this sounds like a typical posting from a liberal living in berkeley, not to mention various other Euro-weenies… you see, a lot of euro-weenies hate the United States. they hate the freedom and the success that we enjoy. they’re envious socialists that despise american capitalism.
regardless, i’m happy that you don’t regret coming to the US. i’ve been to berkeley and i’ve lived in italy. so i have some understanding… yeah, you want to pay more taxes…
lot of euro-weenies hate the United States. they hate the freedom and the success that we enjoy
It’s so quaint when people say this and actually mean it.
I hate articles like that. That this place is better then that place is bullshit. Europe is fine America is fine. Move where you want to be and just have fun.
America has the St. Louis Cardinals. We win.
Tibbs, I agree. Surround yourself with good friends and you can be happy anywhere. Lots of people are.
ugh, americans can be downright embarrassing.
your really not going to like this one but you cannot deny that the united states is the most powerful nation in the world culturally, politically, economically, and militarily. the US is the proverbial 800 pound gorilla. you may not like that either… and many people in other countries certainly don’t like it … but it is reality.
i was egocentric in my last posting, but i’m still thankful for being a US citizen and sharing the love with others that are appreciative of our freedoms and relatively lower taxes etc. hell, i’m racing triathlons in what little free time i have available, i couldn’t be doing this in the middle east right now… oh correction, perhaps i in Dubai
peace
Euro weenie…blah blah blah…liberal…blah blah blah…socialists…blah blah blah…we saved your ass in the war…blah blah blah…god bless America…love it or leave it…blah blah blah.
(next time try addressing the issues he raised instead of jerking your knee into your chin)
Americans have different ideas of what constitutes a high standard of living than Europeans.
IN most of Europe a high standard of living means; access to free medical care, free education all the way through college, low violent crime rates, safe neighborhoods, clean air and a clean envionment, 4 weeks of vacation a year and a strict 40 hour workweek, free childcare, and the ability to retire at 62 and receive a full state pension and medcal care for life.
IN America a high standard of living means: paying top dollar for private medical care, getting into debt to put the kids through college, living in a walled and gated community to cut yourself off from the violent crime outside, owning a collection of guns to defend yourself, owning a couple of gas guzzling SUVs, a gas leaf blower, a gas jet ski and a gas snow mobile, 1 week a year vacation on Maui…(but you gotta bring the laptop to stay in touch with the office just in case)…60 hours aweek in the office, your wife has to work full time too to make ends meet and your kids are raised by a woman from Guatemala called Juanita, you “retire” at 70 and immediately go to work in WalMart as a greeter becasue some scumbag CEO you have been slaving for half your life raided the company pension fund…oh yeah and those bus trips to Canada or Mexico to buy your prescription drugs don’t count as vacations…Social Security??? what Social Security???
Hey…but that Jet Ski sure was a lot of fun…and Umerica sure does have some kick ass aircraft carriers…much bigger than those Euro weenie tubs.
Come on Matt even you are bright enough to know all those social welfare programs are not free. What kind of tax % do most europeans pay?
I guess my in-laws don’t live in America. They retired at 60, pay for their own insurance, spend 2 months of the year living in Florida, pay cash for their new cars, and basically buy anything they want. They both worked MAYBE a little over 40 hours a week (mother in law was a teacher), took nice vacations (multiple weeks a year), paid cash for their children’s college education, etc. Oh, and the mother-in-law only went back to work after the youngest started school and she worked in the same school her kid’s went to.
guess I should inform them that they are really living in Europe. I think they’ll be shocked.
When I lived in Europe I paid 25% taxes…for that I got free medical care for life REAL social security guarantees, and a free college education.
In California the government takes about 30% of my check…and I’m not counting the almost $9,000 a year I pay in property taxes and associated mello roos, and for that I get zero medical, a public education system for my kids that sucks, no free college, no Social Security, …but hey, we’re getting a cool trillion dollar missile defense system to protect us from the Soviet Union’s ICBMs.
And Tyrius, as for your in-laws in Florida…that story may have been true for some people in the last generation but for those of us who live in modern America, it taked 2 paychecks to pay the bills, both parents have to work and the kids are raised by hired help.
My in laws are in the same situation. Father in law was a middle manager for a Govt. Agency, mother in law a stay at home mom. All of their kids went to private catholic school and college, they own their own home outright and go on about 5 cruises a year. Both are retired at 60.
My wife and I both work full time in well paying jobs and we will never have that life. No way can we give up a paycheck and all one of us to stay at home with kids and still pay the bills and hope to retire with any kind of lump sum to see us through. Not a chance.
America is a much different country than it was a generation ago…much different.
When I lived in Europe I paid 25% taxes…for that I got free medical care for life REAL social security guarantees, and a free college education.
In California the government takes about 30% of my check…and I’m not counting the almost $9,000 a year I pay in property taxes and associated mello roos, and for that I get zero medical, a public education system for my kids that sucks, no free college, no Social Security, …but hey, we’re getting a cool trillion dollar missile defense system to protect us from the Soviet Union’s ICBMs.
