[mahmud]

I am a naturalized U.S. citizen and I wouldn't even dream of "ditching" my identity for tax purposes and moving overseas. I am currently in Australia, I lived both in Singapore and Hong Kong, and I don't think I could ever call either of them "home" (Oz rocks, but only as friends ;-)

There is more to it than utility, and I know that "patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel", but FUCK man, America is HOME.

You might not realize it now, but I dare you to travel overseas and try to unbecome a yank. It's hard. Everday, I miss my proud state of Virginia when I pay the Australian equivalent of $10USD for a pack of cigarettes; back home it was $4 for Marlies. Small things will get to you. My bank closed at 7PM and was open 7 days a week; I dare you to find such business ethic anywhere else on earth. And Oh, I could grab a case from any 7/11 or grocery store.

I just enjoy the fact that I can speak ill of any politician, critique the laws of the country and generally be resentful of "society" without anybody feeling offended. Everywhere else it's "Love it or leave it"; back home it's "tough luck". I like that sense of pesimistic resignation to fate and being "stuck" with that mess of a big fat country I call home.

Death to America! or at least the parts of it I haven't been to :-P

[Edit: Ok, maybe just "death to Jersey" .. specially Clifton and other areas just south of the "Bridge and the Tunnel" where my car was once levitated on four bricks. Pricks!]

[bwd]

I am a US citizen as well and I agree that the thought of ditching my identity for tax purposes is very painful, but the American political system seems to become ever more broken. I've been living in Hong Kong for the past few months after nearly 10 years in New York City and my experience has been a real eye opener. I can't see any real difference in the quality of life here (this is an expat's experience, so take that with a grain of salt), but it is achieved at a significantly lower tax burden, like less than half. I have health insurance that doesn't break the bank, the mass transit system is clean and efficient, they have well-maintained public parks, etc. As someone who works hard and earns well, my freedom to criticize the government hasn't stopped me from being viewed as a piggy bank by elected officials who haven't learned the real lesson of the financial crisis, which is to live within your means. They're taking on yet another helping of the "borrow and spend" habit that the homeowners had to give up, and it seems to me that it's all going to end in tears at some point. Frankly I don't really want to be among the ones who has to pay for it down the road. The final freedom is the freedom to vote with your feet, which is what made the iron curtain such a horrible crime against human rights, and while I still have that freedom, they want me to leave my wallet at the door, unlike almost every other developed country.

[locopati]

However, you are an expat and thus subject to the whims of your host country without the recourse of a citizen to expect response to complaints (of course, that expectation varies widely from country to country and within a country). For example, Thailand occasionally tinkers with their visa rules and fees - as an expat you're at their mercy.

[Create]

It is broken since a long tome http://www.newstatesman.com/north-america/2009/07/pilger-oba...

and I disagree with de above: OZ rocks, not just as friends!

[sho]

"The final freedom is the freedom to vote with your feet"

Very well put. Or, one day, with your boat, or your starship ..