I'm Russian. The only cliches that I have about Russia are those derived from my experience growing up and living in Russia for 25 years of my life, before finally deciding that it isn't going to get any better, and there's nothing I can do to fix it.

Are you able to fix much at where you are now? Is it going to get any better?

One other aspect is the extreme degree of federalism in US. When looking at it from the outside, people generally tend to pay more attention to what's happening on the federal level. But in truth, state and local politics are much more relevant to day-to-day stuff, and there's a very broad range to pick from when deciding which state to live in. Of course, in practice you also get limitations like "where can I actually find a job?" etc; but there's still plenty of options).

And state and especially local politics are easier to influence, too. State politics more so in states that have some form of voter initiatives (which mine does), which rewards grassroots bottom-up efforts.

I believe so. Or, to put it more precisely - I believe my chances of fixing things, and of seeing better things come, are much higher in US than in Russia. Even now.