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I know that the U.S.A. is the greatest country on earth and utterly amazing in every possible way imaginable, however, the majority of the world's population do

I know that the U.S.A. is the greatest country on earth and utterly amazing in every possible way imaginable, however, the majority of the world's population do not live in the U.S.A. In the U.K. we like America, we even have a 'special relationship' (according to our politicians, the fact is that no American politicians see it that way or mention the fact). However, do most people in the U.K. want to visit or live in the U.S.A.? No! Further into Europe I really doubt that the average French person would want to up sticks and move to the U.S.A. If fleets of B-52's carpet bombed Europe with free U.S. passports, visas and one-way tickets to 'the land of the free, home of the brave' I very much doubt that there would be that much of a scramble to pick them up, hop on a plane and rush to the U.S.A. Sure, some would go, but even then, after a year or two they would want to return. It has been a while since I have heard anything about floods of refugees wanting to leave Russia, so life there can't be all that bad. What's to say that Snowden isn't actually enjoying life in Russia? His C.V. is rather impeccable and I doubt he will be struggling for work. He is almost certainly not without his female admirers too. He might just get used to knowing that the U.S.A. is off limits. He might also be able to be relaxed about personal security. He knows that if anything happens to him then it is pretty bad news for Uncle Sam even if it is a lone nutter that does the deed. Okay his asylum status runs out in less than a year but how much does he really value a U.S. passport? Or for charges to be dropped against him? It is not that big a deal. Uncle Sam has no leverage here even if Americans don't see it that way.

bausson 13y ago
I second this, as an European, I would rather not live in the US. Sure I would like to visit, there are lots of interesting place, but having to deal with the TSA is to much of a hassle on its own. Government shut-down closing those interesting places once in a while is just the bonus argument, but can prove even more bothersome than the TSA (which is after all only a bad moment).
- pearkes 13y ago
  Aside from taking off your shoes, there's no practical difference between European airport security and American. Both can have long lines depending on the airport, cheeky and or angry staff.
  - bausson 13y ago
    I avoid planes in Europe too, airports being far from city centers, plus checking-in, can add up to 4H to any travel (more than an hour to the airport, check-in, boarding, and afterward getting your stuff and actually getting from the airport to the city is another hour and a half). I use night train, when available, 1/2H to the train station, 5mn to boaard, and I wake up the following day in a nice city to explore. (not an hour away from that city, but in the center).
  - rurban 13y ago
    Excuse me? Do you have no idea what right the TSA has and how the TSA abuses their rights? Besides being highly overpaid and highly ineffective as mentioned by the Israeli airport security chief recently. Only in 3rd world countries like the US and some of the worst parts of Africa and Asia you have to wait over 1hr in the line on average, and it's better to avoid the worst airports, like Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, Atlanta or Newark at all to fly in from abroad. Paris CDG (de Gaulle), Heathrow, Rome and Istanbul are the worst in Europe and you still cannot compare it to any airport in the US when flying in.
    - bausson 13y ago
      Is CDG really one of the worst? I never had to wait, but took a plane from there only twice, so hardly significant. Or I wasn't there during high season, or I'm a young white guy, so never pulled out, IDK.
- ameister14 13y ago
  Just saying, this was the first shutdown in something like 17 years. Not exactly a common occurrence.
fabrika 13y ago
According to summer polls 22% of Russians would love to leave Russia. Especially true for students (45%) and entrepreneurs (38%).
- Theodores 13y ago
  From the same poll, 1% have lifted a finger to get the required paperwork. and one can assume that not all of that 1% want to head to the USA. However, given that there are umpteen million people living in Russia, even if a fraction of that 1% did emigrate to the USA that would be quite a significant migration!
tokenadult 13y ago
Immigration to the United States has always been as you say in the matter that many people who arrive here leave after a while. I used to have visions of nineteenth-century ships arriving full of immigrants to the United States, and then traveling empty back to Europe to pick up more immigrants, but the historical data actually show that about one-third of all persons who immigrated to the United States in the era of unrestricted immigration eventually migrated back to Europe. But they were changed after living here. Much of what makes Europe very livable these days results from returned would-be Americans promoting the democratization of Europe. (Much of the rest of what makes Europe very livable these days results from the United States rescuing Europe from central European tyranny twice during the world wars, and following the second rescue with the Marshall Plan and the Bretton-Woods agreement.) So of course some people like to stay in the country where they grew up, where they are able to speak the language and are familiar with the cuisine and climate and where their childhood friends live. Nonetheless, the United States is second to no country in the world in its net gain of immigrants from various countries all over the world. Many, many, many people want to immigrate to the United States.[1] Russia is surrounded by wretchedly poor, badly governed countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union, and many people leave those countries to go to Russia.[2] But Russia does not gain population through immigration to large degree, because many people who were born in Russia are glad to leave Russia (and they populate whole neighborhoods near where I live). Prediction, as someone who has practiced immigration law in the United States: if the United States had open immigration again as it did until about the 1870s, it would gain a substantial percentage of population by immigration, even if some people who arrive return to their countries of birth. Usually people all over the world become more interested in living in America after hearing from other people who have lived in America, on a net basis. [1] http://www.gallup.com/poll/161435/100-million-worldwide-dream-life.aspx http://www.gallup.com/poll/161435/100-million-worldwide-drea... [2] http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/09/232-million-people-left-their-countries-for-new-ones-where-did-they-go/279741/ http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/09/232... AFTER EDIT: Ah, yes, the expected downvote again. Anyway, you are welcome to explain your disagreement, as I won't mind hearing a differing opinion from someone else here. That's something I learned in American culture: feel free to disagree, then hear someone out about why they disagree.
- 13y ago
sd8f9iu 13y ago
Perhaps I am misunderstanding your comment – what does this have to do with how great the US is? Snowden grew up in the US. Having the US after him means he is excluded from traveling to a large part of the Western world due to fears of extradition (even making it out of Russia, due to flight connections and such, might be hard). Perhaps he is happy living in Russia for the rest of his life (though I doubt it), but since when does a desire for clemency indicate he (or anyone) views the US as the "greatest country on earth?"

