Exit Strategy: Chapter Two

Reviewing the things I said in "Exit Strategy" previously, brings the realization that what I talked about was hardly more than an extended vacation south of the border.

A pickup truck and camper - outfitted with the basics needed for a few weeks in the wild (such as a Mexican KOA campground) - Is only a mechanism to temporarily escape from some local or national upheaval, allowing one to safely return... When things settle down.

An exit strategy to permanently immigrate to another country would mean that I and my immediate family have concluded that living conditions in one - or any - of the sovereign states of the United States[3] has become untenable.

That's a whole 'nuther ballgame.

Some background:

When I was younger - and single - and working on the various missile ranges, I was introduced to a then current immigration offer of the Australian government.

After communicating with them, I discovered they would pay my way there, locate me in a satisfactory city/town/area that had employment in my field of specialty, and re-locate me up to two times if things weren't working out. It would be a signed agreement between me and the Aussie Government lasting 36 months. They would fly me back to the United States as necessary to maintain my U.S. Citizenship. When the 36 month contract ended, either I would be returned to the U.S., or become a landed immigrant.

They preferred married men for this program, since married men are more stable and less likely to use up the re-location options. You were guaranteed a three-bedroom brick residence in your area of employment to rent or buy.

This was - of course - a program designed to entice persons - married or single - having critically needed skills to head down under.

One rock-hard requirement was that you be completely debt-free. Another was that you were of European descent, code term for WASP.

My first choice of cities was Perth (below photo), a remarkably modern and clean city that had accepted all the conveniences of a modern civilization, but had said no to the ills and evils usually with associated with it,and demonstrated so amply by cities like Detroit or Los Angeles.


There was little doubt to me that Australia was a totalitarian society, neither a Republic nor a Democracy, but the other side of that coin was that the rules did not change every other day.

Well, the first time I looked into this, I owed money on my fancy "single-guy" car, so nothing ever jelled. The second time was when a position opened up in Perth for a field service engineer schooled in radiation therapy equipment. This time I was married and stable, but had my Mom living with us... And she did not want to leave the United States[3].

Australia is a different place today, so would I have more freedoms there now than here? I have no idea, but the fact remains I almost went twice.

Would I go today? Probably not, since their total ban on the personal ownership of guns is indicative of a government that - like ours - has lost its way.

So. My only viable exit strategy is one designed for a short-term upheaval. At my age and with my financial situation, I have no other option but to sit tight and keep my head low.

Of course, posting in this blog is not part of a "keep yer head low" policy, but so what... I'm too old to care.