Is Leaving the United States a Good Idea?

In my previous post, I mentioned a recent poll conducted by Nature that has revealed that over 75% of research scientists in America are considering leaving the US. Given the recent budget cuts to academic research by the Trump administration and the resulting chaos and instability caused by these cuts, the concerns expressed by young researchers are perfectly valid. However, are the scientists that were sampled in these polls acting out of fear or panic, or is leaving the United States actually the right choice to make?

Life, as I'm sure all of my readers may know is very complicated, and the decision to leave your home country is never an easy one to make, regardless of whether you were born in Yugoslavia, or the United States of America, which up until recently has been largely considered to be to many potential immigrants The Land of Opportunity.

To be very clear, the decision to leave the United States should not be taken lightly, and should be considered a permanent decision with lasting consequences, with some consequences being good, and some potentially being harmful. Everyone's life is different. Some people are married with children. Some people have student loans. Some people served their country honorably and may receive compensation and other benefits from the federal and/or state government. Some people, like yours truly, may have to consider all of these factors. Some people, depending on how you may look at it are more fortunate in the sense that they have nothing holding them down. All their debt has been taken care of. Their finances are in order. They don't have to worry about kids or child support. And to these people, the choice may be much more obvious. For most other people however, I would highly recommend doing some serious soul-searching. Consider, if you haven't done so already putting together a "pros and cons" list. Considering you're given the "green light" to pack your bags and leave the United States behind, how will this affect you personally?

I am not saying all of this to discourage anyone from leaving the United States. If you have thought long and hard about this, and you really feel there are no other alternatives within the US, and you have other realistic prospects elsewhere, by all means, go for it. Do it without any reservations. Go, and don't look back. Think of the United States as a part of the past, and the country you're immigrating to as your present and future. You can't have your cake and eat it, too. Consider this your last resort.

I would challenge anyone that is thinking of leaving to think of the US as a relic of the past. Maybe one day, you will be able to visit the ruins, but you won't be able to live there anymore.

To its credit, one thing I think the Trump administration has done rather effectively is to sow fear and discord. What comes after Trump, though? I have been following the news closely these days, and I am already seeing the decisions that Trump's administration has made come back to haunt him and the rest of his administration. The country is angry. The people are furious. For some reason, an option that seems to be easily overlooked by many potential absconders is the option to fight back. Is the damage caused by Trump irreparable? Is it permanent? Or will common sense prevail in the end, and will Donald Trump and the rest of his sycophants reap what they have sown?

I would submit to anyone that is leaving this country to look at themselves as deserters. While some of these individuals hope to return to the United States "once things improve", I would tell them not to bother. They abandoned this country in its most desperate hour. They cowered at the first sign of adversity, and for the rest of us that had to stay behind and repair the damage that Trump has caused, we're going to remember the cowards who ran away, and we're going to resent them. I cannot emphasize enough that if you're going to leave this country, never look back. Consider this country gone from your life.

Or maybe one day, you will be able to return, and maybe you will be welcomed back. I wouldn't take this for granted, however. Now is a good time to brush up on your history. I have faith and hope that this country will be able to save itself in the end, and from all the history I have read, the true patriots are remembered, and the traitors are shunned, sometimes executed. This country needs unity now more than ever. This country needs to fight back against the cancer that is eating the federal government from the inside out. What we don't need are cowards and traitors. So think long and hard about the choices you are making for your future. Do you truly think the United States is gone? Or do you think it will be able to recover from the damage caused by this administration? If there is any part of you that think this damage is temporary, I would encourage you to stay and fight for your rights and freedoms. Don't take them for granted, and if you decide to leave, don't look back. Those of us that had to stay behind and fix everything that was broken will resent you for it.

What do you think? There are no right or wrong answers here, but I would submit to you if you ever really loved this country and you consider yourself a patriot, you will stay and weather the storm. You will fight it out like a true hero. Feel free to leave any comments you may have regarding this post in the discussion section.