USA for citizenship. I asked the immigration person if she wanted American or USA for nationality. She looked at me funny and said, “Sir, it’s the same.” I laughed and told her the story. She was rolling on the floor when I finished the story.

    I know other Americans and Brits that live here and have successfully integrated into the culture, but I’m not one of them. Like you said, There is great living abroad. Moving to a foreign country isolates you from the unrest in the USA. It need not be any part of your life.” We will be leaving here in August for Europe and I will surprise my wife for her 25th birthday by taking her to Paris for dinner.

    I finance our lifestyle with my pension and my interent businesses. And I’ve set everything up in my wife’s name so when I die she and our children can continue to live the lifestyle I’ve helped them grow accustomed to.

    To those who say they can’t afford to leave the USA/America I quote Henry Ford, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.” This no longer the 20th century.

    The 21st is now truly the age of the internet and there many ways to make money online and live happily in another country. If you don’t want to do then there are countries that will hire you teach English without a degree. If you are serious about voting with your feet then make it happen.

    I am not a financial genius, nor highly intelligent, but I do know what it takes to succeed – just tell me I can’t do it! They told me in my big bucks private American high school I’d never amount to anything let alone go to university. I can paper a wall with my degrees and certificates. If there’s will there’s a way.

    I leave you with some of my other favorite quotes:

    “If you do what you’ve always done,
    you’ll get what you always got.
    – Mark Twain

    By Henry David Thoreau –
    “Men and boys are learning all kinds of trades but how to make men of themselves. They learn to make houses; but they are not so well housed, they are not so contented in their houses, as the woodchucks in their holes. What is the use of a house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on?”

    (Below was written about luxuries and toys in 1854 nothing changes but the faces)
    “Most of the luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind.

    “Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which it was already but too easy to arrive at.”

    This is my favorite by Thoreau: “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation.”

    Oliver Wendell Holmes’ (1809-1894) “The Voiceless”:
    “Alas for those that never sing,
    But die with all their music in them.”

    I often spend time in cemeteries as a reminder that my days are numbered and that ‘my song’ will be heard loud and clear.

    Thanks again, Bob for being so bold to speak the truth. I hope those that read your column also realize that you are also a self-made man, and happy because of it.

    Jerry

    • Hi Jerry – I know what you mean, everybody here, almost, wants to go to the USA. They believe what they see on TV. I don’t really think that the US is a bad place, but it is heading in that direction.

  132. Bob:
    Every night during the week I listen to a program called Trunews. They cover the day to day news and the host has many good credible people he interviews in many different areas of knowledge.

    Also, my stepson is a police office back east. The department has issued him an M-4 military machine gun…I informed him to get level 4 body armor to play it safe. Level 4 is what military soldiers wear against rifle fire. Needless to say, they are all being very cautious on patrol.

    As I see it?

    America is failing and I do not expect it to be what my father had when I was young…we lost our moral values, family values and greed abounds everywhere I look!…and God is nowhere to be found! The CHURCHS refuse to stand up and preach the WORD!

    Homeless people ARE everywhere and not enough shelters/beds for any of them

    And veterans? I am one of them and the main hospital here in Phoenix scares the living hell out of me! I refuse service there! Moreover, veterans compensation takes years! And many vets fall homeless too!

    Bob, being a vet and moving to Arizona, I chose a very desolate area to live. I did this because I could see this coming when 9/11 happened. Problem was, what I expected to happen took until 2008, when the housing bubble burst, as well as the banks!

    I bought the necessary items to survive whatever should come. Weapons? Yes, I am an armorer, so I can build any M-4 platform, 45acp clones and long range tactical rifle.

    But now?
    I am planning on getting the hell out and moving to the philippines. My fear is a total collapse and loosing my VA pension. Then what if I’m there?

    Currently I am paying off all the bills and saving money in bdo bank…I just hope it will be enough to find a modest home to live in…
    Plans are for next spring…fingers crossed.

    My other concerns are the problems in the south China sea, between all parties involved….

    Russia also. Did U know Russia on July 4th had 4 nuclear bombers fly off the coast of California and Alaska?…when this happened, Putin called Obama and wished him a happy 4th of July!….what a message to send as our jets intercepted the 2 bombers off Cali and 2 bombers over alaska!

    Is WW3, right around the corner? Yes I believe!

    My fear is WW4!…as Einstien said: world war 4 will be fought with sticks and stones!

    • the things that you describe in America are some of the very concerns that I have, and I fear that they will be more widespread over time. It is not a good situation.

      Yes, there is trouble in the South China Sea. Problem is that there is probably no place in the world that is immune to problems. I guess we just have to choose which place will be best for us personally.

      Good luck to you.

  133. I left almost 10 years ago, mostly for financial reasons.
    Every time I have returned to visit I have been totally disappointed and saddened by the decline of the country I still love most.

    But when the government is for sale to the highest bidder and the people aren’t bright enough to dump the 2 parties that have failed for decades it will only go downhill.
    I believe that by the time anyone wakes up it will be too late to save anything. The US won’t change until it crashes and burns just like the USSR did.

