The Exodus

America is not a promised land any longer. We still have a large influx of immigrants who may not know better, but some of those who just came - even from refugee camps - are begging to go back home. Professionals who came from other countries are leaving in large numbers. New holders of green cards have no intention of living here. That is the empirical data I see around myself.

In our small Southern US city with its only daily newspaper, two articles appeared in the past two weeks about recent immigrants. One was about the lost boys of Sudan, some of whom are now choosing to go back to their country. Another one - yesterday - was about refugees from Iraq who are BEGGING to go back home. For those who do not read the news: today a blast in Baghdad killed over 110 people. In the mind of these immigrants, it is still preferable to what life in America holds for them. They live in a basement apartment in the "hood" with no heat for a week (the landlord is promising to fix the faulty system, meanwhile the temperatures are below freezing every night). Despite his best efforts, the father was only able to find a job for one day delivering pizza out of the three months they have lived here, and the housing complex is ridden with crime. These immigrants who do not strike me as freeloaders simply see no future here for themselves and their children. They say that America turned out to be the OPPOSITE of what they imagined. These people had been supporters of the American troops back in Iraq, and that fact can potentially pose threat to them upon their return. Before they experienced America first hand, they used to be believers in our values, and our way of life. I can only imagine what kind of message they will be spreading if they ever succeed in returning back to their country.

I personally know several Europeans who recently chose to go back to their countries because life holds more promise there for them and their children. I personally know an international lawyer from China who works in the US as long as money is good, but knows for sure that she will live out her life somewhere in Asia. Her Mother came to visit from mainland China, and has no interest whatsoever in staying here. I personally know several Russian Jews who, after having received a refugee status in the US, have refused to come here where their children are (and have lost the status, by the way). A couple of weeks ago I met another Chinese woman from Shanghai who spoke to me in fluent and accent-free Russian which she learned as a student in Moscow State University 30 years ago - she was visiting her first grandchild born here. Again, she is not considering moving to the US to be with her children even though she would have this opportunity. There was such pride in her voice when she was telling me about how beautiful China now is, how much better they live, she was inviting me to come and see it for myself. Not a word about how imressed she was with the life her children have in the US. (Incidentally, a physican friend of ours who lives in Moscow, Russia, and had worked in the US for a number of months before, recently visited China, and he was so stcuck that he said that America is a backwards jungle village compared to modern Chinese cities.)

My classmate recently won a green card which gives his family an opportunity to move permanently to the US. Well, a US citizenship gives a clear advantage to somebody with a Russian passport because it allows that person to travel freely without asking most other countries for entry visas. So this friend fully intends to spend the required 188 days out of the year in the US to get his American passport in 5 years. But that same friend, who is very critical of the business climate in Russia, and is not a fan of Vladimir Putin and his economic policies, does not have plans to move his business to the US. I guess, as bad as it is in Moscow, it is still better than in the US. My own Mother-in-Law is coming here to get her green card for which we sponsored her, but she, like everybody else I mentioned, has NO INTEREST in moving here.

Asian students are returning to their countries after graduating from American graduate schools in masses. Even American graduates are now looking for Asia to get their jobs. I already wrote about it in one of my previous blogs. But here is a link to an article about this phenomenon again.

While America is waging wars which serve no practical purpose but enriching people financing them, while America is "bailing out" Rothchild's banks in the US, it has ruinined itself as a great country. Personally, I think we are already beyond the point of no return. Our youth has nothing to look forward to, and no great ideals to live for (if you don't seriously consider paying taxes a great patriotic ideal, but even for that you need a job).

Some may say, "Good riddance." If we get rid of some immigrants, there will be more jobs and natural resources for those left. (Incidentally, a former classmate of mine reported from Alberta, Canada where she has lived for the past 10 years that yesterday on a train while talking to her other friend in Russian, she was yelled at by a Canadian: "Shut up, f---g immigrants!")While this may be true, the phenomenon that I am describing is but a symptom that this country does not have appeal for a lot of people who have a choice where to live. And that is a change we better believe in.

What happened with Egypt after the Exodus? They have lived off showing their mummies and ancient ruins? Some future to look forward to.