“...I’ve been researching Ukraine for about two years. For some reason it’s outside our federal government’s sphere of influence....”
I know some ex-pats that work there. What you posted here is similar to what I heard from them. Hard to believe that the USA has digressed to the point where the Ukraine appears to be a better place to live.
Ukraine definitely has its pluses and minuses. The cost of living is really low. Having lived in rural areas, I’m not sure about living in one of the cities. That’s one of the things on my mind. The bureaucracy is often on the take to supplement meager salaries.
It’s a country that should be much more prosperous than it is. The old style Soviet bureaucracy, the continued meddling by Russia and the corruption all hold the country back. Ukraine is mouthing the words about joining the EU. I don’t think the country and its poorer citizens can afford it. It looks like Russia scammed an LNG terminal deal to bluff the Ukrainians into thinking they were actually accomplishing something.
Compared to the deterioration of liberty here, Ukrainians have less encounters with SWAT teams, TSA, and the paraphernalia that’s permeating our society. I don’t look for drones overflying Ukraine anytime soon.
Amish are definitely not a problem in Ukraine. And PC doesn’t exist. You can also forget about PETA and a whole bunch of similar single issue PITA organizations existing there.
The downside is I would have to do some serious bargaining to get my firearms into the country. Ukraine is less permissive than Russia that way.