  134. “The choice is yours, but you can do either one very easily in my view.”

    No, apparently you did not read or this statement is wrong.

    I have a one year old baby. Saying it is easy is pretty shameful.

    The plan was to get help with Social Security on this. But this is another story. Talking to SSA on the web, I was always referred back to Manila to do business.

    I have the emails and I can prove every word here too. But before I start I just want you to know that I live in a place that has no extra phone lines so I can’t get any phone service. This is typical of the sacrifice you have to understand about being here. I live in Tent City, Ormoc.

    I started the process of applying for benefits for my child. Well, the first thing they, SSA, started giving me the run around. They tried to make me come to Manila. Last time I was in Manila, taxi wanted me to pay him almost $50 to go a few miles. And the worst part about this was the taxi driver was kin to my girl friend.

    I promise, I do have the emails, it was like talking to children. The only way I have to communicate is through an overloaded cell phone tower. This is how I get my internet.

    I tried to get a wireless landline and faster internet, our neighbor has Globe. But Globe told me they don’t have anything like that for my area. And I am 20 feet CLOSER to the tower than my neighbor. Go figure!

    So though SSA doesn’t want me to use email, that is the only way I can do this.

    I would send them an email and they would not reply. I get the childish excuse like the “my dog ate my homework” excuse. I will paraphrase what SSA Manila told me after they didn’t reply. It was something like “I thought I emailed you but I checked my outbox and didn’t see the email I thought I sent you.”

    For heavens sake!

    But finally I got a guy from SSA to come here in an outreach. And he set here and told me that this money should go to the Mother. Which I will not go into this deeply except to say to give it to the mother would be fraud. Mother would spend it on Mother when the money is meant for my child.

    I was absolutely shocked that he was trying to make my GF say that she wanted it. I already told her that if they sent it to her that we would not get the money. Because it will be fraud and I would have to pay SSA back for all the fraud money which, being disabled, would drive me to suicide.

    But we did get the paperwork done. And I asked what I needed to do and he told me to save about $800 for the DNA test I would probably need to do. And that is all.

    Well many months go by and no word from SSA. Then one day a check came in the mail that was over $1800. From SSA. So I asked, by email, what this check was for. No bank in the Philippines would cash it without me handing over $500 which I don’t have to tie up. And all the banks seem to have the exact same policy. There was nothing I could do.

    I ask SSA Manila what the check was for. No answer.

    So I talked to my sister and we decided to sign the check and I would mail it to her and she would put it in my bank account. This is when the PO stole P500 from me. This was what I needed mailed fast and DHL wont mail checks. DHL is the only delivery service here in Ormoc except for the PO.

    I wrote the SSA Manila again and asked how I could file a complaint. Again, the children are at play here. This guy answered

    “After an extensive search” bla bla bla. STOP! I don’t want to hear the crap. But then they started telling me that if i didn’t fill out this paper work (change of address) that my benefits might be stopped. I never moved. They cut me a check and it came to my apartment. Why a change of address?

    This paperwork made me claim that I am a worker. If I make even 1 peso here in the Philippines that is against immigration laws because I am here on a visitor visa. Now SSA (a Filipino) is forcing me to admit that I am working.

    I was able to protect my self as on the application I put that I was filling the application under duress.

    I am needing just a little help, a little information and you have a Filipino acting like he is a GOD.

    I am still trying to file a complaint on this. And this is just one of several problems I have here. To say I am not prepared or ready or smart enough to do this, that is about like your other statement I have above. It isn’t just a few, it isn’t a lot, it is almost every Filipino sizes me up for my money. As soon as I get on a trike, I have to put my hand on my wallet.

  135. Whan can an American move to the Philippines, or any other country? When a person/mover has enough money, or, has a way to support himself. Not everyone, even if he wanted to, is in
    a financial position to move. I will be age 80 March ’16. I will die in the Philippines. Here I can live a “normal” life and not be forced into a Nursing Home. I live on two small pensions. In the States, I would not even be able to pay rent! Here in the Philippines I can afford a 6 room house in a gated community. And in general live quite well. Not like the wealthy ex-pats, but well enough. And I can hire any kind of help I need. What have I given up living here instead of the USA? I’m thinking… I’m still thinking… But, I do contend that an American has to be “the type” to feel comfortable living in the Philippines. Not every American mentality could do it.
    I heard a rumor about America taking over the Philippines… again. Heaven forbid! They apparently don’t know how to run their own country! I say “they”. I guess I am now and have been an Amer-i-pino.

