Not all foreign nationals are out to get us.  I wish the government could figure out that there are people from other countries who want to live here peacefully, spend a lot of money and pay our taxes.  We make it so darn difficult, from mortgage constraints to visa restrictions to a lack of extended health plans.  I know many super talented English citizens who would love to own real estate here and spend vacations on our soil.  Many of them do find a way to settle here, but we do not exactly make it an easy process.

One of our golf members lived in the United States for 35 years.  He was a top executive in an oil company.  He was British and no one in the states could fill his job. The day he retired, our government notified him that he was to return to England to live.  He would only be welcomed back into the country for 6 months a year.  He had to go back to a land he did not know and start a new life.  He struggled to get a US Visa. He would have much preferred to settle here and have one luxury home.

I am working with an English couple who are trying to obtain a mortgage for a vacation home.  This too is a burdensome process.  I have found lenders willing to work with them, but it was no easy task.  Another couple decided not to buy here because to cover their English health insurance, the costs were prohibitive.

I am not naive.  I do understand that there are some very nasty people out there who do not like us.  But last I checked, we do have some allies and I think we should start treating those citizens like we are buddies, not as if they are part of the evil axis.  We need to look at our policies and find ways to let talented foreigners enjoy our part of the world.