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This message was self-deleted by its author (PeaceWave) on Wed Oct 29, 2025, 02:22 PM. When the original post in a discussion thread is self-deleted, the entire discussion thread is automatically locked so new replies cannot be posted.
lapfog_1
(31,368 posts)if the war in Ukraine dies down... otherwise Spain or Brazil
hlthe2b
(111,956 posts)So, be careful who you bring this up around because I overheard a sizeable group recently do so, and at least four or five older individuals were sincere and candid, saying their ONLY "out' was suicide. This really alarmed me, but in communicating with some medical and counseling colleagues across the country, this feeling is not isolated among our population.
Sorry to be a bummer to your discussion, as I think Spain would be wonderful, but please just realize that we are about to see an explosive increase in suicides among several age groups, but highly correlated with those who have minimal financial means to escape.
piddyprints
(15,037 posts)We would leave if we could. Things seem pretty hopeless for those of us who have no choice.
moonscape
(5,605 posts)going through cancer treatment (not that the govt will continue covering it) to prolong a life that perhaps will have had enough.
milestogo
(22,120 posts)Both beautiful places
viva la
(4,374 posts)But I think I'll stay put and resist.
no_hypocrisy
(53,614 posts)Initech
(106,739 posts)livetohike
(23,780 posts)Ive always wanted to go there and am in touch with distant cousins.
Celerity
(52,809 posts)
https://www.freiheit.org/central-europe-and-baltic-states/path-illiberal-democracy
One year after the election and the renewed takeover by Robert Fico, a clear trend towards illiberal democracy is emerging in Slovakia. With his populist agenda and a pro-Russian as well as increasingly authoritarian style of governance, Fico is advancing extensive control over institutions, prompting critics to compare these developments with those in Hungary and Poland under the former PiS government. This comprehensive centralization of power is meeting resistance from civil society, the liberal opposition, and European institutions, who view democratic principles and the rule of law as threatened. Fico is also attempting to silence these voices as effectively as possible.
Following the snap parliamentary elections in September 2023, Robert Fico, the leader of the social-democratic, yet now strongly populist party SMER-SD (Direction Social Democracy), was appointed as prime minister for the fourth time (with interruptions). The ruling coalition consists of SMER-SD, HLAS-SD (Voice Social Democracy, the party of the current president Peter Pellegrini), and the SNS (Slovak National Party), which holds positions ranging from right-wing populist to far-right. Since his return, Slovak politics has been marked by dynamic yet polarizing developments, evoking associations for many observers with the pathways to illiberal democracy seen in Poland and Hungary though the speed and radicalism of reforms in Slovakia are unprecedented. Fico's increasingly authoritarian style of governance is particularly evident in his control over central institutions and a foreign policy heavily aligned with Russia and China, which has raised security concerns within the EU.
Power Takeover and Control of the State Apparatus
Since October 2023, Fico has been systematically reshaping the Slovak state apparatus. On the very first day of his governments swearing-in, the police leadership was replaced. This was followed by a criminal law reform that, among other things, included the dissolution of the special prosecutor's office for corruption cases and a reduction in penalties for corruption offenses. These reforms have raised concerns within the EU, which even considered freezing its cohesion funds for Slovakia temporarily. Although Slovakias Constitutional Court confirmed the constitutionality of these reforms, Fico was forced to make some adjustments under EU pressure, specifically to strengthen protections for the EUs financial interests. Ultimately, the EU funds were released. However, a series of problematic changes were adopted without modification; the special prosecutor's office no longer exists, and the reduction in penalties for thefts is likely a major reason for the increase in petty crime in Slovakia.
Additionally, the National Criminal Agency (Slovak abbreviation NAKA), which had previously investigated numerous corruption cases involving prominent SMER members, was dissolved. In its place, a new unit for combating organized crime was established. The intelligence service also came under Ficos control: a politically well-connected head the son of an SMER deputy was appointed, without the consent of then-President Zuzana Čaputová. These incidents clearly suggest that political loyalty in the countrys most significant institutions is being prioritized over competence and transparency, crossing a clear line of what is expected from the leadership of a democratic country. Political loyalty and nepotism in key positions within the state apparatus are among the most prominent characteristics of an authoritarian state.
Pressure on Media and Civil Society..............
snip
livetohike
(23,780 posts)Slovakia had a female President prior to Fico. She was an environmentalist and I think the youngest President theyve had. I dont know what happened. Looks like a world wide wave of right wing b.s.
Ping Tung
(3,944 posts)Bettie
(19,011 posts)not enough money to buy citizenship anywhere and my family has been here too long to get it by birthright anywhere.
I dont have a good option, so Ill stay and fight as best I can.