bausson 13y ago

I second this, as an European, I would rather not live in the US. Sure I would like to visit, there are lots of interesting place, but having to deal with the TSA is to much of a hassle on its own. Government shut-down closing those interesting places once in a while is just the bonus argument, but can prove even more bothersome than the TSA (which is after all only a bad moment).

pearkes 13y ago
Aside from taking off your shoes, there's no practical difference between European airport security and American. Both can have long lines depending on the airport, cheeky and or angry staff.
- bausson 13y ago
  I avoid planes in Europe too, airports being far from city centers, plus checking-in, can add up to 4H to any travel (more than an hour to the airport, check-in, boarding, and afterward getting your stuff and actually getting from the airport to the city is another hour and a half). I use night train, when available, 1/2H to the train station, 5mn to boaard, and I wake up the following day in a nice city to explore. (not an hour away from that city, but in the center).
- rurban 13y ago
  Excuse me? Do you have no idea what right the TSA has and how the TSA abuses their rights? Besides being highly overpaid and highly ineffective as mentioned by the Israeli airport security chief recently. Only in 3rd world countries like the US and some of the worst parts of Africa and Asia you have to wait over 1hr in the line on average, and it's better to avoid the worst airports, like Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, Atlanta or Newark at all to fly in from abroad. Paris CDG (de Gaulle), Heathrow, Rome and Istanbul are the worst in Europe and you still cannot compare it to any airport in the US when flying in.
  - bausson 13y ago
    Is CDG really one of the worst? I never had to wait, but took a plane from there only twice, so hardly significant. Or I wasn't there during high season, or I'm a young white guy, so never pulled out, IDK.
ameister14 13y ago
Just saying, this was the first shutdown in something like 17 years. Not exactly a common occurrence.

fabrika 13y ago

According to summer polls 22% of Russians would love to leave Russia. Especially true for students (45%) and entrepreneurs (38%).

Theodores 13y ago
From the same poll, 1% have lifted a finger to get the required paperwork. and one can assume that not all of that 1% want to head to the USA. However, given that there are umpteen million people living in Russia, even if a fraction of that 1% did emigrate to the USA that would be quite a significant migration!

tokenadult 13y ago

Immigration to the United States has always been as you say in the matter that many people who arrive here leave after a while. I used to have visions of nineteenth-century ships arriving full of immigrants to the United States, and then traveling empty back to Europe to pick up more immigrants, but the historical data actually show that about one-third of all persons who immigrated to the United States in the era of unrestricted immigration eventually migrated back to Europe. But they were changed after living here. Much of what makes Europe very livable these days results from returned would-be Americans promoting the democratization of Europe. (Much of the rest of what makes Europe very livable these days results from the United States rescuing Europe from central European tyranny twice during the world wars, and following the second rescue with the Marshall Plan and the Bretton-Woods agreement.) So of course some people like to stay in the country where they grew up, where they are able to speak the language and are familiar with the cuisine and climate and where their childhood friends live. Nonetheless, the United States is second to no country in the world in its net gain of immigrants from various countries all over the world. Many, many, many people want to immigrate to the United States.[1] Russia is surrounded by wretchedly poor, badly governed countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union, and many people leave those countries to go to Russia.[2] But Russia does not gain population through immigration to large degree, because many people who were born in Russia are glad to leave Russia (and they populate whole neighborhoods near where I live). Prediction, as someone who has practiced immigration law in the United States: if the United States had open immigration again as it did until about the 1870s, it would gain a substantial percentage of population by immigration, even if some people who arrive return to their countries of birth. Usually people all over the world become more interested in living in America after hearing from other people who have lived in America, on a net basis. [1] http://www.gallup.com/poll/161435/100-million-worldwide-dream-life.aspx http://www.gallup.com/poll/161435/100-million-worldwide-drea... [2] http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/09/232-million-people-left-their-countries-for-new-ones-where-did-they-go/279741/ http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/09/232... AFTER EDIT: Ah, yes, the expected downvote again. Anyway, you are welcome to explain your disagreement, as I won't mind hearing a differing opinion from someone else here. That's something I learned in American culture: feel free to disagree, then hear someone out about why they disagree.

13y ago

sd8f9iu 13y ago

Perhaps I am misunderstanding your comment – what does this have to do with how great the US is? Snowden grew up in the US. Having the US after him means he is excluded from traveling to a large part of the Western world due to fears of extradition (even making it out of Russia, due to flight connections and such, might be hard). Perhaps he is happy living in Russia for the rest of his life (though I doubt it), but since when does a desire for clemency indicate he (or anyone) views the US as the "greatest country on earth?"