It's a common fantasy for certain people to threaten to 'move to Canada' after unfavorable election results. What do folks here think about this method of 'voting with your feet' to move somewhere that is already better aligned with your core principles, as opposed to slogging it out where you currently are?
On an individual level, I think it could certainly improve someone's QOL (although the marginalized folks that would benefit most are also probably least likely to be able to afford that sort of move). I think if everyone who threatened to move to Canada actually did so, the democratic party would be gutted, or at least heavily reshaped, and there would be a lot of suffering in the wake. In a world with open borders and minimal financial/employment barriers to moving? I think that's another question altogether, and I don't quite know how I would answer it.
Part of why I have been considering it more lately isn't even related to the election, but what I want my quality of life to be 20-30 years from now. Global warming isn't going anywhere, vast swaths of the United States will be irrevocably altered. Parts of Canada will, too, but by and large will be in a better place than the United States when it comes to environmental impact. Representation is a factor, as well, there a 7x difference in the Federal level of representation comparing Canada to the US. Somewhere around 760,000 US Citizens per House rep, and 112,000 Canadian Citizens per similar rep. "Slogging it out where I currently am" is me, living in one of the most blue regions of the country, having to somehow deal with the fact that almost half of the country in the interior and SE are diametrically opposed in ways I cannot engage with, participate in, or attempt to influence shy of throwing money at candidates in those states. Those some states are the ones greatly influencing our Federal government and everything that comes with it.
QOL in my old age is the Big Question for me, too. The US is going to basically let my generation die off... we are stuck in the middle of the Boomer, who are going to spend every last cent they can before they die and deplete every federal system, and the Millenials, who don't have a plan, and won't have any real power until my generation is out of their way. So what I do I want to do with the 25-30 years I have left? Fight Y'all Qaida? Or move to a beach and drink mai tais every day?
A very poignant question, this morning. My wife and I have a huge group of friends just over the border in Canada, and even some very close friends over in Halifax. Several people (4 families, 3 other individuals) have relocated to Canada in the last few years. What generally happens is that they settle in to the better way of life there, make local friends, and fade away from the Americans. They just get on with living a productive life, and disconnect from the chaos and myopia of America entirely. My wife and I will look closely at it again, of course. But Vancouver - the easy choice - is INSANELY expensive. Like "Hey Silicon Valley, hold my beer" kind of expensive. Vancouver Island - or any of the network of little islands along its eastern short - is another place where we could easily go. Lots of friends there. But you are committing to the "Island Life", which is largely cut off from the rest of the world... which is an oddly reassuring thought right now. It's over $100 to travel via ferry across the water to the mainland, so once on the island, you pretty much stay on the island. As I have mentioned before, I'm tied to Seattle by my family (Mom, Dad, and Sister), and habit. I used to have a huge number of friends here, but COVID had put the kibosh on that, mostly. My wife and I are super social. And could easily make a home anywhere we wanted to go. I could literally do my job from anywhere in the world. (Except for visa issues, and employment issues.... my company can't employ people overseas. But, I thought I'd set up a consultancy, do the same job for them as a consultant, and then they could get around that issue.) So. ....I've also got friends in NZ and Australia and Sweden, too. And we really liked Scotland... especially Inverness and Islay...