  136. I am now 74, and have a Filipino wife and child (8yrs). At the moment I am back in the US tying up some lose ends. I am on S/S and that’s what we live on, it is barely a 1000 bucks but we make it work. In the US the 3 of couldn’t survive.
    I live also in Mindanao..Dipolog City in the North end. I agree with what Bob has to say, in stating to mind your on business in the Philippines and get on with your life. There are many things , I don’t agree with..but really they are none of my business and I stay out of the political issues. I live in the Philippines,
    because I love my wife and child and it serves me better than being stateside. I hold a 13a visa and ARC card, belong to Phil/Health an Paramount insurance. I have been in the Phils. since 2004 (2005-2007) I was in the US beating death /cancer…Let me take this opportunity to tell you all the Philippines is not for everyone, saying, if you have strong opions, a big mouth, can’t control yourself, and low tolerence for a county that is far differnt from the US, then this is not the place for you. But if you are looking for adventure, beautiful country, nice weather (we have hot, warmer and even cooler) nice people and plenty of water.. COME ON OVER..

    • Jay:
      I’m glad U posted what u said…especially about the income.. I get about the same amount. Except it is a pension from VA. If I get married and adopt her children, they give a cola increase. (Cost of living adjustment).
      Like U, I know I have to keep my mouth shut and I like bobs idea of how to shut down people begging for money by doing contracts of repayment…
      But my loving heart is the problem when I see such dispair.
      Needless to say, I try to help the homeless here in Arizona when I can.
      Hopefully, I’ll be there in the spring, if nothing bad happens here.

      • Too many of those begging are bands of thieves. Once they’ve tried to steal from you your perspective changes.

        It is sad but true. Also my son them counting their days take in wads of 500 pesos bills.

        • As soon as I stepped of the plane June 4 2011, it was mixed emotions. See poor all around.

          But I think I have some good common sense. I have always asked for a receipt for about anything I ever bought so I can manage my money.

          You look at that little boy holding his hand out for a few pesos. Two pesos is about a nickle. I just got off the plane and I don’t have any pesos. So I shake my head no to him and he moves on to the next. If you have any heart at all it is very sad the numbers of these poor you see your first time here and it hurts.

          I have a very big heart. It doesn’t take long to see what will happen if you give one of these kids any money. It may be a big mistake sometimes. Gangs of thieves? Yeah!

          Best to let your partner watch over this type of stuff. No matter what your heart feels as they will keep you out of a lot of potential trouble. This was the first lesson I learned and I am glad I didn’t have any pesos in my pocket when I landed. If you pay one you may have to pay many.

          I have stated several times about people stealing money. One thing I want to make clear is that even though it will happen often, usually the amounts are very small. And it is usually a trike driver who will take your money and not give you change. It happens a lot and it does get to you sometimes.

          • Here in Davao where I live, I have not experienced any tricycle driver not giving me change. The tricycle drivers in my neighborhood are my friends. They take me where I want to go, and I pay them what the normal fare is. If I give extra they give me change. In fact, if I am out walking and the drivers see me, they will often offer me a ride for free. I never accept that, if I want to ride, I pay, but they are quite insistent that they would be happy to take me home for free. Again, your experience is way different than mine.

            • That is very understandable. I have been here in Ormoc for a few years and it is very rare to ever see the same trike driver with the exception of those that live near me. Having this website kind of makes you a celebrity and that will surely change things for you. But I understand.

          • Bob, When I came here I used to give to those begging on the streets. Other Filipinos said be very careful. Well I learned my lesson as they tried to steal something from my backpack. But someone from behind me caught them attempting to open the backpack. Others have said they’ve stole or tried to steal from them.

            In Cebu, one taxi driver said, they are gangs of little thieves.

            Trouble is there are actually those that have to beg. Yes, I feel sorry for them. However, who really knows if they are thankful or looking at someone as a sucker.

            For us it is best to give to those we know who live on my wife’s remote island. They are fishermen there who barely make 100 pesos a day.

            Rusty

            • Rusty, I feel the exact same as you. Hard to see anyone living on p100 a day. Not much and not enough to take a day off. Work all day just to feed their family. Sad. But you can’t give in to what your heart is telling you. You pay one, you might have to pay many.

  137. Thanks Bob for letting all know the truth / although some will not see it / I am 56 and live close to digos city ( on the mount of mount aple ) I have Ben there for 3 years now I come back to the us to work and than come home again / life in my village is peaceful and a lot of love some problems but not many / I have a wife and child here and I would never think of bringing them to the us / I would highly recommend any and all to come and see what life could be like ( what we have in the us is not life just running around like a chicken with no head ) the women here know who to treat a man and not just that every where u go u get very good service / with the exception of immigration office in Davao /

    any way as for making money in the Philippines / I have found it hard to do
    I have tried the boarding house / cows / goats are working because I live in the mounts and can have them / although I have some one watching the people I have taking care of them and some one to watch the one watching lol to make sure things do not disappear .

    Keep up the good work

    David

  138. I know where you’re coming from, Bob. I’ve been living overseas for about 30 years and don’t know if I’ll ever want to go back to the states. The main reason I don’t live there now is due to the many things Obama has done to ruin our great country. He is a liar, a racist, and has managed to entice millions of my countrymen to vote for him do they can stay on “entitlements”. He disregards the U.S. Constitution, divides the people, made Obamacare, encourages food stamps, welfare, unemployment, subsidized housing, increased the national debt/deficit, downsized the military during a time of war, gives free “Obama phones”, etc. He jeopardizes national security, allows (encourages) illegal aliens to come to U.S., won’t fix the tax code, allows 47% of the people to pay NO taxes, etc. I could write 100 more things he has done to ruin the U.S. Here in the Philippines I don’t see all the bad things he has done. I’ve been coming to, or living in, the Philippines since 1969 and there is a lot here I don’t like. But there are many things I do like. My wife is happy here. So, guess I’m here mainly because of my wife and not having to live through Obama’s fiascos. Cheers.

