The Other Side of the Coin

Immigration to the U.S. is a topic that fills the news every day and it may be the most potent source of division in the country's political landscape.  On the other hand, emigration and expatriation from the U.S. get very little attention.

While most U.S. expats appear to be motivated primarily by economics, I would guess that quite a lot of people in the Trump era have given at least a passing thought to looking for residence in a place that seems to more highly value rationality, equality and stability.  Canada, Costa Rica and New Zealand come to mind.

It doesn't take a lot more imagination to realize that moving to another country brings with it a heavy load of complications.  To cite just one, the U.S. taxes according to citizenship rather than residence, so moving abroad can result in some real tax nightmares involving the bureaucracies of two nations.

Of course, there is another moving option available in the form of internal migration.  For instance, a lot of African Americans moved from the rural south to northern or western urban areas.  The reasons in that case were based on economic and political issues.  The logic behind such a move is irrefutable, but the consequences were seldom so clearly positive as might be hoped.

Despite some obvious drawbacks to picking up and moving to a new place for anyone, the idea still retains a lot of appeal, in most cases for possible economic improvements.  In some instances it also seems likely some people may feel surrounded by a community which they feel is unsafe or hostile to their beliefs, and be looking for that reason to change their residence.

I'm staying put.  Twelve years ago, I chose to move from rural southern New Mexico to Albuquerque, New Mexico's biggest city.  While I have lived in quite a few places inside and outside the country, moving at this late stage of my life no longer seems like a useful or even viable option.  Not that there are not local conditions which create serious concerns.  Albuquerque has some of the highest crime and murder rates in the country.  New Mexico is among the poorest of states and it is not likely that will change significantly in my lifetime.

Meanwhile, however, I live in a pretty quiet middle-class neighborhood.  And, while I am appalled by the state of politics at the national level, the city, state and federal representatives which are responsible for my part of town are bright, energetic progressives who are working hard to make things better for their fellow New Mexicans.

I have been particularly impressed by our U.S. Congressional Representative, Deb Haaland, who is one of the first Native American women to reach that position.  She has gone to great lengths to stay in close touch with her constituents through emails and town halls, and she has sponsored many progressive initiatives in her first year in Congress.

Even with some good local allies, of course, there is no guarantee that progress will continue on an unbroken course.  Politics doesn't work that way.  Still, I welcome the encouragement from activists who are younger and smarter than me.  Also, I do think that lasting significant change has got to come from the bottom up.

What got me thinking along these lines were a couple of articles in today's Guardian:

Lauren Gambino's article on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez explains very clearly how the youngest woman ever elected to Congress got to where she is.

Joseph Stiglitz's article about Martín Guzmán, Argentina's new minister of economy appointed by President Alberto Fernández, is encouraging because it gives a ray of hope to a country that for decades has experienced a rollercoaster ride of boom and bust.  I had a first-hand view of the country sliding into one of the worst busts which led to a nightmarish dictatorship, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Fernández and Guzmán will at least prevent a repeat of that.