And Tyrius, as for your in-laws in Florida…that story may have been true for some people in the last generation but for those of us who live in modern America, it taked 2 paychecks to pay the bills, both parents have to work and the kids are raised by hired help.
My in laws are in the same situation. Father in law was a middle manager for a Govt. Agency, mother in law a stay at home mom. All of their kids went to private catholic school and college, they own their own home outright and go on about 5 cruises a year. Both are retired at 60.
My wife and I both work full time in well paying jobs and we will never have that life. No way can we give up a paycheck and all one of us to stay at home with kids and still pay the bills and hope to retire with any kind of lump sum to see us through. Not a chance.
America is a much different country than it was a generation ago…much different.
Funny but on a salary many would consider very middle class, as a soldier, and whose wife is a stay at home mom we have done quite well thank you. I just gotta disagree it takes 2 salaries to make it in America today.
"And Tyrius, as for your in-laws in Florida…that story may have been true for some people in the last generation but for those of us who live in modern America, it taked 2 paychecks to pay the bills, both parents have to work and the kids are raised by hired help. "
My wife is staying home to take care of our newborn. Actually, she’s going to be working 2 days a week, but that is more to give her the opportunity to get out of the house than to provide us with income that we need. It can and is done in many cases. In fact, in many instances where both parents work they are typically spending the VAST majority or the second income on daycare, gas, business clothing, etc. If they actually stopped to think about what they were doing some people would probably save money if one parent stayed home to take care of the kids.
That is very true Tyrius. But in many cases its just not an option to give up that second paycheck…a lot of people just can’t afford to have kids.
A middle management job in America doesn’t pay enough to pay a mortgage, feed clothe and educate kids and save for retirement. It did 30 years ago, it doesn’t today.
For the average married couple starting out in life with the burden of college debt, insanely high mortgage payments in this insanely hot property market, expensive medical care, 2 checks are an absolute necessity. If you’ve inherited property or money from parents then things might be different but if you’re starting from scratch very few can life as comfortably as their parents did on one check, very few indeed.
I must be some kind of weirdo then, because I’m not even in middle management (although I do make a good salary), didn’t inherit any money, and am still paying for my college education, but I own my own house, am putting away 10% of my income for retirement, my wife doesn’t have to work to support our family so we’ll be taking her income and saving it for retirement/college education for our son.
My parents lived off of one check but not that comfortably. I shared a bedroom with my brother and my three sisters all shared one too (until we added on to our house). We didn’t take expensive vacations either, but I think we all turned out fine. It’s all a matter of priorities.
Yup you defintely are in a small minority in today’s America. Congratulations.
and a lot of that has more to do with the choices we make than America being a “bad place” by not providing for its citizens.
I chose to drive a car that I’ve had for 6 years, no car payment is good. I don’t have expensive toys/electronics equipment, again no payments/expenses are good (most expensive toy I have is my bike and I bought it used for $500), we don’t go out to eat/movies/etc on a regular basis, when we travel we try to find places that are reasonable (living with the in-laws while they are in Florida makes for a cheap vacation).
The above is probably where we diverge from the “typical” American. We don’t get caught up in the consumer mentality and only live within our means.
You can always write a bigger tax check at the end of the year. Or you can just have more withheld from your earnings and then don’t take the deductions you’re due on your return. Feel free to give as much as you wish.
And since you’re so into social wealth redistribution lets just cut out the middle man (the Fed Gov) and you can just cut me a check directly.
And the crap about the US cars getting worse mileage than the european cars which cost you more, now that is funny. First gas in the US is about $2.25/Gallon and after all the conversions the last price I heard for gas in the UK was about $9 a gallon which is about 4 times the amount here in the US. So what you are saying is cars in europe get something better than 4 times the mileage of the average US car. So if the average US car gets 15 MPG the Euro Car get 60- Simply amazing. Oh and by the way you can buy the same cars here in the State as in Europe, so if you’re so worried about the price of gas and ecomony you should have bought a Prius which gets around 40/gal, or do Euro Prius’s get 160/gallon also? It’s not my fault you made a poor buying choice when you bought your car.
Interesting perspective.
I work for a European company and have many co-workers who are European. Many of them have either changed citizenship to become American or have married Americans and will never leave.
All of them came here for more opportunity. There is no future for them in Europe. No jobs…can’t afford a home…too expensive.
The healthcare system here in the USA is different and probably more expensive but by far is of better quality. Just take a look at the teeth or the whiff of the breath of your average European and you’ll know where I’m coming from…they get the basics for their social medical program but that’s about it…Compared to the USA’s system it’s doesn’t have the quality we have.
Most Europeans have a hard time saving enough for their own home. In fact…if you have a home…it’s probably one that was handed down. Unless you inherit the money or house it’s doubtful you’ll ever own one.
American cars can be and are just as efficient as Euro’s. You just have to buy one.
On the whole, at this office, I’m seeing and experiencing the opposite from what you’re experiencing. All the Europeans have no desire to go back. It seems like there’s no future in Europe which is a shame.