    • Hi Alan – it is a bleak picture, but you sure have summed it up well. I remember the day when receiving welfare and food stamps was shameful, and only for short term survival. Now, it seems that it is a way of life, and nothing to be ashamed of. Very sad.

      • Bob, guess I got carried away on my post about Obama. Didn’t mean to…but I’m very passionate when I see what politicians have done to the country I served for over 40 years (22 military and 18.5 DoD civil service).

        Living in the PI has its ups and downs and I’m accustomed to pretty much everything I see here. Just gotta take it in stride and don’t try to change the culture, as that ain’t gonna happen. We’ll stay here in Angeles City (my wife’s hometown) for “awhile”. Take care and you have great website.

    • Alan, Next it will be the Clinton years. Why? Because the Republican’s haven’t learned their lesson. They continue to rip each other apart. The Democrat’s have their far left parties but in the end they circle the wagons around one candidate. The republicans haven’t learned to do that yet.

      The good news is even with Clinton the jobs market/economy is supposed to really do well.

      • bob martin did not build his websites as a platform for political commentary so it’s best to keep those comments to yourself. his sites are about the philippines not about the clinton’s.

        • I must admit that this particular post was fairly political, which is unusual for me. Since I posted something rather political, it is difficult for me to tell others that they cannot post political things on this particular post. However, I did avoid pointing fingers at one politician or another, and I hope others would do the same. 🙂

          • Bob, No one has hinted that a particular post was aimed at you. It seems like 99% of the posts are about the Philippines. However, they also talk about other issues tnot related to the Philippines. Some Posters knock the US and some support the US.

            So, are you now allowing only posts that support your views?

            Rusty

            • Gee, Rusty, why would you say something like that? Have I treated you with disrespect as you just did to me?

              If I only allowed comments that agree with me, do you think I would allow you to comment?

              • Bob, Sorry I offended you. I’ve posted before I admire you and your site. Most other sites don’t allow any discussions that doesn’t deal specifically with the Philippines. Again I never meant to offend you.

                No matter what one posts they eventually talk about the Philippines. After all we live a pretty good life here, right?

                Rusty

                Rusty

    • It’s funny people are ready to jump on the soap box every time they see a chance to do it. Point and blame! Just crazy how the lines are drawn in an instant.

      I will tell you all. The only thing that a politician can do in a bi-partisan fashion is screw over the American public. And they do it with grace to put each and everyone of you against each other.

      To sit in here, any of you and blame one man is ludicrous. I am not for Obama or Bush or Clinton or God forbid Reagan! I can’t stand any of them.

      It is funny people try and blame everything on one person. Just look at the money. Just look at it. From Washington to Carter the US debt was about a trillion dollars. Reagan, in his first year run up the debt about another trillion. All the other presidents after Reagan also run a tremendous debt. With one exception and that was Clinton.

      Then when Reagan and Thacher was ru[i]nning the world, Google this, we had the financial “big bang” and you can watch what happens. The big bang was about a total deregulation of the stock markets. And we as the world are still paying for it and will continue to pay for it.

      Wiki:
      “Nigel Lawson, Thatcher’s Chancellor at the time, appeared on the Analysis program to discuss banking reform, explaining that the 2007–2012 global financial crisis was an unintended consequence of the ‘Big Bang.'”

      And pointing at somebody “disregards the U.S. Constitution” is again ludicrous in that they all pretty much disregard it. Who was in office for the patriot act? Don’t sit there and use scare tactics saying we need it. That’s stupid. He set there and preached to Americans that we need to do this and do that so the ‘terrorists’ don’t win. Then to put out the patriot act allowed the terrorist to win! The patriot act was a major victory for them. The American public are still being screwed over by this legislation. Bush was the worst pair of presidents in my lifetime that America has seen.

      Now, finally, I have mentioned a few times here that I am a disabled American. I thank God that I am an American because now that I am disabled, my country has a program in place to help me survive. Social Security.

      But the story of why I am disabled should disturb each and every American who care to listen.

      I will say it as short as possible. I am disabled because a person tried to murder me. What makes it bad was this person at one time was a meth user but turned to a police snitch. So this attempted murder was swept under the rug. Me? I have suffered some pretty bad pain for 17 years June 27. I was crush under a pickup. Every part of my body was injured. My chest and my back. My ankle was shattered. Because I went under this truck.

      Think of what they would have to do to cover this up. The guy behind this is now a Judge! This is the kind of crap politics is! It isn’t right or left. It is ALL of them.

