Although I'm new to this site, I've been a prepper for years now. I'm concerned about the attitude of a lot of Americans I've read and spoken to who think that when SHTF all they have to do is skip the country with a bit of PM and they'll be OK. A few thoughts from Australia, mentioned by many as a potential destination:
1. You may not be welcome. America is seen as the architect of the 1930's depression and a major player in this next one coming.
2. Your qualifications may not be recognised. When I worked as a surgeon in the US in the 90's, I had to sit 8 medical examinations despite the fact that I'd practiced as a doctor for over 15 years. I also had to sit an English test despite English being my mother tongue. Your destination country, unless it's a developing nation, is likely to require the same of you. We have plenty of overseas-qualified engineers who survive only by driving taxi's.
3. If you leave your emigration to after the SHTF, expect to spend a few years in a refugee detention centre. Most nations have plenty of genuine refugees fleeing real persecution, who are likely, regardless of their skin colour, to get preference over quitters who are fleeing a mess of their own making.
4. The American brand is pretty "on the nose" right now, and most people don't want to be talked down to - be prepared to bring a good dose of humble pie with you!

I can' understand that, and it's what those who haven't prepared before hand deserve.
They should have made arrangements for this no less than a year ago to have things go smoothly. I don't think any one here right now is planning on leaving the country if the shtf.

There's a difference between bailing and bugging out.

I'm a loyal American and this is my turf. I'd move away from urban blight, but I'd stay within the United States. We're in the middle of a culture war as well as fighting for the soul of this country. If someone wants to leave because things get tough and think becoming a refugee entitles them to breaks, they're no better than the illegals who come here from Mexico and other troubled places and parasite off of us instead of faithfully and diligently making their own homeland a better place. That's the duty and responsibility of citizens. That sort of bailing out is as bad as being a draft dodger.

It's good that any Americans who bail have a rough time if they take off out of this country just because things get rough, because those of us who stay and make things right didn't need them, they got no sand, no values, and they got nothing coming.

Man, to think some of us serve and sacrifice for this country, and fight for what's right and others consider bailing from the US if it gets tough.

Who needs them?



Hey, what happened to the guy who use to post here and go on about how great it was, him bailing on the US and living in Mexico...until that crime and chaos hit his little village? He use to post here a lot.

Simon, despite the fact that there lot of truth in what you say, I don't believe all Americans will be as unwelcome as you suggest. Yes, America is often seen here as the boogeyman of finance, and its foreign policies have also been woefully tied to its financial sector, (often to the detriment of many people in third-world countries), but I believe most people here understand that it is not six-pack joe that has been responsible. The average person in the U.S., no less than the people of most other countries, have been uninformed, misinformed, lied to and manipulated by their govt to the point that very few have any real awareness of what has been done in their name. (Sadly, many don't even have any real knowledge of the whereabouts of the countries where their military is engaged, let alone know anything about the people or the cultrus therein.)
Much as I despise the machinations of their govt and most of their international companies, (such as Monsanto), I have a genuine fondness for the people, who I have found to be mostly friendly, warm hearted and generous. They in turn would, I'm sure, find Australians to be much the same, and would find themselves generally welcome here. They certainly would if they were to live and work in the rural areas, rather than the cities where people tend to be corrupted by the MSM into believing that all is well and the govt will provide. That's not to say that anybody and everybody should be welcomed with open arms - certainly not those with hard criminal records or those that rely on the welfare system when they don't deserve it - but to any hard working American who wishes to become part of the community, I say "welcome".

Grim, much as you would fight for your home and family, if your home is destroyed there is often no alternative to moving. I wouldn't expect that the whole country would be ravished to that extent, but if it ever was, and you did have to up stakes and pull out, here's about as good a place as any to withdraw to.
(Completely unbiased opinion, of course!)

