A legal immigrant who wants to go back

[CTyankee]

I was getting new glasses today and chatting with my optician who is from the Puglia region of Italy. I asked him why he came to the U.S. He got a pained look on his face. He said he thought he was poor in Puglia but now he and his family are struggling and he wants to go back to Italy. He works at a pizzaria as a second job. His wife is going to start working a full time job because their youngest is going to kindergarten in the fall. He sees his taxes going for an unnecessary war, instead of for necessary benefits to the people.

He says he now sees that the social benefits of his native country make it a far better place to raise a family. He simply cannot get ahead, no matter how many hours he works, in the U.S.

You know, I really don't blame him. People like him are in a struggle economically every day and W is out there spouting off about gay marriage and continuing a ruinous war.

I'm beginning to think we live in an uncivilized country whose leaders are beating us to death. An educated, legal alien (who speaks very good English, btw)is going to give up and go back to his native country so he can raise his family and not die young from stress and overwork. This is sad.

[FreakinDJ]

1. He's not the only one

Try googling "expat retirement"

You'll see retirement communities all over the world

[AndyTiedye]

2. I Know Several Others Who Have Also Left

[CTyankee]

3. Why is that?

And where were they from?

I know that my optomatrist is a specialized worker with a franchised eye care company. He should be making enough money to support his family, especially since he has enough English language skills to ensure that he can do his job well.

This is a problem for me. If people come here from another country and learn and know the English language well enough to be skilled in their profession, why do they need to go out and work at a pizzarera to make ends meet? It makes no sense.

[AndyTiedye]

4. These People Walked Away From Good Jobs

One went back to Portugal.
One came from Taiwan, and is now working in Shanghai.
One went back to New Zealand.
One went back to Finland.

That is not counting three Americans I know who moved to Germany.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. There are days I think about getting out of the asylum myself

but roots keep me here