  139. Interesting viewpoint and some of the comments. Like everything ‘it depends’ on a range of expectations depending on personal and financial backgrounds relative to your own country and experiences. Your article is one of many which come up over time. In other words – nothing wrong with looking for a better ‘hole’! How one researches, compares and judges wherever one thinks they may be better of is a personal choice. Things are certainly not the way they were in either Europe of the USA both politically and economically. I doubt most people do not realize the amount of control and restrictions now in place in the USA for instance if only under The Patriot Act. Suggest a reading of 1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell would be informative. On a historical level understand The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire relative to the end of WWII and the change-of-guard from England and the old major European countries giving up the concept of Empire and colonialism to the USA. The USA has been in the same ‘Empirical’ position as say The UK – the historical process of change continues if one reads history… So much for that bit ! However, regarding the Philippines like many other Third World Countries… I agree, find your safety-bubble and stay within it given the levels of corruption, inefficiency from top-to-bottom, and all the downright frustrations one finds in attempting to achieve the simplest task which we are used to doing with no thought back in our ‘home’ countries. Comes down to what you are prepared and able to put up with depending on your situation. Hopefully one is lucky and has a good Partner who will watch-out for you. I certainly am aware of the alternatives amongst ExPats (who learn quickly & includes myself) and Visitors who seem somewhat naïve when visiting to meet someone ( or the family who appears as Chaperones !!) for the first time and the implications. One individual in that situation left a hotel after a week after spending all his cash on ‘the family’ commenting ‘ No Money – No Honey ‘. Point being – when you anticipate moving into another country it might not be all roses either. But, it is always your choice as to which ‘hole’ you can manage.

    • Yes, the Philippines isn’t for everyone. It can be for a week but after that one has to really like it here or they’ll long for their home country.

      Rusty

      • I think that is true for anyplace. If you want to adjust to a new place, away from your home country, you have to give it time, and go through some “tough” times. I often tell people that it takes 5 years in the Philippines to come to really know the place and like it.

        • My son, age 18 now, liked it here almost immediately. Could be because of the hot females, aye? LOL. I believe one’s kids adapt well to a country like the Philippines if the parents also like it.

          Rusty

  140. Mindiano Bob,

    http://www.prosperity.com/#!/

    My first response to your “time to go” post went straight to my belief that the U.S. is not sinking and that your abandon ship announcement was unnecessary.

    Your reply to me, ended with the comment. “That is how I feel”, and left me to ponder how many times I’ve said the same, only to subsequently realize that my feelings were not an accurate gauge of reality.

    In an effort to avoid a fact-less, feeling-bumping contest, I’m forwarding a link to some useful educational material that describes how countries achieve and/or maintain prosperity based on a tightly defined and measurable set of criteria. The U.s. is not a bad place to be and certainly not on a downhill trend. See the small increases in most categories between 2012 and 2014, then decide which of the top nine countries that show marginally better stats most appeal to you.

    The U.S., while coming in 10th in a field of nearly 150, is the only country of significant size to place in the top ten in all categories of measurement.

    I only refer to myself as retired when I’m not charging somebody for trying to secure a grant writing bid for a non-profit or gathering stats for somebody’s book or research project. I confess to sometimes making two and two equal something between 3.5 and 5, but I’ve never had to do a mea culpa for information quoted from the Legatum Prosperity Index.

    No one in their right mind would work their way through the entire index, but it’s a good way to check reality vice feelings, and worth a look.

    I maintain a residence outside the U.S., specifically, in the Philippines for reasons well documented in the positive things discussed by you and your respondents. But I find it nothing akin to a crucible when I return to spend three or five months in the U.S.

    You know. That’s enough. I have myriad thoughts germane to the subject at hand but they go way beyond what I suspect will be well considered..

    I consider your writing and rationale to be several cuts above anything I read on other Philippine-centric commercial websites or blogs. I wish you continued success.

    Respectfully out

    • Well stated Oscar. Your right the U. S. isn’t in decline and no one would want it to. Well, some radical groups would but that is their problem. I think we’d all agree the U.S. has changed over the years. But my parent, and their parents, said the same thing.

      Rusty

      • I certainly don’t WANT the US to be in decline, like you say, who would want that. But, the US is in serious decline, just like the Roman Empire, the Greeks and such in the dying days of their Empires.

        • Bob, during those times weren’t their other lands to go to? Where can one go today?

          I’ve said before if another country wants to responsibility that the U. S has go ahead and take the reins. But that includes the costs for the U. N. etc., right?

          • Well, today there are around 200 other countries on the planet. Depending on a person’s preferences, any of those countries could be a possibility.

            • Bob, Are you including the Philippines, Bolivia, Thailand, Peru, etc as one of the 200 countries that could do what the United states (and other developed countries) does? Maybe these countries are more powerful than I thought.

              In a Manila paper, during Yolanda, a Filipino columnist wrote; “While the Philippine military was stranded on their motorcycles, without the use of their cell phones, the U. S. zipped through the skies dropping much needed supplies. It doesn’t seem to me as though the Philippines is in a position to help their own people much less the world.

