So Much Winning
Policy failures by the US government have neutered US passports for the foreseeable future.
Writes Yascha Mounk in the The Atlantic: American Passports Are Useless Now:
My German passport, which I was able to retain when I naturalized, currently entitles me to travel almost anywhere in the world. My American passport can gain me access to only a handful of countries—not including Germany or the majority of developed democracies in Asia, Europe, Australia, or South America. The coronavirus is so out of control here that other nations (understandably) fear contamination from our citizens.
American is so first and great again, one can hardly stand it.
Well, American residency really. A US passport holder with permanent EU residency can travel.
It’s like the other countries are building a metaphorical wall out of regulations…
Even countries where the virus is out of control, like Brazil, ban us.
But, on the plus side, I see a way to get rapid test results for US citizens.
And if you’re negative, you can get a pretty nice vacation there on your way back from testing.
FWIW, France and Spain have seen a spike in cases (Paris and Marseilles are now designated red zones), and various European countries have shut down their borders.
@CSK:
It’s hard to come up with a comparison as to how insidious this virus is. You let your guard down even a little, and it flares back up.
We desperately need a vaccine, and we need everyone to take it.
Yes, I know the latter is not going to happen. Lots of idiots won’t want to take it*. That’s one reason a vaccine, even a very effective one, won’t end this pandemic. We’ve yet to see tens, if not hundreds, of thousands more die due to stupidity.
* I can understand wanting to delay taking it until it circulates a bit first among the general population, just in case, as long as one continues to take all due precautions. Me, I plan to get it at the earliest opportunity, if it gets the ok from a reputable source.
New Zealand is very attractive. English speaking.
Iceland is very attractive. An old school variant on a language I sorta speak. And nothing boosts fluency like immersion. Plus all the kids and young adults speak better English than half my current neighbors.
Islands. Remote. Farms and fisheries to support a sizable population. Geothermal energy resources. Easy to quarantine.
I can abide mutton and fish, but a flat no on rancid shark.
Is it a cliché already? Forget where I heard it but: When the Democrats had control of all the branches of gov’t, we went to the moon. Now the Republicans have had control of all the branches and we can’t go to Canada.
@Kathy:
With the Trump agenda trickling through out the federal government, I’m not confident that I would really trust the FDA. So while I am anxious to take a vaccine, I’ll stay at home, protect myself and my family until medical authorities like Mayo or Cleveland clinic give their blessing.
(one thing I’ve wondered about: if the first vaccine available is 50% effective and a later one is 70% effective, would it be wise to take the 70% on top of the 50% ? Would the 70% vaccine have been tested for interaction with the 50% version (particularly if taken a few months apart)?
So much whining.
@Bob@Youngstown:
I’d be dubious of Trump’s FDA if they approved aspirin to treat headaches. But there’s Dr. Fauci, and there are other health authorities in other countries.
In part it depends on what kind of vector is used to elicit the immune response. Some use RNA, some altered forms of common cold virus, and there are other methods. If the same method is used in both, I suppose it’s possible the second vaccine won’t work as intended.
@Kathy:
If Putin was on a train heading east at 40 kph, and Trump was on a train heading west at 30 kph, when would they collide?
A: November 2020
@Gustopher:
And we’re paying for it.
@Joe: Well done.
@de stijl: Personally, if my wife and I decided to settle anywhere outside the U.S., New Zealand would be at the top of our list. We’ve been there twice and we love it.
@SC_Birdflyte: For us, it’s the Netherlands. Look forward to the day when we’ll be admitted again…