I am a US citizen as well and I agree that the thought of ditching my identity for tax purposes is very painful, but the American political system seems to become ever more broken. I've been living in Hong Kong for the past few months after nearly 10 years in New York City and my experience has been a real eye opener. I can't see any real difference in the quality of life here (this is an expat's experience, so take that with a grain of salt), but it is achieved at a significantly lower tax burden, like less than half. I have health insurance that doesn't break the bank, the mass transit system is clean and efficient, they have well-maintained public parks, etc. As someone who works hard and earns well, my freedom to criticize the government hasn't stopped me from being viewed as a piggy bank by elected officials who haven't learned the real lesson of the financial crisis, which is to live within your means. They're taking on yet another helping of the "borrow and spend" habit that the homeowners had to give up, and it seems to me that it's all going to end in tears at some point. Frankly I don't really want to be among the ones who has to pay for it down the road. The final freedom is the freedom to vote with your feet, which is what made the iron curtain such a horrible crime against human rights, and while I still have that freedom, they want me to leave my wallet at the door, unlike almost every other developed country.
However, you are an expat and thus subject to the whims of your host country without the recourse of a citizen to expect response to complaints (of course, that expectation varies widely from country to country and within a country). For example, Thailand occasionally tinkers with their visa rules and fees - as an expat you're at their mercy.