RockRaven
(18,213 posts)In any such case where a mass migration movement kicked off, it would be accompanied by so many other aberrations (like actual literal belligerence from the ruling administration to any nation accepting those fleeing, the extra-legal confiscation of the emigrants' property/accounts by the ruling administration on BS pretenses, and the US dollar massively losing value) that other nations will violate/change their own rules and norms to deny us entry/refuge.
If you want to leave, you had better do so early and quietly before the numbers balloon.
tinrobot
(11,844 posts)Her grandfather was from Italy, so she technically qualifies. But, she's got to get all the paperwork in place for approval.
LuckyCharms
(21,090 posts)Both sets of Grandparents came over on the boat from Italy, but I don't have any of their documentation!
CanonRay
(15,731 posts)Fingers crossed
Billsdaughter
(97 posts)Before him didn't die for this country for me to just up and leave. No fucking way. I will fight to the end or the beginning. Either one.
lastlib
(26,997 posts)Second choice New Zealand or Australia. I'd have to re-learn French to go anyplace else.
dameatball
(7,633 posts)dem4decades
(13,248 posts)dameatball
(7,633 posts)DoBW
(2,898 posts)I 'll eat some popcorn and watch the weenies run.
then it's all about "resistance"
https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/26184/pg26184-images.html
Maru Kitteh
(30,897 posts)OC375
(317 posts)I'm not moving for anyone, anymore.
RedWhiteBlueIsRacist
(1,409 posts)Tree of liberty...yada, yada, yada!
MuseRider
(35,009 posts)Second choice Guanaja, Honduras.
Tribetime
(6,922 posts)Greg_In_SF
(677 posts)my Mama didn't raise no quitter.
GaYellowDawg
(5,064 posts)I don't have the money to move abroad. I'm happy for all of you who do, but I'm stuck.
lindalou65
(363 posts)As for my husband and me, we won't likely leave. It's a great idea to have a plan B if possible. We probably have enough money, but it's difficult to find a country that will take us older folks whose ancestors have been in the US for about 200 years. We don't have grandparents or close family members anywhere out of the US. In addition, as my brother put it, "we shouldn't have to leave our own country."
I have thought we might go to Mexico--there are safe places to live and it's cheaper than the US. We are within a few hundred miles north of the border. If we become desperate that is an option I think. I wonder too if the Trump regime will allow us to leave. So hard to predict.
I hope there is a way to help those who want to leave but don't have enough money. Aside from money worries, there's also the issue of health concerns that will make it very difficult for people to leave.
In the meantime, we have to do everything in our power to stop Trump and his regime. Take each day as it comes.
kimbutgar
(26,365 posts)That said, I think the west coast will secede from Washington. So Im staying put in my west coast state.
CanonRay
(15,731 posts)There's no chance of reconciliation with these people
BlueKota
(4,751 posts)highplainsdem
(58,823 posts)secede? Trump in particular would be likely to use every weapon he has to stop it.
He especially wouldn't accept the loss of any east or west coast ports.
kimbutgar
(26,365 posts)But we can dream and fight back. Hes a crazed lunatic that everyday is exposing himself and scaring people even his magaloons are going to feel the brunt his policies.
mahatmakanejeeves
(67,295 posts)NeoTrajan
(33 posts)But hey, I'm retired, and I need a backup plan in case they suddenly pull Social Security off the table
So lower rent locales, like Vietnam, Malaysia, etc, are looking really attractive from a quality of life standpoint.
Nothing would please me more than living a beachy life, at least for a while .... I'll probably bounce every 89 days to other locales and see how all that goes
It's a big world, and either I can stew in this MAGA horseshit or find a beach somewhere and watch a sunrise over the ocean
Mossfern
(4,480 posts)I'm determined to have a great time haunting my house - joining ranks with the other spirits already here.
I'm too old and set in my ways. And then there's the health issues....I just don't think I have the energy to relocate.
Tommy Carcetti
(44,316 posts)...but that would be going from the frying pan into the fire at this point.
I could probably pull Polish citizenship due to family ties as well, but that's right in Putin's eyesight as well, so perhaps not much better.
My problem is that not only is my chosen career specific to my American citizenship, but actually my state of residence as well, meaning I'd have to start over if I left the country.
That being said, I'm not running unless I absolutely have to. Meaning I'd basically have to be viewed as an enemy of the state to get me to leave. My grandparents were forced to flee their homeland due to political persecution, war and authoritarianism. It was an extremely difficult decision for them to make, and they didn't want to do it; they had to.
CTyankee
(67,444 posts)Based on my heritage, I'd have to go either to Wales or Scotland, neither of which interests me. I'd love to go live in Sicily but alas, I have no Sicilian heritage.
rzemanfl
(31,012 posts)I am 78 years old and wouldn't last long, but as Churchill said when things looked grim, "you can always take one with you."
bamagal62
(4,238 posts)Or, just buy property very close to the Canadian border. Then, I could just run across if need be! Hahaha
Tripper11
(4,425 posts)Canada is number 1 being a Canadian and also England. I realized I was an automatic British Citizen having been born there before 1983.