              China has already said it doesn’t want the responsibility of being the world’s leader. China wants to pollute whenever and not have others breathing down it neck.

              So, who (along with other developed countries) is going to become the next world leader?

              • Rusty, I was asked what country a person could go to these days. I answered that a person could go to any country. Nobody asked me what countries could match the power of the USA. What is your problem? I never said anything about any country becoming the world leader.

              • Yolanda is another time where not only me but everybody who lives in this apartment complex. Yolanda went right over this apartment. It is a brand new apartment but it still ripped a lot of the roof off. The first night I slept in about an inch of water. If you can call it sleep. Nothing you can do in the dark and all the power lines are down.

                It took some time but we all needed help. Everybody needed help. The brgys was given coupons to hand out to the citizens for relief supplies.

                Did we get any? Nope. Investigation has it that one of two things happened. Either the landlord took the coupons or the landlord could not accept the coupons because he did not pay any taxes on this new complex he was having built.

                Either way, that is pretty damn low. And this guy has money. Yet us poor had to suffer a long time.

                I had an injured foot that got very bad infected. To this day you can still see the injury and the infection.

                It was so bad I was looking at it, doctoring it as it was very red where the injury was.

                A lady across from me needed help with her stove and asked me if I would look at it. I walked over to her apartment and looked at her stove, had a hole in the pipe. I came home and in that 5 or ten minutes, my entire foot turned a bright red.

                I had to do sergery on myself with a knife to lance it get out the infection. I did that and was putting peroxide and iodine on it trying to reverse the infection and nothing was working. It just kept getting worse.

                Finally I poured straight alcohol on it and it did reverse the infection. I do have some photos of this too. Burned like hell but is saved my foot.

                Yeah, we needed some help but somebody needed more. There was some mad people here who got on to the landlord which he and his wife denied any part of it. The Brgy chiefs gave the coupons to the landlords and the landlords handed them out to their tenants.

                To me it is just another day in Phils! Samo samo!

              • Wow, your tough. Performing surgey on yourself isn’t easy. Makes me shiver just to think of it. Yes, so many people need so very much. Yet those in charge don’t seem to care. Sad isn’t it.

                Rusty

              • Rusty, I used to get a shot for allergies once every two days. I will tell you, after many, many my tail still goes between my legs at the sight of a needle. I am very squeamish about such things. But I was literally watching my foot turn cherry red and I knew I better do something. The roads was impassable. I can’t walk two miles anymore (to the hospital). It was up to me to keep everything in order. Last thing we needed was chaos and it was definitely brewing on my foot.

                I will tell you the human body is amazing. How it adapts to things like Yolanda. It is the first time in my life I was without electricity for more than a day or two, ever in my 49 years. But you adapt very well and pretty quick to it all. Just have to keep a level head about the situation.

        • Bob, Again I agree with your vision of the decline of America:

          Rome began as a republic. Justifiable wars were fought to victory. Many small nations succumbed to their powers believing might was right. Soon the Romans began believing in their own infallibility. Only Rome was right for the world. Rome would bring peace, by uniting the world.

          Roman military glory was ever present. If you were an unfortunate nation that opposed Roman rule you were eliminated. Resistance was futile you were assimilated. Improvements came to these nations at a heavy price. Tribute was extracted for the improvements. Rome became greedy for land and power and, over a period of a few decades, they controlled the known world.

          Money filled the pockets of the few. Politicians were for sale. Even Roman citizenship loyalty was for sale. Conquerors like Julius Caesar were raised to the positions of gods. The wealthy lived in palaces, the middle class slowly disappeared.

          Booze and circuses kept the poor in check. Morals decayed. The politicians and Emperors had spies everywhere. In peace time the Emperors needed to find a common enemy to keep the people untied. In come the Christians.

          Finally, the Vandals sacked Rome in 476AD, and the whole over-inflated culture collapsed. Why? The sack happened due to a culmination of many terminal problems facing the Roman Empire like domestic rebellions and usurpations, corrupt politicians lining their pockets as quickly as possible.

          External invasions were a matter of conquering an empire that was fighting amongst itself. Different factions all vying for control and unopposed by the apathetic. The poor sat and watched those they despised grabbing for every crumb they could without any desire to protect the Empire that kept them poor.

          Now replace the word America for Rome and Empire. See? Nothing changes but the faces.

          More recently the USSR fell. An Evil Empire cannot sustain itself for long. Evil has to destroy and that includes itself. Evil survives because good men do nothing to stop it.

          There was a popular slogan (still surfaces today) during the Vietnam war – AMERICA LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT. Now substitute America for a person that causes you emotional or physical pain – Love them or leave them?

          So many justify waving the flag, and shouting patriotic slogans saying Americans died to protect this land. Yes, they did and the last war fought to do so was WWII. But even then the loser nations were made to pay a heavy price go read about the Marshall plan. More recently read a book called CONFESSIONS OF AN ECONOMIC HITMAN if you can put your flag down.

