On Jan 21, 2008 9:57 AM, Srini Ramakrishnan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I assume that question largely went out to the Indians on the list who > would fit nicely into the emigree-to-USA crowd. So, my additional > question to them is, how safe do you feel about living in India? > > How safe do you feel when you are in the presence of a policeman, > politician, government bureaucrat when you transact official business > with them? Would your feelings change if you were from a different > Indian ethnicity, perhaps a minority - religious, ethnic, geographical > or a combination of those. How about a different economic condition, > say much poorer or much richer. > > How safely do you think India protects your assets? What is your level > of comfort in owning land for example, where the records system is > usually without backup, and really has no protection against illegal > modification? > > How confident are you that you will not be subject to illegal > detention in the prisons you helped pay for with your taxes, and if > you were ever to find yourself in such a situation, how would you > rate your chances of getting access to a free and fair trial and > timely legal remedy? > > For all of the above questions, would your answer change significantly > if you were in a strange part of the country with no access to your > friends, powerful connections and money? > > How effectively do you think you would fit in with local society if > you were to move to a different part of India, perhaps one where you > don't speak the local language?
Most of these questions would work just as well if you are talking about the United States. I see your point about people being naturally xenophobic. What really scares me though is a xenophobic government. And of the countries I've visited, the most xenophobic is quite definitely the United States right now. Venky, the Second.
