BethAnnBitt

Constantly having to choose between the lesser of two evils has gotten us to this place where the bar is now very, very low.  

That is the case. We called ZRH airport authorities to double check on it since we are flying to a high risk country on 13.09. We plan on quarantining and testing upon our return, but this is not actually being controlled. Under the current system the German authorities have no way of knowing who has been back and forth and where they have been if ZRH is one‘s base airport.     Edit: And I just looked up and see there is no obligation to wear a mask in ZRH, just a recommendation to do so if distancing isn’t possible!  🤦‍♀️  

If you look on this TT thread (Converting a US driver's license to a German one) you will find several folks who switched after 6 months.  If you google this subject you will find numerous other sites saying the same thing.  I have been a resident in Konstanz for about 12 months and I have a license from Anlage 11. I'll update you as to what happens when I get around to taking care of this.  If I decide to do it I won't be waiting 3 years.

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AFAIK one needs the ITIN when filing jointly, but not when filing separately as you do @fraufruit.  And @Space Cowboy is referring to the joint accounts in his post above.  That's why many US citizens don't want to hold assets jointly with the a non resident alien spouse, in order to avoid the IRS stuff.

If your home country (or American state) has a license exchange agreement with Germany, you have up to three years to swap  

But you‘re not.  So it isn't.  You will have to do some more digging to see if it's possible in your individual case.  

You should also be able to contact your elections office directly via email.  My husband did so and was all set up within a few hours whereas I registered there in person on my trip back in March.  We received our primary ballots via email, printed them, filled them in, scanned them and set them back via email. Confirmation of receipt was also within hours.  

"Absentee Voting" means a registered voter requests the ballot in advance.  Election winners are often declared prior to all absentee votes being counted since election officials know just how many to expect.  Traditionally more absentee votes are actually cast by Republicans than Democrats.  Trump is happy with that fact and he knows the USPS can currently handle absentee voting.   "Mail In Voting" loosely means that all registered voters receive a ballot in the mail that can be returned by mail, maybe put into a drop box just for ballots, handed in at the local post office or county courthouse, ...  In typical US fashion specifics vary by location.  Or the voter can still show up in person. Trump would prefer that this option be off the table because it may cause more people to vote than otherwise would since they don't have to physically show up at a polling place even if they did not request an absentee ballot in advance. He wants voting to be suppressed, and withholding USPS funding helps to do that.  Is anyone surprised? 😮    Here's a good article on this: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2020/8/18/21373478/absentee-ballot-vote-by-mail-voting

That's a good point @fraufruit.  I guess in part the problem really is that the city is not participating in enforcement.  If they would do some random patrols and hand out hefty fines then maybe these misbehaving dog owners would think twice about flouting the rules.  And right now I suspect resources are really stretched then with just trying to police the crazy Corona misbehavers.  

To see family.  

It’s cheaper and there’s a great deal more variety of quality outdoor clothing, especially coming from SF.  And it eliminates having to get over here and immediately figure out where to go.   

Yes.  It‘s a dynamically changing situation.  Since we are traveling soon to a "high risk" country we stay on top of things daily.  We agree with and are preparing for stricter policies.  Stocking up for a possible two week quarantine upon our return! 

Here is some interesting reading, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste_management_in_Switzerland.  Near our house, right here on the border in Paradies, is a parking lot with the big dumpsters.  Every morning Swiss residents drive over and dump trash there so they don't have to pay to dump it in Switzerland, and they let their dogs shit without picking it up too!  Their fines are steep, while ours are not, and many of them come over and somehow feel liberated is what I hear.     When I walk 10 minutes away to Switzerland everything is clean as a whistle and I always feel a bit conflicted.  Yes, it‘s cleaner over there, but it feels more sterile, while it's dirtier over here and feels more charming.  In keeping with this mentality we have cobblestone streets and the Swiss like paving things over. This is all a big topic of discussion in this little bipolar part of B-W. 😂  

Since a negative test result doesn't rule out an infection Swiss residents who have visited a high risk country have a mandatory 10 day quarantine requirement.  I think it would be useful if Germany adopted this approach along with mandatory testing.