Some people dismiss my US political opinions saying that I shouldn’t say anything because I don’t live in the US anymore. Opinions of non US citizens matter even less to these people. Of course, all of this is triggered by expressing opinions that they don’t like.
US citizens living abroad still pay US taxes. We have to declare income we earned from outside of the US. I consider it a very expensive poll tax since I’m obviously not consuming US public services. I’m also paying UK taxes. I’ve earned my right to express political opinions.
The US used to be a leader and an example for the rest of the world. A typical action movie would depict the US saving the world from utter destruction and other countries as too helpless and weak to participate. The US response to the global pandemic makes this narrative even less believable today.
The US still sets the tone for the rest of the world. My Scottish friends often talk about trips to Disney World or New York City. Americans are genuinely viewed as charming and approachable (at least that’s what I’m told). The pandemic has shown that that the US values money and brands over people and family. I don’t believe that British nationals want to travel to the US until they address the virus infection rate.
The US needs to heal and build back better. We can’t afford 4 more years of this dark nonsense. It’s important that all of us speak out. I don’t care if friends or even family don’t appreciate my viewpoint. Unfortunately, it’s no longer a matter of differences of opinions; it’s a matter of having different values.
Scott in Scotland 
Good read. Not enough detail on specifics of “dark” for me to be intelligently confrontational (in a “we both might learn something” way). Ran across your blog looking to see what non-US people think of the USofA. Problems, yes, we certainly will agree there. Solutions? Might be a bit of heady conversation to be bandied-about. Thanks for the read.
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