          Politicians want you to believe in the flag being the symbol of freedom and democracy. They play on your emotions and can do so very successfully by waving the flag. They rely upon the naive who prefer to let others do their thinking for them. “My daddy voted XX and his daddy before him, so I’m going to vote XX, too.”

          We have those Christians running around saying the reason the USA is falling is that God was taken out of the schools. Our morals are decaying because LGBTs have the right to marry, and that’s against the Bible.

          What so many forget is that the USA has (had?) a constitution that works – many other nations adopted it.

          The First Amendment to the US Constitution is the most important part of the US Constitution. It requires that a wall of separation be maintained between church and state. It reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

          “It requires that a wall of separation be maintained between church and state.” But so many Christians feel that their beliefs take precedence over the religious or non-religious rights of others that are not Christians and want their Christian beliefs taught in all Public Schools.

          PUT GOD BACK INTO OUR SCHOOLS they scream meaning that will solve all the problems. Yeah, it will solve their problems, but what about the rights of others to not believe or to believe differently? I often wonder how well all these Christians would handle the USA if they did gain control. They can’t even agree amongst themselves what Christianity is – Catholics, Protestants (different factions within it), Mormons, etc. Whose way to rule would prevail?
          
      
          The first thing an intolerant government will do is silence Freedom of Speech, next they take your guns from you, then you get to believe in their ‘religion’. They arm the police with military weapons and train them to handle uprisings. A cop is no longer your friend he’s your controller. TO PROTECT AND SERVE means to protect and serve their handlers.

          This all happening now in the USA – I’m not talking conspiracy theories: The Defense Department program credited with helping to militarize local police departments has also transferred hundreds of pieces of equipment and weapons to school, college and university police.

          Law enforcement agencies affiliated with at least 120 educational institutions have received gear through the program, according to a Washington Post review of data from more than 30 states. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/09/16/school-police-across-the-country-receive-excess-military-weapons-and-gear/

          Really, school police need military weapons? Remember Kent State? the National Guard killing student protestors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings “Four dead in Ohio”

          Some will say if you got nothing to hide you have no reason to fear the government – Why isn’t the government more open about what it does? What do they have to hide? “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” -Benjamin Franklin,

          Martin Niemöller was a German Lutheran pastor and theologian in Germany. Niemöller was an anti-communist and supported Adolf Hitler’s rise to power. Then he opposed it. His quote below demonstrates how political apathy is dangerous.

          First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
          Because I was not a Socialist.
          Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
          Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
          Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
          Because I was not a Jew.
          Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

          “It is, Sir, the people’s government, made for the people, made by the people, and answerable to the people. The people of the United States have declared that this Constitution shall be the supreme law.” – Daniel Webster

          Yet, people act as if the government is a separate entity from them. “It’s the government’s fault.” “Blame the government.” The government is answerable to the people not the other way around. If the government is doing wrong then the people are responsible for the wrong doings, they put the government in place. The people – the enemy within.

          So I say to the naive flag wavers keep waving your flag, wrap it around your brain so nothing gets in that the politicians and some religions do not want you to believe. When it falls apart and it’s not a matter ‘if’ America will go the way of Rome it’s a matter of when then look in the mirror to see paved the way for it’s end.

          Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

          Those who do not heed the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them.

    • Oscar,

      Thanks for posting that link. Lots of great information and data !

      I would encourage those readers that are raising children in The Philippines to compare the education index to their home countries.Quite a large gap exists for most, and I believe it’s even larger than the data suggests.

      Therefore, it’s important to choose schools wisely in The Philippines.There are many more poor quality ones than good ones.Your child’s education is the best investment you make 🙂

      • Oscar,

        Thanks for posting that link. Lots of great information and data !

        I would encourage those readers that are raising children in The Philippines to compare the education index to their home countries.Quite a large gap exists for most, and I believe it’s even larger than the data suggests.

        Therefore, it’s important to choose schools wisely in The Philippines.There are many more poor quality ones than good ones.Your child’s education is the best investment you make 🙂

        • Exactly Bobby. So many expats send their child to (example) a mountain school. Nothing wrong with the kids at a mountain school. However, the kids are so far behind that the teacher can’t teach advanced subject matter.

          We sent our son to a high school that costs more but focused on advanced learning material. Compared to the Filipino children he was behind. But that was due to my brain, a lack of focus, and the girls.

  141. The political apologies are really unnecessary because indirectly it illustrates a salient point that I’ve noticed when I’m “home”. (Bayawan City, Negros Oriental)
    No matter how strongly you feel politically about something, one must remember, we are the outsiders. Whitey need not political grandstand while there. I check my political back bone at the door of my arriving plane.
    You hang around in enough drunken circles there you realize how cheap life is.

