Having read de Tocqueville, Democracy in America (1835) in civics class, I moved to a country which, along the axes which de Tocqueville admires, does even better.
In my experience, a new language takes ~2 years for reasonable acquisition, and a new culture ~5; I don't know about you all, but I'd guess the chances that the US will ameliorate its basic political systems in the next 5 years range between fat, slim, and none.
On the flip side there's a good chance and perhaps coin to be made on some form of siginificant change in the next four.. perhaps the end of elections as they know them?
The least we can ask of elected politicians is they make some effort toward keeping their campaign promises.
In my experience, a new language takes ~2 years for reasonable acquisition, and a new culture ~5; I don't know about you all, but I'd guess the chances that the US will ameliorate its basic political systems in the next 5 years range between fat, slim, and none.