Would you visit USA in the current climate?

Wanderer78 · 18-09-2025 04:05PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123827951#Comment_123827951

do you actually like trump?

unfortunately all previous us governments had some serious problems and conducted very questionable activities both in America and internationally, but its clearly obvious, things are taking a serious negative turn with both trump admins, particularly this one, this is ultimately why people are quickly turning against it and not going there

yes America has a lot going for it, but its quickly becoming a dangerous place for many

Ceathran · 18-09-2025 04:37PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123828164#Comment_123828164

Sorry, I should have said that I don't mean the individual doctors and nurses don't do great work. I'm talking about the system that they work in. One hears about people waiting 15 years on waiting lists to get an operation. Old people are left for hours in pain on trolleys. And so on and so forth.

Wanderer78 · 18-09-2025 04:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123828435#Comment_123828435

our health system is in no doubt in trouble, but its no where near as bad a the American system

SuperBowserWorld · 18-09-2025 04:54PM

Trump's impact on research in the US

https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2025/sep/16/song-chun-zhu-why-one-of-the-worlds-most-brilliant-ai-scientists-left-the-us-for-china

Also a good read re US vs China and large language models (brute force "AI") limitations.

We are really living in very active times historically. Incredible change and existential risks in such a short period of time. Extreme consumerism, incredible advances in technology and communication, and possible Climate catastrophe and AGI within my lifetime.

It will make fascinating reading in 100 years time. Hopefully the technology and people are there to weed out the fake news.

eightieschewbaccy · 18-09-2025 08:01PM

Just to point out, I've been in both private and public health care in Ireland. I have a chronic illness that has to be monitored and honestly have found both sides to be great. I'm currently using private but my illness is managed, I'd realistically move to public if it became an issue. One of the medications I've previously been on costs thousands in the US. It's pretty much written off here and that's via the public system. In the US, getting sick can ruin you. It will not here.

Ceathran · 18-09-2025 08:33PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123829091#Comment_123829091

That's good that you can get that medication. The US system is terrible as well. I'm talking more about people being years on waiting lists and elderly people forced to wait in pain on trolleys. And I blame the horrible government. Not the doctors and nurses who do great work in a terrible system.

eightieschewbaccy · 18-09-2025 08:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123829184#Comment_123829184

My parents are elderly, while there's problems they would equally choose Ireland any day over the US. The reality is the US punishes you for getting ill.

Economics101 · 19-09-2025 12:30PM

Whatever about visiting the USA voluntarily, I would not like to be extradited there.

https://www.theguardian.com/law/2025/sep/19/judge-quashes-home-office-decision-diogo-santos-coelho-extradition

Guy in question is Portuguese, has consented to extradition to Portugal, where he is also wanted. For once, a judge in an extradition case seems to have done the right thing. The case speaks volumes about the appalling mindset of the UK Home Office.

Hotblack Desiato · 19-09-2025 03:20PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123827938#Comment_123827938

So exactly like here then.

Not exactly like here, at all. One of the leading causes of bankruptcy in the US is getting cancer.

99% of people do not have the same views on everything. We've never had a referendum pass or fail by 99%. It's a ridiculous assertion.

Naturally you completely ignore that there is more to a justice system than locking people up. The US has the highest incarceration rate in the (supposedly) developed world, does it have the lowest crime? How does it compare on homicide rates?

What about the countries with numerous extrajudicial killings? You say that they are better than Ireland.

You're waffling and can't back up a single thing you say.

Ceathran · 19-09-2025 08:09PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123831351#Comment_123831351

Ok, they're both horrendous, the American system and the Irish one.

And they do. That's why there's no opposition of any kind. Identical political parties and identical radio stations and newspapers. There are a few Independents, but that's it. It's frightening when you think about it. The big problem is that radicals go around calling themselves 'centrists'.

There is of course more to a justice system than locking people up, but it's the lack of locking people up that's the problem. When radicals rule everything then morality collapses and crime is no longer crime. That's why there are thousands of criminals walking around the place with thousands of previous convictions. Their victims are afraid of them, but they're not afraid of anybody.

And did you get a chance to read the question I asked about Thailand?

yagan · 20-09-2025 08:04PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123832144#Comment_123832144

Isn't it ironic that Thailand actually is pretty big into the incarceration you like, yet is soft on sex exploitation, especially of illegally traffic women from Myanmar.

It's always odd how some people who are into strict control also like women to be easily exploitable.

Ceathran · 20-09-2025 08:06PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123835549#Comment_123835549

Well, I abhor sex exploitation. I think it's horrendous.