Bidadisndat wrote:Grim, much as you would fight for your home and family, if your home is destroyed there is often no alternative to moving. I wouldn't expect that the whole country would be ravished to that extent, but if it ever was, and you did have to up stakes and pull out, here's about as good a place as any to withdraw to.
(Completely unbiased opinion, of course!)

If a people don't defend their country, homeland, and family, what good are they? I wonder why we accept refugees fleeing war in countries when those people should be squaring away things in their homeland. What good are they going to be as citizens? The OP is right, such Americans who'd run to other countries because we've hard work here to set things right are worthless and should be treated as such. If things are tough in their new, adopted land, are they going to bail from there too?

We've tens of thousands of brave, dedicated resident aliens and even illegal aliens serving in our armed forces right now. I'd rather have any one of them compared to thousands of the sort who'd bail from us.

Look, with the exception of the Native-Americans and many African-Americans, we American-Americans had ancestors who got kicked out of, over stayed our welcome in, out ran the law in, or simply left every civilized and uncivilized region in the world for centuries. I've ancestors that got kicked out of Scotland, and went to Ireland, and after centuries there, moved to the New World, hacked out a life style, fought and intermarried with Native-Americans and kicked the Brits out for good...well, twice. There's nothing wrong with moving to other countries or being expatriots for a variety of reasons, but if someone leaves here because they're called to serve but won't, like the Vietnam Draft Dodgers, or because it's time to step up to the plate, screw them...they're not better than those illegals from Mexico who won't square away their own country and become parasites here. (Note, I'm not talking the hard working, decent folks among the illegals.)

nope not bailing

living in our bug out location

Doc.

If I am still breathing, I will be in the US of A.

We would not have a USA, today if all of the founding fathers left america

I refuse to say US, this is the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and don't anyone forget it.

simon, I see alot of truth in what you are saying. Some may be just a blanket statement, and some is dead nuts on, and I'm an American. I've seen (in fact have family members) that believe that by virtue of being American, they are better than everyone else. Some are even stupid enough to believe we have the best standard of living, and no other nation can match it. I say they are stupid, because there are many countries around the world that live quite decently, if you work for it. Australia would be no different, I imagine. Never been there, but from what I have seen and heard from talking to those that HAVE been there, it's not unlike the US at all, in many respects anyway. I find Aussies that I've met to be of kindred spirits to the average American.

That said, I'll stay right where I'm at. One thing I hate about places like, Iraq, is that once the US steps in, the smaller country quits trying. I'd say it's the same with ANY major country that steps in to "take care of the problem". Mexico, for example.... A nation of quitters. They could do something about the crime and corruption, but they won't. Instead, they come here and suck my tax dollars, steal social security numbers, and genuinely believe they should get away with murder (especially the rape, tourture, and murder of a particular 16 year old Texas girl) simply because they aren't American. "Send me home"... Right. Hang his ass! And so they did!

Our problems we have are ours to fix. We created them, partially by being stupid and neglecting to keep an eye on what our Government is doing, electing without paying attention to what we were electing, and going along with whatever the flavor of the month is. All while watching American Idol and Americas Got noTalent and pretending all is peachy. I don't think any other country on earth sticks it's military nose in folks' business as we do. Personally, if you have a mess in your own house, don't go to your neighbors and tell them how to clean up. Likewise, we are a greedy bunch, here, it seems. We tend to live in excess, require it, really. It's bad enough that should my wife ever die or leave me, I may never marry again, because a very large portion of women in this country believe it's their god given right to have everything a man owns, and to do with it as she wishes. Children aren't made by 2 people, they are owned by a woman and the father has no say whatsoever. Many women marry, get preggers and have a kid, then divorce simply as an income strategy. I've seen it. Does this make ALL american women this way? Not in the least. But the fact that it happens alot makes me wary. We DO need some humble pie. I agree there. And in some cases, I believe we need a serious ass kicking, because far too many of us take everything for granted. There's no real appreciation for those that step forward to do our nations dirty work. Even our own government hates the troops, how's that for bullsh!t! Calling us terrorists! Pfft!