  142. Hi Bob, Wow, your comments right on the money and I concur with you 100%, is sad to see our country going down as it is. I am coming Ph. October to stay.
    Cheers,
    Richard

  143. I was thinking of what I can add to the article but its too well written with facts about what is going on in the USA right now, the country is falling apart, government used to be that many that ran did it because they wanted to serve, today its ran by politician that are after the power to line their pockets with the money that will come, our government is not functional, laws are not enforced and followed, when our politician don’t want to answer questions computer harddrives are destroyed, or in lerners case a simple I take the 5 th and wont answer to all the illegal things the IRS does. I moved to the USA in 71 with my family fleeing communism from our former country, for a time I got to see a great country at work, balanced budgets, secure borders, today we are over ran with jihhadists, south american cartels and groups that just demand that we give them, is it time to get out YES!!!!!. I will be 65 in 6 years and am researching planning for my place in around antique, I have learned so much in my country the USA I will end my years helping some, doing things I like to do, enjoying my beautiful wife. I don’t see fixing anything in the US as possible, she is gone now never to be rebuilt same as much of the world

    • Neal – It seems that we feel the same way, and it is not a good feeling. Yes, hard drives being destroyed sums it all up. Even when they have already been subpoenaed, if they surface, just destroy them. Destroy the backup tapes! Lerner did it with complicity from the top. I big symptom of the tyranny that the country lives under. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

    • You certainly are to be commended for moving from a country that is partially under communistic rule to the US. I say partially communistic as there really aren’t countries that are totally communistic.

      True the US has changed but I feel it is too strong to fail. It is involved in so many ways with other countries.

  144. Have gone back to the US after a year. Although I could list several reasons, one of the biggest issues in the Philippines is overpopulation and shortage of natural resources. In Davao where I was for a year the area I was in water was cut off from around 10AM until sometime in the evening seven days a week. Add to that power blackouts at times. Married to a Filipino we originally went there to have a baby to save money and settle down. Later after researching I found there are areas in the US that are quite affordable for medical services. Live and learn.

    • Ed,

      The US is obviously the place where you should be living. Too bad you ever came to the Philippines. But it was an adventure. Living in a 3rd world country gives one an appreciation for the the States. Not everyone of course.

      Only once during hurricane Katrina was the water turned off. Otherwise we never are without water. We do have a well. Even those who are on city water have water 24/7 except during hurricane Katrina.

      We haven’t had a blackout for months. When we do have one the electricity is out for about 2 hours. But that is seldom.
      Too many foreigner’s have no idea what they are getting into when they move to a 3rd world country. Life is very tough here.

  145. I am a Canadian who loved America so much that in 1968 I joined the US Marine Corps. I would have never done it if the muslim you had was in the White House. I am still a Proud Marine. Canada is being islamized to the point I could never live there and is is getting worse with the clown that is running the country. I have always been a rolling stone with no real roots anyways so moving around has always been the way I lived. I was raised in Mexico City when it was a beautiful safe city, my Dad was the Chief Engineer for Canadian Pacific Airlines. I did not return to Canada until grade 7 and after graduation I went into the Marines. I worked as a Pipefitter Supervisor all over British Columbia and Alberta and Manitoba. I lived and worked in China for five years and Cuba for a while. Thirty two years ago I had had enough of Canada and moved to Thailand and loved it. Eighteen years ago I met my wife on Filippina Heart and after the first meeting in Davao I fell in love with her. We would spend six months in Thailand and then I would return to Canada to make money. We bought a big house here in Bislig City and spent the last few years renovating it. While in Thailand my wife made me realize that if something should happen to either of us there would be nobody to help us so we packed up and moved to our house. It has been a tough year getting used to staying in one place but I am getting used to it now. As I told you before I have all the paperwork done for my ACR-1 card and am just waiting for my NBI Clearance. My wife is happy with all her family around her although we will go back to Thailand for holidays every year. Of course I am happy to have found S&R so have all my goodies stocked up. I would never consider going back to Canada, it is just too stupid. The fool running the place even changed our National Anthem to suit his buddies who don’t know which bathroom to use. By the way I Love Duterte, that is just my feelings. Take care Bob. One last thing that keeps me sane is every now and then we go stay at the Marco Polo Hotel in Davao and live like Lords for a few days.

    • Hi, Bob. I enjoy the news letter…I came to Makati 4 years ago. I got married and we have a nice home, friends and family. I feel I’m doing better now than I ever have. I think of plans of going back to visit the U.S. but what stops that? I still have a few things that I need shipped some friends stored for me in their home. Now my plan is instead of going there personally to get them, have them shipped. I talk of sights my wife would love to see. But…yeah things look not so great on the news. The shocking shootings and an anemic Congress. A president that seems to say or do anything he wants and no one calls him on it. I would hate to go with my wife and see anything happen to her because of some idiot. She has been hesitant in applying for a visa. Now I don’t blame her. The woman next door to us said it took 3 attempt to get a visa. I look just at the cost of going. I sort of miss friends and family now and then, but then again, haha…they are always welcome to come here. So for now, no plans to even visit. I like it here. We have plenty of places we can travel in Asia and Phils, and have over the last 4 years. Life is good here. If I had decided to stay in the U.S. 4 years ago instead of taking a leap of faith and coming here, I have no idea what my life would have been like if I had stayed in Pennsylvania, but do know it would not have as good as it is now.