Ozymandius2011 · 20-09-2025 08:32PM

To be honest I've had concerns about the US even in the 1990s. I saw the beginnings of the takeover of the Republican Party by the Christian Right at the 1992 Convention, and the nasty "Culture Wars" speech from Pat Buchanan. I remember the 1996 primary, and was relieved that the relatively moderate Bob Dole won it. Buchanan's views were very Trumpian for the time, but without him having personal scandals.

Actually usually in the Republican primaries, the Establishment candidate won. Trump is the first exception perhaps since Ronald Reagan himself to some extent, as he was seen as an insurgent in the 1976 primary against Gerald Ford. Ronald Reagan though was polite and urbane, and had a unifying as well as occasionally a divisive streak e.g. the visit to a county where civil rights workers had been killed to talk about "states rights" in the 1980 election, or the speech about the "Welfare Queen".

monseiur · 20-09-2025 09:59PM

Coming back to the OP's original question - It's worth bearing in mind that not all US Sates are pro Trump or push his regimes agenda. States like New York, Massachusetts and California (which has a population similar to the whole of Canada) So it's possible to have a wonderful vacation in the States (once cleared by US emigration staff😊) without encountering all the negatives that some are ranting about. The secret is not to get involved in pointless discussions/arguments about politics, religion, race, gun laws etc.

At the end of the day and in the final analysis Trump is the democratically elected President and the least any visitor to any country should do is to respect that country, it's people and elected politicians…….when in Rome etc. etc. We expect the same respect from foreign tourists who visit our shores.

purifol0 · 20-09-2025 10:06PM

It's so telling that all the replies about Trump's presidency are always negative.

You dont have to like the guy to realise that he was elected again because the alternative was worse for actual Americans who live there.

Today he just effectively ended the H1B Visa scam that cost thousands of Americans their jobs, and was 100% all about getting Indians into the country for cheap labour and "takin their jerbs".

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/19/politics/trump-h1b-visa-fee

Please don't bitch at me about the source because good fúcking luck trying to get a non biased article on this issue.

21-09-2025 12:20PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123835890#Comment_123835890

I moved to the US almost 30 years ago on a H1B.

the time it was a great route for qualified Irish people to get the opportunity to work in the US.

At the time it was just individual companies or agencies applying for them.

But in recent decades companies have been using Indian agencies and they have been hoovering them up and applying for them on a more industrial level.

So much so that over 70% of new H1B these days are Indian born.

yagan · 21-09-2025 12:39PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123835890#Comment_123835890

It's just another way for Trump to extract cash from company's wanting waivers. It's how he operates, apply a crushing business cost, then wait for businesses to pay him tribute for an exemption.

However it will put off investment into the USA and force US companies to invest in non US markets where they're not being constantly shaken down. Then other businesses are sucking up to Trump looking for the fixed income of part nationalisation.

eightieschewbaccy · 21-09-2025 12:49PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123835871#Comment_123835871

If I travel to most of the Western world, I'm not expected to have respect for their politicians... That's a weirdly specific ask. If I went to the UK in the morning, nobody would expect me to have some inherent respect for Starmer. And the reality for somebody like Trump is a huge proportion of the world don't respect him because of the kind of person he is. If you're a highly controversial leader then lots of people will dislike you at home and abroad.

Ceathran · 21-09-2025 05:33PM

Since my question Thailand was ignored by almost everybody, what about Germany in the current climate? It's illegal to insult a person there and it's illegal to write a bad review of a hotel there too.

BP_RS3813 · 21-09-2025 06:38PM

I mean Germany isn't a great example. Due to their history they have pretty strict laws surrounding defamation and public statements in pretty much all areas of life.

What is literally a case of serious collective guilt even if half the population probably wasn't born anywhere close to the same decade as the incident.

Ceathran · 21-09-2025 07:14PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123837868#Comment_123837868

But should people go to such a place? Where it is illegal to insult another person and illegal to write a bad review of a hotel? Should people to go to Thailand in the current climate where there is widespread censorship, where people are arrested for writing hotel reviews, and where the King and royal family are not allowed to be criticised? Thailand is one of most popular holidays destinations in the world.

yagan · 21-09-2025 07:22PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123837942#Comment_123837942

Sounds ideal for a peaceful break.

I really enjoy any time I've been there. Everything is very chill.

Plus excellent beer, second only to czechia.

Ceathran · 21-09-2025 07:26PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123837959#Comment_123837959

But people are giving out about a lack of freedom in the US and would have no problem going to unfree Germany or unfree Thailand. That's the point.

MakersMark · 21-09-2025 07:34PM

Me too...was on a H1b for 6 years.

We came in at half the pay of our US colleagues, and we were happy to get it.

Now the system is totally abused for cheap Infoan labour....not good for the US.

