I understand where you're coming from Briana... I want out... I'm f*cking scared shitless of the moral agenda shiotstorm that is brewing here now, I don't agree with them and I am more or less powerless to do anything about it right now, in two years when the house comes up for vote... bush will be reduced to a lame duck resident, and then 'we' might have a chance to do something about it. until then, ya know a nice vacation might be in order.. a working vacation that is.. personally I'm looking into Ireland or Australia (canada is still too close.. although I would get to keep more of my 'junk'...shipping costs and all that :) ) but! what I was kinda wondering, is that if any of you fine cellarites have any information on the cultures of these two countries ( I applied and was accepted for Irish citizenship in the mid90's.. and do to some VERY bad decisions on my part I didn't go) BUT! I was wondering what has changed (if anything) websites are handy and all, but it doesn't really get to the 'nitty-gritty' of how a counrty actually works.. ya know?

For anyone thinking of moving to Canada , don't start buying those hockey tickets yet.

See if you qualify to emigrate there as a skilled worker.

Whoohoo! I'm right at the passing mark--67!!!

I'm sure Canada is a nice enough place, but I think I'll stay here. I love this country, and will continue to push for what I think is right. And I'm confident that the liberals will have their day in the sun again.

Cowhead, you are welcome to come to Australia. We have great weather, a friendly attitude, and a booming economy. Unfortunately from your view point, we currently have a right wing federal government, but with the exception of getting us involved in Iraq, they have done a pretty good job. They are nowhere near as extreme as GWB or his men.

If you come to Sydney you can expect warm, sunny, clear days 80% of the year. You can go surfing at one of our magnificent beaches after a day's work, or go sailing on the harbour. Brisbane is similar, but hotter. Melbourne is cold and wet during winter, but has a good social scene, and good restaurants.

You would have to be prepared to pay more for petrol than you do in the US. It's hovering around $1.10-$1.15 per litre, but this is still cheaper than many countries. Speaking of litres, we use the metric system (like Europe), but this won't take you long to get used to. At least we use dollars and cents, and we have nice colour coded money, so it is easy to tell the difference between a $5 and a $50.

Come on over. Bring your family. Bring your friends! :)

what job could be better than selling used rust buckets? there's certainly no profit in selling new ones. And as long as there are lemmings like yourself out there to fall for my lies and deceptions, my family will have a nice lifestyle. I'll be able to buy all the plaid sportcoats, cologne, and gold pinky rings i need, and blow all the extra cash up my nose. hey, know anyone that needs a quality preowned automobile? cheap? all of my cars are one owner, all highway miles, little old lady from pasadena cars. trust me. schmuck.

I've often thought of moving to Australia, but they have the toughest immigration laws I've ever seen. Someone told me you must prove that you can do a job that nobody else in Australia can do in order to get a work visa.

That's not entirely true. It depends on your country of origin. The tough rules are meant to keep out an avalanche of people from third world countries. People from North America, Britain and western Europe have an easier time getting in. As long as you meet the education and work experience requirements, it is usually not too hard. It also depends on whether you want a simple work visa, or to emigrate. The latter is much tougher than the former.

Because if you're white, you're all right! :thumbsup:

;)

I'm a very capable computer network engineer. I was once offered a tempting computer science teaching position by an Australian school that had a campus in Vietnam. RMIT - Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

But the tough part is I have a wife who would be with me and she actually is from a third-world nation. I'd probaby just want a work Visa, but if things worked out, I'd probably want to stick around.

Now Syc, that is *not* fair. I did not say that we only take Caucasians. We actually have a large intake of third world immigrants every year. I think per capita, Australia takes more than any other country. We have a very multicultural society. In my suburb we now have hundreds of people from Africa - places like Nigeria and Somalia. The only problem I have with these people is that the government brings them in on compassionate grounds, and then just dumps them in the community with little or no support. Some of them spend years on welfare without finding a job. It's not their fault, it is the government not following through on a commitment. There is nothing wrong with their skin colour!

Radar you sound ideal. Your wife would be welcome, I'm sure. Come to Sydney, though - Melbourne is too wet. ;)

Dude, I was totally fucking with you. :)

Well, I wasn't sure, but many people do believe what you said. We had an immigration policy in the 50's and 60's that was known as the White Australia Policy. We've gone almost completely in the other direction since then, but there are people who think it still operates.

I've always told people that if they're not happy with the politics of this country, feel free to go somewhere else. Canada is a good choice but you better start now, the process takes a while and it'd be better for the rest of us if you were gone by the next election so we don't have to put up with all your whining again. Don't let the door hit you in the ass! ;)

The reason the Left failed is real, real simple. The people who enjoy the blessings of Liberalism don't appreciate them, and are unwilling to fight for them. Until the Right does something *so outrageous* that it is undeniable that fascism is underway, all of us tree-hugging, dope-smoking, laid-back, peace and loveniks are just going to keep playing Nintendo and typing on these online forums.

I wish that the Right would just cut to the chase and declare non-Christian religions to be a potential terroristic threat and outlaw them. Then, we could get right to the Civil War without all the mucking around and pretending that we have rights.