And now for a rant from our sponsor

Here's an example of very bad public policy

Vaiva and I did not really discuss our retirement expectations. There were times when I had the impression that she wanted to make Lithuania her permanent home. Perhaps if she had lived long enough for one of our children to develop the financial wherewithal to assume responsibility for the Durham property, we could have considered retiring to Lithuania. Certainly a dollar-based retirement buys one a higher standard of living in Lithuania than it does in the U.S.

However, I have just learned a nasty little fact of life in Lithuania. I knew that foreigners are barred from buying land. Vaiva was able to build our home in Rieše because she had, by operation of law, dual citizenship. Lithuania has a sad history with absentee foreign landowners, so I sympathize with the historical roots of this bias against noncitizens.

But I did not realize that the discrimination extends to inheritance. What is more surprising, it applies to surviving spouses!

So had Vaiva and I retired to our Rieše home, and had she died before me, I would have been required to sell the house and move out! Or sell it and pay rent to the new owner to continue living there.

I can’t imagine a stupider, more misguided policy. Well, there are some stupider tax policies, I guess. At a minimum, surviving spouses should not be forced out of their homes.

What this means for me right now is that I am barred from accepting my ownership in Rieše, I will instead have to sell my interest to my children who also have acquired dual Lithuanian citizenship (but of course they lack the funds for the purchase).

As it happens, this result may not be so very different from what I wanted—but it should have been my choice, not one forced upon me.

And as I think about this more, I get rather angry. I have been a patriot for Lithuania. I have worked in countless ways in support of Vaiva’s efforts and therefore have made a meaningful contribution to Lithuanian life. What’s more, I’ve sent tens of thousands of dollars to Lithuania over the years for various purposes—building the house the largest, but there have been others.

This is the thanks I get, this slap in the face?

I know when I am not wanted. Romas told me not to be offended by Lithuanian bureaucrats, but I can't help it. I am very much offended. It will affect my future plans.