I also have a wife. I can't just pack up and move to a different country.
When the rejection came, I decided my marriage was worth more than flying.
Having now lived outside of the US for a period of time, I've come to the grand realization that the US is one of the least 'free' countries out there (and I moved to a communist country!).
My guess is that if you really wanted to find a way to fly, you could, and it wouldn't require moving.
If there is a will, there is a way.
Mainly it was a matter of learning how to do the paperwork properly. Some people here pay bribes, others refuse to. I won't claim everything here is magically ideal, but as a general rule if you don't put yourself in situations where you need to pay bribes, you won't have to pay them. Mostly simple things like getting a driver's license if you're going to drive, maintaining your vehicle, and registering your current address.
Foreign residents here do have a bit of a reputation for poor compliance on stuff like this and doing everything the shadiest, laziest, and most fragile way possible.
This situation has improved in recent years -- I currently know maybe 4 or 5 other legal immigrants. We are a minority -- your assumptions about the behavior of the average person who moves here from North America are not entirely without merit, it's just not a universal truth.
Anyway I don't mean to argue with you -- just provide a hopefully interesting slice of life from a different part of the world.
I love the ability to just pay the cops off, it is the best corruption ever. Who wants to go to court when you can just settle the matter right then and there for a few bucks. I also have a totally valid drivers license (A2) with my picture super imposed on someone else's head.
I'm curious, how did you immigrate there?
I want to be a pilot, though.