I never thought I would leave America. But 2020 has me keeping my options open.

Not long ago, a couple I know told my wife and me they were thinking about leaving the country should President Donald Trump be reelected on Nov. 3. But over Rosh Hashanah dinner on Sept. 18 that idea went from theoretical to serious given the sudden death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The mixture of her passing — and what it might portend for a host of issues they care about such as LGBTQ rights — combined with the polarized nature of our politics today, was a bridge too far. So now they are stepping up the process of looking for a new country to call home. High on their list of places to go: Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

A number of others I have talked to recently have voiced similar thoughts, which brings to mind a question I’ve been pondering: Should I join them? Even asking the question seems to provoke a primal response in some people, perhaps because it seems unpatriotic. But, if we talk endlessly about why people immigrate to America, and the rules by which they should come, why shouldn’t we talk openly about why people leave, or think about doing so?

Fair-weather citizens?

Some would certainly argue that there is never a reason (at least not a good one) to leave America, just like very few of us would abandon our favorite sports team — the Yankees in favor of the Boston Red Sox, for instance — or switch political affiliation from red to blue, or vice-versa.

Nowadays, though, the unthinkable seems newly thinkable for a growing number of people, including myself. Consider the following: While the federal government doesn’t track how many citizens leave the U.S. for an extended period of time, if not forever, an estimate by the Association of Americans Resident Overseas, which tracks the comings and goings of expatriates, or “expats,” put the number at nearly nine million. That is more than double of the 1999 figure, which means the number of people leaving the country is growing faster than the growth rate of the United States itself.

What happened to the old ACLU?: The ACLU used to defend religious freedom. Now, they target Catholic adoption agencies.

What’s behind the outflux of Americans? Economics clearly plays its part, either lack of opportunities here, or better ones elsewhere. So does fear caused by events like the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va. One man recently posted on Facebook that he planned to leave the country if Obamacare was overturned by a newly-conservative Supreme Court because he has a pre-existing medical condition. And let’s not forget taxes: Eduardo Saverin, the Facebook co-founder, renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2009 and decamped to Singapore ahead of the company’s initial public offering, apparently to protect his billions from American taxes.

Related: Study abroad programs cancelled by coronavirus

The coronavirus consideration

The thought of leaving for me would have seemed utterly out of the question until recently, given my family history. My maternal grandfather, Henry, decided to leave his homeland, Germany, in 1934 to come to the U.S. and lived the American dream as an insurance executive until his death in 1996. As a result of his experience, I saw, and generally continue to see, America as a safe harbor: a place you run to, not a place you run from.

Extremism on the rise: Trump's Proud Boys debate shoutout energized the entire far right. The damage is done.

But it’s hard to ignore the parallels to pre-war Germany: apparently increasing amounts of violence, growing intolerance, a challenging economy, a leader who embraces authoritarian ways, not to mention voicing contempt for various minority groups. No question, there are significant differences too, but the parallel between then and now doesn’t have to be perfect for one to recognize that it exists. I think this might be what Mark Twain was getting at when he wrote: “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes."

So what will I do? For the moment, nothing. Even if I wanted to go, there’s the question whether, in the age of COVID-19, any country would have me, an American, given the high infection rates here.

That said, even if there were such a country, I still maintain a stubborn optimism in America’s ability to correct its current excesses. That was one of the lessons of Watergate: The system works, despite those (in that case, President Richard Nixon) intent on testing its limits. But that doesn’t mean I’m not keeping a watchful eye on the shifting sands of the political landscape. Meanwhile, just to be on the safe side, I’ll make sure to keep my passport in good working order.

Mark Lewyn is a former correspondent for BusinessWeek and USA TODAY, who now runs a product business on Amazon. He is the author of the soon-to-be-published book, “The $500 Start-up on Amazon." Reach out to him: mark.lewyn@gmail.com

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @USATOpinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Election 2020: Americans are moving overseas. Should I join them?