I'm already working on my British passport now
3rd would be Spain if I could
BlueKota
(4,751 posts)I don't qualify for dual citizenship though in any of them because my father's parents were born in the U.S. and my great grandparents were naturalized long before I was born.
On my mother's side, her parents were born in Italy but they were naturalized before she was born, so I don't qualify for citizenship there either.
I couldn't afford to go even if I did, and to be honest I don't think any where in the world is going to be safe anymore. I think tsf is going to start WWIII, and chances of surviving aren't going to be good.
MurrayDelph
(5,662 posts)if it weren't for being a 70-year-old diabetic with an artificial knee that needs revisiting.
What these places that have universal healthcare don't tell you is that you have to pay your own way for the first two years to make sure you really want to stay there (and not just take advantage of their healthcare), and we spent months unsuccessfully attempting to find a third-party insurance company.
I could theoretically get Czech citizenship through my father, or Hungarian through my maternal grandmother, but there's this something about them all leaving over 100 years ago (and Jewish records having been destroyed) that makes it tough to follow-up.
QueerDuck
(443 posts)an agent or guard with a gun? A pilot? A chef? A relative?
Johnny2X2X
(23,537 posts)Im worried when people flee in serious numbers, theyll direct the banks to freeze our assets so well be leaving our means of living behind. I can also see them canceling social security for ex pats.
highplainsdem
(58,823 posts)Johnny2X2X
(23,537 posts)They want to take away US citizens living abroad's right to vote too.
A lot of people retire to cheaper to live countries like Mexico or Costa Rica, their Social Security income affords them a decent retirement, you take that away and most of those people would be forced to return to the US.
On 401Ks, you can do a rollover IRA and then take a lump sum that can be moved to reliable accounts out of country.
For the record, we're not to the point of fleeing yet, but I see it coming because I truly think the path we're going down leads to genocide. Republicans want to exterminate America Liberals, all 100 million of us. Stephen Miller is on record as wanting to kill more than that. I think we're months, not years away from those ICE camps being repurposed to house protesters, soon after that people will start to flee.
MarineCombatEngineer
(16,386 posts)I was born in the USA, I served in the military for 35 years, I have a thriving business here, my children, grandchildren, great grandchildren live here, I will not abandon them nor my country just because a wannabe tin pot loser wants to turn this great country into another N. Korea.
In 1964, I took an Oath to defend this country from foreign and domestic enemies, and, unfortunately, it looks like we have to do it again, this time against a domestic, terrorist admin.
I still live by that Oath to this day, it's what defines my life.
If people want to leave, god bless them and I wish them all the luck in the world, but for me and my family, friends, I cannot, in good conscience, leave them to fend for themselves, that, to me, is not an option.
Oeditpus Rex
(43,094 posts)I think I'll declare myself god. Or maybe I'll become invisible so he can't... uh, what is it he's gonna do after he announces, "I am the emperor!" and everybody just says, "Well, okay then"?
VMA131Marine
(5,117 posts)since I was born there and my daughter is eligible too. That said, a UK passport is not nearly as valuable as it was before Brexit.
Jack Valentino
(3,812 posts)but there might be a local visit to "Not Just Guns"
My wife and I are staying and resisting. The majority in this Country will not be taken over by fascists, we will fight and we will win.
Blues Heron
(7,949 posts)peacebuzzard
(5,731 posts)Last edited Mon Oct 27, 2025, 01:46 AM - Edit history (1)
Whenever I want to but I have too many critters I care for; so, no chance of going abroad for more than 4-5 days
vapor2
(3,336 posts)We are older so not so easy to but really despise troops in our streets
arkielib
(423 posts)Sadly, I have no expectation I would be allowed to immigrate there.
oberle
(230 posts)There is a "colony" of people who worked for Ohio University, as did I. I'm not sure where they are but it's a lovely country.
Bayard
(27,608 posts)But finally decided we're not going anywhere. Just not possible, logistically or financially. Not about to leave my farm and animals, and couldn't afford to move them. Husband is totally against moving.
I do worry about my animals if things get really bad here too. I'm righteously pissed off enough to stay and fight. I've had to do it before, and I'm not about to lose my home again.
Kaleva
(40,038 posts)mucholderthandirt
(1,703 posts)Plus my kids won't leave, and I'd never leave them here. I'll die fighting fascists before I'd leave my boys and my only grandchild.
Torchlight
(6,022 posts)If the worst comes to pass, I'll go down with the memory of a wonderful country I grew up in. If it comes to pass as I expect though, the hematoma will pop in late '28 leaving a gross mess but one that can be cleaned up with some elbow grease and a big can of sea-lion repellent.