Big companies that need specialised labour can easily afford a once off 100k payment.

Trump isn't wrong on this one.

fullstop · 21-09-2025 08:53PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123825989#Comment_123825989

The worst criminal justice system in the world? You are comparing it to the US where the President (who wished one of the most notorious child sex traffickers in the world well, before having her moved to a minimum security prison while trying to suppress files which would likely see him outed as a sexual predator of children…I digress) pardoned 211 people who were involved in a riot trying to overthrow an election where police officers were murdered.
Salaries here are among the highest in Europe, so I’m not sure why point you’re trying to make there.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123826051#Comment_123826051

Drunk people on the LUAS but the NY Subway is perfect. Only the 10 people murdered on it last year. When’s the last time someone was murdered on public transport here?
Ah yes, ‘god’ and religion have famously been fantastic for this country, what with kiddie-fiddling priests (I’m seeing a trend here…) and babies being dumped in unmarked graves…all for some make-believe story…a great bunch of lads.
As for your point about it being so cheap in Spain, why do you think that is? I’ll give you a clue…it’s because they earn significantly lower wages than we do here. Kinda contradicts your point above, no? But I suppose we could earn slightly more in the US and get 10 days A/L per year. Just don’t get sick incase you get landed with a $100k medical bill from their world class system.

Also, I have literally never seen anyone use the American way of writing a date here, so I’m not sure where you’re seeing that.

Ceathran · 21-09-2025 09:17PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123838186#Comment_123838186

Why are there jobs with 22,000 a year salaries here? And not just here, but in Dublin. I read an article about translators here the other day. It takes 6 years for a government translator to earnt he starting salary of an EU translator. They're extremely low relative to the cost of living.

Why are there guys with thousands of previous convictions walking the streets?

It's cheap in Spain compared with here, but it balances out in the end because the cost of living here (for crap, it should be said) is so much higher than in Spain.

You've never heard or read 'March 10th'? You're very lucky because I hear and read it almost every single day. Surely you realise that the way most people speak here is very Americany. That's to be expected because of tv and the internet.

Ceathran · 21-09-2025 09:23PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123836912#Comment_123836912

Do you think people who wish for the President of the US to die should be allowed enter the country? I'm pretty much a free speech absolutist, but that has to be a red line.

fullstop · 21-09-2025 09:36PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123838265#Comment_123838265

So you pick one specific job to make an overall point about wages in a workforce? Riddle me this, why do bar staff in the US need tips to make ends meet? Can’t be because the pay is **** I’m sure?

Look I agree that we are FAR too soft on crime in this country, but can you show me a few examples of someone with thousands of convictions walking the streets?
And you know what, at least justice isn’t political here and whether you are right or left leaning doesn’t really impact outcomes.

Ceathran · 21-09-2025 09:44PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123838335#Comment_123838335

But I said jobs, plural, not one specific job. You see jobs with extremely low salaries advertised here all the time.

The Us criminal justice system is amazing. Over there it's not unheard of for criminals to be locked up for thousands of years. They don't get locked up for 5 minutes here.

I can: Jennifer Armstrong has over a thousand previous convictions. There's this guy who is a victim, apparently: https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/spotlight/arid-41546944.html

It's more in the hundreds than in the thousands, but in the US they would be locked up for a 100 years.

What justice? There is none. It's all suspended sentences and slaps on the wrist.

monseiur · 21-09-2025 09:48PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123836912#Comment_123836912

Perhaps I did not phrase it correctly or you misunderstood - What I was trying to say is that visitors/tourists to another country should respect/accept the democratically elected politicians that the citizens of that country have elected to represent them. That is not implying that one has to be in agreement with or be supportive of the politics/policies of any particular party or politician.

It is possible to have a most enjoyable and educational holiday in the USA and meet wonderful people in the process without encountering the far right gun toting loonies etc. etc. that some on here and elsewhere are spouting about - most are probably keyboard warriors who never left their province and don't have or need a passport. Of course they have their problems like all developed, democratic countries but there is more to the US than what is presented to us on our tunnel visioned media.

I worked there for over 12 years on both the east and west coast and I visit annually for 2 to 3 weeks, have family members there so I have an idea of what life is like for the ordinary citizen. Trump is not on most folks radar on a regular basis or at all over there - we, or at least our media seem to be more intrigued by him on this side of the Atlantic - the price we pay for being a tiny island in the north Atlantic I guess.

The vast majority here have no comprehension of how vast the USA really is. For example it's less that 3,500 miles from Ireland to Washington DC yet it's almost 5,000 miles from Washington DC to the state of Hawaii. As I alluded to earlier the state of California has roughly the same population as the whole of Canada !

Would you visit USA in the current climate?

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